Jane Austen spent a significant amount of time in Bath, some on vacation and some when her father moved to Bath for retirement. It was in Bath that the Rev. George Austen died (also, incidentally, where Jane's parents got married). Jane Austen hated Bath. She and her sister Cassandra did not care for the city life, and especially after their father's death in 1805, they were subject to a lot of rules concerning proper social conduct. For instance, they were not allowed to attend public parties without a male companion to lead them. To us, this may not seem like a big deal but considering that there was nothing to do in Georgian England but socialize, this presents quite a big problem for the Austens. They were also very poor after the death of the Reverend, and living in Bath became quite difficult for them. The very last residence of Jane, Cassandra and their mother was on Trim Street, which then was infiltrated with thieves, prostitutes and the like.
Although Jane hated Bath, it gave her a lot to write about. She never quite wrote anything in Bath; she only began The Watsons but never made it past 17,000 words. Her last two completed books Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, however, have a significant portion set in Bath. We were given the opportunity of seeing all the places that Austen writes about in these novels, mostly streets on which her characters live and places where important events occured in the novels. The Pump Room, for example, is important in Northanger Abbey. It is where the ladies went everyday for dances and to socialize. It is now a restaraunt with a view of the Roman Baths. The gravel path where Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth finally profess their love for each other in Persuasion is actually present near the Victoria Gardens. Speaking of Victoria, I learned something about her today during the bus tour. Apparently she inaugurated the gardens named after her when she was 11 years old, 7 years before she was to ascend to the throne. People thought she did a good job considering it was her first public engagement; however, one reporter made a comment about the dullness of her outfit or something, to which she took offense. She swore never to visit Bath again. She was so adamant that many years later, en route to Bristol via train, the curtains in her coach were drawn so that she didn't have to see Bath and that its citizens wouldn't see her. Quite a temper she had.
Anyway, the Jane Austen Centre in itself didn't have that much stuff. We all ready knew most of the biographical information the guide gave us. Two friends and I ate lunch at the Regency Tea Room, which is a part of the Jane Austen Centre. After lunch, we went on a walking tour, which is when we were shown the various locations associated with Jane Austen. The weather had cleared up a lot...it was still very chilly, but the sun was out.
13 Queen Square- One of the places in which Jane Austen stayed. They rented the middle floor. The building now houses a solicitor's office.
The Pump Room, about which I talked above.
Trim Street, which I also mentioned above. The sad thing is, we have no clue where on Trim Street Jane Austen lived. There is some new construction on it, so for all we know the original building may have been demolished.
After the walking tour, we were free to do whatever we wanted. I got on the sightseeing bus to get a quick feel for Bath before I had to head back to London to see Peter Pan. Here are the results of the tour:
The reason for Bath.
The Royal Crescent Hotel. Also mentioned in Northanger Abbey.
That's the river Avon. I learned that Avon is the Celtic word for river. So it's River river. When the Romans conquered England, they expected the rivers to have different names like they did, but whenever they asked they always got the same answer-Avon. Therefore, there are about 11 Avon rivers in the UK. The bridge is Pulteney Bridge and was designed to house shops.
Bath streets.
I caught the 4.45 train back to London Paddington after the bus tour, promptly fell asleep on the train and rushed to Kensington Gardens to make it in time for the show. My dinner, consequently, was a chocolate brownie.
The tent in which Peter Pan is performed.
The stage at the beginning of the show- it is a recreation of the Darling children's bedroom.
The show was...interesting to say the least. It was very unconventional, what with being held in a tent, having projections on the screen serving as most of the scenery and involving acrobatics for the scenes involving flying. I want to say the show is directed towards a younger audience, considering the story; however, most of the kids I sat around were bored before we hit interval and a lot of the dialogue and action was a little mature for them. My classmates and I, however, thought some of the action was juvenile and cute, to put it well. It wasn't badly done at all, it was just a little too childish for us. The best part about it, however, was the actor that played Mr. Darling and Captain Hook. It is the same actor who plays the father and the hunter in Jumanji. It was pretty amazing to watch him almost recreate that image. The actor, incidentally, is Jonathan Hyde. He was also in Titanic as J Bruce Ismay, the managing director of the White Star line (the guy who encourages the captain to hasten the progress of the ship). Anyway, that was fun.
Most of the group leaves for Paris tomorrow. I plan to stay here and as I mentioned previously, get a lot of things accomplished. First thing on my list, however, is to sleep until at least 10am. Nothing else comes close to being as important.
Watching a play in the tent, that is a different set up indeed. I wonder what th seating arrangement was like..
ReplyDeleteHope you caught up on sleep as planned.
That's super cool that you got to see him...I never knew his name, I guess he's one of those guys who's face you recognize in films but never know his name. Kinda like Paul Rudd before I love you man.
ReplyDelete