Happy Birthday, Jane Austen

Jane Austen

Jane Austen, the more than great English novelist, was born 244 years ago today on December 16, 1775. 

I first encountered Jane Austen's writing when I was assigned to read Pride and Prejudice as a senior in high school. That simply whetted my appetite for more and turned me into a lifelong fan. 

A lot of folks consider her a romantic, but not me. If you want to read 19th-century romance, read a Bronte. I've always considered Jane Austen to be a down to earth storyteller who was somehow able to combine biting social commentary and moral theology, all the while developing some of literature's most interesting characters.

A few years ago, in September 2013, Dear Diane and I made a kind of Austen pilgrimage to England, visiting many Austen-related locations. We had an absolutely wonderful time. In fact we spent a week in a rented cottage in the Hampshire village of Chawton, where Jane spent most of her last years. The cottage is right next door to the Austen house, which is now a well-visited museum (Jane Austen House Museum). And most handily, the cottage was also directly across the street from a charming village pub, The Greyfriar. Unfortunately, since the cottage and its main house, a very old home called "Clinkers", were sold not long ago, the cottage is no longer available as a rental. 

The Austen House in Chawton (2013)

The Greyfriar, dogs and children welcome

Dear Diane and I in the garden of the Austen House

We also visited Jane's tomb in Winchester Cathedral and spent time in Steventon, another small Hampshire village where Jane spent the first decades of her life. Her father, Rev. George Austen, was the pastor of St. Nicholas Church, the Anglican church in Steventon.

Winchester Cathedral

St. Nicholas Church, Steventon

We then drove to Lyme Regis, a near perfect coastal town that reminded me of Cape Cod villages back in the 1950s. Austen also lived there briefly and used it for some key scenes in her novel, Persuasion. 

A Blustery Day in Lyme Regis

We also visited the old naval port of Portsmouth, a city that makes an appearance in Austen's novel, Mansfield Park. We even stayed several days in Kent and saw the very large house inherited by one of Jane Austen's brothers, a home she occasionally visited. 

Admiral Nelson's Cabin: HMS Victory

Finally, we spent a wonderful weekend (except for the rain) at a lovely Bed and Breakfast in Bath (The Bath House), another city where Austen lived for a time and which she used as a setting in several of her novels (Northanger Abbey and Persuasion). When in Bath the Jane Austen Centre, another well-managed Austen museum, is also worth a visit.

Diane and friend at Bath's Jane Austen Centre

The Unique Architecture of Bath

Our trip concluded with five days in London where we rented a flat about halfway between Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus. One thing we discovered: rather than staying in hotels, it's far less expensive and much more enjoyable to rent cottages and flats. And because they usually come equipped with a washer and dryer, we were able to pack more lightly.

Leaving London, we returned to the USA via a 14-day transatlantic cruise aboard the Celebrity Infinity. It was a long, but truly delightful vacation...all thanks to Jane Austen.

Happy Birthday, Jane.

Austen Country

Saturday, October 12.

Yesterday, Friday, it rained...and rained...and rained.

After a wonderful breakfast prepared by our hostess, Leslie, Diane and I ignored the weather, left our B&B in Bethersden, Kent, and drove a few miles north to the town of Ashford where we  made a brief visit to the grave of one of my heroines, Simone Weil, who died in 1943 at the too young age of 34. A brilliant philosopher, this young Jewish academic was forced to leave France or fall prey to the Nazis. She spent the remaining years of her brief life in England. As we drove through the gates of the large cemetery, I did not expect to be able to find her grave among the thousands of others. After driving around randomly for several minutes, I finally stopped the car, got out, and began to look at headstones. Ten seconds later I stood in front of her grave, only 20 feet from the car. A small miracle, but a miracle nonetheless.

We then drove father north and stopped at Godmersham Park to see the home of Jane Austen's brother, Edward. Edward's parents allowed childless, wealthy relatives to adopt him as a boy, and he ultimately inherited his new father's large estates in Kent and Hampshire. Godmersham, the Kent estate, now seems to be a college and although we drove through the gates, we stopped long enough only to take a single photograph. (See the photo below.)

We managed to find and visit the ancient church, St. Lawrence the Martyr, located on the grounds, where Jane Austen worshipped during her frequent visits to her brother's estate. I took the below photo of the church's interior.

We continued north to Canterbury, took the bus into the city center from the Park and Ride, and strolled through the drizzle and occasional downpours while window shopping. We made our way to the famous cathedral where the archbishop, St. Thomas Becket, was martyred in 1170 at the behest of Henry II. It's a beautiful old cathedral but because of the weather I was unable to fully appreciate its architecture except from the inside. The below photo shows the spot where the saint died.

We faced a good two to three hour drive to our cottage in Chawton. The rain, the very heavy Friday afternoon traffic, and the strangeness of driving on the left side of the road made the drive a bit of a challenge. But we arrived without incident, found the key to the cottage, and settled in. The Greyfriar, a delightful local pub right across the street, served us a fine meal and allowed me to sample one of their excellent ales. Our waitress, the lovely young Jessie, treated us as if we were regulars. I, of course, gave her too large a tip.  See The Greyfriar below with the pretty Jessie preparing our bill...

And so Friday, the first of our seven days in Chawton, came to an end. I'll relate what we did today (Saturday) sometime tomorrow. Too tired to play with the iPad.

Blessings...