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Rural Britain: Jane Austen - A Novel Approach
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00:06When you look a little more closely at the novels of the wonderful British authors
00:10who've done so much to make literature great, you'll find a portrait of rural Britain
00:15as vividly drawn as any well-written character.
00:19Whether the Kent of Charles Dickens, George Eliot's Warwickshire,
00:24D. H. Lawrence's Nottinghamshire,
00:28the Bronte sisters Yorkshire,
00:31or Thomas Hardy's Wessex.
00:33There are so many wonderful places to explore,
00:36and Jane Austen's Hampshire is no exception as you're about to discover.
01:17If I tell you that for many people where I'm now standing is considered to be nothing short of hallowed
01:23ground,
01:23you might think I've just spent a few hours in the pub.
01:27Granted, you see before you a classic example of a fine rural landscape,
01:32but it is, when all said and done, a field, albeit a very lovely one.
01:37There is, nonetheless, a very good reason for bringing you here,
01:40because on this spot, more than two centuries ago, a parsonage once stood,
01:45where on the 16th of December 1775, a little later than expected,
01:50one of the greatest writers of all time was born.
01:54The lady in question, for that is undoubtedly the correct way to address her,
01:59despite her humble origins, was none other than Jane Austen,
02:03the author of Pride and Prejudice, and the creator of literature's favourite couple,
02:07the dashingly handsome Mr Darcy, and the truly delectable Elizabeth Bennet.
02:15Although there's not a lot to see in Home Meadow, as the field is now known,
02:19with the old rectory having been demolished in the 1820s,
02:23inside this clump of stinging nettles,
02:25you can still find the remnants of the well and old pump
02:28that would have served the wash house in Jane Austen's time.
02:32Also, the slope here, we have it on good authority,
02:35was one Jane used to enjoy rolling down as a child.
02:39In case you're wondering just who that authority might have been,
02:42it's none other than the great lady herself,
02:45having written about Catherine Moreland,
02:47her charmingly spirited heroine from Northanger Abbey,
02:50doing the exact same thing.
02:53You can relax though, you're not going to be subjected to a visual demonstration.
02:57I shall have a roll later, when everyone else has left.
03:01But I would just like to point out this stunning lime tree,
03:04which was planted in 1813 by Jane's older brother, James.
03:08But before we make the acquaintance of the rest of the Austen family,
03:12we'll take a stroll along the lane to find the delightful church of St Nicholas,
03:16which is such an integral part of the Jane Austen story.
03:36From the moment you arrive at the church,
03:39you can't fail to notice Miss Austen's presence,
03:42because it was here that her father, the Reverend George Austen,
03:45served as rector throughout her childhood and youthful years.
03:48In fact, Jane's brothers James and Henry were subsequent rectors of Steventon,
03:54as was her nephew, William Knight,
03:57resulting in a family tradition that spanned an incredible, uninterrupted 114 years.
04:27The Reverend George Austen was a scholarly man,
04:30who'd been proctor of St John's College, Oxford,
04:33who, described as handsome, made an advantageous marriage to Cassandra Lee,
04:39the niece of the master of Balliol College.
04:43So, if you've ever asked yourself why there are so many clergymen in Jane Austen's novels,
04:48you now have the answer, because, as you see,
04:51the church was the very foundation of the world in which she lived.
05:07By the time the Reverend George moved to Steventon rectory,
05:11he and his wife already had three sons, James, George and Edward,
05:16and once here, they were quickly followed by Henry,
05:19and then the first Austen girl, Jane's beloved sister, Cassandra.
05:25Brother Frank arrived before Jane's birth in 1775,
05:29and last but not least, came Brother Charles to complete the family.
05:40Quite a brood, all in all.
05:42And when you consider that the Reverend Austen also took in students who lived with the family,
05:47they must have, on occasion, have filled this lovely little church.
05:53Even in her youth, living here at Steventon, Jane started to write.
05:58By the age of 15, when she penned A History of England by a partial, prejudiced and ignorant historian,
06:08she was already extremely well read, especially when it came to novels.
06:14Also, as Jane grew into a fine-looking young lady,
06:18she, along with her sister Cassandra, had certainly attracted the attention of the young men in the district,
06:24if the words of their cousin Eliza are to be believed when she described them as two of the prettiest
06:31girls in England.
06:34It was at this time that Jane started to experiment with novel writing,
06:39and her experiences at assemblies and balls held locally,
06:43along with social events, when visiting relations all helped to provide the blossoming author with a wealth of romantic material.
06:53In 1795, Jane actually attempted a novel of her own, Eleanor and Marianne,
06:59and if the names sound familiar, it's because they would evolve to become the Dashwood sisters of sense and sensibility
07:07fame.
07:10A year later, she wrote First Impressions, which so impressed the Reverend George Austin,
07:17he sent his daughter's handiwork to a publisher.
07:21Sadly, his enthusiasm was not shared by the recipient, who turned it down flat,
07:26but as it would reappear as Pride and Prejudice some years later, such fatherly approval was certainly justified.
07:37Another early work that would also be retitled was Susan, written in 1798,
07:44and this version of what would later become Northanger Abbey focused on a young country girl's introduction to the fashionable
07:51society of Bath.
07:56This beautiful city, often associated with Jane Austen, provided much inspiration.
08:02However, it can come as something of a surprise to discover that Jane actually disliked Bath,
08:07although in fairness, this was not altogether the fault of the city.
08:23When the Reverend Austen relinquished his duties at Steventon, he chose to retire to Bath,
08:29for Sydney Place to be precise, and without the financial independence of the Austen boys,
08:35Jane and Cassandra had no choice but to leave their beloved Hampshire and exchange their country views for city life.
08:44All Jane's progress as an author seemed to come to an abrupt halt.
08:49Work on a novel called The Watsons was abandoned,
08:52and despite selling the manuscript of Susan for £10, it never appeared in print.
08:58The financial constraints on the Austens made life harder than it had ever been at Steventon,
09:04and without the advantage of homegrown produce and livestock, these were far from happy times,
09:10and matters very suddenly went from bad to worse.
09:17When the Reverend George Austen died in January 1805 of an illness he appeared to be recovering from,
09:24Bath was forever associated with unhappiness for Jane,
09:28and as the Austen ladies were left almost destitute, the future looked decidedly bleak.
09:42But during her Bath years Jane did enjoy one great advantage.
09:48Because summers in the city were hot and stuffy,
09:50there would be seaside visits that provided her with experiences she would never forget,
09:55and thanks to her wonderful writing, there are experiences we can all share.
10:15I'm here at Lime Regis, walking on the cob, immortalised by Jane in her final novel, Persuasion,
10:22where her deliciously drawn character, Louisa Musgrove, takes a near-fatal tumble.
10:29Actually, Jane Austen devotees will tell you that this is the most exciting attribute
10:33of this particular lady, and it is without doubt only because of this remarkable place
10:39that she so often remembered.
10:41Even the great Victorian Romantic poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, when visiting Lime, cried out at his guide,
10:49Don't talk to me of the Duke of Monmouth, show me the steps from which Louisa Musgrove fell,
10:55proving beyond all doubt just how evocative Jane Austen's description of the event truly was.
11:03There was too much wind to make the high part of the new cob pleasant for the ladies,
11:08and they agreed to get down the steps to the lower,
11:12and all were contented to pass quietly and carefully down the steep flight,
11:18excepting Louisa. She must be jumped down them by Captain Wentworth.
11:24Of course, we all know exactly what is about to happen, and we are not disappointed.
11:31She fell on the pavement on the lower cob and was taken up lifeless.
11:36There was no wound, no blood, no visible bruise, but her eyes were closed.
11:42She breathed not. Her face was like death. The horror of that moment to all who stood around.
11:51And if you want to know what happens next to poor, headstrong Louisa,
11:55you'll have to join me again in just a few moments.
12:01Welcome back. The news I can report for Louisa Musgrove is good.
12:05The rival for the heart and hand of Captain Wentworth,
12:10the true love of Persuasion's timid heroine Anne Elliot, Louisa, is granted her survival.
12:16But in classic Austen style, she learns the error of her wild ways,
12:22leaves Captain Wentworth to the deserving Anne,
12:24and becomes engaged to a fine fellow, more suited to her reformed character.
12:32But what, I hear you ask, of Jane?
12:35Well, we know that things must have started to look up for the destitute Austen ladies.
12:40After all, there are six fabulous novels still in print to this day.
12:44And if you'd like to discover where they were written,
12:46we need to return to Hampshire and the picturesque village of Chawton.
13:05When you arrive at Chawton, you'll be left in no doubt as to who once lived here.
13:09And there's no better place for us to begin than at Jane Austen House.
13:16Now, as much a living memorial to the lady in question as it is a museum,
13:21Jane moved into Chawton Cottage in 1809,
13:24and in this letter to her brother Frank, expresses perfectly her hopes and her fears.
13:30As for ourselves, we're very well, as unaffected prose will tell.
13:35Our Chawton home, how much we find already in it to our mind,
13:41and how convinced that when complete, it will all other houses beat.
13:48This improvement in fortunes for Jane came as a direct result
13:52of her brother Edward's rise to prominence as a wealthy gentleman.
13:57Having been adopted as the heir of Thomas Knight,
14:00Edward had a number of estates at his disposal, one of which was Chawton.
14:05While he could have occupied the nearby great house,
14:08he was able to provide Chawton Cottage for his mother and sisters.
14:13Today, you'll find many of Jane's personal items here at Chawton.
14:18A lock of her hair, still with a glimmer of auburn.
14:22The topaz crosses given by brother Charles to Jane and Cassandra.
14:28And even the bookcase that belonged to the Reverend George Austen
14:32previously having graced the old rectory at Steventon.
14:37But pride of place quite rightly goes to Jane's elegant little writing table,
14:42where all of her novels were either revised or written.
14:47Here, at the heart of a charming domestic scene,
14:51Jane composed her famous tales of love, marriage, wealth and power,
14:55while her mother happily tended the garden,
14:58and Cassandra sat at her sewing or drawing.
15:01All of Jane's works were published anonymously during her lifetime,
15:06and only her closest family and friends knew of her success.
15:11In fact, visitors who come here all want to see,
15:14and for that matter, hear the creaking door that warned Jane of imminent interruptions,
15:20and she'd be able to hide her writing away so that nobody would ever guess her secret.
15:53looking around, this delightful garden
15:55it's evident that Jane Austen with her love of the rural landscape
15:59would have been much happier here than in the middle of a big city,
16:03no matter how elegant it might have been.
16:06By the time Jane reached Chawton, she would also have been all too aware
16:10that her chances of marrying and having a family of her own were now gone,
16:15which would have made attending all the society balls and assemblies
16:19that would once have entertained her all the harder to bear.
16:24In no time at all, accepting her lot in life, Jane set to work,
16:29transforming Eleanor and Marianne into sense and sensibility,
16:34turning to her memories of the Devon coast as a setting for her tale.
16:40Published in 1811, this work by A Lady was a success,
16:45and she followed it in 1813 with Pride and Prejudice, perhaps her finest work.
16:51Bright, light, sparkling and full of wit and wisdom,
16:55the opening lines serve notice that this is an author with a story worth the telling.
17:05It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want
17:12of a wife.
17:12However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be,
17:18on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families
17:25that he is considered as the rightful property of someone or other of their daughters.
17:32Later, when Jane was asked for advice on novel writing by her niece Anna,
17:37she explained that three or four families in a country village is the very thing to work on.
17:43And with the phenomenal success of Pride and Prejudice that does this very thing,
17:48it was evidently advice that was well worth taking.
17:53And you only have to take a walk around Chawton,
17:56wander amongst the graves at the churchyard where both Mrs. Austin and Cassandras can be found,
18:02to see where so much of her inspiration came from, building on her earlier experiences at Steventon,
18:09when the ideas for both sense and sensibility and Pride and Prejudice had first taken shape.
18:21Following the same formula, next came Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion,
18:27but with heroines as diverse as anyone could ask,
18:31from the terribly wholesome and good Fanny Price,
18:34to the meddlesome, opinionated Emma Woodhouse,
18:38and the shy Anne Elliot who we've already met.
18:41And all the while, the beautiful English countryside and ever-changing rural landscape
18:47continued to provide the perfect backdrop for Jane's alluring ladies and handsome gentlemen.
18:54But if you've been quickly totting that lot up,
18:57and wondering what happened to the sixth novel,
19:00ironically, it's Northanger Abbey.
19:03Published posthumously with Persuasion,
19:06this was the re-titled Susan,
19:08which had been wrestled back from the tardy publisher who'd bought it for £10,
19:13the first piece of writing Jane Austen ever sold.
19:39But there was to be no happy ending for Jane,
19:42no Mr. Darcy or Captain Wentworth to whisk her away when all hope of romance was gone.
19:48Jane fell ill while working on Persuasion,
19:52and although it's now believed she was probably suffering from Addison's disease,
19:57there was nothing known of the condition or how to treat it back in the early 1800s.
20:02From struggling to walk and even ride in the donkey carriage
20:06that's been so lovingly restored here at Chawton,
20:10Jane was taken to Winchester for the best medical care available.
20:28In these lodgings, caressed by the shadow of the cathedral,
20:32Cassandra nursed her sister until on the 18th of July, 1817,
20:37at the age of 41, Jane died in Cassandra's arms.
20:42I have lost a treasure, such a sister, such a friend as never can be surpassed.
20:49She was the son of my life, the gilder of every pleasure, the soother of every sorrow.
20:58This was a fine epitaph from Cassandra,
21:01and if you walk the short distance from College Street to the cathedral and step inside,
21:06you'll find the simple memorial stone,
21:09a slab on the floor of the north aisle of the nave
21:12where our First Lady of Literature was finally laid to rest.
21:16?
21:17?
21:18?
21:48Jane Austen country will return to the cherished home of our authoress and let her words speak out for themselves
21:54one more time.
21:57I can't believe my good fortune. I've actually been allowed to sit here at Jane's writing table and I have
22:03in my hands her very own first edition of Sense and Sensibility.
22:08Wonderful. Can you imagine the parcel arriving, all wrapped up in brown paper and string, and Jane opening it with
22:18trembling fingers, seeing her words at last in print? Magic moment.
22:23I've chosen my favourite extract to finish with, naturally, out in the countryside, when a pleasant stroll has gone horribly
22:31wrong.
22:32Poor Marianne Dashwood has stumbled on the hillside, and out of the mist and rain, a hero comes to her
22:39rescue.
22:39I do hope that Jane would have approved of my choice.
22:44A gentleman carrying a gun with two pointers playing round him was passing up the hill, and within a few
22:51yards of Marianne, when her accident happened, he put down his gun and ran to her assistance.
22:58She had raised herself from the ground, but her foot had been twisted in the fall, and she was scarcely
23:04able to stand.
23:06The gentleman offered his services, and perceiving that her modesty declined what her situation rendered necessary, took her up in
23:15his arms, without further delay, and carried her down the hill.
23:26I do hope you've enjoyed this journey through Jane Austen's Hampshire.
23:31I never tire of visiting this beautiful countryside, but if you'd like to continue this exploration of rural Britain, join
23:38me next time,
23:39when we'll be discovering another of the nation's finest landscapes, responsible for inspiring more of literature's best-loved classics.
23:48We'll start with it.
23:51We'll start with it.
23:51We'll start with it.
23:55Wh leider asks.
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