Bath and Bristol are rich in Jane Austen associations, both biographical and fictional.
She visited Bath twice in the 1790's and was resident there from 1801 to 1806. The
City is mentioned in each of her six novels and forms the setting for a large part of
both Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. Jane Austen stayed in Bristol at
least once, in 1806. It features in the Juvenilia (Lesley Castle), which may
indicate an earlier visit. In Northanger Abbey, some of the characters set off to
visit Blaise Castle, in Bristol. Mrs Elton in Emma comes from Bristol.
Jane Austen's parents married in Bath and her father
is buried there. There is a plaque on 4 Sydney Place, the Austen's home for the first
three years of their Bath life. Many streets and buildings familiar from the novels
may still be seen, and the new Jane Austen Visitor Centre at 40 Gay Street explains
the importance of the City in her life and work. |
