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A Rambling Fancy: In the Footsteps of Jane Austen (Cadogan Guide) :: 1860113281
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In A Rambling Fancy, Caroline Sanderson seeks out Jane Austen’s England – the churches, great houses, coaching inns, rectories and seaside lodgings – to see what still remains today. Following in Jane Austen’s footsteps, Sanderson tramps the muddy fields around Austen’s childhood home in rural Hampshire, walks the elegant streets of Bath, and strolls along the breezy promenades of south coast resort. Drawing upon Jane Austen’s letters as well as her many novels Caroline Sanderson charts her own experiences of the very places from which Jane Austen sought inspiration, reaching some original and fascinating conclusions.
Sanderson, a lifelong Austen devotee, also sheds light on just why this very English novelist is still so universally cherished and why Austen’s influence remains so great. Are we riding a wave of nostalgia for a way of life now completely lost to us? Or have we finally cast off the chintz and embraced Austen as a novelist for our own times – one whose understanding of how we behave towards one another, and of the importance of money, sex and social status is just as pertinent as it ever was?
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Author: Guest
I read this while in England. It is just one woman's opinion and reactions to various places that Jane Austen knew or wrote about. The author revisits these places herself and writes about how they are now. To me, the best part was what she wrote about the bedrooms in Chawton (Jane Austen's home) - I hadn't known there had been work done since my last visit. Her descriptions motivated me to return to Chawton. I'd say this book is not a valuable addition to the Austen-lover's library but it is of some interest to the dedicated fan. Some of her descriptions were sufficient; I no longer felt I had to visit those places myself. She does a fair amount of extra digging and research that enhances her visits and takes them beyond what I would be able to get out of going to the same places. Steventon is a place in point, as nothing of the original house remains except a pump in a field. The author went to a lot of trouble to find out what had been there when Austen was growing up. The worst part of the book for me was the misuse of a quote about Wickham, which the author used to state that Wickham used to go to Bath when he regretted his marriage to Lydia and needed more excitement. The actual quote merely said, "Lydia was occasionally a visitor there, when her husband was gone to enjoy himself in London or Bath..."
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