A Visitor's Guide to Jane Austen's England - Softcover

Wilkes, Sue

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1781592640 ISBN 13: 9781781592649

Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 2015

Synopsis

Immerse yourself in the vanished world inhabited by Austen's contemporaries. Packed with detail, and anecdotes, this is an intimate exploration of how the middle and upper classes lived from 1775, the year of Austen's birth, to the coronation of George IV in 1820. Sue Wilkes skilfully conjures up all aspects of daily life within the period, drawing on contemporary diaries, illustrations, letters, novels, travel literature and archives. Were all unmarried affluent men really 'in want of a wife?' Where would a young lady seek adventures? Would 'taking the waters' at Bath and other spas kill or cure you? Was Lizzy Bennet bitten by bed-bugs while travelling? What would you wear to a country ball, or a dance at Almack's? Would Mr Darcy have worn a corset? What hidden horrors lurked in elegant Regency houses?

About this title

Review:

"This is an ingenious volume. The author, who has written extensively on social history and on genealogy, provides us with a detailed guide book to the habits, facilities, sights and values of Southern England in the early 19th century. Her walk-through of the territory is attractively supported by extensive quotations from the works of Jane Austen herself and from contemporaries. The text is lively and well arranged and the anecdotes relevant and illuminating. This is a book which Janites will enjoy and which will provide an informative context to the novels."--Federation of Family History Societies

"This guide for visitors is an excellent guide for readers of Jane Austen's novels as well. The abundance of information about everyday living adds an extra dimension of familiarity to the conduct and relationships of the characters. This book is a worthy contribution to the field of Austen social history and uses the mundane realities of life to illuminate the reader's experience."--Sensibilities

About the Author:

Sue Wilkes has written extensively on social history. She is the author of seven books: A Visitor's Guide to Jane Austen's England, Tracing Your Ancestors' Childhood, Tracing Your Lancashire Ancestors, The Children History Forgot, Tracing Your Canal Ancestors, Regency Cheshire, and Narrow Windows, Narrow Lives: The Industrial Revolution in Lancashire. She is also a regular contributor to a variety of national history and genealogy publications.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1781592640
• ISBN 13: 9781781592649
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176