Image | Flickr
This 2017 marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen, one of the most idolized British writers across the planet who was known in her lifetime as "the lady who writes."
On the occasion of the bicentennial in various parts of the country they prepared to honor the author with exhibitions, conferences, tourist routes and other activities related to her figure and her work.
In case you are a fan of Jane Austen's novels, join us on this route through the towns and cities where the writer lived.
Image | Visit Hampshire
steventon
This is Jane Austen's hometown and where she lived until she was 25 years old. Here she led a peaceful life typical of a woman belonging to the rural petty bourgeoisie: a basic education, picnics in the open air, visiting relatives and friends and free time to devote to other tasks such as sewing or writing, something for which Jane Austen felt a weakness from an early age.
At Steventon he began to write novels such as Lady Susan, Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, or Pride and Prejudice. Literary works that were full of observations about the world around him and the situation of women in his time, where they often lacked their own money and were left at the expense of a gentle relative or an advantageous wedding that would allow them to survive.
The house of the Austen family disappeared a long time ago in this small town, but walking through its streets we can imagine what their world and Georgian society would be like at that time.
Bath
When his father retired in 1805, the family retired to Bath. A place that the writer did not like at first because it was a very popular city for its spa but which she learned to love in the five years she spent there.
Walking the streets of Bath is like feeling part of one of Jane's novels. Unesco World Heritage City, currently there are thematic tours to learn about his life and work in this place in detail.
Special mention should be made of the Jane Austen Center at 40 Gay Street, a building dedicated to celebrating the universe created by the literary woman. During the visit we will be able to observe an introductory video and some fragments of the films inspired by his novels that explain what life was like at that time and what was Jane's relationship with Bath.
During the visit, volunteers serve as guides and show us the furniture collection of the time, the costumes of some of the successful television adaptations of their works and even a wax figure in collaboration with Madame Tussaud's to get an idea of what Jane Austen would be like in real life. As a curiosity, in this center we can also find one of the five 10-pound notes that have a secret message in tribute to the writer.
The visit to the Jane Austen Center cannot end without visiting the gift shop, where you can buy a souvenir of your favorite author.
In the same street where the Jane Austen Center is located, there was also the Austen house where they lived for a time. However, the progressive impoverishment of her father forced her to move to more humble areas.
Despite not liking Bath, in this city he placed several passages of his novels such as Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. So this is one of the best places to soak up the spirit of Austen's work.
chawton
After a three-year stay in Southampton after the death of her father, Jane Austen moved to Chawton, to a small house given to her by her wealthy brother Edward, along with her mother, sister Cassandra and a friend.
At present, the house can be visited. Simple in appearance, it retains the dignity and elegance of the Regency era. It exhibits furniture, letters and objects that belonged to the author and even the table where Jane used to sit to write and where she shaped many of her novels such as Mansfield Park or Persuasion, among others.
Winchester
The novelist would go to this town in her last years of life to recover from an illness from which she herself was aware that she would not recover. Shortly after moving there Jane passed away and was buried in the wonderful Winchester Cathedral, an imposing Gothic-style building.
The visit to the cathedral costs around £ 6,50 but for an additional £ 3 it is possible to access the tower from where you have spectacular views of the city.
Next to the grave of Jane Austen there are plaques placed in her honor and an exhibition about her life that accompanies the visitor.