PAGING MR. DARCY
A search for Jane Austen’s brooding hero reveals the Regency world that shaped the wildly popular author.
BATH, England – I admit it. I’ve always been smitten with Mr. Darcy. It doesn’t matter that he’s 204 years old.
Fitzwilliam Darcy, the romantic lead in Jane Austen’s novel “Pride and Prejudice,” is tall, rich and handsome — a truly excellent combination.
Consequently, more than two centuries after his creation, he’s still the Man for women the world over.
Perhaps that’s one reason there’s been such a hue and cry this year, the 200th anniversary of Austen’s death.
The wildly popular British author, who has been called one of England’s greatest novelists, created a host of characters that 21st century readers can relate to — people such as Darcy who seem contemporary despite their attendance at Regency-era balls.
I marked the anniversary of Austen’s death this summer by stepping back into her world with visits to picturesque British locales that inspired her novels, places such as Bath, Chawton and Hampshire, that look much the same today as they did when she wrote about them.
I plan to continue to celebrate when the Jane Austen Society of North America, which has more than 5,000 members, gathers Oct. 6-8 at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa to mark the bicentennial of their favorite author’s death.
The conference will include the kind of workshops you might expect: “English Country Dancing” and “Straw Bonnet Decorating,” for instance. But there will also be lectures such as “Kicking Ass in a Corset” and “Bitch in a Bonnet,” with literary experts from around the world.
There will be a Promenade and Regency Ball on Oct. 8, which will draw fans dressed in period costume. Alas, I don’t expect Mr. Darcy to attend.
But I certainly kept watch for him during my journey along the Jane Austen Trail.
Bath
I arrived in Bath by train early one morning in July. The city, about 100 miles west of London in the Avon River valley, was the setting for two of Austen’s novels, “Northanger Abbey” and “Persuasion.”
It’s easy to see why Austen would write about this city. It’s a lovely place full of greenery, striking architecture and pastoral hills. Most tourists come to see its 2,000-yearold Roman baths, the oldest such ruins in Britain.
The town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is also known for its Royal Crescent, 30 imposing, Georgian-style terraced houses arranged in a semicircle.
Locals are fond of saying, “Paris has its Eiffel Tower, London has Big Ben, Bath has the Royal Crescent.”
Austen lived in Bath from 1801 to 1806, when the city was a magnet for members of British high society who flocked here for the mineral waters that still draw visitors.
Both of the books Austen set here list specific streets and places such as the Royal Crescent (she calls it the Crescent), and it’s fun to wander through the town identifying the locations.
There’s also a Jane Austen Centre that chronicles her life and times. I lingered in the gift shop, where I found an I-heart-Mr. Darcy tote bag for $10.75 and a copy of his proposal on a compact mirror, “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you,” for $14.
Then I spotted a souvenir that I found to be rather unsavory: a $14 men’s T-shirt with the words, “I am the real Mr. Darcy.” As if a woman could be deceived.
My next stop took me to the Pump Room, where Austen characters often met for tea. It’s usually crowded with tourists these days. A tuxedo-clad pianist played tunes as I ate scones with jam and clotted cream ($32 for an afternoon tea package).
Hampshire County
“The world has been falling in love with Jane Austen and her novels for 200 years,” Austen expert Louise West said as she showed me around an exhibit honoring the author at the Winchester Discovery Centre.
“It was important for us to reclaim her for Hampshire and tell the world about her,” she said.
Although Austen was born in Steventon, Hampshire, and is buried inside the county’s Winchester Cathedral, Bath seems to get all the press about her.
But the people in Hampshire County, 70 miles southeast of Bath, think of her as one of their own. Memory books at the Discovery Centre and at the cathedral bear comments such as “Dear Jane, thank you for the treasures you’ve given the world,” “You’re a feminist I can relate to” and “May you live forever through your books.”
Winchester is a starting point for Hampshire County visitors, even though it was the end of the line for Austen. She came here to recuperate from a mysterious illness, but died shortly thereafter at age 41. She had six completed novels to her credit, two published after her death.
This ancient city, onetime capital of Saxon kings, is full of handsome Elizabethan and Regency buildings. Of course, the main draw is the remarkable cathedral, one of the largest in Europe. When I visited, a reporter was standing over Austen’s grave, a cameraman videotaping him as he spoke about the 200th anniversary celebration.
A nearby brass plaque and a memorial window honor her now, but when she was buried, her work was little known and only four people attended her service.
Chawton
I hopped in a cab for the 16-mile trip to my next stop, a cottage in the village of Chawton where Jane seemed to spend the happiest years of her life.
This was the prettiest area I visited, lush and green, with manor houses and thatched cottages.
The cabbie dropped me at the Jane Austen’s House Museum, where the writer lived from 1809 until 1817. The 17th century red brick building is a must-see for fans, who can stroll its beautiful gardens, ponder her writing desk and quill pen and see her bedroom. There’s also a gift shop and library. No phony Darcy shirts here, I noticed.
A short walk took me to Chawton House Library, an Elizabethan manor that belonged to Jane’s brother Edward. She referred to it as the Great House and often spent time here.
The building, more than 400 years old, houses an extensive collection of works by female writers and has acres of gardens.
I wandered through its halls, admiring portraits, stained glass windows and ornately carved fireplaces. A perfect place to run into Mr. Darcy, I thought. But again, he proved elusive.