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  • Jane Austen, Persuasion and Lyme Regis

    The Austen family visited Lyme Regis in the Autumn of 1803 and again in the summer of 1804.  At the time of their visit, Lyme Regis was fast becoming a popular destination for middle class Georgians to enjoy the healing properties of bathing and the sea air.

    Historian Lucy Worsley in her research for her work Jane Austen at Home managed to track down where the Austens stayed for part of their summer sojourn, and identifies it as Pyne House in Broad Street.  The house, now divided into holiday flats, still exists and Lucy Worsley stayed there during the course of her research.  Although it seems that Jane Austen did not return to Lyme Regis after 1804, her time there clearly made a firm impression on her as she later used the setting in her final completed novel, Persuasion.

    Characters are rarely static in Austen’s work, frequently moving between locations, and Persuasion is no exception.  Anne Elliot, the heroine of the text, moves between three significant settings.  The novel begins in rural Somersetshire.  There is an interlude in Lyme Regis.  The novel then concludes in Bath.  It is the section in Lyme Regis which interests me, although my use of the term ‘interlude’ may not be the most accurate word.  Whilst constituting a relatively small portion of the novel, it is this section which proves transformative for Anne, in part through the symbolic nature of the landscape.  However, before we arrive at Lyme Regis it may be useful to establish a little bit of context.

    The novel tells the story of twenty-seven year old Anne Elliot, rather an elderly spinster by Regency standards, who, we are frequently told, is now losing her bloom.  We encounter Anne some eight years after her broken engagement to Frederick Wentworth, who was a Lieutenant of limited financial means.  The broken engagement has occurred before the beginning of the novel and the reader has to piece together the details as the novel unfolds.  Anne was persuaded to end the engagement through family pressure due to concerns about Wentworth’s lower status.  During the eight years which have passed, no potential suitors have generated the same depth of feeling and thus Anne may well be facing life as an old maid.  To compound matters further, the Elliots have seen a decline in their fortunes due to reckless money management by Anne’s father.  They have no choice but to rent out the family home of Kellynch Hall.  Thus, the widowed Sir Walter and Anne’s older and unmarried sister Elizabeth set up residence in Bath.  Meanwhile, Anne goes to live with her younger married sister Mary at Upper Cross.  Kellynch Hall is rented out to Admiral Croft following his return from the Napoleonic Wars.  His wife just happens to be the sister of Frederick Wentworth (he of the broken engagement) thus making way for his return into Anne’s life.  Whilst the Elliot fortunes have declined, Wentworth is now a wealthy Captain.  He remains angry and bitter over the end of the relationship, and any reconciliation seems unlikely, making the usual Austen happy ending doubtful.

    On the surface, Anne Elliot appears a more reserved and introverted Austen heroine but her development is connected to the locations in which she finds herself.  Just under half way through the novel a visit to Lyme Regis is proposed and thus Anne finds herself joining a party consisting of her sister Mary and husband Charles, and his sisters Henrietta and Louisa.  Captain Wentworth is also part of the group and seems to be engaging in some mild flirtation with Louisa.

    Passing time is a recurrent theme in the novel, not least due to the frequent references to Anne’s fading youth.  The sense of lateness is continued during the visit to Lyme Regis.  It is November, and so the holiday season is over: ‘…the rooms were shut up, the lodgers almost all gone, scarcely any family but of the residents left.’ It being November, the daylight is fast fading and the narrator tells us ‘… it was very evident they would not have more time for looking about them, before the light and warmth of the day were gone.’ (Chapter Eleven). This somewhat melancholy feel is extended through Anne’s sense of regret at what might have been regarding Captain Wentworth, and Lyme Regis becomes a place for reflection.  However, the location quickly works its magic as Anne begins to enjoy herself and becomes more confident as she begins to appreciate her own intelligence.  The following morning, she partakes of a ‘stroll down to the sea before breakfast’ (Chapter Eleven) in the company of Henrietta.  The narrator describes how Anne glories in the delight of the sea breeze.  Later that morning Anne accompanies Captain Wentworth, Louisa and Henrietta on a trip to town.  It is on the way back that a significant event occurs in terms of Anne’s transformation.  As they are about to descend the steps leading down to the beach they encounter a gentleman who draws back to allow them to go first.  As they pass by, the gentleman looks at Anne:

    … with a degree of earnest admiration which she could not be insensible of.  She was looking remarkably well; her very regular, very pretty features, having the bloom and freshness of youth restored by the fine wind which had been blowing on her complexion, and by the animation of eye which it had also produced. (Chapter Twelve)

    This is the first instance of Anne’s appearance being described in favourable terms.  The moment becomes more significant though:

    It was evident that the gentleman (completely a gentleman in manner), admired her exceedingly.  Captain Wentworth looked round at her instantly in a way which showed his noticing of it.  He gave her a momentary glance – a glance of brightness, which seemed to say, ‘That man is struck with you – and even I, at this moment, see something like Anne Elliot again.  (Chapter Twelve)

    This is an important moment.  Not only has the vigour of the sea air restored Anne’s fading bloom, Captain Wentworth is witness to another man finding her attractive, which begins a shift in his own feelings.

    The next significant event concerns an accident at the Cobb.  This is a stone constructed breakwater and jetty, some of which dates back to medieval times.  It has proved to be an important structure over the years, preventing coastal erosion and securing a safe harbour for trade, and thus is of great economic importance for the town.  It has been extended and repaired many times over the centuries.  Earlier, the narrator has praised ‘its old wonders and new improvements, with the very beautiful line of cliffs stretching out to the east of the town,’ a description which is still recognisable today.  Jane Austen’s fondness for Lyme Regis is evident through the way in which she creates a sense of the surrounding scenery.

    The rather boisterous Louisa has previously enjoyed being jumped down from stiles by Captain Wentworth as ‘the sensation was delightful to her.’  Whilst the other ladies are content to use the steps from the high part of the Cobb to the lower level, Louisa again wishes to be jumped down.  Wentworth is reluctant to do so, fearing the hardness of the pavement will be too jarring for her.  She refuses to listen, he reluctantly agrees, and all is well.  That is until she runs up the steps to be jumped down again.  This time she jumps too soon and he fails to catch her, ‘she fell on the pavement on the lower Cobb, and was taken up lifeless!’ (Chapter Twelve) Her face is described as ‘like death’.  Chaos ensues, her sister Henrietta faints and Wentworth is beside himself with guilt and despair.  It falls to Anne to take control, providing smelling salts, supporting the fainting sister, and insisting a surgeon is sent for.  As the drama continues, Anne remains a figure of calm and it becomes clear Wentworth defers to her authority and begins to appreciate, rather than resent, her presence.

    Lyme Regis functions as a place of transition.  In terms of structure, it occupies a small space in the narrative, just two chapters at the end of Volume I, providing an interlude between the rural Somersetshire chapters in Volume I and the Bath chapters in Volume II.  However, it provides a crucial turning point in the story of Anne Eliot.  She gains a newfound confidence regarding her intellectual strengths, and experiences moments of self-realisation regarding her own actions in the broken engagement to Wentworth.  Furthermore, her physical health is improved by the sea air and she regains some of her lost, all important, bloom.  The narrator describes it as an ideal place ‘for sitting in unwearied contemplation’.  Indeed, Austen’s love for the location clearly comes through as we are told ‘these places must be visited, and visited again, to make the worth of Lyme understood.’ (Chapter Eleven) As we leave Anne Elliot just half way through her story, you could now turn to Persuasion to see how her future unfolds.

    (Photos are author’s own)

  • Agatha Christie, Dead Man’s Folly and Greenway House

    Many of the country house settings found in classic crime fiction are now the kind of stately homes you might find on a visit to a National Trust property.  The connection between the two becomes ever stronger regarding the novel Dead Man’s Folly and Greenway House in Devon.  Both form part of the extensive heritage left by one of the most famous crime writers, Agatha Christie.

    Dead Man’s Folly, published in 1956, began life as a shorter text, ‘The Greenshore Folly’.  Agatha Christie wrote it in 1954 with the intention of donating the rights to Churston Fetters Church to raise money for new stained glass windows.  However, the story was difficult to sell as it was too long for a short story but not long enough for a novel.  Never one for waste, Christie turned part of the text into a short story, ‘Greenshaw’s Folly’, featuring Miss Marple, which she gave to the church.  She then produced a longer work which we now know as the Hercule Poirot novel Dead Man’s Folly.  The ‘Greenshaw’ of the earlier incarnation may have provided a clue regarding the setting as she drew inspiration from her beloved holiday home Greenway House in Devon.  Names were changed though.  The river Dart became the river Hel, and Greenway House became Nasse House.   Christie had drawn upon her Devon home in other novels – Five Little Pigs, Ordeal by Innocence and Towards Zero.  However, it is in Dead Man’s Folly that the house and grounds are most clearly evoked.

    Agatha Christie bought Greenway House in 1938 during what she described as her ‘plutocratic period.’  It was advertised in Country Life where it was described as “suitable for a first class hotel.”  Lucy Worsley, in her biography Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman, highlights how remarkable such a purchase was, as at this point in time most large country houses were being sold off, and not being bought as private residences.  This is reflected in Dead Man’s Folly where the former lady of the manor Mrs Folliat, who now lives in the lodge by the front gate declares:

    Nice to have Nasse lived in again.  We were all so afraid it was going to be a hotel… One drives through the country and passes place after place with the board up “Guest House” or “Private Hotel”… All the houses one stayed in as a girl – or where one went to dances.  Very sad.  (Chapter 5, p.62)

    Christie’s initial enjoyment of Greenway was short lived as when the Second World War began the house was commandeered by the Admiralty and not returned to her until February 1945.  Her love for the house is clear from her own autobiographical writings, as well as the way it is evoked in her previously mentioned works of fiction.

    Dead Man’s Folly begins with Hercule Poirot receiving a call for help from his good friend the famous crime writer, Ariadne Oliver.  Mrs Oliver is staying at Nasse House in Devon, which is the home of Sir George and Lady Stubbs.  She has been tasked with devising a Murder Hunt for their garden fete, but her intuition leads her to tell her old friend “But I think there’s something wrong.” (Chapter 1, p.11) There is a form of doubling occurring in the text as the grounds of Nasse House is the setting for a murder mystery style treasure hunt, and subsequently becomes the scene of an actual murder.  Ariadne Oliver is indeed right, her plans are being manipulated.

    I am not sure if it is because I am familiar with Greenway following my visit, and thus have firm images in mind, or whether Christie’s love of the house is coming through, but this text feels particularly evocative regarding location and sense of place.  This begins with Hercule Poirot’s chauffeur driven arrival:

    They went on, down a steep hill through woods, then through big iron gates, and along a drive, winding up finally in front of a big white Georgian house looking out over the river.  (Chapter 1, p.8)

    The grounds with its many interesting features and self-contained areas provides the perfect setting for a treasure hunt style murder mystery, as seen by Poirot’s attempts at navigating his way through the clues:

    … Poirot went off murmuring to himself like an incantation: Tennis Court, Camelia Garden, The Folly, Upper Nursery Garden, Boathouse…

    The event of the Summer Fete helps in providing the usual cast of suspects required in any classic murder mystery as Sir George and Lady Stubbs have a number of guests staying with them.  In addition, the house next door has been converted into a Youth Hostel providing a few additional suspects in the guise of trespassers.  Added to the mix, as well as a murder, there is a disappearance and an unexpected arrival of a long lost relative.  Thus, there is plenty to keep the reader engaged, and some quality Christie plotting.

    At this point, it is worth returning to Ariadne Oliver, a character who appears in several Christie novels and who the author admits is partly based on herself.  Christie has been known to use this character in particular ways, sometimes to make comment on the process of writing.  Indeed, she is already tired of her detective character Sven and regrets making him Finnish as she has never been to Finland and knows nothing about the country.  There are echoes here of Christie’s creation of the Belgian Poirot!  When attempting to explain the plot of her treasure hunt the brilliant Poirot blinks “in mute incomprehension.” (Chapter 4, p.38).  She bemoans the need to explain her story as she prefers to write things down as verbally explaining her plots always ends in “the most frightful muddle.” (p.40) Poirot says nothing but privately reflects the “whole plot and action of the Murder Hunt seemed to be wrapped in impenetrable fog.” (p.41) Fortunately Christie’s plot, whilst requiring careful attention, is somewhat clearer.

    It is interesting though, that a novel set in her home, also contains some further personal reflections.  Ariadne Oliver is used to such effect during the treasure hunt where she encounters a competitor:

    ‘They say Mrs Ariadne Oliver is down here herself somewhere about. I’d like to get her autograph. You haven’t seen her about, have you?

    ‘No’, said Mrs Oliver firmly.

    ‘I’d like to meet her. Good yarns she writes.’ He lowered his voice. ‘But they say she drinks like a fish.’

    He hurried off and Mrs Olive said indignantly: ‘Really! That’s most unfair when I only like lemonade.’  (Chapter 6, p.77)

    This is based on an exchange Christie overheard between two women, whilst keeping her identity secret.  They praised her writing but commented they had heard she drinks like a fish.  Rather than being offended, she was mildly amused.  Agatha Christie was T-total, and her drink of choice was cream.

    Whilst she may have slightly altered the above anecdote, much of the detail related to the house and grounds remain, as does the history of the house as told by Mrs Folliat.  Even Poirot’s bedroom has a basis in reality as he is led up “the staircase and along a passage to a big airy room looking out over the river.” (p.42) The bathroom opposite reflects the geography of the interior.  Beyond the house there is the Gate Lodge, Ferry Cottage, the Tennis Court, the Battery (where he encounters Mrs Oliver on his arrival) and the Boathouse.  The latter is carefully described:

    A short steep slope led down to the door of the boathouse which was built out over the river, with a little wharf and a storage place for boats underneath.  (Chapter 6, p.79)

    This location is particularly significant as it is the scene of the murder in Mrs Oliver’s plot and, as you might have guessed, becomes the scene of the real crime.  The beauty of the backdrop provides an apposite contrast for brutality of the events.  Even Poirot, who is not fond of “nature in the wild” finding it too untidy and unruly found the “beauty of Nasse House appealed to him in spite of himself.” (Chapter 16, p.194)  The ITV 2012 adaptation of Dead Man’s Folly starring David Suchet was actually filmed at Greenway.  It seems even more fitting that this was the final episode of Poirot to be filmed at such a significant location.

  • Pride and Prejudice

    In honour of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday last week, here is my piece on Pride and Prejudice.

    When I first read Pride and Prejudice as a moody fourteen year old, I was far from impressed. I had little interest in the characters, even less enthusiasm for the society in which they lived, and as for the preoccupation with marriage, well that just left me cold.  Some of you dear readers may gasp in horror at such notions.  However, my fourteen year old self was in good company, as Charlotte Brontë also thought Miss Austen was somewhat over-rated. In a letter to her friend, the literary critic G. H. Lewes she asked: ‘Why do you like Miss Austen so very much? I am puzzled on that point.’ On the basis of Lewis’s praise she went ahead and read Pride and Prejudice and delivered her verdict:

    And what did I find? An accurate daguerreotyped portrait of a common-place face; a carefully-fenced, highly cultivated garden with neat borders and delicate flowers – but no glance of a bright vivid physiognomy – no open country – no fresh air – no blue hill – no bonny beck.  I should hardly like to live with her ladies and gentlemen in their elegant but confined houses. (Quoted in Elizabeth Gaskell, The Life of Charlotte Bronte, p.258)

    Ouch. In other words, Jane Austen’s style of writing is controlled, contained and ‘confined’, and one could even say, despite the sophistication of the society presented, it is a little common-place.  That is, if you agree with Miss Brontë.

    The next time I encountered Pride and Prejudice I was a mature undergraduate student and I was not all that enthused as finding this novel on my reading list.  However, after reading the first chapter I experienced a shift in my earlier opinions and was impressed by how much Austen achieves in the space of just a few pages.  Plus I immediately began to appreciate Austen’s humour.

    The opening sentence is one of the most well known beginnings to a novel in English literary history: ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.’  The narrative voice continues to explain that regardless of how much or little is known about said man, such ideas are so powerful ‘he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.’  We are then introduced to Mr and Mrs Bennet and from their ensuing dialogue on the subject of the newly arrived Mr Bingley into the neighbourhood their characters are firmly established.  Mr Bennet appears quick witted and seems to enjoy using his words to toy with his wife. His response to her laying claim on Mr Bingley as a potential husband for one of their daughters is the question ‘Is that his design in settling here?’ Her lack of insight is immediately apparent as she takes his question at face value whilst the reader recognizes his sarcasm.  As their exchange continues Mrs Bennet declares ‘… You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion for my nerves.’ Her husband’s witty retort once again is not absorbed by her and is again at her expense:

    ‘You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years at least.’

    Thus, the first chapter establishes the social world of the novel, with its rules and traditions, it introduces some of the significant characters in a mildly humorous way, and in case the reader is in any doubt about Mrs Bennet, concludes by informing us ‘The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news.’

    To read the rest of this article please follow the link to the Wordsworth blog by clicking here

  • A Princess in the Attic

    Here is another piece originally written for Wordsworth Editions Blog.

    I first came across A Little Princess through the 1973 BBC adaptation and was immediately captivated by it. I am not sure exactly what drew me in but having recently returned to the original novel I realise I was a similar age to the gently heroic Sara Crewe when the narrative begins. Frances Hodgson Burnett’s tale of the experiences of young Sara, born in India and who at the tender age of seven arrives at Miss Minchin’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies in London, has remained in print since its first publication in 1905.

    Just to clarify, Sara is not actually a princess, although at the start of the narrative she is extremely privileged, wealthy and much loved by her father Captain Crewe.  She arrives at school with an elaborate wardrobe with ‘sable and ermine on her coats, and real Valenciennes lace on her underclothing’ (Chapter 1).  Her favourite doll Emily also has an extensive wardrobe and Sara’s status is such that she has her own private sitting-room and a French maid. The very strict Miss Minchin finds her clothing ‘perfectly ridiculous’ for a child of her age, but is more than happy to exploit the benefits of having such a wealthy pupil at her school.

    The narrative is a relatively simple one and on the surface this may seem like an ordinary school novel, in that Sara has to overcome her initial homesickness at leaving her beloved father, and cope with a headmistress who does not like her. There are the challenges of making friends as she is unable to win the approval of the clique of popular girls led by the nasty Lavinia. Despite these challenges, Sara settles in and all is well until her eleventh birthday at which point tragedy strikes when Miss Minchin receives news of Captain Crewe’s death.  This is where matters take a decided turn for the worst as Captain Crewe has lost his fortune through a disastrous investment in a diamond mine. Sara is left a penniless and homeless orphan at the mercy of Miss Minchin. Rather than turn her out onto the street, Miss Minchin is persuaded to consider her reputation and instead puts Sara to work and banishes her to a cold attic, minus her extensive wardrobe.  The rest of the narrative follows Sara’s efforts to survive her harsh living conditions and her attempts to make the best of her situation by relying on her very active imagination. However, if you peel away the top layer of an apparently simple children’s story, it becomes apparent Frances Hodgson Burnett has something to say about child poverty in Edwardian Britain.

    The novel went through a number of incarnations, beginning as a serialized short story in 1887, before becoming a successful stage play during the 1890s. In 1905 it was expanded into the novel we now have.  It’s original title was A Little Princess: Being the Whole Story of Sara Crewe Now Being Told for the First Time. This included an introduction written by Burnett in which she said ‘… between the lines of every story there is another story…’ Burnett’s reasons for expanding and developing the story were, in part, financially motivated. Following her divorce from Swan Burnett and then a second divorce after a disastrous short marriage to Stephen Townsend, a man somewhat her junior, Burnett found herself in need of some additional income. This was solved by transforming the stage version of A Little Princess into a novel.

    … To read the full article, please head over to Wordsworth Editions. Click here…

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