Wow! That is so cool you got to go there! And twice as cool to share your lovely pictures with us! Thanks!
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Wow! That is so cool you got to go there! And twice as cool to share your lovely pictures with us! Thanks!
I havea question did they turn it into a museum right after she died so hisis the original stuff or did other people live in it and it was eventually restored to what they presueme it was like back in her day???
Here is a brief history of the house as it is stated on the website:Quote:
A brief history of Jane Austen and the Museum
Jane Austen was born on the 16 December 1775 at the rectory in the Hampshire village of Steventon to the Reverend George Austen and his wife, Cassandra. Jane, the seventh of eight children, had six brothers and one elder sister Cassandra. The family moved to Bath on her father's retirement in 1801. In 1809 she moved to this house, now the museum with her widowed mother and sister.
Until she was settled in Chawton none of Jane's work had been published. The period that she lived here was the most prolific and productive of her life. She revised Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, which she had written some years earlier, and then wrote Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion.
Late in 1816 she became ill and in May 1817 she and Cassandra rented rooms in Winchester to be nearer to her physician. There was no cure for the illness and she died on the 18 July 1817. She is buried in Winchester Cathedral.
The house was lived in by Mrs Austen and Cassandra until Mrs Austen died in 1827. Cassandra remained there alone until she died in 1845 when the house was divided into three cottages for farm workers.
One hundred years later the house was bought by Mr T. Edward Carpenter in memory of his son, Philip, who was killed in the Second World War. He founded the Jane Austen Memorial Trust which owns and administers the house that was first opened as a museum in 1949.
Right Ive finally finished it cant say I lved it but I suppose I understand all the melodramatics better having read a few of the gothic novels since I last read the book.
If you would like to take part in Northanger Abbey Live Discussions, please send me your MSN addresses asap, please!
Have you taken the quizes on Austen and Nothanger Abbey on the Forum's quiz section? :D
http://www.online-literature.com/for...iz.php?catid=1
Took the quiz, first two questions threw me but didn't do badly after that. I finally finished the book a bit late but thought it was quite witty, made me laugh out loud quite a few times. After a slow start I really enjoyed it. Thought I'd read it before but after reading it realized it's the one Austen book I hadn't read. Well, on to the next book!
which other austen books have you read?
all of them
I've seen Sense & Sensibility
I havent read persuasion
i have read the others
considering that this is the first book JA wrote, what did you think about it?
i am not sure if i have. i have seen emma, pride and prejudice (earlier version and the modernized one) and I am currently rereading persuasion
we're not supposed to compare NA to the others, right?
i have watched Emma and P&P
well, yes
did you think it is different from the other JA books?
I've only read NA...
it is more naive like a younger girl wrote it i think
I thought JA was too direct in her criticism and observations
was not refined enough if you like
yeah in her other books it is more subtle
too sharp
yes, exactly
especially in the first couple chapters, she is really up in arms regarding novels and society
maybe she wasnt mature enough when she wrote NA to be subtle about it
probably
and interestingly it wasnt the first JA book to be published
compared to other JA books, how did you like the NA?
but i do find that i like her work more b/c of her sarcasism towards society at that time.
yes, it is very refreshing to read, isnt it?
it was probably my least favorite but i like it nevertheless
considering she wrote her books in an age women accepted the social norms easily
yes very refreshing
I think I like it better than S & S
i think she is a brillant lady that would easily fit into today's society. which is probably why her books are made into movies
I agree with you
the thing is if she lived today, she would still be ahead of her time I guess
she simply had a questioning mind
i agree i find her to be highly above many young women authors today
yes
and what i like even more that she doesnt seem to be taking herself too seriously either
i dont think women today are willing to put themselves out there like she did, which was really risky in her time
i mean there are a few women who do but not to the level she did since it was so unthought of then.
do you think she published her books under "a lady" for a reason ?
a lady?
isnt that right?
she didnt use her name when she published her books when she was alive. it wasnt until she died that her identity came out
I don't know
Dont remember reading about that
and her brother had NA and persuasion published under her name and
yes, I think her brother was instrumental getting all her books published
what do you think about Catherine as a heroine?
i think she was really naive but kind probably a little like austen at the time she wrote the book
i really didnt like Isabellaa
ditto!
Isabella is one of the cheekiest, most calculating characters I have ever come across
I am not sure about re. JA being naive
i agree. i wonder why they thought they had so much money??
If she were naive, she wouldnt have been able to be critical about those things and write about them surely?
maybe not but maybe someone in her family ??
maybe a sister?
I thought it might be the average teen girl at the time
i dont know
getting all dizzy with the prospect of being introduced and finding a husband for future
yeah i agree since gothic novels where so popular with young ladies at the time
one thing was different about her though that she was intelligent
learnt her lessons well
I thought maybe JA was saying that 'it is ok to be naive but you can learn through experience'
you dont have to play the fool like Mrs A for the rest of your life
i think she did in the end by saying what catherine had learned
about friendships and life
I like it, it's an easy read
I don't like the Thorpes, the younger generation, Mrs Thorpe is harmless...
i agree but she is a typical mother in JAs books, stupid to say the least
i wonder why she writes so negatively of parents
especially mothers
I dont remember one positive mother character in her books
yes it seems that she wrote the best about mr. bennet
husbands and fathers are presented more positively
well anne
Like Mr A in NA
anne's mom in persuasion but she was dead
I havent read that yet :)
I am trying to remember in MP
doesn't seem too big an improvement then, the mother are either ... simple or dead?
the dad was very firm but the mothers not and spoiled the children
I guess Catherine's mother is not so bad either
LOL A@ Jay
but i do agree. except like scher said catherine's mom is good but not quite sensitive of her daughter's feelings
I think Catherine's mother did what she could given the circumstances
maybe b/c she had so many children
at the beginning of NA she seemed quite ok, she didn't force Catherine to do things she didn't want to
with too many children and their circumstances
i agree
how about John??
he was a jerk
true brother of Isabella's
I simply could not believe the liberties he was taking with Catherine
yes, ideal siblings!
i dislike people who are inconsiderate
ideal for each other that is
thats like my pet peeve and he hit it
yes!
so improper
and he assumed that catherine would just marry him!
i am glad catherine never thought to like him
yes!
lol yeah i would have thought she was stupid
funny part was that they thought everyone was stupid enough to believe them
well I guess catherine was initially
she never questioned their motives
i know i think she saw through john but she truly like isabella
yes
but i knew that isabella was after her brother from the start
it was pretty obvious
yeah i was suprised catherine didnt see it
I think Catherine's problem was that she didnt think that they would have a secret agenda behind their actions even though she could see that they were not doing the right things
however, i had a good laugh out of Isabella's manipulation tactics
like pretending not to pay attention to guys but then following them in the street
that was cheap, lol
very
like a tramp
and all the time Catherine knew that but thought her friend didnt realise what she was doing was wrong
yeah and then when she asked if she should say something to her to let her know that it was wrong she was told not to.
yes
i liked elanor how about you?
me too
I think she's my fave character
I think she was told so because Mr A knew that Isabella is not as naive as Catherine
I liked Elanor too
i feel sorry for them being forced into the friendship at first but i think she truly like catherine
except for the fact that she didnt stand up to her father re. catherine
yeah but she was afraid of her father
when initially the General was paying attention to Catherine, I thought he might be interested in her himself
as a second wife
did you think that?
nope
i didnt i think he always had henry in mind
I thought 'yikes! Henry in one hand, and his father in the other'
because he didnt do much to encourage them to be together
he was taking catherine around, talking to her all the time
let us be the judge!
how about Catherine's brother?
i think he was really nice but naive like catherine or too much in love to notice
yes, though I really wished he could see through Isabella like Henry did
or Henry's brother
henry's brother i think was just messing with her
looked like it
yes
i think he knew what type of girl Isabella was
i agree
i think that the abbey was kinda spooky
I was thinking about Catherine's experience at the Abbey
why do you think JA included those chapters?
providing that the abbey was spooky and the general trend of gothic novels...?
to show how naive that catherine is and about how the gothic novels can mess with the reader's head
I don't know, I quite like spooky places
though there's no doubt about the mess in my head ;)
hehe
it is possible that JA was being critical of the Gothic novel
lol just possible huh?
but also the whole Abbey experience I meant
not only her first night at the Abbey
the whole time she spent at the Abbey
she went there just so that she could be kicked out it?
i think it also brought her and henry a little bit closer
yup she did really
I agree... Henry and Cathrine had a chance to get to know each other better... without Isabella and John's interference
and she got to become better friends with elanor
I was also wondering if JA wanted to show that things are not what they seem actually
because Catherine had idealised the Abbey and the people living there
but the Abbey turned out to be a boring place for Catherine
they had made many changes to it
and the general was not the nicest person at the end
so maybe JA wanted Catherine to learn that she shouldnt take things on their face value?
seems like it
behind all that grandeur, there wasnt much to go
lol i agree with the part about her needing to see things for that they are
where there's a will there's an or
if she really wanted she could have ignored all that didn't comply with her idea of the abbey
but Catherine is a clever girl
which is why she didnt ignore things, learned from her experiences
i agree
i wonder about henry's mom what kind of person what she?
what kind of woman do you think she was?
huh I thought she was dead?
I think she brought up her kids nicely
a spoilt one I think
sort of like mrs bennet
what makes you think that way?
actually I read somwhere that all the paerents in austen books are a cry for help
which is why they are all so awful in their own ways
we just talked about the deficiency of parents in JA books
i dont think they are so bad
just most of them
yes
who wasnt bad ?
the bennets
there are a few that seem to be good.
woodhouse
Mr B was nice
annes father
Fannys paerents
now you are being sarcastic
anne's father didnt care about her at all
Aunt whats her face from mansfield park lady maria and her husband
and catherine's parents werent so bad
examples for not so good parents from JA novels
yes they were they spoilt them and they wweerent main parts in the story
all the MANI paerent were nasty
but why do you think Mrs Tilney was spoilt?
I thought she was mainly an oppressed woman
Mr B was not nice he liked wickham he was selfish and nasty
the husband is far too controlling so she did her best in those circumstances
how do you know??
mr b didnt know him and neither did elizabeth at first it was only after darcy's letter
Mr B did not like Wickham
exactly
at the end, when he found out about Wickham, he simply turned him out of the house
I think she was silly and foolish and probably spoilt hwich is why she married that nutcase in the first place then she was spoilt which is why she sppoilt her eldest
but didnt he says somthing about darcy would not be like his fav soninlaw wickham??
but what proof do ou have?
none
just trends in style actually ohh thats made me think of somthing totally OT I can gointo my theories if we have an alcott m,onth
so i probably mised this but what did you think of catherine??
nice, naive, not too dull
I dont think Mrs T was spoilt as I said
She did her best with a husband like the General
ok maybe im just twisting my charcters up its a possibility
I thought Catherine was naive but intelligent
and learnt from her experiences
you didnt like H?
oh well he was the nicest character in the book
but he was annoying and snotty and whats the word
mysognist or is it chavanist
I didnt find Henry annoying and snotty
I always get those to confused
I am not sure how you get all these?
i dont either
i think at first he was a little arrogant but most guys are
he just annoyed me alot thats all cant exatly tell you why except he seemed to laugh at Catherine alot more than with her
also we shouldnt forget the times the book was written
very true
they had different norms then
he is just what I thought Mr bennet would have been like when he wa young
didnt realise you wher you if you know what i mean till you left?
I thought all along he tried to warn Catherine about Isabel without being rude
yes that I did see
and that is one ofthe few times I really totally like him in the book
and he did realise that Catherine lacked life experience
true
humm yes
he wasnt patronizing like John or controlling like the General
i think he was feeling pressured to be with her at times too which made him a little distant maybe
yes, I thought so too
he wasnt comfortable with his father's interference
trying to play the matchmaker
I thought h was pretty patronising on that walk but then again so was Darcy actually come to think of it I dont think Ive liked any of the Austen males??
humm actualy I do Like edmund
no especially when they went to his house (not his father's)
because he liked Catherine for different reasons from his fathers
did he know his fathers reasons?
austen males... they do come across like that because of the ignorance of the females I think
I cant remember
i am glad that he fell in love with her she needed something good to happen
he knew that his father thought catherine was rich
yes, so am i!
i think that in the end he proved himself to be worthy of her
i suppose me too
i think even though catherine lacked the experience and worldly knowledge, her intelligence and common sense will help her to keep up with henry
but my fav was the viscount who married elenor
he did nt give in to his father's wishes
why?
I like elonor best I think on reflection
we never get to know the viscount
i know who was he?
in the end i felt like i missed something
last page or so hes the reason they got the happy ending
general would have eventuallly came around
and more importantly Eleanor got her happy ending and let me see oh yes he was afraid of her nasty father
or wait was he??
I dont think henry would have deterred by his father anyway
ha thats what you think
dont really know since i didnt read anything about him until the end
yes but her parents wouldnt let her marry him without his fathers blessing
yes, but then that would have been a test for catherine, not for henry
true but i think the general would have agreed eventually but it help alot that elanor married well
would she follow her heart or her parents?
parents I should think she was folish but not that foolish
I think a mature character would follow her heart
and dont forget as an austen heroine she wouldnt have wanted to upset hr parents
She would tell her parents that she is marrying Henry, not his father
if those standards were still in place today i would never have been able to marry my hubby so i am glad we dont live by those standards (as in the getting money for the marriage thing)
probably not but if she had to choose... especially if it is not a logical reason like her parents
i think that she would have followed her heart.
the dowry was a hard thing
funny thing in my culture it used to be other way round
men had to pay huge amounts of money to the girl's family
still I like my paterns of behaviour and austen heroines all follow a patern and thats what I think the patttern was mind yyou anne did come close to breaking it so maybe
is in my cultuere still
not so sure really
thats what i thinking (about anne)
elizabeth did stand up to her mother
she is always critical of her
and fanny and edmund
yes but not to her father only to one it was always thesame they could stnad up to one or love one more
yes, they did stood up as well
did they ?? I dot remember that?
well elizabeth's father was a logical man with lots of common sense
he always supported her decisions
I thought everyone was happy that they decided to get married well excepot aunt whats her face
true that
i like mr B
I dont he resorted to emotional blackmail
how so?
huh?
what a hard decion this is from this day you will deprived of one of your parents...
he knew she loved him more so wouldnt marry collins not that s=he wanted to
but stilll
it was wrong and nasty
I think he didnt want elizabeth to make a mistake
but if she had wanted to, i have a feeling that he would have given his blessing
he knew what was best for her and didnt want her to make the same kind of mistakes that he make in marrying someone he truly didnt love
made
yes
he wanted her to marry for love
maybe dont agree with you but hey its literature
thats what its there for
and to be happy with someone who was smart and strong enough to except her for who she is
exactly
we interpret it differently
but i always like mr B
going back to NA
ok
i really really didnt the general
didnt...?
me neither
what a jerk
like?
but he wass amusing when i wasnt swearing at him
Didnt find him amusing
yes like sorry why would he want them to marry someone with money when he had so mcuh
initially i was worried that he might be fancying Catherine himself and then was annoyed with his patronizing, controlling manners
i only find him amusing on reflerction when im not @in@ the story so to speak
money marrying money was the norm in those days
yeah but some where just trying to get more
well it was his illbreadness(??) in tossing her out that really got me
yeah
me too that was just wrong
yes, that was a terrible thing to do
especially because it wasnt her fault that he had these misconceptions about her status and wealth
hes catherine debourgh all over but more extreme amusing when you think how he had to be right and everything he was conected to had to be great like isabells brother exacty
yes but it couldnt be his fault could it??
at least not to him so he had to blame her or feel stupid
he should have been upset with John for telling him all those fibs
lose face ec
yes but he should have belived them and he knew it which is why he was so annoyed
it is amazing that how two people's lies and actions affected so many
no
humm maybe thats what the story is about
Well originally I thjought it was jus a stoory I rarely think about it that much then I thought and nothing but it could be lies
who was it who said O what somthing we we weave when first we prractice to decive
oh yes scott aroundtaustns time right
Tangeld thats it
the thing is nothing is just a story
I believe all the authors write for a reason
we agree their point of view or not, is another story
or sometimes we cannot see their point at all
yes well I do tio when I think about it I just dont think about it although someone said in an interview they wrote because the stories tell them to write and they really dont have a choice
I finished the book yesterday. It was ok.
Wow!!!! Great pictures!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
I missed the NA Live chat :bawling: