Friday, April 25, 2014

Following in the Footsteps of a Heroine by Shaleen Kapil



Recently, I went to England for a girls getaway weekend. We followed the footsteps of Jane Austen, our favorite author, to places she lived and used as settings in her books. Actually, it turns out we mostly just followed our favorite heroine, Anne Elliot, from Persuasion, since we went to Bath and Lyme Regis but didn’t quite make it to Jane Austen’s home in Chawton.

It was wonderful to visit England in the spring, looking at all the daffodils and tulips. I didn’t even mind that our seaside romp to the seaside village of Lyme Regis was cold, rainy, and foggy. I still got to take pictures standing on the steps of the Cobb, the jetty, made famous in the BBC movie version.

In Bath, we visited the Jane Austen Centre where all of the tour guides dressed in period costumes. Then, we had tea at the Pump Room where our favorite heroine would have taken the waters from the hot spring and socialized. Lastly, we walked by the Royal Crescent where Anne Elliot and her hero, Captain Wentworth, speak of their love for each other.

Have you ever followed the footsteps of a book’s characters? If not, whose footsteps would you like to follow?

Shaleen is completing the final drafts of her own modern take of her favorite novel and Austen couple. Until her book publishes, you can find her writing about her other love of yoga and health at HaveMatWillTri



8 comments:

  1. I've seen so many movies and read so many books about people going on Austen tours and each time, I ask, "That would be so much fun. Do people really do that?" And now I can say I know someone who has!
    Did the trip make you want to go back and reread the books all over again, seeing them through the lens of your journey?

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  2. I would love to travel to England and visit some of those places. I've collected the books to guide me. One day...!

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  3. Yes, Milou! The evening I came back from Lyme Regis, I was already watching clips of the movies on YouTube where we visited.

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  4. That would be a wonderful trip!! We were in England and Ireland last spring, and my dh and I visited a number of writerly places along our itinerary. Stratford-Upon-Avon, Oxford (loved the tour of the college, which pointed out many of the real-life inspirations for scenes in Alice in Wonderland), Dublin--the Writers Museum...and Bath. Sooo disappointed, though. We were driving, and had a hard time with some of the crowded round-abouts in England. Couldn't find the car park for the shuttle bus to Bath, so we finally drove there. And by the time we got there, and found a place to park, we pretty much just had time for the hop on/hoop off bus tour of Bath. Dithered, and didn't get off at the stop for the Austen museum, and I am still sorry a year later! So it was such fun to read your post!

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  5. I visited London nearly twenty years ago and realized I was seeing many of the places, streets, underground stations that Agatha Christie mentioned in her books. It was quite a thrill for me as I have always loved her mysteries. I still reread them.

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  6. You are a fortunate lady! The Pump Room --how many times I read of that in Georgette Heyer's romances! I think Jane Austen would have enjoyed reading those too!

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  7. Sounds like a wonderful trip, Shaleen. I only live a few hours from Bath and I haven't visited in ages. I'll have to have a day out with my hubby or my daughter and visit the Jane Austen center.

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