Hazel Jones

Includes a trip to Bath

Monday 15 - Friday 19 May

Residential - £713 Non Residential - £481

Please arrive by 12 noon, course ends with lunch

R1423

Georgian readers were fascinated by dark tales of Gothic horror, populated by virtuous

heroines and impossibly handsome heroes. Jane Austen was no exception – she read everything she could lay her hands on – but unlike many novel writers of the time, she chose not to conform to the conventions of this literary genre. The heroine of  Northanger Abbey is neither accomplished nor beautiful, nor is the hero a paragon of chivalry or noble suffering. As an avid consumer of 'horrid' novels, Catherine Morland has to find out for herself that real life is often more disturbing than fiction. 

On this course, we will explore the nature of popular literature against the background of late eighteenth century life, the nature of power and friendship, fashionable society in Bath and the mercenary operations of the marriage market. The week will include a whole day’s visit to Bath, to walk the streets Jane Austen and her heroine knew so well.