Jane Austen's Regency Dashwoods: Sense and Sensibility, India & the Cotswolds

As far back as the 19th Century, Jane Austen’s commentators referred to her world as ‘a perfect orb’. In this fascinating and immaculately researched book, Dr. Firth explores her orb - the bubble in which she lived and worked - seeking to probe its boundaries and inflences. He analyses how her works reflect her contemporary society, both implicitly and explicitly. Using his in-depth knowledge of the geography and history of the Cotswolds areas surrounding Bourton-on-the-Hill and Adlestrop where Jane’s relatives lived and which she is known to have visited several times, he has researched her family links to the Cotswolds and the people she would have known (and known of) within her circle of society. These are tied together with wider cultural influences and sensibilities, in particular the general fascination with the exotic Indian fashions, flavours and art widely imported into Regency society by the East India Company and evidenced by local links with the Cockerells of Sezincote. Calling on many sources, both historical records and themes suggested by previous academic commentaries, the author creates a convincing Sense of the Sensibilities of Regency society and links these very knowledgeably back to the published novels and ephemera. A word of warning: be very familiar with Jane Austen’s novels, or be prepared to stop reading this book in order to reread at least ‘Sense and Sensibility’ and ‘Manfield Park’ ....