Back in July, I was lucky enough to visit Chawton Cottage, now named Jane Austen’s House , where Austen creativity came alive; revising and creating all of the Austen Six. It did feel like I was indeed stepping inside a shrine. Chawton Cottage as the Austen’s called it, is a time capsule of the world of Jane, Cassandra, their mother and their childhood friend Martha Lloyd. Here are the traces of the lives well lived: the joy of the garden and the kitchen as well as the
remarkable literary legacy.
Of course the day of our visit was not fine; there was a steady drizzle. Quite apt really as it better reflects the life lived here. It was not all sunshine; the women made the most of it, at least they had autonomy and without the rent to find, enough money to live simply.
The Austen Six are filled with conveyances from phaetons to curricles and even the barouche. I have enough trouble spelling them yet alone know the hierarchy that they symbolised! But at the very least the humble donkey cart says something quite special about Jane: she appreciated the finer things but she had learnt to be satisfied with what she had. Not for her a rich marriage of convenience. She had the experience of receiving her ‘darling child’ from the publishers rather than the children and husband who would have made writing much more difficult to juggle. And how fortunate are we that this house lives on as a place to visit and ponder on the genius that is Jane Austen.
Austen's Guide to Happiness 