Janeites of an earlier generation
Now that we’ve discussed the next generation of Janeites below, we look back upon the generation that preceded us. Stephen Bowden pointed us to an article in the Guardian, taken from their archives of July 19, 1952, about the yearly meeting of the Jane Austen Society at Chawton Cottage.
The society was formed, with truly Austenian disregard of politics and foreigners, in 1940. Jane Austen’s utter silence on Napoleon, his wars, his threats of invasion, did not more beautifully ignore the possibility of his conquering England than did Miss Dorothy Darnell, quietly beginning in 1940 to form a literary society, beautifully ignore the possibility of Hitler doing any better than Napoleon.
Love it!
Outside, in the stabling, is the very donkey-cart in which she used to drive about the lanes as far as Alton.
The donkey cart (beautifully restored) can still be seen in the outbuildings at the Cottage.
August 1st, 2006 at 2:53 pm
I love it too!!
[ beautifully ignore the possibility of Hitler doing any better than Napoleon.
That sounds like Jane Austen herself.