The View from Chawton: Chawton Cottage

I made the pilgrimage to Jane Austen’s home—the home in Chawton village, where Austen lived from 1809-1817 and completed her novels spanning from Sense and Sensibility to Sanditon, the work left unfinished at her death. This cottage, tiny and unassuming, stands as a testimony to Austen’s paradoxical position as a writer.  

Austen was forced to rely on the charity of her brother Edward to provide her with this cottage since, initially, her writing had brought her no income--she bore the publishing costs herself for her first novel Sense and Sensibility. In this cottage’s inauspicious front parlor, Austen penned some of the greatest fiction of the Regency period. Ironically, she chose this room for its large picture window and squeaky door that presaged visitors, so she could hide any evidence of her writing from others. In these novels, she brings to a brilliant pitch the technique of free indirect discourse, introducing a vivid interiority in her heroines, and speaks directly and poignantly to contemporary issues, such as the lack of education and vocation for women. 

Yet, Austen’s gravestone in Winchester Cathedral, like her home, small and unassuming, alludes only obliquely to her writing, mainly speaking of her piety and charity: “The benevolence of her [Austen’s] heart, 
the sweetness of her temper, and 
the extraordinary endowments of her mind obtained the regard of all who knew her and the warmest love of her intimate connections.”

Betsy's Thirty Seconds of Fame

Has is been a month since the last entry? Whew! I guess it has. Spring break is now a distant memory; Honors students are busily finishing up their theses before the early April deadline; a new supply of odious viral thingees has been transported from myriad homes back to the confines of our campus to wreak their havoc; and many students are trying to devote more time to their studies to push up those mid-term marks. We're past the back stretch, and the finish seems to be only on the horizon--but it will be here more quickly than we realize.

The occasion for this post is, in a sense, political. Many of you are aware of--and perhaps heard--Barack Obama's speech on race at Philadelphia yesterday morning, a speech that has garnered some pretty fantastic reviews across the country. Here's a sampling from Dailykos. But Channel 4 (WBZ) from Boston trumps the editorials with a quick commentary from the English Department's Betsy Huang in their feature "Religious Leaders Respond" during the 6:00 news hour on the 18th. Here's the linky. You have to search for "Barack Obama Speech" and click on the video link above "Religious Leaders Respond." She said that the crew must have chatted with her for half and hour in her office in order to get this tidbit. It's amazing how much is discarded to catch just the perfect interview line! (I know, from the few times I've mumbled through video for Clark, that it's strange to see how little makes it into the final cut.)

On another front, I talked with Claudia, and I realized that to publish her poem "Jakarta" could likely violate the copyright of the journal, so I haven't included it yet. Soon: after it's published; then we can take a look at it with the proper citation to the journal.

Finally, congratulations to all the English Writing Contest Winners! Here they are:


Announcing the Winners of the
2008 English DepartmentWriting Contests


Prentiss Cheney Hoyt Poetry Contest
First Place: Mary (Rosie) O’Sullivan
Second Place: Charity Forrester
Third Place: Robin Barron


Betty ‘79 and Stanley Sultan Short Story Contest
First Place: Tali Sachs
Second Place: Charity Forrester
Third Place: Danielle Coles

The English Department would like to thank everyone who submitted an entry. We appreciate your interest in creative writing and your willingness to share your work with us. We also would like you to know that we had a large pool of many fine entries to consider.
--Jay