Everything about this trip has completely wonderful, but there are a few places that have stood out. Bath is one of the most gorgeous places I have ever been, without a doubt. Obviously, the Jane Austen Centre was fascinating to an Austenite such as myself. The Centre is particularly fantastic because they cover many different topics and themes that crop up in Jane’s work, relating to Bath. As you can expect, there are some that jump out to me more than others… This is a a quick look at what I learned about dancing in Jane Austen!
Bath truly is a Georgian city. Medieval Bath is quite fascinating as well, but the city truly developed and flourished in the Georgian period. Dancing was quite important in Georgian Bath, with both the Upper and Lower Assembly Rooms hosting balls on alternating evenings (with concerts in between). Balls were the best way to see and be seen in Georgian society, and dancing was a wonderful way to meet potential marriage partners. (As Austen’s characters tend to do, or at least attempt…)
Dancing in Jane Austen novels is an important activity, and especially so in her two Bath novels. Both Northanger Abbey and Persuasion are set in Bath, and her characters visit the Upper and Lower Assembly Rooms themselves. According to the Centre, “Jane was familiar with them both, working them in to her novel Northanger Abbey where they provide opportunity for her characters to encounter one another…. We get a good idea of how full the Rooms could be in that novel, as Catherine struggles through the crowds and Mrs. Allen fears for her finery.”
However, the opportunities for networking could not be passed up! Couples would dance quadrilles, waltzes, and different country dances- it would allow them to be suitably public while still getting to know one another. It would be quite different from most dancing that we know today, as they were set dances that everyone would know (rather than everyone doing what they wanted…) As a dancer, it makes me happy to know that at some point, dancing was integral to society!
What is your favourite Jane Austen novel?
Cheers,
The Historian
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I loved this post! The dancing scenes are probably my favorite out of Austen’s novels. I love that dancing was such an integral part of their culture and social hierarchy back then!
The balls are always where everything fun seems to happen!! And now that I have seen the Assembly Rooms and walked through it, I can see why- there was not a lot of room when you account for everyone that would have been there. So nothing would have been a secret, and news would travel IMMEDIATELY! I plan on doing an Austen re-read, and will be paying close attention to the dance scenes 🙂
For me it is Pride and Prejudice.
An absolute classic!