Maps of Sense & Sensibility

A defining characteristic of Jane Austen’s fiction is its realism, which is manifest in details of speech, manner, lifestyle, and even geography. In each novel her “3 or 4 Families in a Country Village” are situated in a specific part of England. Sense and Sensibility, her first published novel, begins, “The family of Dashwood had been long settled in Sussex.” Austen uses the removal of the Dashwood women from Norland Park in Sussex to Barton Cottage in distant Devonshire to underscore both their exile from a cherished home and their displacement from an established social position to a modest life among strangers. Here's a link to the map of this area: http://www.jasna.org/info/images/map-ss-1200.jpg

The Story of the Watsons

From the Jim and Ellen Website: "There is no consensus about the date of composition. There has been but one brief attempt to say what year it is supposed to take place in. Here is a summary of what has been said, and an argument on behalf of an 1801 calendar and another "gradual performance". For the complete story: http://www.jimandellen.org/austen/watsons.calendar.html

Maps of Pride & Prejudice

Austen always names the county in which a novel’s action is set and often mentions cities and landmarks, though her villages and estates are invented. Here is a map for Pride & Prejudice: http://www.jasna.org/info/images/map-pp-1466h.jpg

Maps of Alton & Chawton

Regency World is Celebrating Austen's time in Alton and Chawton June 20-28, 2009. As part of that celebration, they have provided a link to downloadable maps of the two cities. To see these maps click here.