Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:11,480
In our modern world, there's an idea
that fills our dreams and desires.
2
00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:14,560
Something we've all searched for.
3
00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:16,520
Romantic love.
4
00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:21,880
Ooh!
5
00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:27,120
# Love is the sweetest thing
6
00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:31,800
# What else on earth
could ever bring... #
7
00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:34,600
What's fascinating is that
8
00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:38,040
so much of romance
isn't about spontaneous feeling.
9
00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:42,760
All of love's rituals
had to be invented.
10
00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:49,680
# Love is the sweetest thing. #
11
00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:53,760
Even the way that we feel
can be traced back to specific
12
00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:55,240
historical moments.
13
00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:04,480
In this series, I'm going to tell the
story of three centuries of romance.
14
00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:10,200
Romance changed us from a society
where courtship was controlled
15
00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:14,200
to one where the romantic
possibilities seemed endless.
16
00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:18,480
It crossed barriers of class
and sexuality
17
00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:22,280
and transformed the way women
and men relate to one another.
18
00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:27,320
And none of this would
have happened without
19
00:01:27,320 --> 00:01:29,600
the invention of the romantic novel.
20
00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:33,160
This was literature that
21
00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,160
was as revolutionary as
a political manifesto.
22
00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:38,760
By focusing on love,
23
00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:42,800
it drove readers to seek new forms
of romance in their own lives.
24
00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:46,200
No other artform has
25
00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:51,480
so utterly transformed the way
the British think and feel.
26
00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:52,880
SHE SIGHS
27
00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:56,160
In this first programme, I'm taking
you back to the Georgian age,
28
00:01:56,160 --> 00:02:00,320
when romance as we would
recognise it first appeared.
29
00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,720
People started reading
romantic novels.
30
00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:08,360
Fashionable love letters were
full of tears and purple prose.
31
00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:11,240
And with moonlit flits
to Gretna Green,
32
00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:15,920
romantic adventure started to enter
the lives of ordinary people.
33
00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:21,880
There were new ways of feeling and
flirting and expressing your love.
34
00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:25,400
Welcome to the first blossoming
of British romance.
35
00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:31,280
# I only hope that fate may bring
36
00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:35,360
# Love's story to you. #
37
00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:45,600
I confess.
38
00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:50,800
I do love a good costume drama,
but for me, the business of getting
39
00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:56,960
together in real life in Georgian
times is surprisingly unromantic.
40
00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:01,160
Let's start with a true story.
Just think to yourself -
41
00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:05,560
what are the ingredients
of a great 18th-century romance?
42
00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:12,520
Well, probably a big house like this,
a spirited heroine, like this,
43
00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:15,240
and perhaps a handsome hero.
44
00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:20,080
Unfortunately, for Mary Granville,
an exceptionally beautiful Georgian
45
00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:24,440
teenager, she wasn't to get the happy
ever after that she'd hoped for.
46
00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:33,760
In Mary's own account of her life,
she remembers how naive she was
47
00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:39,360
when she went in 1717 to stay
at the house of her rich uncle,
48
00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,840
little realising
that she'd been invited
49
00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:46,920
as potential wife material
for his rich friends.
50
00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:52,120
The house was busy, it was full
of guests. Mary was out in society.
51
00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,760
She was as happy
as she could have imagined.
52
00:03:54,760 --> 00:04:00,760
But then, an old friend of her
uncle's arrived, Mr Pendarves.
53
00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:06,840
According to Mary, Mr Pendarves was
54
00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:10,240
"a person who was more
disgusting than engaging".
55
00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,640
Over three times her age,
his face was crimson
56
00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:18,000
and he was excessively fat.
57
00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:23,480
His clothes were shabby
and he was ridden with gout.
58
00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:29,360
The days turned in to weeks
and Mary came to the horrific
59
00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:33,600
realisation that Mr Pendarves
was staying for her.
60
00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,520
She did her best to put him off.
She was rude to him.
61
00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:42,280
When he walked in to the room,
she'd walk out again.
62
00:04:42,280 --> 00:04:44,840
She even slammed the door on him.
63
00:04:44,840 --> 00:04:48,800
But Mr Pendarves
would not be deterred.
64
00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:52,800
HE BURPS LOUDLY
65
00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:56,000
Too late, Mary went to see her uncle,
66
00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:58,400
who told her to stop
being so childish
67
00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:03,000
and commanded her to marry
her geriatric Romeo.
68
00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,280
Now,
if this had been a Jane Austen novel,
69
00:05:05,280 --> 00:05:07,960
things would have worked out
for poor Mary.
70
00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:11,040
A handsome young man with good
prospects would have come along
71
00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:12,480
and rescued her.
72
00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:18,120
But Mr Pendarves' land and influence
were valuable to Mary's uncle,
73
00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:19,720
so the marriage went ahead.
74
00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:32,480
Married life for Mrs Pendarves
would be mercifully short.
75
00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:36,720
Her husband's heavy drinking
saw to that.
76
00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:42,560
One morning, she woke up
in their bed, had a look at him,
77
00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:44,760
he was black in the face.
78
00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:47,280
He had died in the night.
79
00:05:47,280 --> 00:05:51,680
As Mary herself put it,
being a widow was not unwelcome.
80
00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:59,440
The predicament of Mary Pendarves,
coerced into marrying for the
81
00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:04,480
benefit of her family, was a common
one at the start of the 18th century.
82
00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:08,680
And not just among the aristocracy.
83
00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:17,400
Out on the street,
the newly-emerging commercial
84
00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:21,080
and trading classes had started
to reshape society.
85
00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,800
Here, life was precarious,
with bankruptcy
86
00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:31,120
and debtors prison a constant threat.
87
00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:35,040
Marriage offered a strategic way
for families
88
00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:39,960
and the community to pool resources
and safeguard the future.
89
00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:43,920
In the 18th century,
your choice of who to marry wasn't
90
00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:47,280
just your own business,
nor even just your family's.
91
00:06:47,280 --> 00:06:50,200
It was a matter
for the whole community.
92
00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:52,120
People's jobs and their businesses
93
00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:55,160
and their status
could all be affected.
94
00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:59,320
And this meant that everybody wanted
a say in your choice of spouse.
95
00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:08,320
Recent historical research emphasises
the high level of interference
96
00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:11,560
that couples could expect
from those around them.
97
00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:16,120
A talented apprentice
might be encouraged to
98
00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:19,320
court his master's daughter.
He got a step up,
99
00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:23,720
while the long-term prospects
of the business were protected.
100
00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:27,920
Where a couple couldn't provide
for future children, the community
101
00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:31,680
might step in and collude with
the vicar to stop the wedding.
102
00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:37,880
Even if you thought that your choice
was your own, it very often wasn't.
103
00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:44,600
The families and the friends of young
courting couples would help them out.
104
00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:48,080
They'd deliver messages
and arrange social occasions
105
00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:50,720
and get-togethers for
the young people to meet.
106
00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:53,920
They'd be ever so helpful,
but really,
107
00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:57,280
they were keeping an eye on what
was happening and, in some cases,
108
00:07:57,280 --> 00:08:01,320
they were trying to bend
the young lovers to their will.
109
00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:10,840
We can see just how blatant
this manipulation could be
110
00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,800
when we look at a forgotten
form of literature -
111
00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:18,480
letter writing manuals,
like this one from the 1740s.
112
00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:23,480
Ostensibly, the book teaches you
how to write a good letter,
113
00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:25,640
but it does two other things as well.
114
00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,920
Firstly, it provides entertainment,
it's enjoyable,
115
00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:33,800
and, secondly, it ends up being
a guide to good behaviour.
116
00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:38,520
It suggests the correct way to
go about something like courtship
117
00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:43,120
and more than half of the letters
are devoted to that topic.
118
00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:47,160
Reading all of these readymade
letters, I'm surprised at how
119
00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:51,320
acceptable it was to poke your nose
into somebody else's love life.
120
00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:57,800
So, here's a model letter to
a gentleman of fortune who has
121
00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:01,880
children, dissuading him
from a second marriage with a lady
122
00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:03,640
much younger than himself.
123
00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:06,960
If you know someone
in that situation,
124
00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:10,040
this is the letter
that you should write.
125
00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:13,560
Then we have a letter from
a father to his daughter,
126
00:09:13,560 --> 00:09:17,880
recommending that she should accept
an offer of marriage from a man
127
00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:20,680
who is a bit older than her.
128
00:09:20,680 --> 00:09:24,320
She writes back saying -
I don't want to, do I have to?
129
00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:26,880
But then we get his reply,
130
00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:30,640
"urgently enforcing her compliance
with his desire."
131
00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:32,440
Poor girl.
132
00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:35,720
And then there's my favourite
letter of all, which is
133
00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:42,360
from a father again to his daughter
against a frothy French lover.
134
00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:43,960
"His frothy behaviour,"
135
00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:48,320
this letter goes, "may divert well
enough as an acquaintance,
136
00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:53,000
"but is very unanswerable, I think,
to the character of a husband."
137
00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:56,360
In other words, don't marry him,
he's just too French.
138
00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:02,720
All of these letters
and the characters in them
139
00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:04,880
were created by a single writer,
140
00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:07,400
who in this case was also
the printer of the book
141
00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:12,440
and one of these letters,
number 138, from a father to
142
00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:17,160
a daughter in service,
would change literature for ever.
143
00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:20,920
Here is the germ of an idea
that would become Pamela,
144
00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:22,920
the first classic romantic novel.
145
00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:30,960
The writer of both the letters
and Pamela was Samuel Richardson.
146
00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:35,680
I find it almost impossible
to exaggerate
147
00:10:35,680 --> 00:10:39,800
the importance of this tubby
middle-aged man.
148
00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:45,320
Samuel Richardson was the
fairy godfather of British romance.
149
00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:51,280
The son of a wood worker, by 1740s,
150
00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:55,920
Richardson was one of the most
successful printers in London.
151
00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:03,160
He was well aware that there was a
market for what were termed Romances.
152
00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:07,640
Imported from France, this fledgling
genre of fiction knew its audience.
153
00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:15,160
Targeted at the 40% of women
who could now read,
154
00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:19,840
the stories were rambling,
but punctuated with racy incidents,
155
00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:22,960
involving aristocratic heroines
in far off lands.
156
00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:30,040
Pamela, though,
was to be a new species of writing.
157
00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:33,560
It followed a single event,
a courtship,
158
00:11:33,560 --> 00:11:37,200
and was gripping, realistic,
and believable.
159
00:11:43,160 --> 00:11:48,560
Samuel Richardson set his Romance in
the grubby world of the present day.
160
00:11:48,560 --> 00:11:52,640
His readers felt that the characters
in Pamela were perhaps people
161
00:11:52,640 --> 00:11:56,960
they'd seen on the street,
or even people that they knew.
162
00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:00,720
And if you look at the title page
of the novel, you'll notice that
163
00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:04,920
there's no mention even
of Samuel Richardson as the author.
164
00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:09,000
He was that keen to maintain
the illusion that this really was,
165
00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:13,480
as it says, a collection of "letters
from a beautiful young damsel
166
00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:15,560
"to her parents".
167
00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:20,280
The letters of Pamela Andrews take us
168
00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:23,880
into the world of the invisible
serving class.
169
00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:28,680
Pamela is vulnerable, she's living
away from her family, and she's
170
00:12:28,680 --> 00:12:33,840
flattered but wary of the attentions
of Mr B - her rich, young employer.
171
00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:40,120
"Don't be frightened," she reassures
her parents, "I am honest,
172
00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:44,200
"but if my head and my heart will
let me, you shall hear all."
173
00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:49,760
I think it's completely
extraordinary that a corpulent
174
00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:52,920
man of business in his 50s
was able to get
175
00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:56,640
convincingly inside the mind
of a 15-year-old girl.
176
00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:02,800
It helped that Richardson clearly
liked and understood women
177
00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:06,080
and he wasn't afraid
to ask their opinion.
178
00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:09,760
Samuel Richardson used what
we'd call a focus group to check
179
00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:12,480
that his story really was riveting.
180
00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:16,960
It consisted of his wife and a young
lady who was staying with them
181
00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:20,800
and, every night, their heads
would appear around the door
182
00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:26,320
of his study and they'd say, "Mr R,
we've come for a little more Pamela.
183
00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:28,080
"How is Pamela getting on?"
184
00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:36,560
Pamela was the first modern romance
novel and the first best seller.
185
00:13:36,560 --> 00:13:39,680
Many people also think
it marks the moment
186
00:13:39,680 --> 00:13:42,680
when the novel itself was born.
187
00:13:42,680 --> 00:13:45,160
It was also a multimedia event.
188
00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:51,760
I've met up with Lynn Shepherd,
novelist and Samuel Richardson
189
00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:56,160
obsessive, to look at images created
by the artist Joseph Highmore.
190
00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:58,320
So, Lynn, this is very clever.
191
00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:01,040
It's the whole story of Pamela,
half a million words,
192
00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:02,920
condensed into 12 pictures.
193
00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:06,000
Absolutely. It's the graphic
novel of Pamela. Ha-ha!
194
00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:10,760
Visitors would come
to Highmore's studio,
195
00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:15,000
peruse their favourite scenes,
and order a set of prints.
196
00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:21,040
To follow the story of Pamela,
being left at the mercy of Mr B,
197
00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:25,280
who loses no time in attempting
to take advantage of her.
198
00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:30,000
Pamela retains a soft spot for Mr B,
199
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:34,480
although today, his behaviour would
result in an exclusion order.
200
00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:38,160
What's happening in this incredibly
salacious scene down here?
201
00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:41,200
Yes, this is what Richardson
referred to as a warm scene.
202
00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:44,280
A warm scene. A sexy scene.
Basically, yes.
203
00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:46,120
As you say, extremely dramatic.
204
00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:50,160
Mr B attempting to have his way
with Pamela and she's fainting
205
00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:53,360
and this is what happens again and
again in the novel... She faints.
206
00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:56,880
She faints. Every time he gets
anywhere near her, she faints,
207
00:14:56,880 --> 00:14:59,720
and he is sort of put off by this
and withdraws.
208
00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:02,720
What do you think people's
boyfriends felt about Pamela?
209
00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:06,160
Because presumably their girlfriends,
as soon as they came up to them,
210
00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:08,240
they would go,
"Oh, I've fainted away!"
211
00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:10,320
Well, it would
be interesting to know
212
00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:12,400
whether she started
a fad for fainting.
213
00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:13,600
A fad for fainting.
214
00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:16,560
And then we go to this one,
which is again very interesting,
215
00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:18,920
which is Pamela in the carriage.
What's happened here?
216
00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:20,320
He's taking her away.
217
00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:23,120
Well, she thinks she's going
back to her parents,
218
00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:26,040
but actually what's happened is that
he's put her in his carriage...
219
00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:27,800
He's kidnapped her! Basically, yes.
220
00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:30,880
He's having her carted off to his
estate in Lincolnshire and what's
221
00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:33,400
interesting about this is
it's another thing
222
00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:37,040
about the 18th-century novel,
which comes out very strongly here,
223
00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:40,200
which is that men have
physical freedom, men can travel,
224
00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:43,840
men can decide where they want
to go and when they want to go.
225
00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:47,640
Women are moved about,
literally as if they were objects.
226
00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:50,480
And she is here literally
being moved, against her will,
227
00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:51,800
as she finds out,
228
00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:54,720
because she's not actually going
where she thinks she's going.
229
00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,080
And we have Mr B here
watching from the window.
230
00:15:57,080 --> 00:15:58,600
There's a lot of subterfuge
231
00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:02,120
and spying going on in some of these
pictures and that's a great example.
232
00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:05,000
At one point, she actually says,
"I can't even leave the house
233
00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:08,360
"in these fine clothes because people
will think that I've stolen them."
234
00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:10,880
Yes. "They'll come after me."
Or that she's his mistress.
235
00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:14,200
Or that she's a trollop. Yes, quite.
So, the poor woman is trapped really.
236
00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:17,280
Yes. Absolutely.
But it all ends up happily...
237
00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:19,400
Here they are at the altar.
It does, yes.
238
00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:22,560
And the interesting thing about
that is that one of the reasons
239
00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:25,280
he falls in love with her
and decides to marry her...
240
00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:27,640
As opposed to just raping her.
Absolutely.
241
00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:29,640
..is by reading her letters.
242
00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:33,440
So the letters are not just the form
of the novel, they are really
243
00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:37,240
important, in terms of what's
actually going on in the book.
244
00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:38,880
He reads her letters
245
00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:42,560
and is converted by
her letters into virtue.
246
00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:46,000
So, exactly what Richardson wants
to happen with his reader as well.
247
00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:48,880
By reading her letters,
we are converted to virtue.
248
00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:51,440
It makes us a better person...
Absolutely.
249
00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:53,520
..to read Pamela's letters. Mm-hm.
250
00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:00,840
The tale of the servant girl who won
the lord was popular with all
251
00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:02,960
levels in society.
252
00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:06,640
And news of this remarkable novel
travelled along the turnpikes
253
00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:09,160
and highways of Britain.
254
00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:13,480
The story of Pamela was so massively
popular that, pretty soon,
255
00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:18,600
merchandising appeared. You could
waft yourself with a Pamela fan.
256
00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:21,200
Or drink your tea from a Pamela cup.
257
00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:24,760
And the story was enjoyed
at all levels of society.
258
00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:29,120
In one hamlet, the villagers were
reading extracts of the novel,
259
00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:31,440
as it was published
in the newspapers.
260
00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:35,360
When they got to the chapter with
Pamela's wedding, they went wild.
261
00:17:35,360 --> 00:17:37,400
They got the keys to the church,
262
00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:41,800
they flew a flag from the steeple,
and they set the bells ringing.
263
00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:45,000
I imagine people going past
and saying, "What's happening?"
264
00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:49,000
And the villagers all yelling,
"Pamela's getting married!"
265
00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:54,240
CHURCH BELL RINGS
266
00:18:09,360 --> 00:18:11,920
Our girl is married at last!
267
00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:15,760
Mr B has done the right thing.
Yes, Pamela!
268
00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:27,880
After Pamela, the idea of a marriage
across a class divide could
269
00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:30,080
appear in any young lady's fantasy.
270
00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:36,920
There's a rather telling incident
in the early life of Jane Austen,
271
00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:41,120
who vandalised the marriage register
here in her father's church.
272
00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:44,920
In the front of the book, she defaced
blank forms for marriage banns
273
00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:47,720
with the names of imaginary
future husbands.
274
00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:56,160
It's a fascinating insight into the
daydreams of a Georgian teenage girl.
275
00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:59,760
First of all, she imagines herself,
Jane Austen, getting married
276
00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:05,440
to the very grand sounding Henry
Frederick Fitzwilliam of London.
277
00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:08,160
That's almost Fitzwilliam Darcy.
278
00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:10,240
Then she has a go imagining herself
279
00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:14,640
the wife of Edmond Arthur William
Mortimer of Liverpool.
280
00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:17,360
He sounds a bit less posh,
doesn't he?
281
00:19:17,360 --> 00:19:21,960
And finally, she envisages
her future as plain Jane Smith,
282
00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:23,960
the wife of Jack Smith.
283
00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:29,800
Fantasies about vastly unequal
marriages should come as no surprise.
284
00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:33,520
One of young Austen's favourite
writers was Samuel Richardson.
285
00:19:35,360 --> 00:19:38,560
Marriage was the perfect subject
for early novelists.
286
00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:41,640
Getting your choice wrong
was unthinkable.
287
00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:45,040
Not only was there no going back,
under English law,
288
00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:49,320
when a woman married,
she ceased to exist.
289
00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:51,800
If you got married
as an 18th-century woman,
290
00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:56,080
you would lose everything -
your land, your possessions,
291
00:19:56,080 --> 00:20:00,680
even your children, all become
the property of your husband.
292
00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:04,000
Even if your husband was nice,
then, after his death,
293
00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,240
the property would go to his heirs.
294
00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:08,600
That's just the way it was, legally.
295
00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:12,480
But a good Georgian husband, with
access to good lawyers, might take
296
00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:16,680
the trouble to arrange some form of
financial independence for his wife.
297
00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:20,080
A quarterly allowance,
known as pin money perhaps,
298
00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:23,520
and something for her
to live on should he die.
299
00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:27,120
In the story of Pamela, the whole
of the last quarter of the novel
300
00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:31,120
is devoted to working
this all out legally.
301
00:20:31,120 --> 00:20:34,840
It's only when we know that Pamela
has financial independence and
302
00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:39,040
security that we really believe that
she will live happily ever after.
303
00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:45,280
With Pamela's move from subordinate
to equal via a marriage
304
00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:48,840
based on mutual respect,
Richardson gave his readers
305
00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:53,480
a model for domestic happiness
that for us feels rather modern.
306
00:20:56,760 --> 00:21:01,880
In his own life, he had borne
his share of personal tragedy,
307
00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:06,760
including the death of his first wife
and their six children.
308
00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:10,120
He believed that his health had
been worn down by grief.
309
00:21:11,120 --> 00:21:14,120
This threw him into
the arms of a physician
310
00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:17,480
with some rather bonkers ideas,
311
00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:19,480
including indoor equestrianism.
312
00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:25,480
Samuel Richardson's physician was
Dr Cheyne, a famous nerve doctor,
313
00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:28,800
who thought that Richardson
made his health worse
314
00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:30,480
by his habit of worrying.
315
00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:34,480
Cheyne also thought that Richardson
should get more exercise,
316
00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:37,760
using one of these - a chamber horse.
317
00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:42,800
Giddy-up!
318
00:21:44,120 --> 00:21:47,200
You get all the benefits
of being on horseback,
319
00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:49,440
without having to
leave your own room,
320
00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:52,840
and Cheyne said that, if Richardson
was worried about losing
321
00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:57,320
the writing time, well,
then he could dictate to somebody.
322
00:21:57,320 --> 00:21:59,640
Whoa!
323
00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:03,960
This may all sound
a bit like quackery,
324
00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:09,480
but Dr Cheyne was a hugely important
figure in 18th-century medicine.
325
00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:11,680
In his book, The English Malady,
326
00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:16,320
he set out his ideas about the
diseases of the nervous system.
327
00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:19,600
It would make having
weak nerves fashionable.
328
00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:24,880
Dr Cheyne himself suffered
from nervous distempers, which is
329
00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:29,040
perhaps why he gives the impression
that all the best people do.
330
00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:33,360
It seems that members of high society
were particularly susceptible.
331
00:22:33,360 --> 00:22:37,800
Their sedentary lifestyle gave them
extra sensitive nerves,
332
00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:40,960
a condition called sensibility.
333
00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:42,440
Over the next few decades,
334
00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:47,240
this idea of sensibility
would redefine Romance.
335
00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:50,040
The upside was that
you were more alive,
336
00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:53,120
you experienced things
more intensely.
337
00:22:53,120 --> 00:22:57,280
The downside was that
it opened you up to other maladies,
338
00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:02,360
such as long grief
or dark melancholy,
339
00:23:02,360 --> 00:23:05,240
or even hopeless love,
340
00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:07,680
that would wear out
your nervous system.
341
00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:17,800
When Richardson published
his 1748 novel Clarissa,
342
00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:21,800
he transmitted Cheyne's ideas
to his vast number of readers.
343
00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:28,560
The heroine, Clarissa Harlow,
is sensibility made flesh.
344
00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:33,320
Her ability to feel things deeply
is a sign of her goodness.
345
00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:35,080
SHE SIGHS
346
00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:38,480
When her ambitious family try
to marry Clarissa off to
347
00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:40,440
a man that she doesn't love,
348
00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:45,360
she escapes with the help
of a charming rake, Robert Lovelace.
349
00:23:45,360 --> 00:23:50,320
But Lovelace is danger, male
sexuality at its most destructive.
350
00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:55,120
He installs Clarissa in lodgings
which turn out, really,
351
00:23:55,120 --> 00:23:56,800
to be a brothel.
352
00:23:56,800 --> 00:24:00,680
It's just the start of an obsession
which dooms them both.
353
00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:05,480
And it's a slowly unfolding tragedy
from which there's no escape.
354
00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:14,080
This novel is like a tool
or a machine for drawing out
355
00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:15,960
emotion from the readers.
356
00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:18,960
Richardson was arousing
their dormant sensibility
357
00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:24,800
and, for some of them, it was a very
intense and distressing experience.
358
00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:30,080
One lady wrote him a letter, saying,
"I've cried a pint of tears.
359
00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:34,840
"In agonies, I would
lay down the book, take it up again,
360
00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:39,080
"walk around the room,
wipe my eyes, read again,
361
00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:42,640
"and then I would have
to throw away the book, crying out.
362
00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:47,520
"Excuse me,
Good Mr Richardson, I cannot go on!"
363
00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:56,800
But Richardson's readers persevered,
identifying
364
00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:00,680
so closely with a fictional character
with a new experience,
365
00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:05,440
and for a million words, they endured
Clarissa's extreme traumas
366
00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:08,840
and lingering death alongside her.
367
00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:12,680
The emotional impact of the book
rippled out through
368
00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:14,320
society for decades.
369
00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:20,320
And by inventing Clarissa,
a heroine of sensibility,
370
00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:24,040
Richardson helped to change
the way the British felt.
371
00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:42,800
In Britain, the second half
of the 18th century was
372
00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:46,600
dominated by what's been called
the Cult of Sensibility.
373
00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:50,720
And its early acolytes could be
found in fashionable Bath,
374
00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:54,760
where couples wanted to show
themselves in a more emotional way.
375
00:25:56,400 --> 00:26:00,680
The painter Thomas Gainsborough
set up shop here in 1759.
376
00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:04,640
He'd come from rural Suffolk,
where he created a celebrated
377
00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:10,160
depiction of a traditional marriage,
Mr and Mrs Andrews.
378
00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:13,200
Not much sign of affection
between these two.
379
00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:17,360
But now, Gainsborough would have
to adapt to the new vogue.
380
00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:24,840
Once he was in Bath, Gainsborough
painted Mr and Mrs Byam.
381
00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:27,560
Now, he had made a stack of money
out of owning slaves.
382
00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:30,880
Not the sort of person
you'd necessarily expect to
383
00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:34,320
go for this touchy-feely self
presentation.
384
00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:37,080
But it was beginning to be
the Age of Sensibility.
385
00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:40,880
He wanted to be shown
as a man of feeling.
386
00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:44,480
He and his wife are going
for a country walk.
387
00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:48,960
They're saying - we are part
of nature and they're a partnership.
388
00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:52,720
They're exactly the same height,
they're walking along, arm in arm.
389
00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:54,720
The message is - we're in love.
390
00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:59,320
Feelings were being flaunted.
391
00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:03,320
Romantic relationships were
something to show off about.
392
00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:05,000
Now, obviously,
393
00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:07,920
there had been loving
relationships before this,
394
00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:11,040
but in the 18th century,
thanks to sensibility,
395
00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:15,040
Romance became fashionable,
it became glamorised.
396
00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:21,080
The perfect showcase
for your romantic feelings was
397
00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:24,560
the love letter, which became
more and more emotional,
398
00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:27,800
as this fashion
for sensibility took hold.
399
00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:32,280
I'm at the Library of Birmingham
to meet historian Sally Holloway.
400
00:27:32,280 --> 00:27:35,440
We're going to look at a typical
set of love letters
401
00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:39,200
written by the future social
reformer Joseph Strutt.
402
00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:42,400
This son of a wheelwright
made good clearly had
403
00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:44,800
something of a soppy side.
404
00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:48,320
These letters are kind of written
at the apex of sensibility
405
00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:51,040
in 1770s and '80s. And he's writing
406
00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:55,080
a love poem. A poem. Very fancy.
To his sweetheart to impress her.
407
00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:59,720
So this is his big moment
as the suitor. So, he says to her...
408
00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:03,560
She's got Isabella Douglas...
He said - Douglas is the theme.
409
00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:07,720
"Oh, the powers divine inspire her
soul with sentiments like mine."
410
00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:12,320
It's very flowery and...
Gushing, more like! Gushing, yeah.
411
00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:16,520
It's dramatic. Thoughts that can
never change when she appears.
412
00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:19,120
I wish the hours were days
and the days were years.
413
00:28:19,120 --> 00:28:23,920
So he's saying, swoon, ladies.
Joseph is here.
414
00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:31,400
And also, he's using these kind of
set kind of stock romantic tropes
415
00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:35,440
that he would invoke to show
he's the ideal lover.
416
00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:39,760
So, saying - when we're apart,
time drags, you know,
417
00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:43,720
an hour feels like a day, but
when we're together, time flies by.
418
00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:44,960
Right.
419
00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:48,960
So, he's kind of drawing upon these
accepted romantic customs to
420
00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:53,560
show himself kind of
as the ideal lover.
421
00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:56,480
And how did the relationship
progress?
422
00:28:56,480 --> 00:29:00,880
Yes, so, it's not uncommon for
couples to have kind of an emotional
423
00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:03,240
crisis, so at one point,
424
00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:08,520
he accused her of hanging out
with kind of base flattering men.
425
00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:10,480
So, he's giving her a telling off.
426
00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:14,120
What's he going to feel
when her next letter arrives?
427
00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:15,880
Well, so, he tells us here.
428
00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:20,000
He says, "When Mr Fox showed me
your letter on Friday, my dear,
429
00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:23,960
"Isabella, a chilling coldness
seized my whole frame.
430
00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:26,680
"My hands trembled as I received it.
431
00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:30,920
"I felt as I think I should feel if
I had committed an atrocious crime."
432
00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:32,800
An atrocious crime.
433
00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:38,600
So, Joseph is trying to portray
himself as a man of sensibility
434
00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:43,680
and so all of his emotions
are portrayed in bodily form.
435
00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:48,120
So, it's blushing, weeping,
trembling,
436
00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:54,640
he's kind of got chills, and these
are all physical manifestations
437
00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:57,840
of feeling to show
his kind of innate
438
00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:01,680
sensitivity to the world around him,
so, by the 1780s, it wasn't
439
00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:05,560
enough to just say you were
sensitive, emotional...
440
00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:08,160
You had to show it.
You had to show it.
441
00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:10,320
It had to be shown through the body.
442
00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:13,600
These love letters survived
443
00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:17,160
because they were treasured
as objects in themselves.
444
00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:22,120
They were love tokens that could be
touched or held to trigger emotions
445
00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:24,360
and to feel close to your lover.
446
00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:27,640
Love tokens could take
all sorts of forms.
447
00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:32,280
They could be cheaply produced,
or they could be luxury artefacts.
448
00:30:32,280 --> 00:30:37,720
In the late 18th century, there was
a craze for eye miniatures.
449
00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:40,800
These tiny little portraits
are tantalising,
450
00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:42,440
because they're anonymous.
451
00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:47,640
You can't tell who it is, unless
you've spent an awfully long time
452
00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:51,520
looking into their eyes
and can recognise them.
453
00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:54,400
So, people used them
to tease their friends.
454
00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:59,280
You might wear one of these and say,
"You'll never guess who my lover is."
455
00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:04,280
Sadly, that means that we will never
know which Georgian lovers
456
00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:06,680
these eyes belonged to.
457
00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:10,800
During the Georgian period,
458
00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:14,240
it became progressively
easier to meet people,
459
00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:17,800
as places to flirt,
like concert halls, pleasure gardens
460
00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:21,520
and, above all,
assembly rooms were being built.
461
00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:25,840
And the wealthy could now
fish in a bigger pond,
462
00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:28,560
a national marriage market.
463
00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:32,560
During the summer season,
they would congregate in Bath.
464
00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:37,840
Here, the gouty took the water,
while their young companions
465
00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:41,840
ventured to the Upper Assembly Rooms,
in search of romance.
466
00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:51,160
Ladies arrived at the Assembly Rooms
by sedan chair.
467
00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:54,520
They were better in Bath than
carriages because of all the hills.
468
00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:58,400
In fact, that Colonnade out there was
like a taxi rank for the chairs
469
00:31:58,400 --> 00:31:59,520
and the chairmen.
470
00:31:59,520 --> 00:32:03,960
Next, the guests checked their
cloaks, they could go on into the
471
00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:09,000
card room for gambling, but the main
event was the ballroom through here.
472
00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:13,240
Now, the rooms today seem all calm
and elegant,
473
00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:16,640
when in fact they would have been
packed with people.
474
00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:21,040
Jane Austen used to come here and she
has one of her young heroines rather
475
00:32:21,040 --> 00:32:24,960
disappointed by the experience
of a ball at the Assembly Rooms
476
00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:27,960
because of all the crush
and the crowd.
477
00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:33,000
It was only by a continual exertion
of strength and ingenuity that the
478
00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:37,200
young lady was able to get to a spot
where she could see any dancing.
479
00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:42,040
In addition to the marble fireplaces
480
00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:46,560
and the candles lining the walls,
there were five crystal chandeliers
481
00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:49,840
illuminating the room
with an explosion of light.
482
00:32:50,960 --> 00:32:55,000
Add beating hearts to the scene
and it must have seemed magical.
483
00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:12,400
This fantastic little thing
is my Georgian jealousy glass.
484
00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:16,800
Now, it wasn't uncommon for people
to carry spyglasses or miniature
485
00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:22,120
telescopes to say hello to their
friends across the ballroom. Yoo-hoo!
486
00:33:22,120 --> 00:33:24,000
I'm over here!
487
00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:28,120
But this one has a secret mirror
hidden inside it,
488
00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:32,360
which means that I can see over here.
489
00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:35,040
I can see the tip of my finger
490
00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:37,960
and all this area of the ballroom
behind me.
491
00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:41,200
Which means that, if my boyfriend
was talking to another young
492
00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:43,760
lady behind my back,
I could catch him at it.
493
00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:49,640
Now, obviously,
these weren't totally secret.
494
00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:52,240
Lots of people knew how they worked,
495
00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:56,960
but they provided an extra
frisson of fun to the flirtation.
496
00:33:56,960 --> 00:34:01,680
Some people actively enjoyed being
spied on through a jealousy glass.
497
00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:10,040
But assembly rooms were policed
by a master of ceremonies who would
498
00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:12,960
make introductions
and vet new arrivals,
499
00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:17,800
sometimes even barring the likes of
shopkeepers and other working people.
500
00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:21,880
So patrons were unlikely to run
into anybody of whom their parents
501
00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:23,680
would disapprove.
502
00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:25,680
For all the sense of freedom,
503
00:34:25,680 --> 00:34:28,360
flirting here was quite
strictly controlled.
504
00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:36,840
To play the game of romance,
it helped first to know the rules.
505
00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:43,720
In 1778, a novel appeared, Evelina,
that told the story of a young
506
00:34:43,720 --> 00:34:47,840
girl's journey through the pitfalls
of this emerging marriage market.
507
00:34:50,080 --> 00:34:54,040
Evelina is beautiful.
She's a girl of great sensibility.
508
00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:55,520
But she's an outsider.
509
00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:01,640
She survives a series
of social embarrassments...
510
00:35:02,720 --> 00:35:06,720
..and preposterous escapades,
finally to win the hand
511
00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:08,640
of the handsome Lord Orville.
512
00:35:10,040 --> 00:35:13,840
Crucially, the book takes us into
the private lives of young women
513
00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:17,160
and it details the industry
that went into becoming
514
00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:18,280
an eligible catch.
515
00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:21,560
When Evelina is about
to go to a ball,
516
00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:24,440
we follow her around
the London shops, as she chooses
517
00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:26,800
ribbons and accessories.
518
00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:30,240
And then, there's the hair!
519
00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:36,360
Ooh!
520
00:35:38,880 --> 00:35:42,240
Another feather? Yes.
Let's have another feather.
521
00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:48,520
1778,
the year that Evelina was published,
522
00:35:48,520 --> 00:35:51,320
coincided with Georgian peak hair.
523
00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:56,120
Ladies went for these immensely-tall
hairstyles - three or four feet -
524
00:35:56,120 --> 00:35:58,400
and decorated with crazy things,
525
00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:00,160
like ships or burrs
526
00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:02,160
or jewels, like mine.
527
00:36:03,360 --> 00:36:05,880
Evelina herself
goes to the hairdressers
528
00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:08,080
to get one of the new do's.
529
00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:14,200
"How oddly my head feels," she says.
"Full of powder and black pins
530
00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:18,720
"and a great cushion on top.
I cannot tell when I will be able
531
00:36:18,720 --> 00:36:23,160
"to make use of a comb again,
my hair is so entangled.
532
00:36:23,160 --> 00:36:25,520
" 'Frizzled', they call it."
533
00:36:30,840 --> 00:36:34,600
The novel had been
published anonymously...
534
00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:38,840
..which made Evelina
even more intriguing.
535
00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:45,680
Evelina gave the philosopher
Edmund Burke a sleepless night,
536
00:36:45,680 --> 00:36:49,080
while the painter Joshua Reynolds
missed meals to be with her.
537
00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:55,440
Everyone wanted to know who
Evelina's creator was.
538
00:36:56,920 --> 00:36:58,760
Few guessed that it was
539
00:36:58,760 --> 00:37:02,320
this shy 24-year-old, Fanny Burney.
540
00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:07,520
Richardson's heroines, a generation
earlier, had been trapped
541
00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:08,720
in domestic spaces...
542
00:37:10,120 --> 00:37:13,480
..but Burney shared,
with Evelina, her own experience
543
00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:15,240
of a society that was loosening up.
544
00:37:17,680 --> 00:37:21,040
'I'm hitting the town with
Claire Harman - Fanny's biographer -
545
00:37:21,040 --> 00:37:25,200
'for a night out in the London
that Burney so memorably described.'
546
00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:29,080
Here we go. I have brought you
a bottle of mineral water.
547
00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:31,920
Yes! Soho-style. Soho-style, yes.
548
00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:34,200
Here we go. Yay! Are we ready to pop?
549
00:37:34,200 --> 00:37:37,080
Yes. Whoo! Oh, slope it up,
550
00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:38,120
slope it up!
551
00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:43,120
So, here we are on our big night
out in the year 1778.
552
00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:46,600
In the novel Evelina, would you
say we get a girl's-eye view
553
00:37:46,600 --> 00:37:47,720
of Georgian London?
554
00:37:47,720 --> 00:37:52,520
We certainly do. It's completely
a fresh, lovely, girlie view
555
00:37:52,520 --> 00:37:54,320
of the city. Nobody had written
556
00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:59,640
a novel of that period that had
so much of a finger on the pulse
557
00:37:59,640 --> 00:38:04,800
of the time. And what Burney was
able to do in her novel was show
558
00:38:04,800 --> 00:38:08,240
all the different strata of society.
She showed the aristocrats,
559
00:38:08,240 --> 00:38:11,080
she showed the middle classes,
which she was very much a member
560
00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:13,240
of herself, and she also showed
the lower classes,
561
00:38:13,240 --> 00:38:16,720
so it is a, kind of, melding
of the classes, which is, of course,
562
00:38:16,720 --> 00:38:20,080
what Jane Austen did later, too,
with Pride and Prejudice.
563
00:38:20,080 --> 00:38:22,480
But Fanny Burney did it first.
564
00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:25,920
There is a Mr Darcy in this story,
isn't there? Lord Orville.
565
00:38:25,920 --> 00:38:27,440
Yes, Lord Orville. Very much.
566
00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:30,080
He is the, kind of,
godfather of Mr Darcy.
567
00:38:30,080 --> 00:38:32,880
He is posh and he is rich
and he is gracious.
568
00:38:32,880 --> 00:38:35,400
He has got sensibility, though, too.
He is a new young man.
569
00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:39,120
But initially, there is
a misunderstanding, isn't there?
570
00:38:39,120 --> 00:38:40,880
Initially, they don't hit it off.
571
00:38:40,880 --> 00:38:43,640
Yes. They don't hit it off,
although he is the very first person
572
00:38:43,640 --> 00:38:46,920
she ever dances with out of school.
She says she has only danced with
573
00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:49,840
schoolgirls before. The very first
bloke she ever dances with is...
574
00:38:49,840 --> 00:38:53,960
BOTH: ..Lord Orville!
So, that is, kind of, ker-ching.
575
00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:56,600
But because she is so tongue-tied,
she is so incapable
576
00:38:56,600 --> 00:39:01,360
of knowing how to behave...
Yes. ..in society, she doesn't know
577
00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:03,920
what to do or what to say
to Lord Orville.
578
00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:06,520
So, she says nothing
and she feels like an idiot.
579
00:39:06,520 --> 00:39:09,520
Burney's genius
is being able to express
580
00:39:09,520 --> 00:39:12,120
how a girl would feel, like that.
581
00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:14,800
And it really gives the novel
a, sort of, freshness.
582
00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:18,600
Evelina, surely, IS Bridget Jones?
She is Bridget Jones.
583
00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:22,000
I think if you did a DNA test
of Bridget Jones and Evelina,
584
00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:26,880
you would find that they were
related, because Bridget Jones was,
585
00:39:26,880 --> 00:39:30,360
as Helen Fielding said,
based on Pride and Prejudice.
586
00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:33,800
And Pride and Prejudice, lo
and behold, was based on Evelina -
587
00:39:33,800 --> 00:39:38,240
or, at least, it owes a huge debt
to Evelina. So, you have got
588
00:39:38,240 --> 00:39:41,320
a young girl enjoying London,
getting herself into all sorts of
589
00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:46,080
embarrassing situations? Yes.
I mean, the unattainable man,
590
00:39:46,080 --> 00:39:48,720
the one you feel, every time
you are in this company...
591
00:39:48,720 --> 00:39:51,960
You make a fool of yourself. Exactly.
You do something absolutely stupid.
592
00:39:51,960 --> 00:39:54,840
How could it ever work out all
right? But, hey, he has just got
593
00:39:54,840 --> 00:39:57,720
that ability to see through
your blundering and your stupidity.
594
00:39:57,720 --> 00:40:00,680
And it has a happy ending,
for Lord Orville and everything.
595
00:40:00,680 --> 00:40:02,520
Of course. It's wedding bells.
596
00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:05,320
You can, sort of, hear them
distantly, right at the beginning
597
00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:08,280
of the novel, but, yes, of course,
they get married.
598
00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:10,920
They have many, many a slip betwixt
cup and lip, as it were.
599
00:40:10,920 --> 00:40:12,640
Cheers to them. Cheers.
600
00:40:12,640 --> 00:40:14,400
THEY GIGGLE
601
00:40:18,320 --> 00:40:21,360
Toward the end of the 18th century,
602
00:40:21,360 --> 00:40:24,120
the number of women writers exploded
603
00:40:24,120 --> 00:40:27,680
and Evelina's success had placed
Fanny Burney in the vanguard.
604
00:40:27,680 --> 00:40:31,880
But nearly all of her profits
were going to her publishers,
605
00:40:31,880 --> 00:40:34,360
so she took matters
into her own hands.
606
00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:40,720
This is Fanny Burney's third novel,
Camilla, and, by this time,
607
00:40:40,720 --> 00:40:44,320
she decided that she wanted to earn
a bit of money from her writing.
608
00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:48,880
So, rather daringly,
she published it by subscription.
609
00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:51,000
And if you look at the list of people
610
00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:53,920
who have contributed financially,
611
00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:57,000
it is lovely, because it is like
Fanny's being supported here
612
00:40:57,000 --> 00:41:01,200
by a sisterhood of female
Georgian novelists.
613
00:41:01,200 --> 00:41:03,640
We have got here Mrs Ann Radcliffe
614
00:41:03,640 --> 00:41:10,120
and Maria Edgeworth and,
perhaps nicest of all, a young lady
615
00:41:10,120 --> 00:41:15,160
who was only 20 at the time,
"Miss J Austen", of Steventon.
616
00:41:20,240 --> 00:41:23,200
The romance novel made people
think about the importance
617
00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:28,560
of romantic love and, by shaping
stories around courtship,
618
00:41:28,560 --> 00:41:32,760
its writers were changing what
people expected in their own lives.
619
00:41:32,760 --> 00:41:37,240
Some anecdotes from the time suggest
a growing understanding
620
00:41:37,240 --> 00:41:39,720
of matters of the heart
by the public at large.
621
00:41:41,200 --> 00:41:42,560
There's the curious case
622
00:41:42,560 --> 00:41:46,480
of a certain Richard Bignall,
a bright boy of humble origin,
623
00:41:46,480 --> 00:41:50,560
who was working for
a well-to-do Oxfordshire lawyer.
624
00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:53,280
He fell in love
625
00:41:53,280 --> 00:41:55,120
with the boss's daughter.
626
00:41:55,120 --> 00:41:59,120
And when Bignall himself
qualified as a lawyer, in 1770,
627
00:41:59,120 --> 00:42:01,200
he asked her to marry him.
628
00:42:01,200 --> 00:42:04,760
But her father said, "No way!"
629
00:42:04,760 --> 00:42:09,600
The young couple got married in
secret and, when this was revealed,
630
00:42:09,600 --> 00:42:12,120
her father chucked her
out of his house.
631
00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:15,360
Now, you might think, that is
perfectly reasonable behaviour
632
00:42:15,360 --> 00:42:18,080
for any responsible
Georgian paterfamilias,
633
00:42:18,080 --> 00:42:21,720
but in this case,
something rather curious happened.
634
00:42:21,720 --> 00:42:26,240
All the people thereabouts took
the part of the young lovers
635
00:42:26,240 --> 00:42:30,280
and, gradually, they withdrew
their legal business from the father
636
00:42:30,280 --> 00:42:33,000
and they gave it, instead,
to the newly-qualified,
637
00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:35,720
newly-married Mr Bignall.
638
00:42:35,720 --> 00:42:38,320
I think that probably
all the people in that part
639
00:42:38,320 --> 00:42:41,200
of Oxfordshire must have
been reading romantic novels.
640
00:42:45,080 --> 00:42:48,280
They may also have been
reading the newspapers,
641
00:42:48,280 --> 00:42:51,920
which were filled with eloping
couples defying parental authority.
642
00:42:54,480 --> 00:42:58,760
One of the most famous was the
elopement of the under-age heiress,
643
00:42:58,760 --> 00:43:02,120
Sarah Anne Child and her lover,
the 10th Earl of Westmoreland,
644
00:43:02,120 --> 00:43:03,480
in 1782.
645
00:43:05,960 --> 00:43:10,280
After drugging her chaperone, Sarah
Anne escaped from her parents' house
646
00:43:10,280 --> 00:43:13,760
and headed north with the Earl,
in his carriage.
647
00:43:15,160 --> 00:43:17,760
The couple travelled
300 miles from London,
648
00:43:17,760 --> 00:43:19,520
with her father
and all of his servants
649
00:43:19,520 --> 00:43:21,400
chasing along behind.
650
00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:23,520
At one point, one of the servants
651
00:43:23,520 --> 00:43:26,240
very nearly caught up
with the carriage,
652
00:43:26,240 --> 00:43:28,800
so the Earl stuck his gun
out of the window.
653
00:43:28,800 --> 00:43:32,240
But then, he hesitated.
It was Sarah Anne who said,
654
00:43:32,240 --> 00:43:34,080
"Shoot him, my Lord! Shoot him!"
655
00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:35,280
GUNSHOT
656
00:43:35,280 --> 00:43:38,480
The Earl fired,
but with a great piece of good luck,
657
00:43:38,480 --> 00:43:42,240
the bullet went through the horse
and left the rider unharmed.
658
00:43:43,840 --> 00:43:47,280
They were aiming for Scotland
and were successfully married
659
00:43:47,280 --> 00:43:51,160
just over the Border, in a tiny
village called Gretna Green.
660
00:43:51,160 --> 00:43:54,920
Because she was under 21, it would
have been virtually impossible
661
00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:58,360
for Sarah to marry in England
without her parents' consent,
662
00:43:58,360 --> 00:44:01,520
but Scotland
had different marriage laws....
663
00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:06,200
..and many couples from the north
of England would cross the River Esk
664
00:44:06,200 --> 00:44:10,480
to get to Gretna Green and reap
the benefits of a Scottish marriage.
665
00:44:10,480 --> 00:44:15,040
Here, you could get married
by declaration.
666
00:44:15,040 --> 00:44:18,800
It simply meant exchanging vows
in front of witnesses.
667
00:44:18,800 --> 00:44:22,080
So, marriage in Scotland
was quick, it was cheap
668
00:44:22,080 --> 00:44:25,880
and it was secret! By the time your
disapproving relatives worked out
669
00:44:25,880 --> 00:44:26,960
what was going on,
670
00:44:26,960 --> 00:44:28,000
it was too late!
671
00:44:31,360 --> 00:44:34,200
This cross-Border traffic
was busiest at the time
672
00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:35,920
of the annual hiring fairs,
673
00:44:35,920 --> 00:44:39,240
when agricultural workers,
with a few days between jobs,
674
00:44:39,240 --> 00:44:42,720
would flock into Gretna Green
and other Border towns,
675
00:44:42,720 --> 00:44:44,560
in order to get married.
676
00:44:44,560 --> 00:44:49,240
Here, they could engage
the services of a self-styled priest.
677
00:44:49,240 --> 00:44:51,280
Now, these weren't proper priests.
678
00:44:51,280 --> 00:44:55,640
They were just cobblers or fishermen,
or sometimes smugglers,
679
00:44:55,640 --> 00:44:57,840
who wanted to make
a bit of extra money.
680
00:44:57,840 --> 00:45:02,200
For a fee, they would offer you
a one-stop service for all your
681
00:45:02,200 --> 00:45:05,720
wedding needs.
They would preside over the ceremony
682
00:45:05,720 --> 00:45:09,720
and sort out your accommodation.
"Maybe a barn for your party, sir?"
683
00:45:09,720 --> 00:45:12,440
Or a bed chamber
for your wedding night.
684
00:45:12,440 --> 00:45:15,040
Since the 1770s,
685
00:45:15,040 --> 00:45:18,120
a Scottish marriage
had been accessible to everyone,
686
00:45:18,120 --> 00:45:20,880
thanks to the expanding network
of turnpike roads.
687
00:45:20,880 --> 00:45:24,720
Even London was now only
three days away.
688
00:45:26,040 --> 00:45:30,280
And just next to the road, the first
place eloping couples arrived at
689
00:45:30,280 --> 00:45:33,400
would have been
the Blacksmith's Forge.
690
00:45:33,400 --> 00:45:36,800
As stories about
Gretna Green circulated,
691
00:45:36,800 --> 00:45:41,080
the idea that it was the blacksmith
who performed the wedding ceremony
692
00:45:41,080 --> 00:45:45,240
took hold...
and in plays, prints and novels,
693
00:45:45,240 --> 00:45:48,880
the blacksmith forged lovers together
just as easily
694
00:45:48,880 --> 00:45:51,000
as he did two pieces of metal.
695
00:45:56,240 --> 00:45:58,960
It was a story that had it all.
696
00:45:58,960 --> 00:46:01,720
There was romance -
the triumph of love,
697
00:46:01,720 --> 00:46:04,240
the defiance of parental authority.
698
00:46:04,240 --> 00:46:07,240
Then, there was adventure -
the dash through the night.
699
00:46:07,240 --> 00:46:12,000
But then, in this crazy modern world
of high-speed travel
700
00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:14,480
and coaching inns and turnpike roads,
701
00:46:14,480 --> 00:46:18,920
there was the comforting traditional
figure of the friendly blacksmith.
702
00:46:20,600 --> 00:46:24,040
What could possibly go wrong,
if there was a blacksmith involved?
703
00:46:25,240 --> 00:46:28,920
The public were well aware
of Gretna's Green's dark side.
704
00:46:30,120 --> 00:46:32,960
There were well-publicised
abductions, along with many
705
00:46:32,960 --> 00:46:35,800
unhappy marriages,
once desires had cooled.
706
00:46:37,600 --> 00:46:41,920
Writers like Fanny Burney
used "the Gretna plot" as a warning.
707
00:46:44,160 --> 00:46:47,560
A question was being asked
over and over again -
708
00:46:47,560 --> 00:46:50,040
could all this romance
actually be harmful?
709
00:46:51,800 --> 00:46:56,520
In 1799, a letter appeared
in a magazine, purporting to be
710
00:46:56,520 --> 00:46:59,560
from the mother
of a teenage daughter.
711
00:46:59,560 --> 00:47:01,720
This mother was complaining
that the daughter did
712
00:47:01,720 --> 00:47:06,280
nothing in the world but read novels,
from morning to night.
713
00:47:08,560 --> 00:47:10,360
Two or three times a day,
714
00:47:10,360 --> 00:47:14,560
the daughter would send the maid
to the library to get new books
715
00:47:14,560 --> 00:47:17,960
and during the course of the week,
she'd read novels with titles
716
00:47:17,960 --> 00:47:21,120
like Excessive Sensibility,
717
00:47:21,120 --> 00:47:23,200
Refined Delicacy
718
00:47:23,200 --> 00:47:25,720
and Sentimental Beauty.
719
00:47:25,720 --> 00:47:29,040
The mother's point was that
sensibility may originally
720
00:47:29,040 --> 00:47:33,240
have been a genuine,
heartfelt outpouring of emotion,
721
00:47:33,240 --> 00:47:37,240
but it had become nothing
but an artificial self-indulgence.
722
00:47:37,240 --> 00:47:41,200
"We've had enough sensibility,"
she was saying, "let's get over it."
723
00:47:44,120 --> 00:47:47,760
At the end of the 18th century,
sensibility was coming to be seen
724
00:47:47,760 --> 00:47:51,800
as a distraction from the real
dilemmas that women faced.
725
00:47:53,800 --> 00:47:57,720
The philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft
claimed that an overstretched
726
00:47:57,720 --> 00:48:02,480
sensibility prevented women from
being rational and useful.
727
00:48:04,560 --> 00:48:08,120
But a more nuanced critique
occurred in the debut novel
728
00:48:08,120 --> 00:48:10,760
of a spinster from Hampshire -
729
00:48:10,760 --> 00:48:12,040
Jane Austen.
730
00:48:14,440 --> 00:48:18,520
Two centuries ago, you could have
encountered Jane here -
731
00:48:18,520 --> 00:48:21,680
Chawton House Library is
in a home originally owned
732
00:48:21,680 --> 00:48:23,680
by her brother Edward.
733
00:48:25,040 --> 00:48:28,480
This little book is an early
edition of Jane Austen's first
734
00:48:28,480 --> 00:48:32,760
published novel from 1811,
Sense And Sensibility.
735
00:48:32,760 --> 00:48:35,240
It's a tiny little thing, isn't it?
736
00:48:35,240 --> 00:48:37,560
It's gentile, it's petite,
737
00:48:37,560 --> 00:48:41,160
and there's no indication
of the dynamite that lies within.
738
00:48:43,280 --> 00:48:47,120
The novel follows the courtship
trials of two sisters.
739
00:48:47,120 --> 00:48:50,560
Elinor is Sense,
the voice of pragmatism,
740
00:48:50,560 --> 00:48:55,440
while Marianne is
a disciple of romantic Sensibility.
741
00:48:55,440 --> 00:48:59,160
We encounter them at a moment
of crisis - their father has died
742
00:48:59,160 --> 00:49:02,240
and they've been left £10,000.
743
00:49:02,240 --> 00:49:07,720
They, their mother and their younger
sister will all have to live on it.
744
00:49:07,720 --> 00:49:11,440
The whole plot hinges on what this
inheritance was going to mean
745
00:49:11,440 --> 00:49:14,200
to the four female Dashwoods.
746
00:49:14,200 --> 00:49:17,360
Jane Austen's readers would have
known at once exactly
747
00:49:17,360 --> 00:49:22,160
what standard of living £10,000
represented.
748
00:49:22,160 --> 00:49:27,360
Invested in government bonds
at 5% a year, it would have meant
749
00:49:27,360 --> 00:49:30,200
an annual income of £500 -
750
00:49:30,200 --> 00:49:33,360
not a particularly lavish lifestyle.
751
00:49:33,360 --> 00:49:37,800
The Dashwoods' nasty sister-in-law
took malicious pleasure
752
00:49:37,800 --> 00:49:42,240
in imagining their reduced
circumstances.
753
00:49:42,240 --> 00:49:44,120
"They will live so cheap,"
754
00:49:44,120 --> 00:49:48,280
she says, "their housekeeping
will be nothing at all.
755
00:49:48,280 --> 00:49:53,160
"They will have no carriage,
no horses and hardly any servants.
756
00:49:53,160 --> 00:49:57,320
"They will keep no company
and have no expenses of any kind.
757
00:49:57,320 --> 00:50:00,680
"Only conceive how comfortable
they will be."
758
00:50:04,000 --> 00:50:07,960
Sense And Sensibility subtly
shows how the sisters' feelings
759
00:50:07,960 --> 00:50:10,440
are shaped
by their precarious situation.
760
00:50:14,040 --> 00:50:19,240
They do find love, but only when
it's balanced with financial sense.
761
00:50:30,080 --> 00:50:34,880
Elinor falls in love with
sensible Edward Ferrars.
762
00:50:34,880 --> 00:50:38,400
At the start of the novel,
he is the heir to a large estate,
763
00:50:38,400 --> 00:50:40,640
but then he gets disinherited.
764
00:50:40,640 --> 00:50:44,080
When he and Elinor declare
their feelings for each other,
765
00:50:44,080 --> 00:50:47,040
they decide that they're not quite
enough in love to get married
766
00:50:47,040 --> 00:50:51,160
on £350 a year -
their combined income.
767
00:50:51,160 --> 00:50:54,280
It's only when Edward's mother
gives him £10,000
768
00:50:54,280 --> 00:50:58,640
that it's all back on and
we hear the ringing of wedding bells.
769
00:50:58,640 --> 00:51:02,600
Elinor's sister Marianne is
a woman of sensibility,
770
00:51:02,600 --> 00:51:05,880
which is why she falls for
the dashing John Willoughby.
771
00:51:05,880 --> 00:51:10,440
He is awfully handsome and
he thinks he's going to be rich too.
772
00:51:10,440 --> 00:51:13,320
He and Marianne enjoy
a torrid romance,
773
00:51:13,320 --> 00:51:17,080
but then Willoughby unexpectedly
loses his prospects.
774
00:51:17,080 --> 00:51:21,080
He dumps her and he runs off instead
with a rich heiress.
775
00:51:21,080 --> 00:51:23,760
Willoughby, you're a heartless cad.
776
00:51:26,560 --> 00:51:30,160
Which leaves Marianne with this
gentleman, Colonel Brandon.
777
00:51:31,680 --> 00:51:35,840
Now, there's a problem here -
he's more than 35 years old,
778
00:51:35,840 --> 00:51:40,680
positively ancient. But he loves
Marianne like a faithful hound.
779
00:51:40,680 --> 00:51:42,800
And his property's not bad either,
780
00:51:42,800 --> 00:51:46,320
although it's a bit boring
for a flighty young thing.
781
00:51:46,320 --> 00:51:49,200
The best entertainment is
watching the carriages go past
782
00:51:49,200 --> 00:51:51,280
on the nearby turnpike road.
783
00:51:51,280 --> 00:51:54,960
But he is a decent chap
with £2,000 a year.
784
00:51:54,960 --> 00:51:57,960
The lesson for Marianne,
as it must have been for many
785
00:51:57,960 --> 00:52:02,960
women like Austen, is that Sense -
wealth and security - come first.
786
00:52:02,960 --> 00:52:07,560
Sensibility and feelings and romance
will hopefully follow on afterwards.
787
00:52:11,840 --> 00:52:15,720
All of this could make Jane Austen
seem mercenary and unromantic.
788
00:52:16,960 --> 00:52:20,760
But, when faced in real life with
a similar choice to Marianne's,
789
00:52:20,760 --> 00:52:22,160
what did she do?
790
00:52:23,640 --> 00:52:25,160
Reader, she didn't.
791
00:52:27,720 --> 00:52:31,360
Details of Austen's own emotional
life are scarce,
792
00:52:31,360 --> 00:52:35,880
but we do know about an intriguing
episode that happened late in 1802.
793
00:52:37,160 --> 00:52:39,040
While staying with his family,
794
00:52:39,040 --> 00:52:43,560
Jane caught the attention of the
amusingly-named Harris Bigg-Wither.
795
00:52:43,560 --> 00:52:48,000
He was a bit awkward, he had greasy
hair and he was six years younger,
796
00:52:48,000 --> 00:52:51,480
but he was the heir to
a large house and estate.
797
00:52:53,320 --> 00:52:57,480
One evening, Harris proposed
to Jane and she accepted him.
798
00:52:57,480 --> 00:52:59,600
There must have been celebrations.
799
00:52:59,600 --> 00:53:02,120
The two families were very friendly
800
00:53:02,120 --> 00:53:05,800
and perhaps Jane's relations
felt a bit of relief.
801
00:53:05,800 --> 00:53:09,240
After all, she was now 27 -
getting on -
802
00:53:09,240 --> 00:53:10,960
and this was a very good match,
803
00:53:10,960 --> 00:53:13,800
the best that she could
have hoped for.
804
00:53:13,800 --> 00:53:18,080
But the next morning,
presumably after a sleepless night,
805
00:53:18,080 --> 00:53:22,080
Jane sent for Harris
and she broke it off.
806
00:53:22,080 --> 00:53:25,280
She'd realised that she just
couldn't love him,
807
00:53:25,280 --> 00:53:28,480
despite the fact it meant
turning down a life like that.
808
00:53:29,560 --> 00:53:31,440
But as Jane herself put it,
809
00:53:31,440 --> 00:53:37,360
"Nothing can be compared to the
misery of being bound without love."
810
00:53:40,600 --> 00:53:44,280
Even though she portrayed a world
in which sense seemed to win out
811
00:53:44,280 --> 00:53:49,000
over sensibility, Austen would not
consider a marriage for herself
812
00:53:49,000 --> 00:53:51,200
that was not based on romantic love.
813
00:53:53,080 --> 00:53:56,160
Jane returned to Bath,
where she'd ended up living.
814
00:53:58,200 --> 00:54:02,520
Jane paid a heavy price for her
choice because now she was embarking
815
00:54:02,520 --> 00:54:07,040
upon middle age still financially
dependent upon her own family.
816
00:54:08,520 --> 00:54:12,920
Austen's own situation is
echoed in her last complete novel,
817
00:54:12,920 --> 00:54:15,760
which is largely set in Bath -
Persuasion.
818
00:54:17,200 --> 00:54:21,640
In Persuasion, we meet somebody
who has lost the game.
819
00:54:21,640 --> 00:54:26,200
The heroine, Anne Elliot,
is a casualty of the marriage market.
820
00:54:26,200 --> 00:54:29,440
She has squandered
her chance of romance
821
00:54:29,440 --> 00:54:31,480
and now she bitterly regrets it.
822
00:54:33,800 --> 00:54:36,960
Years before,
Anne Elliot had been persuaded to
823
00:54:36,960 --> 00:54:39,840
break off the engagement to
a young naval officer.
824
00:54:40,880 --> 00:54:43,480
Now she's almost an old maid.
825
00:54:45,160 --> 00:54:49,160
To make matters worse, the captain
she'd spurned is back on the scene,
826
00:54:49,160 --> 00:54:53,680
now with a lot of money,
and Anne is still in love with him.
827
00:54:55,120 --> 00:54:58,760
Austen gives us aching,
broken-hearted love through
828
00:54:58,760 --> 00:55:02,120
the experience of a woman who thinks
she's lost her chance.
829
00:55:04,200 --> 00:55:08,080
Anne Elliot would often find herself
trapped behind the piano at parties.
830
00:55:08,080 --> 00:55:11,360
She'd have to provide the music
while everybody else danced.
831
00:55:11,360 --> 00:55:14,120
This was the fate of the old maid.
832
00:55:14,120 --> 00:55:17,680
People would give her patronising
little put-downs.
833
00:55:17,680 --> 00:55:19,480
"Oh, well done, Miss Anne.
834
00:55:19,480 --> 00:55:23,680
"Lord bless me, how those little
fingers of yours do fly about."
835
00:55:28,240 --> 00:55:32,640
But Persuasion's greatness isn't just
this comedy of manners.
836
00:55:32,640 --> 00:55:36,560
It goes beyond anything that romantic
fiction had achieved before.
837
00:55:37,760 --> 00:55:40,600
It's not a novel
about the thrill of courtship,
838
00:55:40,600 --> 00:55:45,320
it channels the quiet desperation
of a woman who has known love,
839
00:55:45,320 --> 00:55:50,320
and is deeply in love, but has
to persuade herself that she's not.
840
00:55:50,320 --> 00:55:54,520
As readers, we're taken
right inside these complex emotions.
841
00:55:58,400 --> 00:56:02,120
The book is Austen's most romantic
and, wonderfully,
842
00:56:02,120 --> 00:56:05,440
she does allow Anne to get
her naval officer in the end.
843
00:56:07,160 --> 00:56:10,920
A consolation, perhaps,
for women like Jane herself -
844
00:56:10,920 --> 00:56:13,680
it's never too late
for a second chance.
845
00:56:24,440 --> 00:56:28,400
Austen's own fate was to be
the unmarried spinster.
846
00:56:29,680 --> 00:56:33,200
The burden, shared around by
her married relatives.
847
00:56:35,360 --> 00:56:39,080
Persuasion was written while
Jane Austen was living here,
848
00:56:39,080 --> 00:56:41,200
in a cottage owned by her brother.
849
00:56:44,800 --> 00:56:48,520
This is where she found
the stability to write her novels
850
00:56:48,520 --> 00:56:50,680
and create her universe.
851
00:56:53,520 --> 00:56:57,800
It was at this insignificant-looking
little desk that Jane Austen
852
00:56:57,800 --> 00:57:02,080
created the imaginary world
in which she had all the choice
853
00:57:02,080 --> 00:57:05,480
and control that she lacked
in the real world.
854
00:57:05,480 --> 00:57:08,600
But I think that the desk is
more significant than that,
855
00:57:08,600 --> 00:57:10,880
more than just empowering Jane,
856
00:57:10,880 --> 00:57:14,360
because I believe that Jane Austen
and Fanny Burney
857
00:57:14,360 --> 00:57:15,880
and Samuel Richardson
858
00:57:15,880 --> 00:57:19,400
and the other novelists of this
first great Georgian flowering
859
00:57:19,400 --> 00:57:24,360
of British romance were changing
the world in which they lived.
860
00:57:24,360 --> 00:57:28,280
They'd nurtured a new literary
form - the romantic novel -
861
00:57:28,280 --> 00:57:32,600
that revealed women's uncertain
situations and their interior lives.
862
00:57:33,760 --> 00:57:37,480
They wrote about new ways of feeling
and having fun and, in the case
863
00:57:37,480 --> 00:57:42,800
of Austen, found a way to articulate
sincere romantic love.
864
00:57:42,800 --> 00:57:46,280
By putting this out there,
they encouraged people to seek
865
00:57:46,280 --> 00:57:51,520
these things in their own lives
and they still do.
866
00:57:51,520 --> 00:57:56,080
Ever so many people, even today,
have got their own ideas about love
867
00:57:56,080 --> 00:57:59,640
and romance from the books
written at that desk.
868
00:57:59,640 --> 00:58:03,960
And if you were to ask me who was
the most influential Georgian,
869
00:58:03,960 --> 00:58:09,760
I wouldn't say Nelson or Wellington,
I would say Aunt Jane.
870
00:58:09,760 --> 00:58:11,080
Spinster.
871
00:58:13,760 --> 00:58:19,320
Next time, the Victorians go back
to the future as chivalry brings
872
00:58:19,320 --> 00:58:21,920
romance into the middle-class home.
873
00:58:21,920 --> 00:58:26,720
But can the romantic ideal
survive industrialisation,
874
00:58:26,720 --> 00:58:31,520
changing desires and women's
growing self-confidence?
119952
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.