—Film Explores the Novelist’s Architectural Inspirations—
Historian Lucy Worsley (“Queen Elizabeth I’s Battle for Church Music”) goes on a tour of the many different homes that novelist Jane Austen lived in as she grew up and began writing.
Austen lived in two different worlds for much of her life, as her family moved from prosperity to poverty and back again.
“Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doors“ explores how this dichotomy informed much of her writing, notably “Pride and Prejudice,” “Emma,” and “Mansfield Park.”
Austen is known for her usage of houses and property as central themes to her novels, and much of her creativity comes from her personal experiences.
Worsley recreates a carriage journey the cash-strapped Austens took to unsuccessfully obtain a share of the inheritance from a recently widowed relative.
As Worsley discovers, Austen changed homes frequently based on their economic situation, from seaside apartments to grand, stately homes.
Along the way, Worsley uncovers how these places became the inspiration for settings in many of Austen’s novels.
Credits:
Distributed by American Public Television. Producer: Rachel Jardine. Executive Producer: John Das.
