"It is a truth universally acknowledged..."

Dressing in Victorian style

...that English majors traveling to England must study Jane Austen’s novels

...that one of the best homework assignments is having to watch a Jane Austen movie.

...that when in England the said English majors will travel to Chawton (Austen’s home) and Bath (a city where two of her novels are partially set)

...that after having read all her novels, the said English majors will start casting each other as various Austen characters.

...that the said English majors will quote and parody Austen quotes all of the time and in various contexts

...that a crazy bus driver combined with curvy, country back roads equals really bad motion sickness for many passengers (thankfully myself not included)

...that when the opportunity to dress in Victorian clothing is available (corsets, hoop skirts and bonnets included!), a girl will always take it

..that every girl has a secret dream to dance in a Regency ball in the Bath assembly rooms

Edward Knight's dining table where Austen actually sat!

Okay, they may not all be truths universally acknowledged but I believe that they are on this particular Wheaton in England trip. We have been living so closely with the Bennet family, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Wickham, Fanny Price, the Crawfords, the Bertram family, the Eliot family, Admiral and Mrs. Croft, the Musgrove family and Captain Wentworth that we feel as if we know them intimately. We’ve watched the adaptations, researched articles, analyzed the characterization/plot/dialogue/narration etc. and journaled on Austen’s books until you would think that we would be sick of them but as true English majors and Austen fans, we are not. In Chawton House, a few of us girls stood in awe of Austen’s personal jewelry, appalled that Kelly Clarkson nearly bought her turquoise ring. We marveled at the tininess of her writing desk and exclaimed over the gift shop where we could find the most literary keepsakes and gifts that any Austen fanatic could desire. One friend got a Pride and Prejudice tote bag while another friend bought 3 large postcards of simply Mr. Darcy’s face. We enjoyed the literary connections between Austen’s own life and the parallels that we saw in her novels. I have been inspired to re-read Sense and Sensibility as well as read Northanger Abbey and Emma for the first time. Summer reading list! Austen never grows old and is always classic in my opinion, whether in or out of England.

So this is a shorter post but I’m still trying to catch up to where I am currently. Next up is Beer! The town, not the drink. Still on Wheaton’s Community Covenant, y’all.