Jane Austen and the Georgian Social Whirl of Bath: Understanding the importance of Provincial Assembly Rooms and Public Social Entertainments in Georgian Literature - Project Report

This report details the experience and findings of the 2023 British Library-National Trust Doctoral Fellow, undertaking the project titled Jane Austen and the Georgian Social Whirl of Bath. This project was undertaken across three months, from 3 January to 31 March 2023. The report is organised into two main sections. Part one focuses on the data collection of items found across the British Library and National Trust collections. This data is then analysed through distribution plotting, specifically examining the spread of Austen publications and Bath guidebooks across National Trust country houses. Part two aims to answer key research questions surrounding Bath’s public social life, assembly, and entertainments, further questioning the significance of Bath entertainment spaces in the facilitation of leisure activities.