Saturday 13th January 2024 to Sunday 14th January 2024
For one weekend only, visitors to Chawton House can see one of the jewels of our collection, rarely on display due to its fragility: the Jane Austen Grandison manuscript.
Mansfield Park, illustrated C. E. Brock (1908)
This 52-page stage adaptation of Samuel Richardson’s novel Sir Charles Grandison (1753) is written in Jane Austen’s hand. Richardson’s story of a virtuous hero navigating love, honor, and societal expectations was one of Austen’s favourites, and the 7-volume novel proved immensely popular with readers throughout the 18th century. Austen helped her niece Anna (her oldest brother James’ daughter) put together this light-hearted adaptation, acting as her scribe to create a private theatrical similar to those Austen writes about in Mansfield Park. It was not discovered until 1977, and was annotated and edited for publication by Brian Southam in 1980.
Our Library display puts the manuscript alongside our first-edition copy of the original novel, and plays penned by some of Austen’s contemporaries.
Chief Executive Katie Childs will also run two tours over the weekend, at midday on Saturday and Sunday, exploring the current exhibition, Treasures of Chawton House, and ending with the special Library display.
Display included in the price of admission but if you would like to join one of the tours, please purchase admission tickets here:
