JANE AUSTEN’S SANDITON
When Jane Austen was chronically ill with a mysterious disease in early
1817, she turned her thoughts to a happier subject. She started work on a witty
and delightful novel set in a seaside town, Sanditon. She never finished it. She just left us 11
chapters, about 60 pages.
Sanditon tells the
story of Tom Parker, who is obsessed with turning the sleepy seaside village of
Sanditon into a fashionable health resort. He enlists the backing of local
bigwig Lady Denham. Through a mishap, Tom makes the acquaintance of the
Heywoods and invites their eldest daughter, Charlotte for an extended stay at
Sanditon.