In January 2010, a group of Wagner College art students visited a variety of sites in England connected to Victorian literature and British law. To see the video that accompanies this PowerPoint presentation, go to http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=107F6A685632208E

1. British law & literatureon janeausten & oscarwilde By Stephanie Berrios, Stephanie Buscema, Jennifer Inzetta, & Marissa Marks

2. WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT BATH… The Royal Crescent was bombed in World War II and received damage. The most seriously effected were number 2 and number 17. Nicolas Cage owned a 4 million pound home on millionaire's row on The Circus.... and then he went bankrupt. Jane Austen's house is now a dentist office.

3. BATH BASICS: The Crescent The royal crescent is a line of 30 residential houses laid in the shape of a crescent. They were designed by architect John Wood the Younger and were built between 1767 and 1764. Some of the homes have been turned into a hotel, a museum, offices. The buildings have also been used for several movies and television programs. For over 200 years the houses have been home to very notable people.

4. BATH BASICS: The Myth of the Pig In the year 863 B.C. Bladud, King of the Britons, contracted leprosy and could not become king realizing an imperfect prince could not become king. He left home and became a swineherd in an untraveled part of the country. Bladud's pigs also contracted the disease but were miraculously cured when rolling in hot mud around Bath's springs. Observing the cure, Bladud also bathed in the hot murky water and was cured as well. Triumphantly, he returned home and became king.

5. BATH BASICS: The Ballrooms The Ball Room is the largest 18th century room in Bath, measuring 105 ft. long, 42 feet wide, and 42 feet high. It hosted up to 1000 people at social dances. During Austen’s time, balls were held in it at least twice a week, attracting up to 1200 guests at a time. During this time, dancing at balls began promptly at 6pm with the minuet. Later, at 8pm, there would be lively country dances, at 9pm everyone went to the tea room and all music stopped at 11pm even if it was in the middle of a song. Balls were held twice a week and attracted from 800 to 1,200 guests at the height of the season, which drew to a close in May. Since the social whirl was so popular in this fashionable city, the two major ballrooms, known as the “Upper Rooms” and the “Lower Rooms” held dances on different evenings so that visitors in Jane Austen’s era would have a chance to attend them every night they were offered.

6. BATH BASICS: The Active Social Life Famed for its Roman spas and its Georgian architecture, Bath became the leading center of posh, fashionable life in England during the 18th century. During this time period, Bath had become the rendezvous for the upper echelons of Georgian society. During the 1800’s, the city became known as a center for gaming and fashion along with aristocratic manners and lifestyles. In time, anybody who was anybody had to be seen in Bath, and the city attracted a veritable 'Who's Who' of 18th century society. While she lived in Bath, Jane Austen knew the city as a thriving spa resort that was popular with the aristocratic society. Today, Bath is a historic, vibrant city filled with great shopping, dining, and spa experiences for all tourists to enjoy!

7. BATH BASICS: In Relation Austen Jane Austen set two of her 6 published novels, Northhanger Abbey and Persuasion, in Bath. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Catherine Morland, in Northanger Abbey, makes her social debut in Bath and is quite captivated by the city. “‘Oh! Who can ever be tired of Bath?’’ Catherine was so hopeful a scholar that when they gained the top of Beechen Cliff, she voluntarily rejected the whole city of Bath as unworthy to make part of a landscape.” Bath plays an important role in Persuasion, as Sir Eliot decides to relocate there when financial problems force his family out of their ancestral home, rather as Jane Austen and her family was uprooted, though the situations were different. It is in Bath where Anne Eliot declares her undying love for Frederick Wentworth, and he does the same. They are reunited, making Bath, though reluctantly travelled to, a city ultimately of great worth to them.

8. JANE AUSTEN MUSEUM: High Tea Two types of tea services were popular in Victorian England: High Tea and Low Tea. Low Tea was served in the homes of wealthy aristocrats and consisted of simple gourmet pastries rather than regular meals. At these teas, the emphasis was on the presentation and conversation. For the middle and lower classes, High Tea was considered the main meal of the day and featured meats, vegetables and, naturally, tea.

9. JANE AUSTEN MUSEUM: Letter Writing Letters were written on large pieces of paper, folded into fours, and then sealed with wax. One portion of the four would always be left blank to allow for addressing. When a part from each other Jane and her sister Cassandra wrote to each other every day. Unfortunately, most of the letters they wrote to each other were destroyed after being read. None of Cassandra’s letters survive, but Jane’s letters to Cassandra provide a vivid picture of their lives, their friends, their family, and their close relationship.

10. Follow me! I love you! JANE AUSTEN MUSEUM: The Language of the Fan

11. OSCAR WILDE: Tite Street Wilde lived at 16 Tite St. Chelsea, England until his trial in 1895. He wrote many of his major works in here including: The Picture of Dorian Grey and The Importance of Being Earnest

12. OSCAR WILDE: The Early Years Wilde was known for being a flamboyant aesthete. He was known for writing comedic, light-hearted works. Wilde begins a homosexual relationship with “Bosie”

13. OSCAR WILDE: The Trials In 1895 Bosie’s father the Marquess de Queensberry accuses Wilde of being a sodomite. Subsequent trials took place and Wilde was convicted of sodomy and sent to jail.

14. OSCAR WILDE:Ballad of Reading Gaol After two years in prison, Wilde never recovered from the harsh treatment. He wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaoland De Profundis (to Bosie) while in exile after his release. The Ballad of Reading Gaolserves as a commentary on Victorian Prison System.