She thinks the house would inspire other would-be writers as well as encouraging people to follow their dreams.
Personally I don't understand why the places where famous people were born or used to live have such fascination. Surely what's compelling is what they've produced - books, music, art, plays or whatever.
Wandering round a house gawping at the fixtures and fittings is hardly likely to inspire someone to write a brilliant novel. Either you have literary talent or you don't and I don't see how looking at someone's choice of curtains and wallpaper is going to inspire anything except a fleeting desire to update your own interior furnishings.
I'm sure the Brontë sisters themselves would be baffled as to why millions of people would think it worthwhile to traipse round the houses they used to inhabit, exclaiming at this or that domestic item.
I'm sure some of it is just naked one up manship. How impressive to say you spent the day treading the same floorboards as the Brontë sisters rather than moaning about the bus service in Caffè Nero.
I'd much rather spend an hour or two browsing in Waterstones than check out Charlotte Brontë's ironing board.
Pic: Charlotte Brontë
Yep. I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteI think I used to expect some kind of connection when visiting these kind of attractions and have always been left disappointed. They are interesting as museum pieces, but that's about it.
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Ms Scarlet: That's it, they're just museum pieces. I think would-be writers are inspired by other writers, not by physical places.
DeleteI would disagree with that Nick. I believe such places are inspiring for a myriad of reasons, to get a sense of the time and challenges in living then, the more primitive items on display, the endless cleaning of everything, the massive distances between places, the threat of diseases, etc. I like being immersed in the days of old if only to appreciat what we have now.
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www: Certainly they're inspiring in terms of appreciating the "days of old" and how people used to live. But that's the museum aspect Ms Scarlet referred to. It doesn't mean they inspire would-be-writers.
DeleteI agree they are museums but touring old houses can be inspiring IF you are writing about that period of time and/or place. How could you write about something happening in Bath, for instance, if you'd never toured Bath?
ReplyDeleteLinda
Linda: Yes, I guess they're useful for historical research, but there must be many other sources for life as it used to be in Bath.
DeleteI enjoy touring historical homes to learn more about those who had an impact on so many lives. I don’t know that it would inspire anyone, however.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: I enjoy touring historical houses as well, but saying they inspire would-be writers is a bit over the top.
DeleteMary says "I can see the fascination with seeing a home where much of the inside and furnishings look like they did way back when. To me that is the fascinating thing not who might have lived there."
DeleteMary: Exactly. And looking round the inside of the house isn't going to tell you much about the occupants, let alone inspire you to write your own novel.
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