In the 19th century, Bath, England, was a place that many high-society people visited in hopes of finding rest and recovery in the natural hot springs (“Bath”). Jane Austen had a strong personal connection to Bath, as her father retied there, and she was forced to live an unstable life bouncing between different relative’s homes ("Jane Austen"). In her novel Sense and Sensibility, the character Eliza met Willoughby in Bath and ran away with him. After Marianne fell in love with Willoughby, she found out that he had a socially unacceptable relationship with Eliza in Bath. This caused a dilemma for Marianne, who could no longer aspire to marry Willoughby due to Eliza becoming pregnant. The unfortunate situation caused by Austen’s father may have been a driving factor in choosing Bath as the location of the eventual turmoil of Marianne and Willoughby’s relationship. Knowing Austen’s personal distress that was derived from Bath, enhances the severity of trauma for her characters in their unstable situation.

"Bath." Britannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica, 10 Jun. 2014. academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/Bath/13734. 

"Jane Austen." Britannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2022. academic-eb-com.thielcollege.idm.oclc.org/levels/collegiate/article/Jane-Austen/11303.