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fandomhigh2008-10-09 12:32 am
clevermsbennet.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2008-10-09 12:32 am
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Literature, Class 6: Period 3, Thursday, October 9
"Welcome back," Miss Elizabeth Bennet smiled. "As you recall, at the end of last week's class, I asked you to obtain a copy of either Randolph Park or Amelia, were you able to do so, or both, if you were particularly inclined. Rest assured that there is no punishment for not reading either, and I shall try to keep this discussion on a level which all of you will be able to follow.
"To begin. Why did I ask you to read these two works? Both are by author Jane Austen. Austen was from my own time, and her works largely involved the social strata with which she was most familiar. The upper class, though not the aristocracy, and the lives of women. For a genteel woman, there was but one goal: to marry, and to marry well. This may sound callous or frivolous to you, but please do consider that the situation of women in those times was not at all like modern society. Women were not to work; such was unseemly. If your family did not have wealth, you must marry someone with enough income to support the both of you. Do remember that those gentlemen could probably afford to be choosy; they would seek out wives with influential social connections or fortunes of their own. A single misstep in society could remove one's chances altogether.
"There, the backdrop. And now, the tales. Jane Austen once wrote that the lead character of her next novel would be, 'a heroine that no one but myself will much like.' She was speaking of Amelia Forrester, the girl for whom Amelia was named. Amelia was one of Austen's few heroines who did not have monetary concerns; she was well-off enough that she might marry anyone she fancied, and she fancied all she saw very little. She amused herself by making matches of those eligible men and women she saw around herself, though some were successful and others, miserable failures. At novel's end, she finds herself confronted with the idea that she has been in love, for a very long time, with her brother-in-law, Walter Bishop, while scarce realizing it to herself. The two are happily paired as the other matches untangle themselves. It is easily Miss Austen's lightest work: playful, coquettish, and somewhat inconsequential.
"Having said that, Miss Austen was quite wrong. Her audience largely embraced Amelia. They found her charming, and the work equally so. She is, of course, self-indulgent, but she seems earnest in her concerns for her friends and loved ones, and moved by a genuine desire to do good. Perhaps she's forgivable in that she seems terribly young. Many of her faults may smooth themselves out, with time. For whatever reason, Austen herself was not Amelia's only defender.
"Austen's quote is particularly fascinating when viewed in the context of another work of hers, Randolph Park. Randolph Park is her most divisive work. It is the tale of a young Fern Prince, who lives in a lower-class home in the city, and whose aunts decide to 'rescue' her and teach her good breeding and hope to make a fair match for her. They treat her somewhat contemptuously, always reminding her of her place -- which is, of course, decidedly beneath the Wooster cousins with whom she now lives. Fern is lonely, mistreated, and longs for the home she once knew. However, Fern has been told that she must be grateful, and grateful she is: quiet, loyal, and never wishing to disturb anyone else's peace for her own sake of mind.
"Why do I mention Randolph Park here? Quite simply, because Fern was a heroine that very few but Miss Austen much liked. Her demeanor is sweet, but she never stands for herself. She is pious, earnest, and sincere; she does what is right, and blessings eventually come to her. Many find her to be too timid, and wish she would display herself to have a spine. Many find her faith grating, in that it seems Randolph Park is a world of sinners and saints. Saints are rewarded, sinners are not, and one category can never cross to the other. Randolph Park is less a satire than a morality tale.
"Lest you think this a simple matter of time changing how a work is viewed -- of modern society viewing a heroine through its empowered lens and not seeing the reality of the social structures of the past -- Austen's very mother called Fern 'insipid.' However, there is something to be said for the way society has changed our priorities, and how tastes may change.
"Many of you have read one or both of these books. What is your interpretation? More importantly: how could Jane Austen be so very far off about the works she herself wrote?"
(OOC: I wrote up a meta-ing for the names of the major characters in the two books, so we wouldn't keep tripping over each other in inventing them. You can find that here.)
"To begin. Why did I ask you to read these two works? Both are by author Jane Austen. Austen was from my own time, and her works largely involved the social strata with which she was most familiar. The upper class, though not the aristocracy, and the lives of women. For a genteel woman, there was but one goal: to marry, and to marry well. This may sound callous or frivolous to you, but please do consider that the situation of women in those times was not at all like modern society. Women were not to work; such was unseemly. If your family did not have wealth, you must marry someone with enough income to support the both of you. Do remember that those gentlemen could probably afford to be choosy; they would seek out wives with influential social connections or fortunes of their own. A single misstep in society could remove one's chances altogether.
"There, the backdrop. And now, the tales. Jane Austen once wrote that the lead character of her next novel would be, 'a heroine that no one but myself will much like.' She was speaking of Amelia Forrester, the girl for whom Amelia was named. Amelia was one of Austen's few heroines who did not have monetary concerns; she was well-off enough that she might marry anyone she fancied, and she fancied all she saw very little. She amused herself by making matches of those eligible men and women she saw around herself, though some were successful and others, miserable failures. At novel's end, she finds herself confronted with the idea that she has been in love, for a very long time, with her brother-in-law, Walter Bishop, while scarce realizing it to herself. The two are happily paired as the other matches untangle themselves. It is easily Miss Austen's lightest work: playful, coquettish, and somewhat inconsequential.
"Having said that, Miss Austen was quite wrong. Her audience largely embraced Amelia. They found her charming, and the work equally so. She is, of course, self-indulgent, but she seems earnest in her concerns for her friends and loved ones, and moved by a genuine desire to do good. Perhaps she's forgivable in that she seems terribly young. Many of her faults may smooth themselves out, with time. For whatever reason, Austen herself was not Amelia's only defender.
"Austen's quote is particularly fascinating when viewed in the context of another work of hers, Randolph Park. Randolph Park is her most divisive work. It is the tale of a young Fern Prince, who lives in a lower-class home in the city, and whose aunts decide to 'rescue' her and teach her good breeding and hope to make a fair match for her. They treat her somewhat contemptuously, always reminding her of her place -- which is, of course, decidedly beneath the Wooster cousins with whom she now lives. Fern is lonely, mistreated, and longs for the home she once knew. However, Fern has been told that she must be grateful, and grateful she is: quiet, loyal, and never wishing to disturb anyone else's peace for her own sake of mind.
"Why do I mention Randolph Park here? Quite simply, because Fern was a heroine that very few but Miss Austen much liked. Her demeanor is sweet, but she never stands for herself. She is pious, earnest, and sincere; she does what is right, and blessings eventually come to her. Many find her to be too timid, and wish she would display herself to have a spine. Many find her faith grating, in that it seems Randolph Park is a world of sinners and saints. Saints are rewarded, sinners are not, and one category can never cross to the other. Randolph Park is less a satire than a morality tale.
"Lest you think this a simple matter of time changing how a work is viewed -- of modern society viewing a heroine through its empowered lens and not seeing the reality of the social structures of the past -- Austen's very mother called Fern 'insipid.' However, there is something to be said for the way society has changed our priorities, and how tastes may change.
"Many of you have read one or both of these books. What is your interpretation? More importantly: how could Jane Austen be so very far off about the works she herself wrote?"
(OOC: I wrote up a meta-ing for the names of the major characters in the two books, so we wouldn't keep tripping over each other in inventing them. You can find that here.)
Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
"Do...you think," he proposed, "that maybe Austin just said that 'cause it was what she was expected to think? Or some kind of attempt to seem modest, since, you know, the era an' everything...?"
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
She smiled. "However, in this specific case, it seems to not be a matter of false modesty. Miss Austen was writing a personal letter to a dear friend, and Miss Austen had rather a tendency to be ... somewhat direct, in those. She once said, 'I do not want people to be agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them.' On the subject of another of her heroines (http://www.austenquotes.com/jane_austen_quotes/2007/09/as-delightful-a.html), she stated that she found her 'delightful' and could not 'tolerate' those who thought otherwise. I fear, in this particular case, we must acquit her of the charge of humility."
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
And he was treading on somewhat dangerous ground, but only for himself.
"The way a figure is perceived by the world can be much different from the way those who've known them for years sees them. Even mythic heroes must have a grandmother, so to speak. Perhaps because she knew Amelia from the first seeds of her creation, she knew that such a person would be sometimes hard to be a friend with, difficult for personal reasons or others, but had no idea how she would be received by the world at large.
"When we introduce two friends we've known for ages, we hope that they'll get on, but we think of how they might clash. Our chief concern is to help them learn the good parts first that they might work their way through the faults."
"Or something like that, I think I might be babbling..."
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
"Something like that, yes."
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
"What if... I wouldn't be surprised Ms. Austen thought that Amelia was similar to how other people saw her, and Fern was what she thought they wanted her to be, and she guessed at people's opinions based on that."
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]
Re: Discussion #3: Jane Austen was Wrong [LIT-6]