Jane Austen "rant"

So, normally I would completely agree with the opinion that "Jane Austen is the perfect antidote to life," but since this post is supposed to be a rant, I will go ahead and air that major problem I have with all of Austen's novels: her heroines always get married. Yes, no matter what goes wrong in their lives, our heroines forget all about it as soon as they get their happily-ever-after marriages. For a woman who never married herself, you'd think Austen would have wanted a heroine like herself, someone who didn't need the love or money of a man to feel successful and satisfied. Perhaps Austen never did feel truly satisfied without a man, but since she did accept a man and then turn him down the next day, I have trouble believing that. I feel that Austen's endings take previously promising strong female characters and turn them into the "typical female" of the time. If they had had any personal or intellectual achievements throughout the novel, or seemed an original character, this attribute is taken away from all of them at the end of the novel when they give themselves away as a wife (let's face it, wives back then were expected to completely submit to their husbands and operate purely as heir-producing, beautiful fixtures in the home). In this way, I really don't think Austen had any original ideas about women for her time. While she was sometimes subtly political, ironic, and satirical of society, she does not offer women another alternative besides spinsterhood, marriage, or dying alone of an STD in an alley. The fact that Jane Austen didn't feel comfortable writing an unmarried heroine (like herself) shows what a harsh social eye she must have been under. Though she might not have sold as many novels during her lifetime if she had written a heroine who never married and did not want to marry, I think she would have been respected much more as a writer (eventually).

Taking a "husband"

It's hard to say which one of Austen's leading male characters I would most prefer for a husband, since we don't really get to know any of these characters very well. Sure, we know that Darcy is prideful but loves Elizabeth "ardently," and we know that Edward Ferrars is shy and humble. But I think I would need a little more information than this. As readers, we really only see the social manners of the men, the subtleties of their flirting, and their feelings for the heroines during proposals. So...based on only this much information, I guess I would choose Mr. Darcy. Cliche, isn't it? He certainly has manners and knows how to be perfectly polite in every situation. He's got passion, intuition (even though it's sometimes wrong), and a large estate. He is strong-willed and knows exactly what he wants, unlike perhaps Edward Ferrars or Edmund. He goes to great lengths to win the heart of the heroine--like paying for her sister's mistake of a wedding. He goes against his family's wishes if he must (all a part of his passion). And, last but not least, he writes a damn good letter. He may not be the handsomest of Austen's heroes, but he has the nerve and the passion I would most desire in a husband. Is this the type of guy I typically date? Well, I've never really dated anyone "out of my league" as far as financial or social status, so I wouldn't know how my guy would act in that situation. The one I love definitely shares Darcy's passion and is not afraid to speak his mind or share his feelings. He doesn't mind my embarassing family. Neither of us are rich, so we can take that out of the picture. I am really the one who brings the pride into the relationship; I would say I sometimes act like Elizabeth as far as always thinking I'm right. But he has, like Darcy, made me realize that I'm not always right and that I love to compromise for his happiness. I would say he is a mixture of Darcy and Edward Ferrars because he is rather shy in certain situations, and that's all right with me. I guess I'd rather have a real life husband than one from an Austen novel.

Sense and Sensibility

The title Sense and Sensibility describes the two separate personalities of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, respectfully. Elinor is always described as maybe having too much sense; she doesn't embrace her emotions or let them show in any way. Even when she faces the threat of losing the man she loves to an undeserving girl, it appears that she is perfectly fine. Marianne, on the other hand, is too sensible. She reacts violently to her emotional situations and does not know how to appear calm or to hide her feelings in any way. If she disagrees with a statement or opinion of someone else, her own opinions burst forth without any control. This often creates embarassment for Elinor, but Marianne doesn't notice her impropriety. Luckily, towards the end of the novel the two girls' personalities calm down. Marianne learns to control her emotions a bit more, and Elinor finally has a reason to show her true happiness. While the girls still remain somewhat the same by the end of the novel, the story is about their struggles with these attributes and how Elinor's sense and Marianne's sensibility end up getting them a happy ending after all.

Themes

Northanger Abbey has vastly different themes than the other novels we have read. I definitely do not think all Austen novels deal with the same issues, but Northanger Abbey is certainly the most different. First of all, this novel deals with aspects of the Gothic--Catherine reads gothic novels, wants to explore castles and dark passages, and is sure that there is some kind of plot going on beneath the surface. This creates a different kind of suspense from any other Austen novel, that of terror and mystery beyond the plotline of romance. The romance is still there, however, and one of the things I love about this novel is the way Austen explores what exactly people actually do on their vacations to resort towns. None of the other novels, except maybe Persuasion slightly, actually detail what happens in these towns and how the vacationers amuse themselves. This vacation is exciting for Catherine as she has never been out of town on her own (or rather, with friends) before. Austen takes us into "the rooms" where Catherine searches for eligible bachelors and gets caught up in flirtation and the suspense of the "chase." I thought this aspect of the novel was great because it really illustrated how a young girl at the time would feel when finally given the chance to act like a young woman and search for love. This is unique to this particular Austen novel. Catherine's naivete is not necessarily unique, but I think that she is much more naive than any other Austen girl and this leads to the suspenseful gothic happenings at Northanger Abbey. The gothic suspense is of course only experienced in this Austen novel, none others, so that makes this novel a really fun escape from the "norm."

The Argument of Harriet Smith

I think that Mr. Knightley's opinion of Harriet is most correct in Chapter 8 of Emma. I believe that Emma thinks highly of Harriet only because she has been working to improve her and believes that anyone whom she could deem such a friend could never be a suitable match for Mr. Martin. However, Mr. Knightley is correct that Harriet has no genteel background and really no great attributes to reccommend her to someone of a higher class. Emma may have improved her social graces but Harriet is not very clever and it doesn't seem that she can do many of the "accomplishments" always discussed in Austen novels. I never read anything about her being accomplished; she doesn't paint or play an instrument and I never even read about her doing needleworl. In this light, she is not only from an anonymous background but she is not very cultivated. I think that, considering these things along with how much she truly loves Mr. Martin, Mr. Knightley was definetely right is assuming she should have accepted him. To answer the question about liking/disliking Mr. Martin's proposal, I would have to say a romantic proposal should never be written in a letter. It should be intimate and face to face. I don't really know what the "perfect" proposal would involve for me except that I hate the showy ones (like people proposing at sports games on the big screen...yuk!) I guess I would want him to have asked my parents because they would probably be more accepting of it that way. Most of all if it's the one I love, he can do whatever he wants. It's what happens after that matters most.

Emma's charity case

It's pretty clear to me that Harriet Smith is just a charity case Emma is using to fill the void of Mrs. Weston. Harriet is described as a "valuable addition to her priveleges," someone Emma could "summon" whenever she wants to walk or be entertained. "Harriet could be loved as one to whom she could be useful," Austen writes. Emma's fascination with being a match-maker seems to be just one way in which she chooses to pass away her boredom. She lives alone now with her father and the two must be constantly entertained by the company of some friend or other. Emma seems very afraid of being bored, and Harriet Smith gives her a chance to impose her meddlesome ways on someone in order to kill the time. She wants to transform Harriet into a sophisticated lady and find her a match in Mr. Elton. Exactly why Emma can't satisfy herself on her own isn't clear; perhaps she lacks confidence and must boost her ego by being among others of a lower station than her. Perhaps she is simply waiting around for that special someone of her own. It seems to me that she is very haughty, but inwardly insecure. She can't handle being alone. Harriet is just another pet who can distract her from the lonely life which she very well may have created for herself--isolating her self from "inferior" families in the surrounding area. I think Emma is definitely the cause of her own boredom because she thinks so highly of herself. Regardless, I still think she has respectable qualities and I like her playful, direct attitude. Emma is my favorite Austen heroine and I find her restlessness part of what makes her so attractive.

Movie Fanny vs. Novel Fanny

The character of Fanny Price in Rozima's film, Mansfield Park, is incredibly different from Fanny in Jane Austen's novel. First of all, she doesn't seem to be shy but has no trouble running around the Park flirting with Edmund in front of Sir Bertram in one of the film's opening scenes. Fanny from the novel would never do this! The film makes it seem that Fanny and Edmund are almost best friends, when really in the novel Edmund is more of a protective figure and someone Fanny looks up to and deeply respects. I don't think she would ever tease him the way she does in the film because of this somber respect. Fanny from the film might be more likeable and we might sympathize more with a girl with a likeable personality and a family who treats her like Cinderella. However, this is not the emotion that the novel meant for us to feel for Fanny. I think we are supposed to feel sorry that she isn't treated well, but still see that she is not entirely deviod of fault. Her disposition and personality is partly what makes her so unlikeable in the novel, to her readers and her relatives. I think this gives her a more human aspect, rather than turning her into a glorified "Cinderella" character. Fanny in the novel makes the reader feel hopeless at times, while we see that the Fanny in the film appears to be comfortable with herself. I think that the whole feeling of the novel is missed by Rozima's interpretation of Fanny.

Proposals in Austen's Time

When Fanny describes the proposal scene of the play they are performing, she is describing the general proposal of the day. Basically, I think what this quote means is that when the man proposes marriage, the woman is practically expected to accept. Men back then had to feel "encouraged" by a lady, unless the marriage was an arranged one. Encouragement was brought on by particular attention being paid to a man, subtleties of conversation (a form of flirting often found in Austen's novels), and probably just a sense that the lady is being more "open" with that man than she would be with another. A woman would never outright declare that she was in love with a man before he declared his love for her. So, the rules of "love" were much more restricted. Engagements in Austen's time, as we see in her novels, tended to come about rather quickly and take root in social equality or financial benefit rather than true love. Since the modern couple is (I would hope) looking for love, we are much slower at picking the right person and entering into an engagement. I don't think that a modern man would propose to a modern woman after only a few conversations with her. I think that there are awkward situations these days such as men or women trying to be friends but one of the party believing there was something more going on and ending up getting heartbroken. I think this is the equivalent of what happened to Mr. Collins with Elizabeth. But, in general these days I would say people definitely know each other much better before they propose, and can be more certain that they will be happy in a marriage because of the ability to communicate openly and on an equal level. I don't think Sir Bertram and Lady Bertram probably had this opportunity before they decided to marry.

The "Want of Shade"

As Debbie related in class, Jane Austen thought the novel Pride and Prejudice was too "bright" and in need of some element of shade. Although I think this novel one of her best, I can understand her thoughts. Elizabeth might suffer from a sometimes rather silly family and be embarassed from time to time, but there ends her trouble in the world. She does eventually discover her love for Mr. Darcy and overcomes these barriers. Fanny Price, however, the heroine of Mansfield Park, suffers much more. As a child she lives a life not unlike that of Jane Eyre. She feels isolated in her aunt and uncle's estate, always inheriting ideas of her social inferiority to her cousins, being reminded of this constantly by her Aunt Norris, and being neglected by her other aunt and Sir Bertram. This is a much more shadowy upbringing to overcome. Similarly, I remember from an earlier reading of this novel that when Fanny returns to stay with her biological family, she is deeply pained by what she sees. She suffers from unrequited love and longing, social strictures, and beautiful competition up to the very last point of the novel. This is a much more depressing novel which seems hopeless at times, wheras Pride and Prejudice is always promoting the hope that Mr. Bingley will return or that Elizabeth has much more of a promising future than we'd thought. Mansfield Park is honestly my least favorite Austen novel. Maybe it's because of this hopeless feeling throughout, the feeling that Fanny is actually going to keep being dissappointed in every aspect of her life. Even though it has a "happy ending", I don't like the ending at all! I find it disturbing and I also think she deserves better than...(not to spoil the ending)...the man she ends up with.

Me and Elizabeth

I think out of all the characters in Pride and Prejudice, I am most like Elizabeth, as cliche as that might seem. I can identify with her family and her position within it most of all. Even though she is the second eldest, she seems to take on the role of the eldest since Jane is so passive and shy. I am the eldest of my family, although I only have one younger sister. However, she and my mother are almost the picture of Lydia and Mrs. Bennet. Not that my mother is obsessed with marrying off her daughters, but she does remind me of Mrs. Bennet sometimes with her over-drinking and ridiculous comments. My sister's personality is just about the polar opposite of mine. While I tend to enjoy solitude from time to time, a good book, and serious contemplation, she is always talking, being social and acting like "the biggest flirt that ever made her family ridiculous." Similar also to Elizabeth's life, I am the closest to my father. He doesn't find my mother and sister's behaviour entertaining most of the time like Mr. Bennet does, but we definitely have our interests in common and he is the only one I can talk to in my family about serious matters. I feel that Elizabeth and I are most alike in personality and interests than any other of the novel's characters. We both love reading, physical activity, and tend to take matters a little bit too seriously every once in a while. While we might be a bit prideful, we also aren't afraid to speak our minds or keep looking for what we think we deserve in life. Also, the love of my life doesn't happen to be extremely wealthy or live in a huge estate in the country, but I feel like I've found my own "Mr. Darcy," which (trust me I would know) isn't an easy thing to find!! Here's hoping my life continues like the perfect ending of an Austen novel.

A Note on Austen's History

Reading the biography of Jane Austen on the website janeausten.org, I can see how she might have reflected herself upon the character of Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice. The family was not rich, as I had previously thought, and the children entertained themselves by writing, acting, creating plays, etc. I can see Jane's love for reading in Elizabeth, and also Mr. Bennet seems similar to Austen's father, who helped her publish her novels and seems to have been a very loving and supportive father.
As to the question asked in class of why she never married, it appears to me that perhaps she never recovered from losing her first love, Tom Lefroy. As some of the female characters in her novel tend to do, perhaps she was determined to wait for him, just in case there was a chance of their ever being together. Their social and financial situations would not allow for them to be married, and, like Anne Elliot in Persuasion, maybe she hoped that one day those problems could be put aside. Of course, all we can ever do to answer the question is guesswork. However, I found this a rather romantic, Austen-esque explanation. I'd be interested to watch the semi-new film, Becoming Jane. I think it attempts to explore this very question.