The Great Novelists.docx
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The Great Novelists.docx
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TheGreatNovelists
TheGreatNovelists:
JaneAusten
JaneAustenislovedmainlyasacharmingguidetofashionablelifeintheRegencyperiod.Sheisadmiredforportrayingaworldofeleganthouses,dances,servantsandfashionableyoungmendrivingbarouches.Butherownvisionofhertaskwasradicallydifferent.Shewasanambitious–andstern–moralist.Shewasacutelyconsciousofhumanfailingsandshehadadeepdesiretomakepeoplenicer:
lessselfish,morereasonable,moredignifiedandmoresensitivetotheneedsofothers.
Bornin1775,JaneAustengrewupinasmallvillageinHampshirewhereherfatherwastheAnglicanrector.Theyhadquiteahighsocialstatusbutwerenotatallwell-off.Shestartedwritingyoung:
atonlytwenty-oneshehadanovelturneddownbyamajorpublisher.Duringmostofheradultlife,BritainwasatwarwithNapoleon.Twoofherbrothersbecameadmirals.Shedidmuchofherwritingatatinyoctagonaltable.Shewasaverygooddancerandveryinterestedinbeingwell-dressed.Shewasneat,elegantandlively.Shenevermarried,thoughonacoupleofoccasionsshewastempted.MostlyshelivedinpleasantsmallhousesinthecountrywithhersisterCassandra.
Thenovelwasherchosenweaponinthestruggletoreformhumanity.Shecompletedsix:
NorthangerAbbey,PrideandPrejudice,SenseandSensibility,MansfieldPark,Emma, andPersuasion.
Someofthemain thingsshewantstoteachyouare:
One:
Letyourlovereducateyou
In PrideandPrejudice, MrDarcyandElizabethBennetstartoffheartilydislikingeachotherandthen,graduallyrealisetheyareinlove.Theymakeoneofthegreatromanticcouples.Heishandsome,richandwellconnected;sheispretty,smartandlively.Butwhyactuallyaretheyrightforoneanother?
JaneAustenisveryclear.It’sforareasonwetendnottothinkofverymuchtoday:
Itisbecauseeachcaneducateandimprovetheother.WhenMrDarcyarrivesintheneighbourhoodhefeels‘superior’toeveryoneelse,becausehehasmoremoneyandhigherstatus.Atakeymoment,Elizabethcondemnshisarroganceandpridetohisface.Itsoundsoffensiveintheextreme,butlaterheadmitsthatthiswasjustwhatheneeded:
WhatdidyousayofmethatIdidnotdeserve?
…TherecollectionwhatIthensaid,ofmyconduct,mymanners,myexpressionisinexpressiblypainfultome.Yourreproof,sowellapplied,Inevershallforget.Youtaughtmealesson,hardindeedatfirst,butmostadvantageous.ByyouIwasproperlyhumbled.
Elizabethsharesthisviewofloveaseducation.Theysuiteachotherbecause:
Itwasaunionthatmusthavebeentotheadvantageofboth;byhereaseandliveliness,hismindmighthavebeensoftened,hismannersimproved;andfromhisjudgement,information,andknowledgeoftheworld,shemusthavereceivedbenefitofgreaterimportance.
It’salessonthatsoundsstrangebecausewestilltendtothinkofloveaslikingsomeoneforwhotheyalreadyare,andoftotalacceptance.Thepersonwhoisrightforus,Austenissayingisnotsimplysomeonewhomakesusfeelrelaxedorcomfortable;theyhavegottobeabletohelpusovercomeourfailingsandbecomemoremature,morehonestandkinder–andweneedtodosomethingsimilarforthem.
In PrideandPrejudice,DarcyandElizabethimproveoneanotherandthenthenovelistletsthemgetengaged.Thestoryrewardsthembecausetheyhavedevelopedwell.That’swhythenovelfeelssobeautifullyconstructed.It’snotmerelyingenious.Itillustratesabasictruth:
marriagedependsonmaturityandeducation.
Two:
Weshouldn’tstopjudgingpeople;butwehavetojudgemorecarefully
MansfieldPark startswhenquiet,shyFannyPricegoestolivewithhermuchrichercousins,theBertramsatMansfieldPark,theirbighouseinthecountry.TheBertramsaresmart,fashionable,confidentandwell-off.InsocialtermstheyarestarsandFannyisaveryminorcharacterindeed(hercousinJulialooksdownonherbecauseshedoesn’tknowwherethedifferentEuropeancountriesare).ButJaneAustenjudgespeoplebyacompletelydifferentstandard.
Austenexchangesthenormallensthroughwhichpeopleareviewedinsociety,alenswhichmagnifieswealthandpower,foramorallens,whichmagnifiesqualitiesofcharacter.Ratherthanfocusonwhohasthenicestdress,thebestcarriage,orthemostservants,sheexamineswhoisvain,selfishorcruel;whohasintegrity,humilityandtruedignity.
Throughthislens,thehighandmightymaybecomesmall,theforgottenandretiringfiguresmaygrowlarge.Withintheworldofthenovel,virtueisspreadwithoutregardtomaterialwealth:
therichandwell-manneredarenot(asinthedominantstatusschema)immediatelygoodnorthepoorandunschooledbad.Virtuemayliewiththelameuglychild,thedestituteporter,thehunchbackintheatticorthegirlwhodoesn’tknowthefirstfactsofgeography.CertainlyFannyhasnoelegantdresses,hasnomoneyandcan’tspeakFrench–butbytheendof MansfieldPark,shehasbeenrevealedasthenobleone,whiletheothermembersofherfamily,despitetheirtitlesandaccomplishments,havefallenintomoralconfusion.
JaneAustenisnottheenemyofstatus.Shejustwantstoseeitproperlydistributedandattheendofhernovelsitalwaysis.Fannyisraisedup,andwillbecomethemistressofMansfieldPark.Herselfish,empty-headedcousinJulia,isdisgraced.
Three:
Takemoneyseriously
JaneAustenisquitefrankaboutmoney.Shetellsusthedetailsofpeople’sfinancialstatus:
In PrideandPrejudice sheexplainsthatMrBingleyhasanincomeofGBP4000ayear(whichisclearlyratheralot);whileDarcyhasmorethantwicethat.Ratherthanfeelingthatitisnotquitepolite togoonaboutpeople’smoneyorlackofit,shethinksthatmoneyisaneminentlysuitabletopicforhigh-browliterature.Becausehowwedealwithourfinanceshasahugeeffectonourlives.
Shetakesaimattwobigmistakespeoplemakearoundmoney.Oneistogetover-impressedbywhatmoneycando.In MansfieldPark,JuliaBertramgetsmarriedtoMrRushworth(therichestcharacterinallJaneAusten’snovels)buttheyaremiserabletogetherandtheirmarriagerapidlyfallsapart.But,equally,sheisconvincedthatitisaseriouserrortogetmarriedwithoutenoughmoney.Atonepointin SenseandSensibility, itlookslikeElinorDashwoodandEdwardFerrars,whoareotherwisewellsuited,won’tbeabletogetmarried:
“theywereneitherofthemquiteenoughinlovetothinkthatthreehundredandfiftypoundsayear[alittlebelowthemiddle-classaverage]wouldsupplythemwiththecomfortsoflife.”
Elinortakestheviewthat“wealthhasmuchtodowithhappiness”–thoughbywealthshedoesn’tmeangreatluxury,justenoughtolivecarefullyinmoderatecomfort.Marriage,withoutareasonableeconomicbasis,isfolly.
JaneAustenissteeringherwaytowardsanelusive–butcrucial–attitude.Moneyisinsomewaysextremelyimportantandinotherwaysunimportant.Wecan’tjustbeforitoragainstit.Itsoundssimple,ofcourse,toassertthis;andyetwearecontinuallygoingwronginpractice.
Four:
Don’tbesnobbish
In Emma,theheroine–Emmaherself–takesHarrietSmithaprettygirlfromthevillageunderherwing.Harrietisaverypleasant,modestandunassumingyoungwoman.ButEmmadecidessheshouldbemuchmorethanthis.ShewantsHarriettomakeaimpressivematchwiththesmartvicar.HarrietissweptoffherfeetbyEmma’sexcessivepraise.Sheturnsdownaverysuitableofferofmarriagefromafarmer,becauseshethinkshimnotgoodenough,thoughinfactheisthoroughlygoodheartedandquietlyprosperous.TheVicarturnsouttobehorrifiedatEmma’sideaandHarriethasherheartbroken.
It’sdrollinthenovel,buttheunderlyingpointisserious:
Emmaisunwittingly,butcruelly,snobbish.Sheisdevotedtothewrongkindofhierarchy.JaneAustendoesnotthinkthatthecureforsnobberyistothinkthateveryoneisequal.Inhereyes,thatwouldbeimmenselyunjust.Rather,therealcureistopayattentiontotruemerit.Thefarmerisessentiallyabetterpersonthanthevicar;butsocialconventionsandmannersmakeiteasytoignorethis.
Fewpeoplearedeliberatelysnobbish.AndJaneAusteniscarefultogivethisfaulttoEmma,whoisinmanywaysanenchantingcharacter.ButeventuallyEmmaiscorrected.Weseeherrecognisehererror,feelverysorryandlearnalife-longlesson.Inotherwords,JaneAustendoesnotmocksnobberyasthebehaviourofghastlyandcontemptiblepeople. Instead,sheregardsthesnobwithpity–assomeonewholivesablightedlife(howevermateriallycomfortable);theyareinneedofinstruction,guidanceandreform.Butmostly,ofcourse,theydon’tgetthishelp.
ButAustendoesnotsimplyassertherconceptoftruehierarchywiththebluntnessofapreacher,sheenlistsoursympathiesforitandmarshalsourabhorrenceforitsoppositewiththeskillandhumourofagreatnovelist.Shedoesnottelluswhyhersenseofprioritiesisimportant,sheshowsuswhywithinthecontextofastorywhichalsohappenstomakeuslaughandgripsusenoughthatwewanttofinishsupperearlytoreadon(asanearlycriticofAusten,RichardWhately,latertheArchbishopofDublin,putitinthe QuarterlyReview of1822:
“MissAustenhasthemeritofbeingevidentlyaChristianwriter:
ameritwhichismuchenhanced,bothonthescoreofgoodtaste,andofpracticalutility,byherreligionbeingnotatallobtrusive.Shemightdefythemostfastidiouscritictocallanyofhernovelsa‘dramaticsermon’.”)UponfinishingoneofthenovelsweareinvitedtogobackintothespherefromwhichAustenhasdrawnusasideandrespondtoothersasshehastaughtus,topickupona
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