Comments on: Jane Austen’s Contemporaries: Samuel Richardson

By: bookchronicle

bookchronicle — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 10:09:53 +0000

Rachel,

Austen does end all of her stories with a quick (and mostly amusing) wrap up of her characters. But I suppose the glimpse I am looking for myself is asking how the female characters are defined post-marriage, further continued relationship dynamics, children, the Enlightened Neoclassical man and the (admittedly still) less Enlightened Neoclassical wife, etc.

I read once a quote where someone called the ending of P&P aesthetic, and while the person who quoted it disagreed it does provide me with food for thought. All of Austen’s books that I have reread or read for the first time recently end with brief, enjoyable, non-moralistic (usually) endings, but that are rather contrite, and makes one curious of Austen’s skills to provide a strong conclusion.

I’m not sure how many of my posts you have read, but I do not particularly think that Collins’ marriage is a “poor match.” It is not necessarily a companionate match but Charlotte (the one stellar representation of Enlightenment thought) maneuvers her own contentment. As for Persuasion, it has been some years though I will hopefully be rereading it soon.

Good luck with Clarissa as I could not finish this time around and will have to stick my Laurence Sterne. Are you reading the abridged or unabridged version?

By: Rachel

Rachel — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 00:54:56 +0000

Very interesting and I agree with a lot of what you say. However, I would argue that Austen does “give us a glimpse” of life for the newlyweds, not a detailed look at their marriage, but a few hints as to how they get on. Jane and Bingley live in perfect happiness, put upon by the Wickhams… Lydia and Wickham “move from place to place in search of cheap lodgings” and the whole bit about her affection for him lasting slightly longer than his does etc… I also think the issue of poor matches is addressed by Austen, think of Elizabeth’s horror at Charlotte’s marriage to Mr. Collins or Louisa’s comment in “Persuasion” that they wish Charles had married Anne instead of Mary. Mary and Charles are presented as an unsuitable match, albeit not an entirely miserable one.

Also, Austen mentions Sir Charles Grandison in Northanger Abbey.

Very interesting stuff! I’m reading Clarissa now and can’t wait to make my own comparisons.

By: bookchronicle

bookchronicle — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 16:19:44 +0000

Ms. Place, do not think I have forgotten your comment but (as usual) it has given me some food for thought! This will certainly give me something to ponder while idling away my time in the stacks at work.

By: bookchronicle

bookchronicle — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 04:06:57 +0000

Thank you so much for the heads up Stephanie!

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 03:22:47 +0000

Jane mostly definitely read Richardson. One of her favourite novels, if not her favourite, was Richardson’s Sir Charles Grandison.

By: Ms. Place

Ms. Place — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 12:47:48 +0000

“is genius”

I need a grammar check.

By: Ms. Place

Ms. Place — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 12:46:27 +0000

One thought about Jane’s popularity above other writers of her era: Her sense of irony and humor is unsurpassed. Her observation of humankind is unmatched. Although her plots are commonplace and a bit trite, and not so different from her contemporaries, her talent for astute and biting observation are genius. She allows her characters to make fools (or heroes) of themselves through their own words. And every time we revisit her, we glean another nugget of insight. Brilliant.