More Jane Austen Spam. Surprise Surprise.
I finished reading Mansfield Park.
Okay so let's talk about Fanny Price, because she is intensely forgettable as a heroine. But then we have these moments when she gets character development and it's just like "Holy shit, girl. There are people living NOW who don't think about that." I think people cling to their first impressions of her and oh my god, if you are reading Jane Austen and sticking to your first impressions of a character you are doing it completely wrong. It's not like one of the morals of almost every one of her books is that first impressions can't be trusted.
Anyway, without being too spoilery, one of the female characters has an affair and has to live in seclusion for the rest of her life. Fanny - and the narrator - take time to reflect on the double standard of how she will be treated much more harshly than her male lover. This is still woefully relevant. I'm going to take the obvious example of the Aniston/Pitt/Jolie drama. It seemed that Jolie was the one who was shamed and called a home-wrecker, while Pitt got off with that one extremely lightly. It takes two to tango, but because society tells us that a woman's worth is between her legs we are subjected to much harsher criticism with regards to sexuality. This is a back-hand for men, as well: if they are not criticised for being unfaithful, does that mean that men are EXPECTED to be unfaithful? That they are sex machines with no self control? That they are, by their very nature, untrustworthy? That's a pretty shitty way to stereotype anyone. Men have a much easier deal but seriously, the unfortunate implications we make about males by judging females to a stricter standard are pretty cringe inducing.
Okay, that got a little off topic. Anyway, the point I was trying to make with regards to Fanny and Austen in general is "Hey look! Feminism in an 19th century novel!" Romanticised or no, women got a VERY raw deal in the 19th century, and it's nice to see a female author from the time commenting on it and calling it out.
At any rate, Fanny does grow a spine and anyone who tells you Mary Crawford is like Lizzy is crazy. Like, legitimately.
Fanny also calls out the fact that a women who is offered a man's affection is practically obligated to acquiesce. That's addressed in Pride and Prejudice, too, with Lizzy and Mr. Collins. However, it's examined much more extensively here, because Fanny's suitor is genre blind and thinks he's Prince Charming who's going to save Cinderella from destitution, when actually he's a Casanova (and a bit of a creeper too).
The big issue that people seem to talk about when it comes to Mansfield Park is the issue of slavery. However, I find it's a non-issue in this case. Sir Thomas Bertram has an estate and, presumably, business in Antigua. But this has no impact on the immediate story other than to take him away from Mansfield long enough for drama to ensue (both literally and figuratively), and we're never out right told exactly what he does. Jane Austen is not a writer that comments on the major political issues of her time in any of her novels. These serve to make them much more timeless and accessible, because you don't need to know a whole heck of a lot about Regency England to enjoy them. I can see why her failure to address an issue such as slavery would irritate people, but honestly, we don't have enough evidence in the text to draw ANY conclusions about Austen's opinion on slavery. The minimal evidence there is suggests she disapproves of it, but even then... eh. At the end of the day, does it really matter? I don't understand why people expect all the leading authors to comment on everything that was happening in their world. If I ever get around to writing my story, I'm unlikely to use it as a place to get up on a soapbox and talk about Wikileaks or Japanese whaling.
Oh, and I wanted to punch Mrs. Norris in the face. She's worse than Catherine de Bourgh, if only because Catherine de Bourgh has much more limited screentime.
Onto re-reading Persuasion now, which is Mum's favourite Austen book. Hopefully I'll be able to get through it by Monday.
Okay so let's talk about Fanny Price, because she is intensely forgettable as a heroine. But then we have these moments when she gets character development and it's just like "Holy shit, girl. There are people living NOW who don't think about that." I think people cling to their first impressions of her and oh my god, if you are reading Jane Austen and sticking to your first impressions of a character you are doing it completely wrong. It's not like one of the morals of almost every one of her books is that first impressions can't be trusted.
Anyway, without being too spoilery, one of the female characters has an affair and has to live in seclusion for the rest of her life. Fanny - and the narrator - take time to reflect on the double standard of how she will be treated much more harshly than her male lover. This is still woefully relevant. I'm going to take the obvious example of the Aniston/Pitt/Jolie drama. It seemed that Jolie was the one who was shamed and called a home-wrecker, while Pitt got off with that one extremely lightly. It takes two to tango, but because society tells us that a woman's worth is between her legs we are subjected to much harsher criticism with regards to sexuality. This is a back-hand for men, as well: if they are not criticised for being unfaithful, does that mean that men are EXPECTED to be unfaithful? That they are sex machines with no self control? That they are, by their very nature, untrustworthy? That's a pretty shitty way to stereotype anyone. Men have a much easier deal but seriously, the unfortunate implications we make about males by judging females to a stricter standard are pretty cringe inducing.
Okay, that got a little off topic. Anyway, the point I was trying to make with regards to Fanny and Austen in general is "Hey look! Feminism in an 19th century novel!" Romanticised or no, women got a VERY raw deal in the 19th century, and it's nice to see a female author from the time commenting on it and calling it out.
At any rate, Fanny does grow a spine and anyone who tells you Mary Crawford is like Lizzy is crazy. Like, legitimately.
Fanny also calls out the fact that a women who is offered a man's affection is practically obligated to acquiesce. That's addressed in Pride and Prejudice, too, with Lizzy and Mr. Collins. However, it's examined much more extensively here, because Fanny's suitor is genre blind and thinks he's Prince Charming who's going to save Cinderella from destitution, when actually he's a Casanova (and a bit of a creeper too).
The big issue that people seem to talk about when it comes to Mansfield Park is the issue of slavery. However, I find it's a non-issue in this case. Sir Thomas Bertram has an estate and, presumably, business in Antigua. But this has no impact on the immediate story other than to take him away from Mansfield long enough for drama to ensue (both literally and figuratively), and we're never out right told exactly what he does. Jane Austen is not a writer that comments on the major political issues of her time in any of her novels. These serve to make them much more timeless and accessible, because you don't need to know a whole heck of a lot about Regency England to enjoy them. I can see why her failure to address an issue such as slavery would irritate people, but honestly, we don't have enough evidence in the text to draw ANY conclusions about Austen's opinion on slavery. The minimal evidence there is suggests she disapproves of it, but even then... eh. At the end of the day, does it really matter? I don't understand why people expect all the leading authors to comment on everything that was happening in their world. If I ever get around to writing my story, I'm unlikely to use it as a place to get up on a soapbox and talk about Wikileaks or Japanese whaling.
Oh, and I wanted to punch Mrs. Norris in the face. She's worse than Catherine de Bourgh, if only because Catherine de Bourgh has much more limited screentime.
Onto re-reading Persuasion now, which is Mum's favourite Austen book. Hopefully I'll be able to get through it by Monday.