Clarification
Posted by Myretta on December 04, 1997 at 07:47:53:
In response to In defence of MP - or are we lightweights?, written by kates on December 03, 1997 at 18:08:54
] What I find profoundly depressing - particularly in a republic that proclaims itself to be a haven to those engaged in the understanding of Austen - is an apparant consensus that because Fanny is not as immediately accessible as, say, Lizzie, she is not worth equal consideration.
The lack of an MP board in no way reflects a consensus about the accessibility of Fanny or her worth for consideration. It is a matter of time and economics.
If we are willing to relegate discussion of MP to an occasional comment we are missing a hugely important part of Austen's work, with threads that affect all the novels. If we are willing to write MP off because neither Fanny nor Edmund are instantly attractive, or interesting as companions then we are lightweight.
Perhaps we are lightweight, kates. We do not claim to be a comprehensive site. We do not claim to be an academic site. We are a group of people who enjoy Jane Austen and enjoy discussions with people who share our passion. I cannot find an indication anywere to justify your conclusions that 1) we have written off this fine novel or 2) the lack of a board is due to the unattractiveness of Fanny and Edmund. When this site began it had one board (Pride and Prejudice and - gasp! - it was a board to discuss the A&E production, not just the novel). The site has changed, gradually, over the past year when time and disk space permitted and where interest dictated.
I hope that you find this post clearer about the way the site is run and the reasons there is not, at the moment, a separate board for your favorite novel. In future, you might want to learn some of the background rather than basing your criticism on unfounded assumptions.
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