Ah......Jane Bennet?
Posted by Janet on March 08, 1998 at 14:33:16:
In response to Sweet Jane, written by Myretta on March 08, 1998 at 10:33:04
] I thoroughly enjoyed the description of Jane at the beginning of Chapter six, "Bad Behaviour". In a letter to her daughter, Eliza, Jane's aunt, Philadelphia Walter, describes Jane as "whimsical and affected", "not at all pretty", or feminine (since she is describe as "very like her brother Henry").
] This little description reinforces the mental image I have of Jane Austen as a closet rebel, willing, within certain boundaries, to flout convention and taking a secret joy in doing so. It is at odds with the view, held in many places, of Jane Austen as a sweet and somewhat prissy old maid, spending her life writing love stories. The acerbic humour in her writing might be apparent in this, whimsical, affected, unfeminine girl.
Definitely, Myretta - I do agree. After reading Jane Austen's letters to Cassandra, I am always amused at Henry's glowing description of her sweetness.
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