Posted by Margie on July 12, 1997 at 10:27:33:
In reply to Re: MARY Crawford posted by Kathy F. on July 11, 1997 at 11:52:22
] She was, indeed, most shallow, but JA could have reformed her, and they could have lived happily ever after. sigh....
] Kathy
________
I'm not sure if an MC reformation would be believable to
me -- though it certainly would be more believable to me than a lasting HC reformation. They've been using the word "principled" a lot on AUSTEN-L lately, and I think it's the
key to believable reformations. JA never has a character going from being an unprincipled person to becoming a principled person. The reformations usually take place because the characters compare their behavior to their principles and decide to mend the discrepancies they discover. Marianne Dashwood's reformation was a little different -- her recognition was that one of her principles was extremely destructive and needed to be changed, but she was always a person that tried to live according to principle. There is always that element of a person being willing to sacrifice part of their self-image for the sake of a principled life. I'm not convinced that MC has it. I am convinced that HC doesn't have it.
Don't get me wrong -- I think in a lot of ways the Crawfords are very charming and kind characters. I just suspect that, in the long run, ethics will never get in the way of their getting the things they really want.
Margie
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