Posted by Amy on April 30, 1997 at 12:02:20:
In reply to Re: But, does everyone else? posted by kathleen (elder) on April 30, 1997 at 10:23:17
Okay, Kathleen. You got me--I'm compelled to modify my position, which you know I don't mind doing. Let me see if I can try to reconcile this a little.
] But, how much growth/change do we see in Elinor in S&S or Anne in Persuasion? Elinor has a lot to contend with as does Anne, but I see little change during the course of either of those novels.
Maybe the hero's (heroine's) journey is the classic story structure, which can be looked at as a sub-part of the whole idea of lesson learning. We learn lessons from the transformation novels, Emma and P&P by watching the characters grow. The teaching method is a little different in S&S, we're instructed in moderation by watching two extremes. And now I am stuck. How does Persuasion tie in? I don't know, but there are many lessons in it, moderation again being one of them -- be a little governed by the counsel of others, but not too much.
Mansfield Park may have its own lessons, but they don't feel as satisfying, and the lessons don't seem to come so much from watching the heroine's conduct as they do in the other novels.
I'm not sure any of this makes sense. I am making it up as I go along.
] (My tongue-in-cheek question is) Are you implying that
] (a) we should not like Fanny
No. I like Fanny. She would be a friend of mine. But not my best friend; she wouldn't be enough fun.
] (b) we should not like MP
No. There's a bunch of good stuff in there. I feel enriched by it. I just don't adore it and want to read it over and over as I do with Emma, P&P and Persuasion.
] (c) it's OK to like either Fanny or MP, as long as we don't claim that MP is a "good" novel
I, personally, like the hero's journey kind of story the best of all. For me, that's a big big part of what makes a good novel. For me.
] (Can you tell that I'm a professor? ;-))
Yes. And thank you for asking all the right questions.
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