What did JA think of her society? (LIFE AND TIMES message #2219)

What did JA think of her society?

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Posted by Patrick/mr (moved from the PP board) on January 11, 1998 at 11:30:18:

The question is, was JA a child of the Enlightenment? Did she seek balance and order and rational behaviour for her characters? Or did she seek to overthrow the rational and balanced? In my own humble view, JA thought that order was a large part of the problem with society.

Any takers?

By the way, Happy New Year, all. Hope you all had a good holiday. Anybody else get the six-volume boxed set of P&P for Christmas?

Cheers,

Patrick

REPLIES:

What Alistair Duckworth thinks MB 20:10:06 1/19/98 (0)
Looking at Patrick's question from a slightly different angle Caroline 18:47:20 1/15/98 (30)
- And what of "Emma"? Erin 13:44:33 1/24/98 (1)
  - Class, symmetry, and candor gkb 01:02:39 1/25/98 (0)
- Perhaps I am too "light and bright"... MB 19:10:04 1/19/98 (7)
  - Ironic or not, it shows.... Caroline 21:47:54 1/20/98 (6)
    - "How I wonder what you are" MB 13:15:15 1/22/98 (1)
      - Um, what the &$%# have I done?... MB 13:18:45 1/22/98 (0)
    - You twinkle like a little star, MB Helen 15:40:03 1/21/98 (3)
      - Yes, she did admire... MB 13:06:52 1/22/98 (1)
        
        Sorry - that should be "say" not "sat"! (NFM) MB 13:10:41 1/22/98 (0)
      - "Twinkle twinkle little star"... Erin 21:26:18 1/21/98 (0)
- Balance in Persuasion and P&P Patrick 15:41:49 1/19/98 (0)
- MP Erin 20:15:06 1/15/98 (18)
  - enlightening FP Caroline 21:15:23 1/15/98 (17)
    - Was JA pro-balance? Helen 12:43:07 1/16/98 (16)
      - The nature/nurture debate MB 19:18:11 1/19/98 (6)
        
        Why thank you... Erin 21:41:05 1/21/98 (1)
        
        Re : Balance at Pemberley -- exactamundo! :-) (NFM) MB 13:20:43 1/22/98 (0)
        
        Manners makyth man Helen 15:50:02 1/21/98 (3)
        
        Interesting point Patrick 16:45:54 1/22/98 (0)
        
        Good points! (NFM) MB 13:23:01 1/22/98 (0)
        
        On the 'Natural Garden' Caroline 16:02:55 1/21/98 (0)
      - Nature maketh monsters gkb 10:52:42 1/17/98 (2)
        
        Almost like a nuerasthentic (nfm) Erin 18:21:59 1/17/98 (1)
        
        typo --neurasthentic, that is ;-) Erin 18:23:59 1/17/98 (0)
      - Enlightened Religion Caroline 01:16:29 1/17/98 (5)
        
        D.W. Harding, Austen and religion Erin 15:04:15 1/18/98 (4)
        
        Right reason and religion Helen 15:58:32 1/21/98 (2)
        
        Thinking -synonymous with the religious self Erin 23:43:32 1/21/98 (0)
        
        Out of the spiritual closet gkb 22:21:22 1/21/98 (0)
        
        Practical religion gkb 22:10:10 1/19/98 (0)
Order Carl Goss 20:54:21 1/12/98 (5)
- Whigs and Tories Caroline 18:52:19 1/13/98 (4)
  - Gee, I thought she was party-line Tory..? (nfm) gkb 20:40:03 1/13/98 (3)
    - Tory sounds about right Helen 09:31:11 1/15/98 (2)
      - A very enlightened view, in fact........ Caroline 18:50:59 1/15/98 (0)
      - For which I am extremely grateful Caroline 17:07:57 1/15/98 (0)
thanks, Myretta, and...... Caroline 12:31:32 1/11/98 (9)
- The Age of Reason Erin 13:24:36 1/11/98 (8)
  - you weren't staying away because we are pre-Kirkegaard here? ;-) Caroline 18:57:13 1/15/98 (7)
    - He was just a baby; born in 1806 (I think) ;-) Erin 20:22:23 1/15/98 (6)
      - Where did the terms come from? Helen 12:46:11 1/16/98 (5)
        
        Hear, hear! gkb 10:56:51 1/17/98 (0)
        
        An Erin book? I would buy it! (nfm) Marie Bernadette 15:23:53 1/16/98 (3)
        
        How about a Patrick book, too, for balance. (nfm) Marie Bernadette 10:38:45 1/24/98 (1)
        
        Why, thank you, Marie Bernadette. I'll take that under advisement :-) (nfm) Patrick 15:50:16 1/26/98 (0)
        
        OK, but... Erin 18:26:06 1/17/98 (0)
Throwing off the 'shackles' of reason? Erin/mr 11:36:54 1/11/98 (47)
- Painting by numbers Patrick 14:59:32 1/12/98 (46)
  - Making the ordinary, the everyday the ideal Erin 23:33:51 1/12/98 (43)
    - Ms. Bronte apparently had never read P&P Patrick 17:12:47 1/15/98 (36)
      - Here's where I see The Balance MB 19:37:03 1/19/98 (0)
      - Disagreement gkb 23:36:23 1/15/98 (4)
        
        Stainless steel principles Patrick 14:56:59 1/19/98 (3)
        
        One tiny little answer... Helen 10:53:57 1/20/98 (2)
        
        OK, now I understand the question. My answer is... Patrick 16:54:10 1/22/98 (0)
        
        Helen, you are so lucid! gkb 20:50:29 1/20/98 (0)
      - She obviously didn't read P&P "creatively" enough Erin 20:01:42 1/15/98 (29)
        
        Good post, and a "related" quote... MB 19:43:22 1/19/98 (1)
        
        That reason knows not of Patrick 17:56:00 1/22/98 (0)
        
        Sensation seeking Patrick 15:27:44 1/19/98 (0)
        
        That old Austen see-saw... Helen 13:00:22 1/16/98 (25)
        
        I should like to appoint Helen... MB 19:49:11 1/19/98 (8)
        
        I think she's got it! Boy George, she's got it! (nfm,... well, not much) Caroline 20:06:12 1/19/98 (7)
        
        :-D :-D :-D (NFM) MB 20:35:59 1/19/98 (0)
        
        Stop!! Erin 20:09:50 1/19/98 (5)
        
        :-( Caroline 22:49:59 1/19/98 (4)
        
        ROTFLOLICMTH!! Erin 23:04:47 1/19/98 (3)
        
        Quit it with the Georges already! ;-) Helen 16:03:34 1/21/98 (2)
        
        What what, Hey, Hey!Red Gold and Green! Caroline 16:45:39 1/21/98 (1)
        
        Or the lunacy? ;-) (NFM) MB 13:30:05 1/22/98 (0)
        
        Should we analyze the rose? Patrick 15:57:22 1/19/98 (15)
        
        Roses, roses all the way... Helen 16:26:53 1/21/98 (13)
        
        Any savage can dance... Patrick 17:44:51 1/22/98 (11)
        
        But can he converse whilst dancing? Helen 10:06:11 1/25/98 (6)
        
        If she did, she would no longer be dancing, only moving formulaically... PAtrick 16:37:06 1/26/98 (5)
        
        Walking into walls (I've given up dancing) Helen 11:31:22 1/29/98 (2)
        
        Dancing around the question Patrick 16:37:54 1/29/98 (1)
        
        Social Constraint, and another thing, off-topic Caroline 18:20:32 1/29/98 (0)
        
        A thought (just one!) Caroline 14:32:44 1/27/98 (0)
        
        I am probably going to regret getting tangled in this thread but... Marie Bernadette 23:59:44 1/26/98 (0)
        
        A solipsist in our midst --a brief response Erin 20:10:40 1/22/98 (3)
        
        Are we here? Patrick 17:09:03 1/28/98 (2)
        
        Not even here is here Helen 11:09:38 1/29/98 (1)
        
        Hear, hear! Patrick 17:01:18 1/29/98 (0)
        
        Symmetry MB 13:34:37 1/22/98 (0)
        
        Patrick, prepare yourself... MB 19:57:44 1/19/98 (0)
    - Yes! Hil 21:39:00 1/13/98 (0)
    - What an excellent post!!!!! Helen 14:49:14 1/13/98 (4)
      - Not really, but some Hume and Locke Erin 14:35:32 1/14/98 (2)
        
        The limits of man Helen 09:42:39 1/15/98 (1)
        
        Extrapolation of insights gkb 23:00:27 1/15/98 (0)
      - Oh Helen...;-p and some Hume and Locke Erin 01:09:29 1/14/98 (0)
  - Making the ordinary, the everyday the ideal Erin 23:31:36 1/12/98 (0)
  - Making the ordinary, the everyday, the ideal (a tad long) Erin 23:18:11 1/12/98 (0)
Balance Hil/mr 11:34:06 1/11/98 (7)
- Impatient oldsters Patrick 15:04:23 1/12/98 (6)
  - The serenity Hil 21:10:33 1/13/98 (5)
    - Inner and outer life Patrick 16:23:37 1/15/98 (2)
      - I agree Hil 17:06:41 1/15/98 (1)
        
        Hil - Yes, I am interested. Thanks. (nfm) Patrick 18:09:17 1/15/98 (0)
    - No nonsense there! MB 13:27:17 1/14/98 (1)
      - No complacency there Patrick 16:14:18 1/15/98 (0)

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