I should like to appoint Helen...
Posted by MB on January 19, 1998 at 19:49:11:
In response to That old Austen see-saw..., written by Helen on January 16, 1998 at 13:00:22
...my offical mouthpiece!
] Patrick, you said in your post that the sources to bring to bear on the question of balance include the novels - but they also include the culture in which JA played a part, comments from her other writings, things said in the novels themselves and the form in which they are cast. It seems to me that all of these things tend to place JA on the side of balance and order (snip). Emotionally, I agree, it's a different thing. In a sense, I would say that her work is classical, informed by a romantic sensibility - she does not believe in tearing down the social structures but in making them ideal - which suggests that she believes that they are valid, merely misused.
I particularly love the bolded portion. To express my gratitude, consider it an exemption from three potential "Karma Chameleon" rebuttals on the Ramble board!
Michele
;-)
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