A matter of degree
Posted by Caroline on September 12, 1998 at 12:08:26:
In response to "Stranger than fiction . . .", written by Mary Anne on September 12, 1998 at 11:35:17
No coincidence that I have run across in Austen has been too bothersome to prevent me from enjoying the story, anymore than the occurrence of them in, say, the novels of Dickens or the plays of Shakespeare, both of which make far more outrageous use of coincidence than anything Austen ever wrote.
I think you've hit the nail on the head there. The coincidences in Austen are very natural, almost banal, really. Darcy just happens to visit Kent at the same time as Elizabeth(and the timing of both could be very easily justified, IMO), he just happens to have ridden on ahead of his friends, etc. etc. In comparison, the S&S coincidences are a little more extravagant. But no way as extravagant as in other authors.
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