Modest and mannered miss Austen
A tip of the questor’s cap to Just Jen, who pointed me to this article from the Wall Street Journal. Here’s a snippet:
Today’s readers tend to appreciate Austen despite her didacticism rather than because of it. She can be positively priggish, and that is an embarrassment. … The question arises, then, of how to reconcile Austen’s moralism with modern sensibility. To address this problem, it would be useful if we could find someone with this modern sensibility who actually reads Austen for her moral instruction (in addition to the literary pleasure she provides). How convenient that we have someone who fits that description available to us: me.
I, too, have found Jane Austen to be both guide and inspiration in my attempts to live a more virtuous life. The article envisions Miss Austen’s moral world as a set of concentric spheres: morals at the core, surrounded by sentiment, and covered by manners. This image has some usefulness, but I would note that she sheds at least as much light through the lens of the cardinal and theological virtues.
I would love to write a longer article on Miss Austen myself at some point – hopefully in January! – but I have some research to do before I can responsibly attempt such a feat. Till then, I hope you’ll be satisfied with the insights of this article.
Happy Christmas, all! And bright blessings on your new year!
