[Perhaps irrelevant but] I read P&P as much more condemnatory of Mr. Bennet than Mrs. Bennet—she is exasperating and limited, but has the material security of her children in mind, but by limiting his interest to only his "intelligent" children Mr. Bennet is actively destructive. I don't think Mrs. Bennet is likeable, and she does insane things (like sending Jane out in weather where she is likely to get sick), but she has some virtues. Mr. Bennet seems to have actively abdicated his own.
I will be writing about this separately. What is interesting is that she is directly rude/hateful about Mrs. Bennet's flaws, but less so about his. But I agree with your overall.
Yes, her flaws are obvious and her virtues are hard to spot; in his case, it's reversed (though I don't know if I think his good points are virtues exactly). But I think it's designed such that you will only really notice this your second time through.
Wickham's manners were like a smokescreen for his shortcomings. Gossip can only travel so fast. Austen does a good job of pointing out when the gossip about Wickham was behind the times, so to speak. It is a very intriguing part of her writing to me. I have to think more about it but I would say that if Austen were thinking about Adam Smith then it might not be too much of a stretch to assume she was thinking of gossip as a form of truth seeking. In which case, we need both the Lizzies and the Mrs. Bennets!
I think so! Harding was right to point to the strain that had been undervalued, but the idea she was a pure hater is clearly wrong. Lizzie doesn't merely hate.
[Perhaps irrelevant but] I read P&P as much more condemnatory of Mr. Bennet than Mrs. Bennet—she is exasperating and limited, but has the material security of her children in mind, but by limiting his interest to only his "intelligent" children Mr. Bennet is actively destructive. I don't think Mrs. Bennet is likeable, and she does insane things (like sending Jane out in weather where she is likely to get sick), but she has some virtues. Mr. Bennet seems to have actively abdicated his own.
I will be writing about this separately. What is interesting is that she is directly rude/hateful about Mrs. Bennet's flaws, but less so about his. But I agree with your overall.
Yes, her flaws are obvious and her virtues are hard to spot; in his case, it's reversed (though I don't know if I think his good points are virtues exactly). But I think it's designed such that you will only really notice this your second time through.
totally. I am going to write about Adam Smith and virtue and JA and it will be SO MUCH FUN
how does this (Austen as a thinker, intellectual, and worldly philosopher) fit with your thinking about gossip as the beginning to moral inquiry?
I might write about this! Would it not have been better if a little more gossiping about Wickham had gone on...?
Wickham's manners were like a smokescreen for his shortcomings. Gossip can only travel so fast. Austen does a good job of pointing out when the gossip about Wickham was behind the times, so to speak. It is a very intriguing part of her writing to me. I have to think more about it but I would say that if Austen were thinking about Adam Smith then it might not be too much of a stretch to assume she was thinking of gossip as a form of truth seeking. In which case, we need both the Lizzies and the Mrs. Bennets!
yeah exactly so, I think Smith talks about this, will investigate
There's asperity in Austen but balanced by admiration. Without the one, the other would seem dull.
I think so! Harding was right to point to the strain that had been undervalued, but the idea she was a pure hater is clearly wrong. Lizzie doesn't merely hate.
She would particularly hate the new Penguin cover design for ‘Persuasion’. Wentworth might have had a ‘queue’ but definitely not a man bun.
I bet she hates the new Penguin covers.
I bet Jane Austen hates the new Penguin covers.