Category: Mansfield Park
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Jane Austen’s Many Mary Sues and An Unworthy Hero
Captain Wentworth is the worst Austen hero and I think he’s wholly unworthy of Anne Elliot. Okay, now that I have your attention and possibly your anger, Hi! If you’re new here, I’m the blogger who likes to say wildly unpopular things for the sake of discussion. It’s my personal toxic trait. My long-suffering husband…
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For Love or Money: Marrying for Money in Austen
A look at the contrasting viewpoints on marrying for money in Austen
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Jane Austen and My Birthday
This week I marked another birthday. I am a VIRGO. Some of you know what that means. Some of you are about to learn. Horoscope.com tells us these Virgo Facts Smart, sophisticated, and kind, Virgo gets the job done without complaining. Virgos are amazing friends, always there to lend a hand and also lend advice. Practical…
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Redemption and Forgiveness
C.S. Lewis, in his 1958 lectures on the BBCidentified four types oflove governing positive human interactions:Storge: Empathy BondPhilia: Friend BondEros: Erotic BondAgape: Unconditional Love. *** I have discovered that the Bennet Wardrobeoperates in the service of other Loves:Exagoras Agapis: Redemptive Love.The Fifth Love drives us to become betterversions of ourselves. *** Yet, ’twas Reinhold Niebuhr…
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Jane Austen’s Brave Refusal to Reform the Rake
I have always read Mansfield Park as Jane Austen’s only tragedy because the Crawfords fail at being redeemed. Unlike Jane Austen’s other dubious men, Wickham, Willoughby, and Mr. Elliot, Henry Crawford, doesn’t commit a major sin until the end of the novel. He is also the only one set up with a reformation path. Henry…
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Welcome to the “Fall in Love With Austen” Giveaway
Welcome to the Always Loving Austen Giveaway. (1) The giveaway runs through midnight EST Sunday, October 8, 2023. (2) Although we encourage you to comment below, to enter, you MUST use this Rafflecopter link. We hope you will SHARE with others, not only this giveaway, but also the articles you have read and enjoyed. (3) Winners will be contacted by email on Sunday, October…
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How Lizzy and Darcy are Good for Each Other + Excerpt!
When Lizzy finally realizes how great she and Darcy would be for each other, we all sigh happily. It’s an artful way to show how much she’s changed and how much we should regret her loss along with her. Jane writes: “[Elizabeth] began now to comprehend that he was exactly the man who, in disposition…
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For Captain Wentworth, Was Purchasing a Commission Necessary to Serve in the Navy?
Our lovely Gianna Thomas is still recovering from her hospital stay, so I am again filling in for her. Please send her well wishes if you follow her on social media. Now for my post. I recently had another writer send me a message to ask about the process for a man of the gentry…
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She’s Done with Love. He is Not.
Or the smitten potential of Colonel Fitzwilliam. We JAFF writers love Colonel Fitzwilliam–and what’s not to love? He has Darcy’s friendship and Lizzy’s stamp of approval. Jane Austen makes clear he is a bona fide Good GuyTM and a good catch. The only fly in the ointment? He needs a lady with some money! Hahaha,…
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Imagining Jane Austen’s Heroines (with period portraits)
One of the interesting things about Jane Austen’s writing is that she rarely describes scenes or people. There are some very descriptive passages, such as Elizabeth’s visit to Pemberley, but in general we know very little about the houses the heroines live in or even what they look like. Jane and Elizabeth Bennet are very…