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Austen + History of the Novel (ENGL 221)
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Austen + History of the Novel (ENGL 221)
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March 2: Austen + History of Novel (Revised)Required readings: Pride and Prejudice
Building an Argument
Allan Bloom: Austen synthesizes ethics of friendship derived from Aristotle and modern notions
of love derived from Jean Jacques Rousseau (1762).
● Jean Jacques Rousseau: sex, love and happiness and “inextricably connected,” men and
women are happiest when they inhabit ascertain sex roles (only through sex roles can
both men and women hope to be happy)
Hypothesis
“[Harold] Bloom attributes to Austen a unique and daring synthesis between modern marriage
[romance] and classical friendship but does not think that her attempt to reconcile these
elements wholly succeeds” (Garbitelli & Kries 25)
● Thesis: Harold Bloom argues that Jane Austen advances a position that advocates a
marriage that is a combination of modern romantic love and ancient, classical friendship
drawing on Aristotle. While this is true in terms of the marriage plot, I will demonstrate
that Austen’s use of neoclassical and romantic values extends far beyond the idealized
marriage; rather, her novel demonstrates a bridge between two opposing modes of
thought.
○ How would we test this?
■ Bridge: connection
■ Synthesis: the interweaving of ideas
○ Each other relationship in the novel can act as a foil to the virtuous relationship
that Darcy and Elizabeth have; other relationships are unbalanced
■ When we start to categorize relationships, we have to tease out the
differences between different things (stop categorizing, more specific)
○ Maybe Bloom’s categorization is a bit thorny: relationships don’t fit into
categories as easily as he’d like to think (Jane and Bingley)
Romantic Values in the Novel
● Rural in preference of the urban (Pemberly and Netherfield are not London)
● The exaltation of nature and the outdoors
● The focus on desire as necessary to a profound connection (but moderated by reason)
○ Darcy is moved by his feelings of Eliza to forgo his rational thought
○ Altering himself to understand just how bigheaded and narrow-minded he is
around romances of class
● Focus on middling classes
● Marriage of true minds (virtuous marriage) is better than a marriage of utility or pleasure
○ Did the gardeners have relationships of utility and pleasure?
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