Letter the Third:
"But lovely as I was, the Graces of my Person were the least of my Perfections. Of every accomplishment accustomary to my sex, I was Mistress. When in the Convent, my progress had always exceeded my instructions, my Acquirements had been wonderfull for my age, and I had shortly surpassed my Masters.
In my Mind, every Virtue that could adorn it was centered; it was the Rendez-vous of every good Quality and of every noble sentiment.”
What struck me most about this passage was how much novelists’ portrayals of heroes and heroines have changed! Today every protagonist is rarely if ever self-described, and they never have it so good. Although Austen is obviously parodying the heroines of her time, she raises an interesting point – people often saw the main characters of a novel to be just about perfect, or at least highly skilled and moral. Samuel Richardson's earlier novel, "Pamela," published in 1740, comes to mind.What are the pros/cons of this approach? Conversely, what are the pros/cons of today’s protagonists? Which do you prefer, and why?
I can practically see Jane rolling her eyes as she read "Pamela." Hehe
ReplyDeleteI love a flawed heroine. Like Emma, who is pretty and clever but also spoiled and stubborn and overly sure of herself. So much more interesting and fun to read.
I've never read "Pamela," I'm embarrassed to say. Or "Clarissa"! On the other hand, I've never heard what I'd call a glowing recommendation to embark on the 1,000-plus pages.
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere that JA was a big fan of "Dangerous Liaisons," (I wonder at what age she read it?) and it's easy to see not only in the epistolary form that many of her early works took (like the first draft of "Sense and Sensibility") but in her sophisticated takedown of everything that's hypocritical and shallow. In "Dangerous Liaisons" you kind of root for the villains because even though they are terribly cruel, they're also witty and bright and independent and can see through social silliness. JA's best characters are kind of like that too. They're not cruel, of course, but they have to navigate a difficult social world while remaining true to their inner nature, and they're complicated and flawed, which, as Erin notes, makes for more interesting and fun reading.
Shanxi, I'm trying to think of a modern novelist who has anything on JA. I'll have to get back to you!
Yeah, I wouldn't recommend "Pamela" or "Clarissa." They are interesting in the context of their genre and the history of novels, but that's about it. "Clarissa" is really unpleasant in a lot of ways.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely see an element of "Liaisons" in Austen's writing. The wit and scheming and affection for imperfect characters.