The purpose of this thesis is to survey Jane Austen biography and criticism published since 1940 in order to show the present state of Jane Austen study while providing a bibliographical guide to recent material.

Jane Austen’s Anglicanism shaped her works, especially her novels Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, and Mansfield Park. Austen is didactic regarding the future of the clergy of the Church of England through the clergymen in these novels (Henry Tilney, Edward Ferrars, and Edmund Bertram, respectively), but her didacticism is clearest through these characters’ wives, Catherine Morland, Elinor Dashwood, and Fanny Price. Mansfield Park and the marriage of Edmund and Fanny are the most explicit exploration of Austen’s view of what was necessary for the future of the Church as it continued changing in the nineteenth century.

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<p>Two hundred years later it still affects us</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1974. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 297-302). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

Two hundred years later it still affects us

For years critics have noticed how Jane Austen uses a cold, a sore throat, a sprained ankle, or some other minor affliction (Watson 336) to further the plots of her novels. Although the recurring motif of illness appears to be nothing more than the recording of everyday trivialities, the frequent appearance of illness during the courtship narratives is intriguing. The bodily production of modesty requires the conscious display of delicacy; however, delicacy requires disability in order to be visible to society. Similarly, sensibility also requires the display of delicacy and, by extension, disability. Applying Judith Butlers performance theory to disability, it is possible to analyze the performance of delicacy used in both the production of modesty and sensibility, and thereby understand the degree to which delicacy is a learned performance rather than an innate feminine trait. Austens heroines display varying degrees of affectation of both modesty and sensibility through their performances of delicacy. These performances serve to highlight each heroines degree of modesty and sensibility, as well as to pique the interest ideally, although not always successfully of potential lovers. The performance of disability through delicacy is an essential feature of the temporary invalidism experienced by the heroines during the courtship narratives of Austens novels.

The aim of this essay is to investigate Face Theory, from a gender perspective, in the 19th century’s novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen with the help of Speech Act Theory including direct Speech and indirect Speech. The special focuses of this investigation are if Elizabeth has a stereotypical use of FTAs strategies for different genders.

For years critics have noticed how Jane Austen uses a cold, a sore throat, a sprained ankle, or some other minor affliction (Watson 336) to further the plots of her novels. Although the recurring motif of illness appears to be nothing more than the recording of everyday trivialities, the frequent appearance of illness during the courtship narratives is intriguing. The bodily production of modesty requires the conscious display of delicacy; however, delicacy requires disability in order to be visible to society. Similarly, sensibility also requires the display of delicacy and, by extension, disability. Applying Judith Butlers performance theory to disability, it is possible to analyze the performance of delicacy used in both the production of modesty and sensibility, and thereby understand the degree to which delicacy is a learned performance rather than an innate feminine trait. Austens heroines display varying degrees of affectation of both modesty and sensibility through their performances of delicacy. These performances serve to highlight each heroines degree of modesty and sensibility, as well as to pique the interest ideally, although not always successfully of potential lovers. The performance of disability through delicacy is an essential feature of the temporary invalidism experienced by the heroines during the courtship narratives of Austens novels.

Jane Austen provides moral guidance in her nocels, showing her readers what is wrong with her society. Novels such as Pride &amp; Prejudice and Sense &amp; Sensibility contain studies of human character and lack of morals. She guides her readers towards a clearer moral vision by including characters such as George Wickham and John Willoughby, and warns her readers about trusting first impressions. The essay focuses on the moral aspects of these scoundrels. It analyses and compares the characters based on the first impressions from others, the events in the novels where their true colors emerge and how they are judged by the characters and the author in the novel. The essay argues that Austen's way of developing the scoundrels enables her to prove a point of morality to her readers, showing us the danger of trusting first impressions and appearances, warning us against the deceptive evil which presents itself disguised in charm and respectability. Thus she guides her readers towards a clearer vision of true worth and good morals - such as honesty and consideration for others - in a way that may be discussed and appreciated by young people of today. In addition, a didactic approach is included, showing how the findings in the esay can be used and interpreted in an English class in Swedish upper-secondary school. It provides a lesson plan based on the findings, and are justified by answering the question "why should we study literature" and "why should we study Jane Austen?". The goal is to form activities that students find both entertaining and motivating. It will show that both scoundrels are well-behaved, handsome and are well-liked by the majority of the characters in the beginning. However, they are also dishonest, selfish and driven by economival and sexual motives. This shows the danger of trusting fist impressions and justifies the reason why they are scoundrels. However, there are differences that differentiate them: Wickham is not able to love or feel remorse, while Willoughby is.