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"<i>Posture of reclining weakness</i>": Disability and the Courtship Narratives of Jane Austen's Novels

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.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:SSU.etd-04202007-162703
Date23 April 2007
CreatorsSkipsey, Katherine Mary
ContributorsStephanson, Raymond A., Smith, Lisa, James-Cavan, Kathleen, Flynn, Kevin, Vargo, Lisa
PublisherUniversity of Saskatchewan
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
Sourcehttp://library.usask.ca/theses/available/etd-04202007-162703/
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