Skip to main content

Austenuating Jane Austen

Two weeks ago I wrote an essay in a bid for a PhD slot in a university in the southwestern pacific. Just when I was about to send it over, I realized that if I were offered a place, the very topic I built a case on would send me back to Thailand for data-gathering. I didn't fancy that and decided to work on something that will keep me afloat should I face drudgery at some point in the research. Since I have always been a fan of a rector's daughter who was a writing machine at a time when a king's son ruled England, I happily spent hours breezing through massive literature on her. Jane Austen, the name that could launch a thousand nights of delightful observations.

Except for the titles in bold font, I listed them according to how they appear on Literary History. They should help me nail an idea on how to proceed with brainstorming later. If I ever change my mind about the unfinished essay yet again or even abandon PhD for some reason, I know I won't regret the pleasure of this reading experience:

1. Ascarelli, Miriam. "A Feminist Connection: Jane Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft." Persuasions 25 (2004).

2. DeForest, Mary and Eric Johnson. "Computing Latinate Word Usage in Jane Austen's Novels." A description of a computer-aided study developed to identify the use of Latinate language by characters in Jane Austen. Computers and Text (2000).

3. Graham, Peter W. "Born to Diverge: An Evolutionary Perspective on Sibling Personality Development in Austen's Novels." Persuasions 25 (2004).

4. Graves, David Andrew. "Vocabulary Profiles of Letters and Novels of Jane Austen and her Contemporaries." Persuasions 26 (2005).

5. McCawley, Dwight. "Assertion and Aggression in the Novels of Jane Austen." McCawley makes use of the distinction between assertion and aggression from popular books on "assertiveness training" to discuss Austen's characters. Persuasions 11 (1989).

6. Nelles, William. "Omniscience for atheists: or, Jane Austen's infallible narrator." Narrative (2006). On the comparison of the narrator to God.

7. Zunshine, Lisa. "Why Jane Austen was different, and why we may need cognitive science to see it." Style (2007).

8. Ellwood, Gracia Fay. "'Such a Dead Silence:' Cultural Evil, Challenge, Deliberate Evil, and Metanoia in Mansfield Park." Persuasions 24 (2003).

9. Duckworth, W. "Reading Emma: Comic Irony, the Follies of Janeites, and Hermeneutic Mastery." Persuasions 24 (2003).

10. Gilbert, Deirdre E. "'Willy-Nilly' and Other Tales of Male-Tails: Rightful and Wrongful Laws of Landed Property in Northanger Abbey and Beyond." Persuasions 20 (1999).

11. Jones, Susan E. "Thread-cases, Pin-cushions, and Card-racks: Women's Work in the City in Jane Austen's Persuasion." Persuasions 25 (2004).

12. Rytting, Jenny Rebecca. "Jane Austen Meets Carl Jung: Pride, Prejudice, and Personality Theory." Persuasions 22 (2001).

13. Dinkler, Michal Beth. "Speaking of Silence: Speech and Silence as a Subversive Means of Power in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility." Persuasions 25 (2004).


Megan and Janet host
header by Samulli; click here for more lists

Comments

Anonymous said…
Well I can understand not going to Thailand because if CJ. Good idea. When will you know about the essay? I know you'll do good. Besides I want to be able to say I remember the day I knew Dr. Grandma Hazel, err Ollie back in the day. LOL
Hazel said…
Grandma Hazel will always be Grandma Hazel alias Ollie PhD or not, Thom! :))
anthonynorth said…
A most worthy subject to study.
Hootin Anni said…
You're going for a PhD?!!! How awesome is that.

Come join me if you can...Mine is Thirteen CAT EXPRESSIONS...not photos, word expressions. Find it HERE. Have a wonderful day ahead.
Unknown said…
Great research. I really enjoyed reading it. Happy T13!
CountryDew said…
Wow. I am awed. That's some heavy duty Jane Austin reading.
I am Harriet said…
The movie(s) are going to air this weekend coincidentally.


Happy Thursday!
http://iamharriet.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-would-like-to-re-assure-my-friends.html
Anonymous said…
I knew ya would :)
A grand post, really enjoyed it! Thanks for popping by earlier, much appreciated :)

You're very lucky - you appear to travel a lot.

Sassy
:)
Anonymous said…
Hmmm...I've never read any Austen, but the literature about her intrigues me. Luck with the Ph.D.!!

-Celticlibrarian
http://fremontlibraries.wordpress.com
Norma said…
My book club loves Jane! I love bibliographies (retired librarian).
My TT is up. http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2010/02/thursday-thirteen-normas-laundry-tips.html

Popular posts from this blog

Regency delight and love language

Friday's Fave Five: Regency Period Cake Please scroll down for Mommy Moments Ambience of Banana Leaf Restaurant dinners continue to be the trend for us this week. Rustic charm has always been a big hit to me and Banana Leaf's got it. Buckets of real wheat, garlic and pumpkin hang adorning the wall. Plus the sweet and sour fish and chicken with cashew nuts and mushroom are a real pleasure. J Lo Live This was a gift to me two years ago. Cj is too young to be choosy with scents. He smiles playfully when I spray it on him and I laugh inwardly thinking he is a boy wearing a girl's perfume. This week we both smell the same :) Cyberbanking I finally dragged documents and myself down K Bank to register for online financial transactions. Spending only what I earn suits me best as I avoid debts and the convenience of sorting expenses any time of day in familiar surrounding is always welcome. Music in the air Whatever happened to the PA system at work? An old song was coming off it t...

Thirteen 13-word Quotes

1. I may be wrong , but I have never found deserting friends conciliates enemies. Margot Asquith , British Political Hostess (1864-1945) 2. Man's love is of man's life a thing apart; Girls aren't like that Kingsley Amis , English novelist and poet (1922-1995) "A Book Idyll" ~ see possible origin, also a 13- word quote: M an's love is of man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence Lord Byron (1788-1824) 3. An autobiography is an obituary in serial form with the last instalment missing. Quentin Crisp , English writer The Naked Civil Servant (1968) 4. Happy the hare at morning for she cannot read the hunter's waking thoughts. W.H. Auden , English poet (1907-73) Dog Beneath the Skin 5. Kissenger brought peace to Vietnam the same way Napoleon brought peace to Europe. (by losing) Joseph Heller, American novelist (1923- ) 6. Guns aren't lawful; Nooses give; Gas smells awful; You might as well live. Dorothy Parker ,...

Whisper your wishes

Cross-cultural misunderstandings are rife among gestures of beckonings and farewells in different parts of our planet. For example, the American gesture for "come here" could mean "good-bye" to Italians. Axtell (1998) observes, "the way people beckon one another around the world can be almost as diverse as the way we greet and bid farewell to one another." Today we look into popular hand gestures to signal farewells and to beckon. 1. In the United States , common gesture for getting someone's attention, as when calling a waiter is to raise a hand about head high with the index finger raised (exactly the girl's hand gesture on Samulli's header ) If an American used that gesture to a waiter in Germany , saying "Water please," the German waiter would bring two glasses of water In Japan it is rude; pointing a finger at anyone is considered impolite 2. Italians and Greeks will often wave goodbye with the arm extended, palm up,...