Thursday, November 29, 2007
Ensnared at Dinner by an Impromptu Jane Austen Seminar
This one's for that zealous coven of females in Eugene engaging in the secret rites of their mystery cult dedicated to all things Jane Austen. You know who you are! During a wonderful Italian dinner at my adviser's house last night, my masculine sensibilities, derived from the Roman cardinal virtues of virtus (manly excellence) and gravitas (dignity and seriousness of character), were ensnared by that most insidious of all feminist plots designed to mollify the unbridled strength of men: academic deconstruction of the gender/power dynamics found in the world portrayed by Jane Austen. The wonderful hostess for the evening was a prominent Professor in the English department who has taught graduate seminars on the subject for years. As I listened to the very astute deconstruction of the period covered by Austen, I could not help but reflect back on a couple of my intoxicated viewings of Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice in Eugene last spring. The Coven of Austen in Eugene would have been in a total state of bliss hearing this discussion over such a wonderful dinner. The entire dinner was a very good experience for me. However, with respect to Austen, I always become perturbed with the entire social/gender structure of that time. I do not consider the aristocratic men of that period to fall within my definition of actual men, they are weak figures who had allowed themselves to become trapped within a vacuous social structure that emasculated them within the same gilded cage the women fell prey to. The incessant hand-wringing and calculation exhibited by these women over such insignificant men precludes me from having any sympathy for their plight. Any truly virtuous woman would have decried all these men as impious and unworthy of either love or marriage. Out of contempt and utter disgust, I would have marshaled my hordes and purged the entire society with fire and steel. Such a mollified society could not have withstood the wrath of righteous conquest to establish a new social order. I will let my diatribe die here, so you can all rail against my lack of understanding for the nuances of the redeeming value of Austen. Have at it! Be well!
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4 comments:
This may seem like a strange comparison (I'm operating in little-sleep mode), but, broadly, your viewpoint encapsulates my take on professional sports (mainly football and baseball). I have a hard time mustering interest in statistics, injured players, or even who wins any random game because the obscene amount of money each player, coach, and manager receives makes me resent each and every one of them.
Ok. That was very random. I need to get off the computer and go rest.
ooh, Austen discussions! And actually, during Austen's period, the men weren't as weenie as they would later become. This is the era of Napoleon and pistols for two, breakfast for one. In spite of (or because of?) their inherent stupidity, duels do count as manly, right?
E was horrified that she hadn't yet read this post...
Hee! That's hilarious. And of course, off the mark when it comes to Austen, but we'll forgive that. After all, you did watch more than one of the movies, which was quite noble. Sounds like a fun dinner!
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