Saint Thomas Book Group

Wednesday, June 20, 2018
6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

In his poem ‚ÄúA Letter to Lord Byron‚Äù, W. H. Auden addresses Byron regarding Jane Austen: ‚ÄúYou could not shock her more than she shocks me / Beside her Joyce seems innocent as grass.‚Äù Auden is commenting on the way Austen treats money and its effects, but he might as well be describing her moral acumen. Mansfield Park has been called her most serious work, and its heroine, Fanny Price, is often criticized for being mousy and boring. Even if you agree re. Fanny (and many of us don’t!), the novel is full of vibrant characters who are morally untethered enough to be a danger to themselves and others. Indeed, Alan Jacobs argues that ‚Äúthe great theme of Mansfield Park is moral education.‚Äù In this‚Äîarguably her most well-written book‚ÄîAusten provides us an experience as patient as it is dynamic, as humorous as it is poignant. As in all of Austen’s works, characters will be recognizable.

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