|
|
Article: "The whinnying of harpies?" : humor in Jane Austen's letters.(AGM 2005: Milwaukee)
- Article from:
- Persuasions: The Jane Austen Journal
- Article date:
- January 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Jane Austen Society of North America. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
THE LETTERS THAT JANE AUSTEN INCLUDED in the novels are endlessly fascinating, from Darcy's explanation to Elizabeth to the splendid whining letter from Mary Musgrove to her sister Anne at Bath, the one in which she claims that "'my sore-throats, you know, are always worse than anybody's'" (P 164). On a number of occasions, JASNA has called for members to submit letters from the characters--and in doing so we are almost following in the footsteps of Austen's own niece Fanny Knight, who apparently wrote a letter to Jane Austen as though addressed to Georgiana Darcy, hoping to elicit a reply in character. Austen replied, "I cannot pretend to answer it. Even had I more time, ...