 |
|
     |
|
|
|
Edward Said helped launch post-colonial criticism of Austen, arguing that Sir Thomas Bertram's expedition to Antigua, apparently accepted so casually by Austen and her characters, shows that she was an imperialist at heart. Simply by virtue of his standing in English society, Said argued, Sir Thomas has the right to extend his dominion to the other side of the world.
This argument fails to recognize the importance of the disorder caused by Sir Thomas's absence of Mansfield Park. And if we can, following the argument of Roger Sales, take Mansfield Park as political allegory of royal absenteeism in Regency England, then the book makes precisely the opposite point that Said sees: Austen implies that Sir Thomas would have been better off attending to the moral education of his daughters and the maintenance of his own house than pursuing adventures across the sea.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Thursday, October 11, 2007 at 01:45 PM
Permission is given to use material on this site, provided the source is cited, blog entries are republished in full, and the author is notified in advance.
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
