Firstly let me start of by saying that speculation is a fundemantal act of all forms of research. For one will not always have the facts, and at times will be forced to make assumptions or "educated guesses". Moreover, a lack of evidence should not deter one from speculation, for all research would become stagnant if one were to only act from fact. But with this comes the caveat of being fully aware of what is speuclation and what is truly fact. Like many literary geniuses we do not have a record of their exact thoughts and beliefs and I think part of this is purposeful. For by the reader being oblivious to the author;s true intent, the literature beccomes open to different interpretations, thus the true magnificence of art. Therefore, I do not belive harding truly believes everything he himself says, but i believe the sheer ability to interpret and speculate on Austen's feelings and incentives is the main reason for his radical interpretaion.
However, I did find some truth in his statments. I do not believe Austen's single and most prominet intent was that of satire. For the caricatures are far too extreme for one to directly associate them with society itself. Both harding and I agree on this. However, I do not believe Austen was fearful or hateful of the society she lived in. Instead I believe she was greatly amused by her society and through her novel praised the eccentricities of the people of society and their needless customs and practices. The book was intend to amuse by showing the extremeties of a society. But it's all speculation.
Nice job Efosa. I really enjoyed reading your work because it is clear, focused and interesting to read. Your vocabulary is very strong and makes it intriguing without becoming confusing. Anyways, I agree with your idea that the main aim of Austen’s novel was not that of satire. Her caricatures were to extreme to correlate directly with society.
ReplyDelete