A Walk with Jane Austen Read Online Free PDF

not a moral failing, but her own personality needs a bit of firming up. Meanwhile, Marianne in
Sense and Sensibility
allows her emotions to lead her into questionable situations, readily giving offense and ultimately caringonly about her own happiness, while Elinor allows her own very strict moral code to stifle any kind of emotional display. (And although Jane was writing in praise of Elinor's self-control, I cannot read it without feeling like she is too rigid.)
    The faults of minor characters are on display as well. Mrs. Bennet is silly throughout
Pride and Prejudice
,while Mr. Bennet does not take enough trouble to discipline his daughters. In
Sense and Sensibility
,Mrs. Jennings is a gossip, and
Emmas
poor Miss Bates cannot stop talking. Mary (Annes younger sister in
Persuasion)
is never satisfied, determined to be the center of attention, always imagining herself ill (which was one of Jane's favorite failings to mock). And even the nearly perfect Jane Fairfax, also in
Emma
,entered into a questionable engagement without the knowledge of her family.
    Those who are more openly in the wrong are not dealt with extensively. In
Sense and Sensibility
,Willoughby deeply regretted losing Marianne, if he had the indignity of not being “forever inconsolable.” 6 We know that in
Pride and Prejudice
,Wickham and Lydia quickly fell out of love and seemed destined not to be happy or content. As Lizzy conjectured, “How little of permanent happiness could belong to a couple who were only brought together because their passions were stronger than their virtue.” 7 In
Persuasion
,Mr. Elliot, who is only after Anne to gain a standing in the family and prevent another heir being born, is not at all enviable and ends up with the far less appealing Mrs. Clay.
    C. S. Lewis said that the world of Austen's novels “is exacting in so far as such obedience is rigidly demanded; neither excuses nor experiments are allowed.” 8 At times—especially with Fanny in
Mansfield Park
—she is so particularly moral as to make me a bit weary of it. Yet she is right.
    One of her Evening Prayers captures her theology and my own better than I could:
    Look with mercy on the sins we have this day committed and in mercy make us feel them deeply, that our repentance may be sincere, and our resolutions steadfast of endeavouring against the commission of such in future. Teach us to understand the sinful-ness of our own hearts, and bring to our knowledge every fault of temper and every evil habit in which we have indulged to the discomfort of our fellow-creatures, and the danger of our own souls. May we now, and on each return of night, consider how the past day has been spent by us, what have been our prevailing thoughts, words and actions during it, and how far we can acquit ourselves of evil. Have we thought irreverently of thee, have we disobeyed thy commandments, have we neglected any known duty, or willingly given pain to any human being? Incline us to ask our hearts these questions oh! God, and save us from deceiving ourselves by pride or vanity. 9
    I suppose it makes me feel that she understands the particulars, the detailed specifics of a situation. She understands the value of a tone of voice or a turn of phrase. She aimed at nothing less than the careful truth.

    After Evensong, I began to feel like Anne in
Persuasion
when she says, “My idea of good company, Mr. Elliot, is the company of the clever,well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation.” 10 I was rich with the best kind of company.
    I met a couple of guys from D.C. on the way to Christ Church for Evensong. Jack is working on a masters in the classics; Spencer is a writer. We wandered through Oxford after church with their friend Paul, looking for a pub that was still serving food, and we ended up at the Eagle and Child—or the Bird and Baby, as the locals call it. This was where Lewis and Tolkien and the rest of the Inklings took their famous “long liquid lunches”