제인 오스틴의 일탈:『레이디 수잔』
An Anomaly in Jane Austen Canon: Lady Susan
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This study examines why Jane Austen chose a beautiful and clever but propertyless widow as her heroine and why she threw the story into the form of correspondence. Lady Susan, Austen left as a fair copy, had been neglected for a long time by critics because of some reasons. One of them is the fact that it is an epistolary novel which they thought an outdated style. The others are related with the heroine, Lady Susan and the adultery theme which Austen does not deal with in her major works. Though it is implied that Lady Susan has been having an affair with Mr. Manwaring, a married man, she cleverly uses a loophole in the law of the society which is outwardly respected. Being endowed with the power of language, Lady Susan manipulates almost all male characters of the work as she likes. Lady Susan is not a dedicated mother from the standpoint of the society, but she fulfills her duty as a mother by hunting a good husband for her daughter. For the sake of Lady Susan, Austen herself finds a husband in order for Lady Susan to enjoy spiritual freedom though Austen quickly winds up the story with a dismissive narrator's summary. Austen, who was always worried about money, might know well how miserable the widows tended to be especially when they did not have moderate means. Though Austen gives her implicit endorsement of Lady Susan's subversive nature, as a daughter of a clergyman and sister of promising brothers, she could not expose such an attractive but liberal and amoral woman to the public.
Abstract
This study examines why Jane Austen chose a beautiful and clever but propertyless widow as her heroine and why she threw the story into the form of correspondence. Lady Susan, Austen left as a fair copy, had been neglected for a long time by critics because of some reasons. One of them is the fact that it is an epistolary novel which they thought an outdated style. The others are related with the heroine, Lady Susan and the adultery theme which Austen does not deal with in her major works. Though it is implied that Lady Susan has been having an affair with Mr. Manwaring, a married man, she cleverly uses a loophole in the law of the society which is outwardly respected. Being endowed with the power of language, Lady Susan manipulates almost all male characters of the work as she likes. Lady Susan is not a dedicated mother from the standpoint of the society, but she fulfills her duty as a mother by hunting a good husband for her daughter. For the sake of Lady Susan, Austen herself finds a husband in order for Lady Susan to enjoy spiritual freedom though Austen quickly winds up the story with a dismissive narrator's summary. Austen, who was always worried about money, might know well how miserable the widows tended to be especially when they did not have moderate means. Though Austen gives her implicit endorsement of Lady Susan's subversive nature, as a daughter of a clergyman and sister of promising brothers, she could not expose such an attractive but liberal and amoral woman to the public.
참고문헌 (26)
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