The Wykehamist
curiosity, spiritual dimension and critical thinking, beyond the confines of traditional teaching.
- Jane Austen’ s classic works: widely and extensively critically analysed in academic settings – from a literary and historical perspective, with themes of social class, gender roles and human relationships, steeped within the 19th century Church of England.
The influential presence of religion in Jane Austen’ s formative years, due to her father’ s position as rector of the Anglican parishes of Steventon and Deane in Hampshire, strongly influenced the manner in which she lived and the manner in which she wrote.
Jane Austen’ s works reveal her: amusing, sharp-witted, sardonic observations of society; complex character; wisdom; and talent. Her Christian faith was a deeply integral part of who she was. She prayed each morning and evening on her own, prayed with her family every day and attended church on Sunday.
“ A whole family assembling regularly for the purpose of prayer is fine.”
Fanny Price, Mansfield Park
Jane Austen’ s writing is unique and inspirational – her work is heartfelt, containing moral lessons and spiritual themes, with Biblical undertones. Her carefully constructed works provide valuable life lessons regarding God and human nature. The love which Jane Austen’ s writing is based upon is not a superficial, vain love but a deep spiritual love built on character, actions, loyalty and honour. Her references to‘ serious’ hide the deeper meaning:‘ religious’. Jane Austen invented country parishes for her novels’ characters to inhabit, connecting them with authentic spiritual places. Her novel Mansfield Park is her most religious novel. Mansfield Park addresses positive themes relevant to the church, for example model clergymen – Edmund Bertram and Henry Tilney, who are quite different from the comical clergyman Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice.
Jane Austen also refers to the respect that religion symbolises for a character, which is evident in Pride and Prejudice – Mr. Darcy is more attractive to the ladies as he is seen at church twice in the one week! Any woman who has ever read or seen Pride and Prejudice longs for a lover like Mr. Darcy; a hero who comes to her and proclaims,‘ Surely, you must know it was all for you.’ Jane Austen believed Jesus’ death and resurrection was grounded in the sentiment:‘ Surely, you must know it was all for you.’
One of Jane Austen’ s most treasured possessions was a topaz amber cross received from her brother Charles in 1801. The fact Charles chose a cross rather than a locket is significant – the cross signified Jane Austen’ s deep Christian faith. The significance of this gift can be seen when, ten years later in Mansfield Park, William Price bestows a similar cross on Fanny.
According to letters, Jane Austen avariciously read of the work of contemporary abolitionists and took great pleasure and comfort from the accounts. Jane Austen introduces the iniquitous practice in Mansfield Park, when Fanny Price asks her uncle about the slave trade. When Fanny reports the incident to her cousin Edmund, she says,‘ There was such a dead silence.’ Fanny’ s uncle owned a sugar plantation, which relied on slaves to make profit. This clearly conflicted with her uncle’ s status as a Member of Parliament, given that Parliament was debating the morality of retaining the slave trade.
Jane Austen admired The Church of England’ s new Evangelical movement which sought to suppress slavery and improve moral behaviour. In a letter to her niece Fanny, she said she felt that‘ we should all be Evangelists’, as she perceived that those who were Evangelists from‘ reason and feeling were surely happiest of all’. The movement focused on the manners of the upper classes for change, as the middle and lower classes, always keen to imitate their‘ betters’, would follow suit.
Jane Austen referred to the failings of the nation’ s manners and morals critically in her novels. Her Christian ethos would be at odds with her character Mary Crawford in Mansfield Park, who speaks of adultery as‘ acceptable as long as it was discreet’ and furthermore speaks disparagingly of religion, opposing Edmund’ s view of adultery as sin. Mary belittles Edmund, mockingly quipping that she will next hear of him as‘ a missionary or a Methodist’ – a group considered low-class and emotional. The sin of gambling is the obsession and ruination of Pride and Prejudice’ s George Wickham.
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