Jane Austen [ Art and Literature ]
… provided a basis for social cohesion. 6 Austen’s protagonists assemble for house parties and impromptu country dances in the domestic space of private homes, although they are also drawn to the new venues for sociability in … of Mansfield Park (1814) is found anxiously practicing her steps before her first ball. While spectators watched, dancers sized up partners for their marital suitability. 11 Henry Tilney’s analogy of ‘a country-dance as an emblem of marriage’ makes this plain; yet he also sums up the unequal power dynamic inherent in the dance of …
Courtship | Fiction | Gender | Public sphere
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