General Consent in Jane Austen
A Study of Dialogism
Description
General Consent in Jane Austen examines the "early" and "late" novels as well as the juvenilia in the light of three paradigms: "The Other Heroine" focuses on voices that challenge and compete with the central heroines, "Cameo Appearances" examines buried past narratives, and "Investigating Crimes" explores acts of violence. These three avenues into dialogic space destabilize conventional readings of Austen. The Bakhtinian model that structures this book is not one of linearity and balance but one of conflict, simultaneity, and multiplicity. While some novels fit into only one paradigm, others incorporate more than one; Mansfield Park receives the most attention. A bold and provocative study, General Consent in Jane Austen will be of interest not only to Austen scholars but to scholars of literary theory and dialogism.
Reviews
"A new and illuminating approach to Austen's novels. Barbara Seeber offers a way of reconciling the two opposing schools of Austen criticism - the traditional reading of Austen as a tough-minded conservative and the more recent interpretation of her as an implicit feminist. Seeber's work is pointed, vivid, and eloquent." Bruce Stovel, Department of English, University of Alberta "Barbara Seeber's thoughtful adaptations of Bakhtin and Althusser afford a model for the successful integration of theoretical and practical critical responses. She offers a corrective to many of the polarized views of Austen and successfully demonstrates the potential for the kinds of genuinely innovative interpretations enabled by dialogical criticism." April London, Department of English, University of Ottawa