Home > Literature Group > Question and Answer

Literature Group

Question:

bayan
bayan
Student
College - Senior

What is your feminist criticism to the short story "Jane Austen and the Mistletoe Kiss" by Jo Beverly?

Hi...

I would love to ask anyone to please tell me one thing. This is a new short story by Jo Beverly. I read it and loved it, and I wanted to find anyone's opinion about it in a faminst way or look....

Rate question:

Posted by bayan on Tuesday December 30, 2008 at 6:46 AM and tagged with feminst criticism, jane austen and the mistletoe kiss, jo beverly, literature.

Answers:

  1. kimberlee154
    kimberlee154 Teacher
    Community / Jr. College

    eNotes Editor

    Best answer as selected by question asker.

    I loved the story. Reading it in a feminist way, Elinor is a proud, determined widow who is struggling to raise her daughters without depending on a man. She is a "realist" who wants to be independent, but at the same time, knows that she lives in the "age of man." She resents Sir Danvers charity; she says he is "[t]oo kind at times", but she still wants the best for her daughters and so is thrilled at the prospect of a union between Amy and Sir Danvers. This would legitimize the care of her daughters so as not to be charity.

    When it comes to love, Elinor also believes herself a "realist", not wanting herself nor her daughters to be hurt by something she believes is fleeting and transient. She says, "Love? That wasn't how the world worked." She wants to stand tall and straight against the frenzy and whims of love and believes a union for a more practical reason is better and safer than an emotional one. Like Austen's characters, she is a strong woman who is surprised by her susceptibility to love.

    Rate answer:

    Posted by kimberlee154 on Tuesday January 6, 2009 at 10:19 AM