#what is an attic wife if not a thesis you keep procrastinating

[thatscarletflycatcher]

My old arch-nemesis, we meet again ("it's all about the sex" academia)

[thatscarletflycatcher]

I never thought I'd feel so gaslit reading up on Gaskell for my dissertation. See, for example, this author:

Elizabeth Gaskell, like Jane Austen, specializes in social observation: she speculates on the emotions of a governess or a countess with equal aplomb. She has little of Jane Austen's capacity for irony, little wit or lightness of tone; her novels provide moments of comedy, but in general are a trifle solemn. And she misses Austen's economy of touch. Her characterizations depend on accumulated detail, her own voice lacks individuality, she rarely provides flashes of sharp perception. Not even an enthusiast could claim that she is Austen's equal. Yet her special quality is compelling: a steady integrity of observation which creates the sense of penetrating accuracy." (Taking Care: Some Women Novelists, by Patricia Meyer Spacks).

Talk about damning with faint praise. But don't worry, the author will dedicate 5 full pages to analyze the portrayal of the feminine condition through the characters in Wives and Daughters and their marriages.

Btw, Jane Austen is only mentioned in this section of the paper. The comparison/reference is completely gratuitous.