"Quite a Horror of Finery": The Fashion of Female Characters in Austen’s Novels.

February 11, 2023 @ 10:00am - 11:00am

What is the relationship between outer and inner beauty in Austen’s novels? On the one hand, the author satirizes the preoccupation with self-display fueled by vanity and social maneuvering, but the good-natured Musgrove sisters “liv[e] to be fashionable, happy, and merry” and Austen herself shows a passion for fashion in her letters. Dr. Anderson will explore how the personal styles of Austen's female characters reflect their inward traits and motives, and whether their mode of “finery” ruptures or reinforces the social fabric. There will be a fashion survey with prizes and a lively discussion.

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