The Bookish Elf’s Comments (group member since Mar 25, 2019)

The Bookish Elf’s comments from the The Bookish Elves group.

Austen pokes gentle (and sometimes not-so-gentle) fun at societal norms of her time. This includes the obsession with marrying well, the absurdity of class structures, and the hypocrisy of certain individuals.

For Example, Mrs. Bennet's frantic quest to find husbands for her daughters satirizes marriage as a social and economic necessity rather than a romantic ideal.

She uses words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. Sarcasm is a form of irony, but Austen's also employs more subtle forms.

"Mr. Collins was not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society…" (Pride and Prejudice). This seemingly polite description is subtly damning.

How would Austen's satire translate into a modern sitcom, or a stand-up comedy set?

It doesn’t matter if you’re a college student, a working professional, or a housewife — many women in India get stalked on a regular basis. Most of the time, the perpetrators hang around in the neighbourhood, outside offices and schools, etc.

Due to the fear of being stalked, some women don’t like to even venture out alone in public.

Some of them insist on male company while others dress modestly in an attempt to avoid unnecessary attention.SADHANA Who Stalked Her? by Spandana Chakradhar