Kingston Frontenac Public Library shares Jane Austen’s Bad Boys

Jan 20, 2021

As we approach Valentine’s Day during a pandemic, people are returning to literary classics in search of examples of romance thriving despite the stresses of physical distancing. One could argue that dating has again become something done with careful and minimal touching, with one’s behaviour closely observed and discussed by those around you, just like in Regency England.

Jane Austen’s novels show the intense pressure on women to make a proper marriage, navigating society’s formal rules to judge from among the suitors available to them, even while fighting their own romantic urges.  Her male characters include romantics, scoundrels and worthy-but-dull parental favourites.  Even though marriage may no longer be the goal, we can still recognize those personalities in today’s romantic candidates, and the need to be wary of falling for the wrong person. Would you be attracted by Darcy or by Wickham? Are individuals like Willoughby, Elliot, Crawford and Tilney familiar types even in today’s dating landscape?

In this talk by Dr Erin Weinberg, who teaches English literature at RMC, Brandon University and Corpus Christi College, you’ll learn how Austen’s heroines sort out who’s their best choice.  Stick around afterwards for a lively discussion and vote on who holds the title of Austen’s “baddest bad boy"!

Jane Austen’s Bad Boys will run online from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 30. Register online at calendar.kfpl.ca or by phone at (613) 549-8888. A Zoom link will be emailed upon registration.

For more information, visit www.kfpl.ca