Classic Jane Austen novel given gender stereotyping “trigger warning” by London university

NOTE: I never believed that Jane Austen and “trigger warnings” would ever be uttered in the same breath — really? But in reality, this bit of bookish news is factual and seems as though beloved classics are now falling under the sword of woke-ism.

Everyone knows that Jane Austen has a canon of work that has been read, reread, taught, discussed, movies adapted from and even societies formed. Her home is visited by Austenites from around the world, daily. Her work is filled with satire, the superficiality of her characters, romance, and there is always some nugget to be learned from Austen. To me, she has always been a delight.

I belong to a community of incurable readers who just finished Jane Austen’s Persuasion. A beautifully crafted story of second chances… in life and in love and contains one of the most beautiful love letters ever written — from Captain Wentworth to Anne Elliot. Totally swoon-worthy if you are so romantically inclined!

But nothing seems to be sacred or off limits to the culture of “cancel”. I understand that trigger warnings are placed in the hope of keeping students “safe” from reading potentially distressing material. This has meant banning common phrases and now it seems like my beloved classics has become problematic for some.

As a parent, grandparent and someone who has passed that “certain age of being relevant”, I believe this culture needs proper discipline and sent to their room without dinner until they get a grip of what life is really about… living and breathing… loving and losing… and facing those unexpected life occurrences that hurt and wound and cause us all to grow and develop in the way we should… Life is not about hiding behind trigger warnings, and safe-space coddling should never be an option. If you are a living and breathing human, then life will inevitably be offensive and you will be offended. This is my opinion and I make no excuses for it.

The following is a portion of an article written by Craig Simpson, an art and culture editor for The Telegraph, which appeared in January of this year.

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The University of Greenwich warned the book includes “sexism”and “toxic relationships”

Academics at the University of Greenwich have alerted students that the 1817 satirical novel Northanger Abbey contains "sexism" and "toxic relationships and friendships," according to content notes obtained by The Telegraph.

The novel is included in the curriculum of the university’s Gothic literature course, which comes with an additional general warning that the class consists of "elements that students might find disturbing."

Northanger Abbey tells the story of a young woman, Catherine Morland, who learns about traditional gender roles through her experiences with other families, her friend Isabella, and her love interest Henry Tilney.

As narrator, Austen ironically and sarcastically comments on the power imbalance between men and women in the 19th century and mocks the idea of women pretending to lack intelligence to please men.

The book also satirizes the dreary literature of the era, with Morland believing her love interest’s father may be a murderer after reading too many Gothic novels.

Austen’s writing is often heralded for its self-aware comedy, nuanced characters, and scathing critique on how women rely on marriage to gain favorable societal standing.

Her female characters frequently defy standard gender norms and push for agency in Regency society. Austen is frequently cited as an important voice in the women’s rights movement and early feminist pushes for equal rights.

Considering the content of Austen’s novels, some have claimed that the trigger warning is inappropriate, including the University of Derby education expert and Professor Dennis Hayes told The Telegraph.

Hayes said that Austin’s work is loved because she is the "mistress of offense."

"Students love her too. But some academics still seem to think their students are snowflakes

and need coddling. How often do we have to remind them, and university management, that students are adults. They must stop infantilizing them," he added to the outlet. "Universities should put up one simple statement: Trigger warning – this is a university; you must expect to be offended."

Speaking with The Independent, the University of Cambridge Jane Austen expert Professor Janet Todd said, "I’m pleased to know that Jane Austen has such power to disturb! Most encouraging. I hope the students are jolted into thinking about the past, literature , irony, and themselves."

In a comment to The Telegraph, a Greenwich spokesman said content warnings were adopted so students would be aware of potentially offensive content before engaging with curricula text.

"Content warnings were first used in July 2021, in response to student requests relayed to the teaching team via their student representatives during the 2020/21 academic year. It was agreed that Content Warnings should be included in reading lists so that students would be able to take them into account before encountering each text," the spokesman said.

Post Script: The following authors have fallen to trigger warnings and woke-isms:

Agatha Christie

Roald Dahl

Dr. Suess

Harper Lee

R.L. Stine

C.S. Lewis

J.R.R. Tolkien

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The Good News is: A New Independent Bookstore is Coming to Town!

Hopefully in a few short weeks, Parentheses Books will be opening on the corner of North Liberty and West Gay street, across the street from the Magpie Diner. Parentheses Books is one of the tenants that will become the Liberty Street Mercantile, a renovation project from Magpie Diner owner, Kirsten Moore.

Amanda Friss, the owner of Parentheses Books, is looking forward to bringing to Harrisonburg a new bookstore in the hope that the community will become as excited as she is for a place to purchase book, exchange ideas, meet local authors and any other number of things that she might be exploring. Her idea behind the independent bookstore can be found here, which was originally reported by The Harrisonburg Citizen’s reporter, Kevin Gorman:

Click on image to go to YouTube

Personally, I am head over heels delighted with the concept of a new independent bookstore within our Burg. It’s a much needed space… not only for bibliophiles, but as a place for an exchange of ideas, a sounding board, a cultural haven.

Parentheses Books is slated to open in the Spring.

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Bookish Diversions: Read a Book, Live Forever

Or at Least Longer than Nonreaders

Joel J. Miller, January 4

(Miller’s Book Review is a bookish blog on Substack. Miller describes his space as this:

“I’m an avid reader who loves to share books I enjoy or otherwise find valuable. I write a new book review each Saturday, which rides an electron rollercoaster directly to your inbox.

On Wednesdays, I also share an essay on books, book news, reading, and the impact of books on our lives. It’s a personal passion of mine, and I’m working on a larger project about this subject, so the midweek essay provides a chance to share bits and pieces of that.”)

I look forward to finding Miller’s Book Review in my mailbox each week. His book reviews are always thoughtful and I find his bookish blog delightful.

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Reading has many documented therapeutic benefits. We’ve covered a few here already, especially the boost books lend memory. Regular reading, according to neuroscientist Mithu Storoni, “can give you the thinking skills of someone 13 years younger.” Just as impressive, readers don’t merely live more cognitively rich years—they also live longer.

In one twelve-year study, Yale researchers tracked the reading habits of three groups: those who read more than three and half hours a week, those who read fewer than three and half hours a week, and people who never cracked open a book at all. “Researchers consistently found that both groups of readers lived longer than the non-readers,” according to a summary of the findings at Big Think. After controlling for health, wealth, education, and gender, researchers found, “The readers who read over 3.5 hours a week lived a full 23 months longer than the people who didn’t read at all.”

The effect is noticeable after just a few years of the practice, though only for books—not ephemeral material such as magazines and newspapers. Storoni’s research found cognitive gains from all reading material, but the Yale study fe-extension only comes from cognitively and emotionally demanding literature alone. This contradiction probably warrants more research since the mechanism seems to be the same: giving the brain a regular workout.

Books help you age well in terms of both mental sharpness and calendar years. These findings marry well with a research-backed suggestion from Arthur Brooks—part of his seven habits that encourage happiness as we age. “Keep learning,” he says.

“More education leads to a more active mind in old age, and that means a longer, happier life. That doesn’t mean that you need to go to Harvard; you simply need to engage in lifelong, purposive learning. For example, that can mean reading serious nonfiction as part of a routine to learn more about new subjects.”

If you are interested in the rest of the article, go to MILLER’S BOOK REVIEW 📚 (click on the link) and search for: Bookish Diversions: Read a Book, Live Forever.