Tag Archives: textual criticism

Against Vulgarity, After Lionel Trilling

Posted on September 21, 2022 by nathanalbright

In his seminal essay on Mansfield Park, literary critic Lionel Trilling said the following: “It is beyond human ingenuity to define what we mean by vulgarity, but in Jane Austen’s novels vulgarity has these elements : smallness of mind, insufficiency … Continue reading →

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Willoughby And Ferrars: Two Peas In A Pod

Posted on September 17, 2022 by nathanalbright

One of the more interesting aspects of the way that Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility has been portrayed is the different feelings and judgments people make towards two of its male characters. When Marianne falls passionately in love with Willoughby, … Continue reading →

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On Reading Critical Literature

Posted on September 7, 2022 by nathanalbright

Today I received three books in the mail that all happened to be Norton Critical Editions of three of Jane Austen’s novels: Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, and Mansfield Park. I already had, thanks to a couple of online courses at … Continue reading →

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Every Critique Is A Revelation

Posted on August 24, 2022 by nathanalbright

One of the most notable aspects of life is that some of our most revealing efforts are critical ones. When we critique something, we are revealing something about ourselves, and we may not always want to reveal these things about … Continue reading →

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On The Responsibility Of Reviewers

Posted on February 3, 2022 by nathanalbright

What is the responsibility of a reviewer? Those who look through this blog and indeed throughout my larger body of writing as a whole will find that a substantial amount of my writing is related to the review of book, … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet?

Posted on February 2, 2022 by nathanalbright

Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet?: Further Puzzles In Classic Fiction, by John Sutherland This book is by no means flawless, it should be noted. An example of its flaws comes in the titular mystery of the book, where the author engages … Continue reading →

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On Lumping And Splitting

Posted on January 22, 2022 by nathanalbright

When I was a young person and downloading music files from various sites on the interwebs, one of the irritations I had to deal with was the labeling of the music files. As one might imagine, I would look for … Continue reading →

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Sir William Lucas And The Benefits Of Benign Authorial Providence

Posted on May 26, 2021 by nathanalbright

One of the more intriguing mysteries of Pride & Prejudice relates to the question of who “betrayed” Elizabeth Bennet to Lady Catherine De Burgh. Various people have tried their hand at unraveling this mystery, and the sorts of solutions we … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Jane Austen: A Beginner’s Guide

Posted on April 13, 2021 by nathanalbright

Jane Austen: A Beginner’s Guide, by Rob Abbott I am by no means a beginner to Jane Austen, having read her books and books about them starting in high school and continuing since then. Nevertheless, it is always interesting to … Continue reading →

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What John Really Wanted You To Know In John 20:1-10

Posted on April 11, 2021 by nathanalbright

Yesterday I had the chance to teach Sabbath school and talk about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and its importance, and one of the things that struck me was what John most wanted to communicate. It is always interesting to … Continue reading →

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