Seeing this article in the River Gazette (the faculty/alum/PR newspaper of my alma mater, St. Mary's College of Maryland) in December just warmed my heart. It begins:
"I am a member of a cult. We have a special name for ourselves, which we owe to a short story written by Rudyard Kipling. I use this gifts issue of the River Gazette to publicly proclaim my membership and express my gratitude to our leader for the holy works that she has handed down to us. I am a Janeite."
Anyone who has had the pleasure of taking one of Robin's classes won't be terribly shocked by this "confession." It is a thought-provoking reflection on how one man's responses to Jane's novels have evolved over the years. The full piece is here (pdf). Please take a moment to read it. Dr. Bates is a witty, warm-hearted man whose classes were the most rewarding and inspiring of any I took. I'm so happy to be able to share this with my readers!
2 comments:
What an excellent article. Thanks for sharing!
What an insightful article! Dr. Bates has articulated why we admire Jane in the first place...and what a learning experience you must have had being in his class. I look forward to the rest of the five JA films coming up on PBS. Thanks again for sharing this wonderful article with all Janeites! --Arti of Ripple Effects.
Post a Comment