31st Annual Student Research Conference
"Invite him to dinner, but leave him to choose his own wife": An Examination of Hospitality Practices in Austen
Abbie R. Donaldson
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
The social norms that govern interaction between "outsiders" and "insiders" within the sphere of the home are often referred to under an umbrella term "hospitality," without further inspection or clarification of what the term entails. However, as the characters of Austen's novels and other works demonstrate, engagement in hospitality practices requires operating within a complex framework of social constraints that delineate rights, duties, and limits for both hosts and guests. This paper will examine the etiquette of hosting and being hosted in Jane Austen's Emma and Pride and Prejudice, placing Elizabeth Bennet as guest and Emma Woodhouse as host in conversation with one another and with other fictional hosts and guests from Austen's past and our present.
Keywords: Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Game of Thrones, Beowulf, Hospitality
Topic(s):English
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 403-2
Location: MG 1096
Time: 2:45