tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post2230782056101863503..comments2023-06-10T22:42:19.087+10:00Comments on Australasian Christian Writers: Book Review - The Spirituality of Jane Austen, by Paula HollingsworthUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-59206574950607860012017-05-25T14:23:12.726+10:002017-05-25T14:23:12.726+10:00Hi Jenny,
That's a very fair point. Even the e...Hi Jenny,<br />That's a very fair point. Even the edgiest material in Rev George Austen's library was possibly very tame compared to all the unimaginable 21st century input that internet filters aim to cover :) Many folk of the time possibly judged his collection in a harsher light to the way the general public would nowadays, which may be a bit sad in a way, since it shows tolerance levels change over the centuries, however inevitable.<br /><br />And yes, the clergy certainly was regarded as much of a career path as a spiritual calling in Jane's time. I've even seen a bit of trend that way in our time, in some ways. I remember talking to some young fellows who considered their work in the Anglican church as more of a vocation option back in the 90s, and being quite surprised by their attitude. <br /><br />It is an interesting book, which gets us thinking as much about our own mindsets as people in the Regency Era. Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-33838084118876764072017-05-25T08:35:01.803+10:002017-05-25T08:35:01.803+10:00Hi Paula. This sounds like a fascinating book. Of ...Hi Paula. This sounds like a fascinating book. Of course, not all the clergy Jane portrays are presented in a negative light and few, if any, are evangelicals or Wesleyan. Most are career clergymen in a era when the clergy were often seen as an appropriate profession for younger sons and the local laird was the one who made clerical appointments. Belief, piety, ability or calling had little to do with it. <br /><br />Interesting point about restrictions on our children's reading. With respect to internet filters though - having seen a torrid phonographic site lwith explicit images of paedphila inked to a friend's poem pirated & to Shakespearean and other classic poems that could have been easily accessed by a child and also knowing that one friend's ten year stumbled on another, I think the internet is not nearly as benign as Reverend George Austen's library, however many trashy bestsellers it might have contained. I think that's a different question from whether and at what age children should read Harry Potter. <br /><br />Jeanette O'Haganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11057798704247611224noreply@blogger.com