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'What's in a name? Jane Austen's Persuasion and the puzzle of poor Richard. (Miscellany).(Richard Musgrove)

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From: Persuasions: The Jane Austen Journal
Date: 20010101
Author:Kosmetatou, Elizabeth

JANE AUSTEN'S SEEMINGLY INSENSITIVE, indeed downright cruel comments in Persuasion about Mrs. Musgrove's grief over the death of her son (68), the elusive Richard ("Dick"), have puzzled, even outraged readers. Interpretations have ranged from characterizations of the author as "shockingly cruel," "harsh," "malicious," and "tasteless," to attempts to place similar insensitive comments, mostly found in Austen's letters, within the historical context of the Regency (Halperin 305; Sales 34; Heydt-Stevenson 51-52). Nevertheless, none of the theories proposed so far explain references ...

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