Jane Austen and pets

I was checking my email and Barnes and Noble are advertising the Nook, which is a new ebook reader. The page showing on the Nook just happens to be the first page of Pride and Prejudice.

Then again, there was also an ad for Sarah Palin's new "future bestseller". Yeesh.

There's a display in the UCF library as you walk in with images of Cuba. One picture shows a woman in her doorway. She doesn't look happy. What I noticed was the heavily barred window with the nondescript medium sized tan dog standing on the inside of the window looking out through the bars at her.

What do this dog and Lars have to do with Jane Austen?


Nothing.


There's not much in the Jane Austen literature to suggest pets were a part of her life. During my trip to England (my self arranged Jane Austen tour, that is) there were no descriptions of any pets in any of the Jane Austem museums or homes that I visited. Dogs do have cameos in the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice, but I am pretty sure that this is a cinematic decision, and the dogs are all large and mostly likely working dogs. Plus, they are only shown at the homes of the people w/ money: Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. In Mansfield Park there is the only mention of a pet that I can recall in any of her books. Fanny Price goes to live at the home of a very rich relative, and his wife is constantly asleep w/ her pug in her lap. When the family is trying to convince Fanny to marry Henry the cad, she wakes up and states that Fanny can have a puppy from pug's next litter, which is more than her own daughter, Maria, received. The comment is completely out of the blue and has nothing to do with the discussion. The implication is that she approves of Fanny marrying Henry more than she approved of Maria's marriage.

That this ridiculous situation is the only time Ms. Austen writes about pets suggests that they were a novelty, frivolous, and a luxury only for the rich. She herself did not have money to spare.


But I think pets are far from ridiculous. Everyone should have something to pet, and studies (which I am not going to cite for you) show that having a pet can reduce stress. So I have to disagree with her. Sorry, Jane.


But please remember to adopt, and spay or neuter.