originally published 1/2/1996

Film and literary critic Alan Jacobs discusses how modern audiences relate to the manners and morals portrayed in Jane Austen films. One element in popular interest in these films might be a certain type of “manners envy” — a longing for a more ordered society with clear expectations. Another element, according to Jacobs, is the fact that the societal customs from Austen’s time hold a fascination precisely because they seem increasingly strange and alien to modern audiences. Jacobs and Ken Myers examine the relationship between manners and morality, particularly how practicing mannerly behavior might help one to live into an understanding of the moral framework that undergirds those customs. Jacobs argues that a society with no manners — or one in which manners are loosely defined — communicates that moral choices are not important.

16 minutes

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