Jane Austen Gamers and Performers

摘要

This article examines two motifs, gaming and theatrical performance, in Jane Austen novels. Austen shows moral concerns regarding these two social activities: she opposes obsessive gaming and the pretentiousness of dramatic performances. In Pride and Prejudice she employs card games as metaphors for different personalities, and later in Emma she portrays game players as highly dramatic actors. Gamers are therefore also performers in these novels because both gaming and performances are related to duplicity. Through the examination of Austen representations of gamers and performers one sees how Austen sharpens her ideas and moral judgments.