The following is the email that I sent to BYU's Dr. Mason today. He is a literature professor who specializes in Romantic British Literature. He is also teaching the Henry James and Jane Austen course right now so I figured he would be the best person to contact.
Hello Dr. Mason,
My name is Shelly Jebe and I am a student in Dr. Burton's Literature of Awe course, English 495. I am writing my final paper on how Jane Austen uses the "rhetoric of awe" in her novels; I noticed that you are teaching the James and Austen course this semester and I hoped you might be able to help me with some of my ideas and research. Essentially, I'm arguing that she uses the Gothic sublime, illusion, and epiphany--all in some way related to historical uses of awe in literature--satirically. Most of the research I need for this portion of my argument is finished, however I am worried about my conclusion. I plan on arguing that a genuine source of "awe" can be found in Austen's realism. However, I'm very new to the scholarly discussion of Austen as a realist and I'm not sure where to start. I am going to look into Ashley Tauchert's book Romancing Jane Austen: Narrative, Realism and the Possibility of a Happy Ending, but I am wondering if you could direct me to any other important sources that discuss Austen as a realist. Also, from a professional and scholarly perspective, is my assertion that realism potentially leads to inspiring and transcendent awe grounded enough to be believable? Thank you so much for reading my email and for any help that you can provide! If you are unsure what my arguments are or how you can help me, please just email me back. I am also available to meet with you whenever convenient if that would be helpful. Thank you!
Shelly Jebe
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