{"id":727,"date":"2017-05-19T13:59:48","date_gmt":"2017-05-19T18:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/researchbdev.wpengine.com\/digital-computational-studies\/?p=727"},"modified":"2017-11-21T09:35:43","modified_gmt":"2017-11-21T14:35:43","slug":"conclusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/digital-computational-studies\/student-research\/jane-austen\/conclusion\/","title":{"rendered":"Conclusion"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the novel, Austen does not seem to accept gossip as frivolous; indeed, she defends it by making it useful and even central to her novels.\u00a0 As Erin M. Goss writes, \u201cAusten\u2019s turn to this oft-derided speech act seems designed \u2013 much like her turn to novels in Northanger Abby<\/em> (1818) \u2013 to defend it against the derogation, so often lodged at novels as well, of its uselessness, frivolity, and potential for harm,\u201d (Goss, 170).\u00a0 In making gossip such a central aspect of Emma<\/em>, Austen legitimizes it as a form of social connection.\u00a0 She does not mock it or belittle it, but instead portrays it as necessary and interesting.\u00a0 Gossip is not only part of the plot of Emma<\/em>; it lays the foundation for the plot.\u00a0 Emma\u2019s personal growth is rooted in her own mistakes.\u00a0 Time and time again, she meddles where she shouldn\u2019t and tries to form attachments where none exist.\u00a0 These mistakes could not exist without gossip, and neither could Emma\u2019s own growth.\u00a0 For example, in attempting to match Harriet Smith with Mr. Elton, Emma attempts to discuss Harriet\u2019s health with him, to which he responds poorly.\u00a0 Emma\u2019s personal growth is only possible because of gossip.<\/p>\n

In these graphs, we see the women of Emma <\/em>take center stage and dominate the social scene.\u00a0 Although the men are objects of interest, they are not generally gossips.\u00a0 In this way, these graphs allow us to see how women dominate the interactions of Emma<\/em> from a data-driven perspective.\u00a0 This trend is evident in the \u201cFull Novel, About\u201d<\/a> graph, in which women dominate the gossip, while men are more equally gossiped about.\u00a0 Consider Miss Bates\u2019s node in \u201cChapter 3, About,\u201d<\/a> as she gossips about far more people than anyone else.\u00a0 Here, we see one example of a relatively poor woman using her ability to gossip to her advantage, and we see this phenomenon confirmed graphically.\u00a0 Additionally, consider how Frank Churchill uses this network of gossip to his advantage in \u201cChapter 8, About.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0 <\/strong>He mimics all of Emma\u2019s theories, using the gossip around Jane\u2019s pianoforte and Emma\u2019s propensity for speculation to his advantage.\u00a0 Not only do we see how women make use of this social capital to elevate their own importance, but we also see how men might use this network strategically to their advantage.<\/p>\n

This project has addressed, and, in some ways, confirmed the literature surrounding the question of gossip as social capital in Emma<\/em>. \u00a0In a patriarchal society, Austen\u2019s female characters use gossip as a way to amplify their own voices and maintain some form of power.\u00a0 Knowledge provides a certain amount of social currency in the world of the novels.\u00a0 In a society where sources of entertainment were limited and women were barred from most forms of work, gossip becomes a common pastime, and having access to information gives the gossiper some power. Austen elevates female voices through the use of gossip, and we may look to this graphical evidence for a greater understanding of how she does so.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the novel, Austen does not seem to accept gossip as frivolous; indeed, she defends it by making it useful and even central to her novels.\u00a0 As Erin M. Goss writes, \u201cAusten\u2019s turn to this oft-derided speech act seems designed \u2013 much like her turn to novels in Northanger Abby (1818) \u2013 to defend it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":754,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[26],"class_list":{"0":"post-727","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jane-austen","8":"tag-jane-austen-project","9":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/digital-computational-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/digital-computational-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/digital-computational-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/digital-computational-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/digital-computational-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=727"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/digital-computational-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/digital-computational-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/digital-computational-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/digital-computational-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/digital-computational-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}