Intertextual Techniques In Letters To Alice

In your comparative study of two texts, our understanding of intertextual connections is enhanced by a consideration of each composer’s use of textual form

To what extent does this view accord with your comparative study of the prescribed texts?

Through intertextual connections, texts continuously provide readers with an enhanced understanding of context and key values that are shaped through the literary form, ultimately expanding upon proceeding works and generating a greater appreciation for earlier texts. Fay Weldon’s non-fiction epistolary piece “Letters to Alice: On first Reading Jane Austen” (1984) allows contemporary audience to gain insights into concerns such as the role of women and social class in Jane Austen’s novel “Pride and

Letters to Alice consists of letters written by the protagonist Aunt Fay, to her niece Alice, in an attempt to provide guidance particularly on the writings of Jane Austen. Weldon uses the intertextual reference of the term “Angel of the House”, cited from Coventry Patmore’s poem of the same name, to explore the ideals of the perfect woman. Additionally, Weldon furthers the idea of the “Angel of the House”, through anaphora, “She was intensely sympathetic. She was immensely charming. She was utterly unselfish”, expanding upon the thought that women were domesticated and sacrificed themselves to be subordinate to their husbands. As a distinct feature of her non-fiction form, Weldon uses statistics specifically in advising Alice of the occupational opportunities for women in the 19th century, stating she could be “a prostitute - 70,000, they reckoned, in London at the turn of the century, out of a population of some 900,000. Or you could marry”, depicting the apparent limited life choices available for women. In juxtaposition to this, a pretentious tone is used by Aunt Fay as she warns Alice of procrastination while completing her novel, stating she will “finish with a boyfriend, or start another affair; quarrel with [her] parents”, highlighting the progression of societal opinions towards relationships, which are considered to be less rigid in comparison to those within Austen’s