Guest Post at The Book Rat

    ​Misty at The Book Rat  hosts an annual online event called "Austen in August" and invites participation from Janeites around the world to celebrate Jane Austen.
      My guest blog is based on a bit of advice that Jane Austen sent to her niece Anna Austen LeFroy concerning novel-writing. 
     Austen didn't care for the phrase "vortex of dissipation." She thought it was what we would call today a cliché. And a lot of authors used the term, as well as a lot of essayists! I supply just a sample in my blog post. Many 18th century novels showed dissipated characters, but for the purposes of morality, it was important that they either be reformed or be punished by the end of the story. Thus they provided both titillation and a moral lesson.
     I think my favourite dissipated character in 18th century literature is Lady Delacour from Belinda by Maria Edgeworth, though she doesn't use the word "vortex."
​      I've got more about the Vortex of Dissipation at this earlier post.