Home Entertainment Practices in Austin’s Mansfield Park and Bronte’s Jane Eyre

The following paper investigates the role that home entertainment practices play in revealing the events that take place in Jane Austin’s Mansfield Park and Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. In Mansfield Park, a large section of the novel is devoted to depicting an attempt of organizing and performing a home theatrical. In Jane Eyre, there is a brief yet very crucial game of charades performed at Thornfield Hall. In both novels, there are fortune-hunters who use the home entertainment practices to achieve their goals, and, in contrast, there are the heroines of both novels who stand out and refuse to take part in those practices. The following study offers an interpretation of the theatricals in Mansfield Park and their implications as well as the game of charades and its significance in Jane Eyre. Key words: Home entertainment practices; Theatrical; Charades; Performances; Acting; Foreshadowing