This study aims to explore the female homoerotic potential within the scene of musical performance in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park (1814). Because women's musical performance during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was deeply tied to the marriage market, it is frequently discussed in relation to patriarchy and the male gaze. Consequently, debates on musical scenes in Austen’s works often focus on whether she subverts or submits to patriarchal norms. However, these existing arguments share a limitation: they operate strictly within a heteronormative framework. Admittedly, music functions across Austen’s novels as a device generating intimacy that triggers heterosexual romance and marriage. Yet, this music-induced intimacy does not need to be restricted exclusively to heterosexuality. Adopting a queer perspective greatly expands the interpretive possibilities regarding musical performance in Austen's works. In Mansfield Park, after Mary Crawford plays the harp for the heroine, Fanny Price, the text states, “Such was the origin of the sort of intimacy”between them. What exactly does this “sort of intimacy” refer to? Drawing on queer studies that highlight historical background of female same-sex desire at that time, critics have already pointed out the lesbian subplot between Fanny and Mary. By focusing on their harp scene, this paper demonstrates that Austen’s musical performances cannot be strictly contained within conventional heteronormative plots. They function as intimate spaces to foster homoerotic bonds between women. Ultimately, this analysis serves as a crucial first step toward revealing the true diversity of intimacy fostered by music in Jane Austen's literature.

Authors:
Aoi Ishizuna, University of Tsukuba, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Ms. Aoi Ishizuna is currently a Master's student in the Degree Programs in Humanities and Social Sciences within the Graduate School of Business Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Tsukuba, Japan.

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