Pemberley

I have been a Pemberlean since 2001, and may be the oldest (in terms of birthdays) member. In the years since I was a Newbie, I have seen many come and go, and have made a number of friends, most of whom I have never seen and never will this side of the grave. It seems to me that in the last 2 or 3 years the Republic has become overly politically correct. I am in full agreement that Pemberley is no place for religious or political arguments. However, matters of religion and politics are very apt to come up on some of the boards. I often post on GK Chesterton and it is hardly possible to talk about GKC while ignoring religion. None of my posts on him have been deleted.

Religion is a vital part of Jane Austen. For example, it is hardly possible to discuss Mansfield Park while ignoring the religious matters that are so important in the story. The matter of divorce and the Church of England's position in the matter came up for a lot of discussion, especially as many Pemberleans knew almost nothing about it. I doubt that we could have the same discussions today.

Early in my years at Pemberley we had the Fanny Wars, which were a lot of fun. At least one lady accused me of being an immoral man because I like Henry Crawford. Again, today,
I doubt that our exchange would be tolerated. Hope I'm wrong, and I will try to start the Fanny Wars up again.