Novels - Austen

At the time Jane Austen's novel was published between 1811 and 1818. English literature was not part of any academic core curriculum, In addition, fiction was under strenuous attack. Certain religious and political groups felt novels had the influence to make so-called immoral characters so interesting that young readers would identify with them; these groups also considered novels to be of little practical use. Even Cole-ridge, certainly no literary reactionary, spoke for many when he stated that 'novel-reading occasions the destruction of the mind's power. These thoughts towards novels help explain why Austen received little as twentieth-century criticism. In this attack in 1816 on novelistic portrayals 'outside of ordinary experience for instance. Scott made an insightful remark about the merits of Austen's fiction. Scott did not use the word "realistic probability in judging novels. The opponent whitely did not use the word pragmatism either, but he articulated agreement with Scott's evaluation and went on to suggest the possibilities for moral instruction in what we have called Austen's realistic technique. Her characters wrote whitely are were our own Moral instruction, explained Whitely, is more likely to be effective when conveyed through recognizably human and interesting characters then when imparted by a sermonizing storyteller. Why the religious and political groups felt the academic core curriculum should not include novels?