New Books Network Zoë McGee, "Courting Disaster: Reading Between the Lines of the Regency Novel" (Manchester UP, 2025)
Jan 15, 2026
Zoë McGee, an academic specializing in 18th- and early-19th-century literature, discusses how novels by Austen and her contemporaries reflect on sexual consent and societal attitudes. She connects themes from Regency novels to modern #MeToo debates, revealing that these literary works provide insights into historical rape culture. McGee analyzes characters like Fanny Price and explores how financial control complicates consent. She contemplates the enduring relevance of these issues and the responsibility of literature to educate about consent and victimhood.
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Personal Spark For The Book
- Zoë McGee describes her university experience with widespread campus sexual assaults and debates over consent workshops.
- She links that moment to Mr. Collins' Pride and Prejudice proposal and began researching consent in Regency novels.
Clarissa Reveals Legal Blindspots
- Samuel Richardson's Clarissa exposes legal flaws by showing a woman raped while unconscious who couldn't legally 'resist'.
- Richardson refuses to rehabilitate the charming assailant Lovelace and emphasizes his villainy.
Domestic Abuse In Fancy Settings
- Zoë McGee reads Fanny Price in Mansfield Park as a victim of domestic abuse and social precarity.
- She argues subtle daily control and dependence count as forms of victimization.
