#interesting interpretation

"What Maria Bertram wants from Henry Crawford is not sexual. Nor is Austen's condemnation made on the grounds of Maria's sexuality. Austen's negative view of a sexuality that is really asexuality has a significantly different basis from the negative views of sexuality in novels like Clarissa or Laclos' Les liaisons Dangereuses. From the time of the couple acting together in Lovers' Vows, theirs was a game of power and self-assertion on Henry0s part and the self-preening of an adored object on Maria's. Maria's feelings for Henry have everything to do with her desire to be first in society, her competitiveness with her sister and with Fanny, and a love of conquest that at least matches Henry's own. She needs the light from his eyes to brighten her dull sense of her own value.

Simon: Hello, Janine.

Daimon is occult power, a force that drives man forward where no agent can be named. The individual feels as it were that the ode is with him, he acts with the daimon, syn daimoni, or else when everything turns against him, he stands against the daimon, pros daimona, especially when a god is favoring his adversary … Every god can act as daimon, not every act of his reveals the god. Daimon is the veiled countenance of divine activity.

For even Isaiah the prophet says to the sinful daughter of Babylon, You have burning coals, sit upon them, they will be a help to you.” Perhaps then here as well these burning coals that are gathered upon the enemy’s head are gathered there to be a help to him. For it can come to pass that the savage and barbaric spirit of an enemy, should he sense our kindness and see our humanity, affection, and piety, may be seized with remorse in his heart. He may repent of what has has done.