Men, Women, and the Willful Misinterpretation of Female Speech Female discourse in Jane Austens books is vigorously directed by the impulses of her male characters, and despite the fact that [f]emale discourse is never altogether curbed in Austens fiction, [it] is directed in order to reflect or in any case console manly want (Johnson 37). Be that as it may, there are times when ladies stray from the gendered rules of discourse and, in communicating their conclusions, compromise male authority over talk. In these circumstances men resort to either hardheaded confusion or constrained quiet so as to step ladies once again into their verbal control. Mary Crawford and Elizabeth Bennet are two of Austens increasingly powerful dangers to male command over talk, however even the tame and unobtrusive Fanny Price can turn into a danger by leaving from the gendered rules of discourse. When she denies Henrys proposition, Sir Thomas is shocked, having [expected] from Fanny [a] happy availability to be guided?
