The Last Dance

Dr. Tobias Wilson-Bates (English) speaks to Dr. Pearl Chaozon-Bauer and Dr. Sabrina Gilchrist about the charged dance scene of Jane Austen’s Emma. We explore both how the scene operates as a microcosm of the entire novel, but also how its various customs signify meaning encompassing not just the nation, but an entire global mindset involving race, class, and gender.

Adults and children dancing in the parlor. Lower half of the page. Made in: USA. Date: 1850s. Record ID: chndm_1947-4-40.