Social Class in Jane Austen - 997 Words

Throughout this essay , I will be looking at the theme of social class in Jane Austen’s work ; critically analysed by Juliet McMaster, a chapter taken from ‘The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen’, edited by Edward Copeland and Juliet McMaster. Jane Austens novels at first glance tell a story of romance, set within the landowning society amidst country estates, and their cultivation of tea parties, social outings, and extravagant balls; ladies frolicking in flowing gowns through decorated rooms, and men deliberating over their game of whist. The storybook romance usually unfolds in these familiar settings, and inevitably involves the conflict of two lovers separated by differences in social class, and the resulting influence of the†¦show more content†¦This system unfairly gives privilege to one family member by giving him /her everything, for the preservation of the family name and the estate throughout the generations. Hence the five Longbourn girls ar e to be turned out upon their father’s death, since the estate is entailed to Mr. Collins. Charles Bingley is the most we witness of social mobility. He is a gentleman who lives a lavish life, and whose money was ‘acquired by trade’. He walks in his father’s footsteps, and once married to Jane, he does buy an estate. This means that the ‘next generation will be a step upwards in their social ladder. His sisters on the other hand are status and power hungry and are ‘proud and conceited’. Darcy, rebutes, very realistically that the Bennet sisters’ connection with trade, will prove to be an obstacle to their happiness and will lessen their chance of marrying men of prestige. The quality of humans is judged by moral and humane standards. Charlotte Lucas chooses to marry the pompous Mr. Collins, not for love but it is simply a marriage of convenience, in which she is the one finding it convenient. Through this Jane Austen presents the bleak and futile existence of women, as well as the happier outcome, of the heroine who finds fulfillment in marrying the man she loves. The servants in Jane Austen’s novels represent the poor working class. The ‘poor’ are seldom mentioned, except through Lady Catherine’s scolding of degradation. Human worth shouldShow MoreRelatedBritish Social Class in Mansfield Park by Jane Austen1742 Words   |  7 Pagessocially oriented novel. In this novel Jane Austen closely describe the everyday life of rural middle class society, its gaieties and hardships, describing a distinct system of moral and social principles influencing people’s lives in that period, women status in the system and female life expectations. In the novel Austen shows the efforts of some trying to break the predetermined limitations in order to improve their social class and rank. Austen pointed out the social threats that might ruin the women’sRead MoreJane Austen And Charlott e Bronte s Social Class1748 Words   |  7 PagesIn both texts, both authors; Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte explore social class in a number of ways. They do this through the use of their stylistic devices and this in turn appeals to their different audiences. Both Jane and Charlotte are notable writers for their remarkable texts. Jane Austen is known for playing a revolutionary role in the generation of English female literature, which was counteracted by this piece- and Charlotte Bronte further developed her feminist thoughts, which have beenRead MorePride And Prejudice By Jane Austen Essay1724 Words   |  7 PagesPrejudice, by Jane Austen, is a fascinating book about a young woman’s struggle with family and love. 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Secondly, I willRead MoreJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice1231 Words   |  5 PagesPrejudice, Jane Austen states that the desire for better social connections interferes with the workings of love through the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth to criticize the social class structure of the 19th century. Anxieties about social connections or the desire for better social connections, interfere with the workings of love. Darcy and Elizabeth s realization of a mutual and tender love seems to imply that Jane Austen views love as something independent of these social forces, asRead MoreEssay on Jane Austen and Social Status1559 Words   |  7 PagesJane Austen essay outline Jane Austen, the English novelist, often spoke of what living under social classes was like with the status of women and their class during her time in the nineteenth century. Miss Austens novels all outlined this common link, during which she shows how it affects other peoples views of one another with respect. The upper class did not work, and contained some of the oldest families, in which most were titled aristocrats. Most of the income was received upon birthRead MorePride And Prejudice By Jane Austen Essay1711 Words   |  7 PagesPrejudice, by Jane Austen, is a fascinating book about a young woman’s struggle with family and love. Pride and Prejudice was originally published in 1813, but, the most common version of the story, and the one used for this research, is from the version published in 1892, still by only Jane Austen, though many other authors have contributed to this book over time. Austen often references the class system at the time, often noting one of the multiple heroine’s struggle to marry outside of the class that theyRead MoreComparative Study: Letters to Alice and Pride and Prejudice1502 Words   |  7 Pagescentral values shared and explored by evaluating them; presenting them against Jane Austens context and that of Fay Weldon. Mirroring Austens n ovel, Weldon presents the central values for women such as the social values of moral behaviour, independence, and, literary values of reading and writing, from Pride and Prejudice and adapts them to a 20th Century context. Weldons novels subtitle, On First Reading Jane Austen, suggests that the novel should serve as a filter to assist readers. The implicationRead MoreJane Austen: Pride and Prejudice 1086 Words   |  5 PagesJane Austen, born December 16, 1775, was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction earned her a place as one of the most widely read authors in English literature. Austen’s novels critique the life of the second half of the eighteenth century and are part of the transition to nineteenth-century realism. Though her novels were by no means autobiographical, her fictional characters do shed light on the facts of her life and but more importantly, they offered aspiring writers a model of howRead More With particular reference to the novel opening , how does Jane Austen1247 Words   |  5 PagesWith particular reference to the novel opening, how does Jane Austen present the role of women in pride and prejudice? Pride and Predujice With particular reference to the novel opening, how does Jane Austen present the role of women in pride and prejudice? Pride and prejudice was first published in 1893, this was a time when it just became acceptable for women to write and publish books. Pride and prejudice was set in the early 19th century in rural England. Pride and Prejudice