Jane Austen 's The 19th Century Society

In Austen’s novel, the patriarchal institution of marriage is a strong example of the “masculinized world” that forces women into submissive gender roles in the domestic sphere. The main character of story, Elinor Dashwood, is a young women with logic, good sense, and a strong sense of her own identity as a woman. However, Elinor is contrasted by submissive women that simply follow the orders of their husbands. For instance, Lady Middleton is a woman of the upper classes that Elinor encounters, which describes the slavery of domestic servitude in the “mediocre” woman: “Her manners had all the elegance which her husband's wanted. But they would have been improved by some share of his frankness and warmth” (Austen 31). This is how de Beauvoir defines he submissive power of the “masculine world” as being a

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice examines and critiques a society built upon gender roles. Austen does this by examining the obstacles women experienced in the Regency Period. Austen expresses how women were controlled, and objectified by men through their need to get married to a man. Additionally, the novel ridicules how women who could not afford to live without men were shadowed by their partner. This commentary is seen through the portrayal of the Bennet sisters. The females of the family are forced to marry because they do not inherit any wealth. The family is forced to comply with the same boundaries Austen was governed by. Therefore, Austen focuses on how the Bennet sisters overcome a society that suppresses them. This allows the reader to comprehend the strength, perseverance, determination, and assertiveness of the women in this time. Overall, Jane Austen addresses gender issues throughout the story. This is seen in the progressive image of Elizabeth, as she combats the inequality women experience. Although it was not common for women to criticize the patriarchy, the overall depiction of females is progressive. Elizabeth represents Austen’s feminist views, and the depiction of women in the novel is seen through her feminist image as she deals with Mr. Collins and Mr. Darcy.

In Austen’s time, issues such as the role of women and marriage were heavily enforced. The role of women in a patriarchal society, especially female power and control were important in the regency period. Women had very little control of their lives and the only thing that would provide them with security was marriage. Since, not many women worked in the 19th century, marriage was very significant and would secure a woman’s future, financial assets and social status.

The progress between Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s relationship, in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) illustrates and explores several the key themes in the novel. Their relationship highlights class expectations, pride and prejudice, and marriage, and how they play a major role in determining the course of their association. These are outlined through their first prejudiced dislike of each other when they first meet, the stronger feelings for Elizabeth that develop on Darcy’s side, her rejection in Darcy’s first proposal, then her change of opinion and lastly the mutual love they form for one another. Pride and Prejudice is set up as a satire, commenting on human idiocy, and Jane Austen

Marriage is a crucial stage in a person’s life, but it played an even bigger role in Austen’s’ time, especially for women. Wickham is a disliked character in the novel because of the way he takes advantage of a situation. Charlotte is an obedient wife who does not miss a marriage proposal. Elizabeth on the other hand, does not mind taking her time to find a husband. Therefore, she would be considered the most independent character in the story. Austen is occupied trying to cover the different aspects of marriage.

Elizabeth Bennet, a woman of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, was doomed to be forever tied to the expectations society had for women of the time. She was to be wed to a befitting suitor, and behave as a woman should. That being said, it becomes quite clear to the reader (along with the other characters) that Elizabeth couldn’t care less of the expectations society had for her--at least, far less than most women of her time did. Elizabeth, while tied to the society she was born into, did not let the whims of the populace dictate every move she made in her life, most specifically of how and when to be wed.

Elizabeth Bennet does not feel lightly, she does not believe in hiding one’s opinions, nor does she mask her own under the cloak of class barriers and social expectation she is bound by. In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, a look into Elizabeth’s mind is not rare, however it is seldom positive. The middle Bennet is at her core a misunderstood and confused character, and Austen chooses to show us only her most contradictory thoughts. We stood by Lizzy while Darcy crooned his affections, which she thinks of with satirical vehemence, and in Volume three chapter 1 we see her waver “to be mistress of Pemberley might be something!” Upon close reading and comparing all of Elizabeth’s insights we see her negotiations with herself, her loyalty for

In her opening statement, Austen illustrates the the reasoning for marriage at this time, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (Austen 9). For nearly everyone in the eighteenth century,marriage was seen as a business. A man seeked a wife solely because it was seen as a requirement to be viewed as a resectable addition to society. Once a man asked a woman for her hand in marriage, the woman would almost always immediately accept, as it was valued as an honor for a woman to be desired for this type of role. Her family was to pay her future husband a sum of money in which he saw suitable. Austen’s protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, contradicts this belief. She finds it ridiculous and in a way humorous that men and women actually find a status such as this something of honor. In contrast, Elizabeth Bennet feels marriage should be something that holds greater value than a price tag and a measurement of one’s worthiness for a good reputation, but rather she feels it should be based off of feelings that a man and woman share for one another. As said by Elizabeth herself, “The true perfection of man lies not in what he has, but in what he is.” Jane Austen constructs a way in which Elizabeth Bennet mocks marriages formulated in the ways in which she disagrees

Here, the rigidity of classes is presented to the responder through Elizabeth’s advice to Mr Collins; “[that the] honour must belong to My Darcy, the superior in consequence, to begin the acquaintance”, as he attempts to introduce himself to Mr Darcy. However, Weldon prompts that whilst the characters of the novel conform to this intrinsic value for class centred society, Austen also hints at the disruption of class systems through Mr Darcy’s autonomy; “marrying where he loved and not where he ought”. Here, Weldon asserts that “Jane Austen likes to see the division between nobility and gentry broken down”, in which “Elizabeth Bennet brought neither land nor money to Mr Darcy- but intelligence, vigour and honesty”. Weldon advocates this kind of autonomy in which Elizabeth’s bildungsroman; “till this moment, I never knew myself” highlights her ability to self-reflect and grow. This is compared to the caricature of Mary, who constantly “copies out extracts” from the books she reads, yet ironically, at times “had not the words” to add to a discussion, where Weldon’s notion of “primitive creature” who “knows more and understands less” is highlighted.

Elizabeth is no ordinary woman, even at the age of eighty six, she manages to be the cynosure that she was in her youth. What can we say about a woman in her seventies who tries to woo the guy meant to court her daughter? It must be as shocking as an eighty year old grandpa going to remarry! Strong willed and unbending Elizabeth commands and rules the lives of people around her. To Elizabeth, death is something which is subject to her will. “But I shan’t die – or anyway, not till I feel like it. I don’t believe anybody dies who doesn’t want to” (White 63).

The great difference in Caroline and Elizabeth’s views in women's roles and gender equality also accentuate Elizabeth strong independent nature. In aspect to men, Elizabeth and Jane have very clear differences in their approaches to men. Austen’s distinctive and unique writing allows her to greatly contrast Elizabeth with the other characters and to affirm her feminist

The protagonist of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet, shares her personal thoughts, feelings, and impressions with her elder sister Jane Bennet. Through confiding in Jane, Elizabeth shares more. She allows Jane to share her pleasure and distress. As Elizabeth’s confidante, Jane influences the plot, theme, and message that Jane Austen conveys in the novel.

Elizabeth Bennet, a main protagonist, depicts the idea of an atypical female during the Regency Era. The women of this Era were expected to be more meek and vulnerable. Like the other female characters, Elizabeth was raised in a society where women was dependent on their husbands and families. However, she significantly shows fearlessness and independence. When Mr. Collins, who is pompous and moron, asked her hand in marriage because there is no male to inherit, Elizabeth rejects him by saying, “You could not make me happy, and I am convinced I am the last woman in the world who would make you so” (Austen, 120). Since being able for a women to turn down a suitable offer of marriage was highly uncommon, this strongly shows that Elizabeth is independent and smart enough to realise that he is far from a suitable mate for her marriage, and thereby rejecting him.

In order to fully comprehend Jane Austen’s criticism and judgment of socially constructed beliefs of women, it is important to be familiar with the context of gender roles during Jane Austen’s era of publication. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, England endured radical economic change. Transitioning from an agrarian-based economy to a society relying on industrialization directly affected the roles of women in England. Before this extreme change in economic focus, women working in an agricultural society experienced some degree of equality as their male counterparts and husbands. Subsequent to this economic development, men started receiving more opportunities to pursue their

Over the course of history, women's general social standing has ranged anywhere from merely someone’s wife to beloved queens. However, in a majority of cultures, women are and have been seen as the weaker sex and less capable than their male counterpart. Even today, in what is considered to be an open-minded and forward-thinking society, prejudice and inequality still remain. Lingering stereotypes from archaic mindsets are present in 2018, so one can only imagine what was said of women in the 1800s. Jane Austen was a revolutionary thinker in terms of women’s equality when there was none. In a time where the only thing given to a woman was a dress and advice to smile prettily, she changed the normal basis put forth for marriage. That being said,