Essay on "Jane Austen's Characters"
Essay 4 pages (1242 words) Sources: 4 Style: APA
[EXCERPT] . . . .
AustenThe Influence of Class and Wealth on Friendship in the Novels of Jane Austen: A Comment on Irony
Jane Austen is the creator of some of the most memorable stories and characters to emerge from English novels; her men and women alike are rendered with a sharp eye for detail and a compassion that is apparent even in her treatment of some of the more dastardly of her villains. Yet there is also a large degree of inequality in the rendering of her characters made necessary by the extremely stratified society of which Austen was a part, and about which she wrote. Women are generally inactive creatures, and the busier among them are seen through Austen's eyes with at least a small amount of contempt as they try to pull strings forcing certain people and events to come together. Men, on the other hand, are generally painted most positively by Austen at the height of their action, often in saving women from physical, financial, or social danger. This imbalance is the source of much of the conflict in Austen's novels.
A similar dichotomy exists between the different classes as they are presented in Austen's novels. The characters are all generally of the middle class, but there is a wide and complex range of different stations within this middle class, and the various positions that the different characters in the novel occupy have huge effects both on what they are able to do and how they are portrayed during the course of their respective books. In Persuasion, Anne Elliott must attempt to negotiate a marriage for herself that satisfies both practical and emotional requirements. She also encounters and befriends a Mrs. Smith, a widow who is left impoveris
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The case of Mrs. Smith in Persuasion is only one of many examples from Austen's novels where an ironic twist of fate changes the financial and social situation of one or more characters in a way that alters friendships, but it is one of the most complete and complex. Mrs. Smith and her husband had originally been a part of the same social position as Anne Elliott and her family. Due to the ill advice and misguided friendship of William Elliott -- Anne's cousin -- Mr. And Mrs. Smith lost their fortune, and Mr. Smith's death left Mrs. Smith hopeless. Meanwhile, Mr. Elliott is trying to court Anne to solidify his position as her father's heir, but the knowledge of what he did to the Smiths plays a large part in Anne's decision to reject him.
The irony here is twofold: first, Mrs. Smith's ruined fortunes have no prospects of improving because they have been ruined (by Mr. Elliott's intervention, it should be noted), and second, Mr. Elliott's own chances at improving and solidifying his own situation by marrying Anne was ruined by his having taken advantage of the Smiths. The irony in Persuasion does not end here, however, but is actually carried to happier conclusions. Captain Wentworth, who had previously been rejected by Anne due to his own lack of wealth and station, returns from war in greatly improved circumstances and both wins back Anne and charitably assists Mrs. Smith out of her poverty. In a way, then, Mr. Elliott's less-than-scrupulous treatment of the Smith's set the stage for his downfall in more than one way, by souring his own chances with Anne Elliott and allowing Captain Wentworth the opportunity to play hero in Anne's eyes.
The ultimate lesson here, however, is that women of this class are completely… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Jane Austen's Characters" Assignment:
“***** Austen's use of irony in her novels offers important insights to her characters about life. What would Anne Elliot in Persuasion share with Harriet in Emma and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice about women, class mobility, and marriage in lessons learned from her friendship with Mrs. Smith?
Compare and contrast their experiences and lessons "learned". Can any of those lessons be applied to the experiences of women today? Why or why not?
Use minimal quotations from the books, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion, if necessary to make a point.
How to Reference "Jane Austen's Characters" Essay in a Bibliography
“Jane Austen's Characters.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2009, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/austen-influence-class/1813439. Accessed 1 Jul 2024.
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