Marriage By Jane Austen s Emma - 1424 Words

During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, a person’s social rank was based on their reputation, wealth, family, and most importantly marriage, as it was the primary way in which someone could elevate their status. Jane Austen’s Emma, explores a number of marriages and anticipated vows, and how the relationships are often based on social status. The rise in social rank through romantic relationships is essential to women as they are unable to improve their status through personal achievements. At the time, social norms dictated that marriage be a critically important accomplishment for women, especially since they had very few prospects for employment. For example, Harriet is astonished that Emma chooses to remain single given the stigma associated with unmarried women, such as poor Miss Bates. Austen also highlights how the wealthy and â€Å"well-bred† govern society through their strategic distribution of invitations and steering of new friendship s. In contrast, people with less means depend on the charity of those in a higher social strata. In the book Emma, the criteria for proper marriages is examined as well as the class conflicts that often interfered with romantic relationships. The book also underscores the gender limitations women experienced. Jane Austen, a talented female novelist during the nineteenth century, is very well known for writing romantic fiction novels that combine with the social verisimilitude of her time, including some of her mostShow MoreRelatedEmma Cultural Context1084 Words   |  5 PagesEmma by Jane Austen Cultural context The novel I have studied is Emma by Jane Austen. The cultural context to which we are introduced in the novel Emma by Jane Austen, is the world of the middle classes in the nineteenth century. In this essay I will look, firstly, at the role of women in this world. I will examine the very limited opportunities a woman had in terms of education and finding a career which would allow her to live an independent life in the world of the novel. Secondly, I willRead MoreThe Woman Of A Tradesman Essay1537 Words   |  7 PagesHartfield after their marriage. In spite of the fact that Emma is unmistakably a flight from the usual and ordinary Austen s depiction of women, the other female characters in the novel bring to light the challenges confronting ladies without monetary autonomy. Miss Bates, Jane Fairfax, and Harriet Smith represent three conceivable situations for the women who do not have high social status and position like Emma. Miss Bates never wedded and is reliant on her mother s insignificant wage.Read MoreJane Austen s Criticism And Judgment Of Socially Constructed Beliefs Of Women1199 Words   |  5 Pagesunconventional female characters that defied social customs, Jane Austen utilized her literary pieces as a framework to critique misogynist beliefs formed by society. Living in a patriarchal society dominated by men and harsh gender roles in England, Jane Austen sought to transform cultural values. She used the ideology of marriage and her heroines’ refusal of courtship to effectively and strategically chas tise sexist views on gender and marriage. Her development of defiant characters showcases her strongRead More Genteel People and Honest Hearts in Jane Austens Emma Essay examples1575 Words   |  7 PagesEmma:   Genteel People and Honest Hearts  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Emma, Jane Austen gives us ‘only the surface of the lives of genteel people’?   Though not necessarily a commonly used term today, the meaning of ‘genteel people’ is easily assumed. Good birth and breeding are not necessarily the only ‘qualities’ of genteel people: simple generosity, courtesy and elegance can also apply, as well as marriage into the class. The majority of the characters in Emma to some extent expand this definition to provideRead MoreThe Fellowship Of Marriage And Marriage1661 Words   |  7 PagesThe Fellowship of Marriage Marriage has always been a convoluted subject to every era of time, especially when wealth is brought into the equation of it. During the Romantic Era, the state of marriage illustrated women’s continued inequality in society. For instance, women lacked legal equality once they entered marriage due to coverture, which is the condition of a woman during her married life, when she is under the law of being the authority of and protection of her husband. This basically entailsRead MoreA Brief Note On Emma By Jane Austen Essay2070 Words   |  9 PagesTerm Paper in English 1 On Emma by Jane Austen In partial fulfillment of the requirements for Award of Degree of B.A [HONS.]ENGLISH Submitted by: Supervised by: Rashmi Priya Mrs. Suchi agarwal Amity Institute of English Studies and Research Amity University Uttar Pradesh India DECLARATION I Rashmi Priya student of B.A (Hons.) English of Amity Institute of English Studies and ResearchRead MoreTheme of Transformation in Emma1209 Words   |  5 PagesEmma also transforms into a proper woman through correcting her original neglect. Trollope states that â€Å"[i]n every passage of the book she is in fault for some folly, some vanity, some ignorance, or indeed for some meanness† (7)19. Because of her ignorance toward attitudes of her neighbors, Emma interferes through their lives in a way that makes them unhappy, for â€Å"she had often been negligent† (Austen 359)20. Mr. Knightley predicts the outcome of Emma’s plans in the beginning of the novel when heRead MoreJane Austen s Novel And Literature Essay3982 Words   |  16 PagesChapter 1: Introduction Jane Austen was a young novelist, whose works of romantic fiction set among the landed gentry earned her a place as one of the most widely read writer in English literature. From realism, biting irony and social commentary she had gained a historical importance among scholars and critics. She was born on 16 December 1775 and died on 18 July 1817 and the Genre was romance. Emma is the first of Jane Austen s books to feature a gutsy lady who is free from money related concernsRead MoreMarriage And English Society Within The 1800 S1322 Words   |  6 PagesJane Austen provides her readers with insight into marriage and English society within the 1800’s. In Emma, the story establishes the idea that society could not function without marriage and how the institution of marriage defined one’s social status. Marriage, a broad theme in this book, can be broken down throughout. Emma’s sister has gone off after getting married and left her alone. After her sister’s marriage, Emma proclaimed that she was not destined for love and made herself the town’sRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Emma By Jane Austen1648 Words   |  7 PagesAnalysis of Emma by Jane Austen In Jane Austen’s novel, Emma, protagonist Emma avoids her own transformation by her attempts to transform others. However, Emma experiences her coming-of-age through the stable characters of those around her. Austen reveals how self-transformation is necessary in maturing and establishing self-awareness. Emma Woodhouse possesses qualities that many would envy: beauty, intelligence, wealth, and youth. However, the positive aspects of Emma are equally contrasted