'in 'Pride and Prejudice', Austen Creates a Society in Which Tensions Arise as All Know Their Place, Yet Do Not Always Act Appropriately.' to What Extent Do You Agree with This Statement.

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'In 'Pride and Prejudice', Austen creates a society in which tensions arise as all know their place, yet do not always act appropriately.' To what extent do you agree with this statement. 'Pride and Prejudice', written by Jane Austen between the years of 1796-1797 and set in the same time frame, is a novel of many messages and themes. Austen wrote the novel with the theme of class very prominently in mind, and this is displayed through the plot and characters. Throughout the novel we see examples of characters knowing their place and acting accordingly, however we also see examples of the opposite which leads us to question what kind of society Austen was, in fact, trying to depict through the novel 'Pride and Prejudice'. During the years in which the novel is set (1796-1797) there was a severe class divide that affected the lives of everybody in England. We see this prominently in 'Pride and Prejudice' as it is central to the plot. These class divisions were rooted in family connections and wealth and were very difficult to change, unless you married into wealth or inherited it. As a result of this, social mobility was limited at this time and people socialised in small circles, with only those of a similar class. Any socialisation out of this was seen as absurd. It was women especially that felt the limitations of the late 18th century/early 19th century, as there were strict expectations of them. Women were seen as possessions of men, and expected to be educated and well behaved, mostly in hope to ensure themselves a husband of wealth in order to further themselves as women did not inherit any land or money from their fathers, this went to the closest male relative. Any kind of acting out of against the expected image of a woman would be seen as shameful and would lead to isolation even further in terms of socialisation and the hope of a husband.

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