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discuss the role of lady bracknell
how are the roles of women and men reversed in the importance of being earnest
how is the women more dominant in the importance of being earnest
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Recommended: discuss the role of lady bracknell
Matriarchal Figures in The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and Persuasion by Jane Austen
‘A dominant female member of the family’[1] is often described as a
matriarch. Lady Bracknell in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ and
Lady Russell in ‘Persuasion’ fulfill this role therefore can be
described as matriarchs, and as such they play vital roles. They
affect the lives of Gwendolen and Anne, by imposing their beliefs on
them.
Although Lady Russell is not related to any of the characters in
‘Persuasion’, after Anne’s mother died Lady Russell took on the role
of her mother. Lady Russell has some control over Anne, as Anne ‘had
always loved and relied on’ her and cannot believe she would ‘be
continually advising her in vain’. The matriarchs are pivotal as they
are the prime reasons for the plots’ complications; Lady Bracknell
tries to prevent two potential marriages between Jack and Gwendolen,
and Algernon and Cecily, and she is the reason Jack finds out about
his family connections. Lady Russell persuades Anne not to marry
Wentworth causing eight years of heartache and misery, as she was
wrongly persuaded. She induces further complications by trying to
persuade Anne to marry William Walter Elliot, when Anne and Wentworth
meet again.
Lady Bracknell’s importance is enhanced because she overshadows her
husband, which is true to her matriarch ways, and he occupies a
subordinate position. Lady Bracknell has taken the opposite role to
that which society accepted in the 1890’s, her husband stays at home,
while she goes to social gatherings. Her husband’s role is summed up
in Gwendolen’s speech to Cecily about her father.
‘The home seems to be the proper sphere for the man. And certainly,
once a m...
... middle of paper ...
...y say that Anne should marry for
money ‘she deprecated the connexion [to Wentworth] in every light’,
and only approves of alliances with men with money, such as Charles
Musgrove and William Walter Elliot. The matriarchs actions and advice
to women would be ‘don’t marry for money, but go where money is’[8].
[1] The Pocket Oxford Dictionary
[2] York Advanced Notes ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’
[3] Richard Foster , Wilde as Parodist: A Second Look at The
Importance of Being Earnest
[4] Inside the House of Fiction, ‘Jane Austen’s Cover Story’
[5] Dan Rebellato, Drama Classics Series, ‘The Importance of Being
Earnest’
[6] York Notes Advanced – ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’
[7] Richard Foster , Wilde as Parodist: A Second Look at The
Importance of Being Earnest
[8] Juliet McMaster , Alfred Lord Tennyson as quoted in ‘Class’
A Spirited Female Lead in Pride and Prejudice by Austen and Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare
Elizabeth and Edna’s attributes; rather, the differences that result from their juxtaposition with the protagonists also advances the issues that women faced in the 19th century. In Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte’s desire to marry anyone regardless of her feelings, as opposed to Elizabeth’s uncompromising pursuit of true love, points out women’s dependence on marriage for their wellbeing. Charlotte’s predicament is but a representation of how women at the time were effectively bound by the only option they had. In the same manner, Adele’s blind obedience to social dictates, as opposed to Edna’s rejection of gender roles, emphasizes the limitations imposed by women. These two novels depict two different aspects of the same overarching issue: women’s dependence and submission to the power of men.
In those days it was not so. If a husband was poor or a gambler or a
Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ utilises setting to reveal Darcy’s true character and allows Elizabeth to gain a true understanding of his nature. Pemberley estate is placed at the centre of the novel both literally and figuratively. In terms of Pemberley’s literal meaning, it informs the reader that the estate belongs to Darcy, while figuratively it reflects the charm of his character. Elizabeth Bennet’s visit to Pemeberly illuminates’ Darcy’s moral fibre, she is enchanted by its beauty and good taste; she is thrown by the vivid and vastly spread nature surrounding Pemeberly. In contrast, Forster’s ‘A Room with a View’ utilises place more frequently, primarily to reveal character and act as a metaphor for a repressed society. Italy and England are used to mirror these metaphorical and differing ways of life.
In eighteenth century novels, a common means of discussing the role of women in society is through the characterization of two good sisters. The heroine of such a novel is a pure, kind young woman who also has a streak of spunkiness. Her sister may be more good and kind, but she is more submissive and reserved. I would like to look at these sisters (and their mothers) in Ann Radcliffe’s A Sicilian Romance , and The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole.
Within this extended essay, the subject chosen to study and formulate a question from was English Literature, in particular the portrayal of women during the 19th and 20th centuries, where the following novels 'The Great Gatsby' written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' were set in and originated the basis from. The question is as follows 'How does Jane Austen and F Scott Fitzgerald portray gender inequalities in both lower and upper class relationships particularly through love and marriage within the novels 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'The Great Gatsby' from the different era's it was written in?' This particular topic was chosen reflecting the morality and social class during the two different era's and determining whether there was change in the characteristics of women as well as men and how their behaviour was depicted through the two completely different stories, as they both reflect the same ethical principles in terms of love and marriage. The two novels were chosen in particular to view their differences as well as their similarities in terms of gender inequality through love and marriage, as the different era's it was set in gives a broader view in context about how society behaved and what each author was trying to portray through their different circumstances, bringing forward a similar message in both novels.
Even though today Jane Austen is regarded for her writing, during her time she couldn’t even publish her work under her own name, because it was considered unladylike for women to be intellectual figures. Unlike J. K. Rowling and other English female writers today, who are well known for their works even without using their full names, Jane Austen lived within the sanctuary of a close-knit family and always published her works under a pseudonym that could not be traced back to her (jasna.org). Writing at the time was a male-dominated profession and women depended completely on men for their livelihood. During her upbringing she knew the importance of money to women in a severely classist and patriarchal society, and so marriage was the answer to the survival of women during this time (Helms 32). Even knowing these qualities were important in her life she criticized them. Jane’s writing is somewhat comical, because even while criticising those normal discriminations in her book Pride and Prejudice, the book was published with a prejudiced nameless cover, shedding even greater light on the lack of sense and shortcoming of sensibility of eighteenth century Great Britain. So in order for women to hide their identity while writing about things that were highly controversial they used male pen names. Female authors resorted to pseudonyms to become published and to not be shunned away by their readers, and only after they did this their work was taken as serious literature. Although we ask why do we see Jane Austen’s name printed on all her classical works? That is because we see it “today” in the current year. During her lifetime Jane Austen remained pretty much unidentified because all her novels were published anonymously unde...
Defining the novel is a challenging prospect because the act of naming means to circumscribe a genre that defies rigid codes. The novel's elasticity and readiness to incorporate other genres makes it slippery and untidy; nevertheless, the novelness of a text allows us to recognize a novel and distinguish it from other genres. As readers, we approach the novel with the expectation that it will possess novelistic attributes and judge the novel on its ability to master these. With this focus in mind, this essay explores how the following features in Jane Austen's Persuasion contribute to (or persuade us as to) the novelness of the text: the extensive treatment of its characters, a sense of cohesion and continuity present in a work of long prose fiction, and a vivid portrayal of the social order on the micro-level of the domestic scenes of everyday.
Over the centuries, women’s duties or roles in the home and in the work force have arguably changed for the better. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen teaches the reader about reputation and loves in the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries by showing how Elizabeth shows up in a muddy dress, declines a marriage proposal and how women have changed over time. Anything a woman does is reflected on her future and how other people look at her. When Elizabeth shows up to the Bingley’s in a muddy dress they categorize her as being low class and unfashionable. Charles Bingley, a rich attractive man, and his sister had a reputation to protect by not letting their brother marry a ‘low class girl’. Reputation even today and back in the nineteenth century is still very important aspect in culture. In the twenty-first century, women have attempted to make their lives easier by wanting to be more equal with the men in their society. Women are wanting to be the apart of the ‘bread winnings’ efforts within a family. Since evolving from the culture of the nineteenth century, women have lost a lot of family and home making traditions but women have gained equality with more rights such as voting, working, and overall equal rights. In the twenty-first century world, most women are seen for losing their morals for and manners for others. As for example in the novel when Mr. Darcy is talking badly about Elizabeth she over hears what he and his friend, Mr. Bingley, are saying about her but she does not stand up for herself.
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is well noted for its ability to question social norms. Most importantly, Austen explores the institution of marriage, as it was in her time, a time where many married for security rather than love. Her characters Elizabeth and Charlotte are renowned even more for their outspoken nature and different views on marriage. Though both Elizabeth and Charlotte yearn for a happy marriage, Charlotte has a more pragmatic and mundane approach while Elizabeth is more romantic and daring with her actions. Through the romantic involvements of both Elizabeth and Charlotte, Austen shows that happiness in marriage is not entirely a matter of chance, but is instead contingent on an accurate evaluation of self and others
Work Cited Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Ed. Donald Gray. Norton Critical Editions. 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 2002.
Pride and Prejudice (whose original title was First Impressions) was written in 1796-1797 when Jane Austen was 21 years old and first published in 1813. It tells us the story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, who will overcome the pride and prejudice they feel towards each other to find mutual happiness. Persuasion was written between 1815 and 1816. The main character, Anne Elliot, has suffered unhappiness after taking her family’s and friend’s advice to reject a man she loves.
Charlotte Brontë composed her novel Jane Eyre during the Victorian era; a period of history where Patriarchy set the expectations of men and women. The effect of this social system resulted in women suffering discrimination simply because of their gender. Sigmund Freud, in his essay entitled, “The Relation of the Poet to Day-Dreaming,” articulated that women were only capable of having erotic wishes dominate their “phantasies,” and even their ambitious “phantasies” were rooted in erotic wishes (177). The predominating thought concerning women during this era was that, due to their nature, longed to marry—tending to the needs of her household. Those who were not fortunate enough to marry (due to appearance or social status) were to become governesses. Ms. Brontë, through her protagonist Jane Eyre, clearly depicts the struggles of an indigent young woman who is forced into near slavery. This tale is articulated well by Adrienne Rich in her essay entitled, “Jane Eyre: The Temptations of a Motherless Woman,” when she states that Jane wants to “choose her life with dignity, integrity, and pride” (471). Even though Charlotte Brontë depicts a woman who will not be bound by the mores of her society, she is not so exuberant as to have her protagonist proclaim “I am woman, hear me roar.” The toning down of Jane’s demeanor can be attributed to satisfaction of the critics, but Brontë also expresses that the societal expectations, or the patriarchal rights of men, produced a similar negative effect on men. From John Reed and his self-righteous attitude, to Rochester’s internal battle in regards to the treatment of women, Charlotte Brontë demonstrates that sexism—inherent in a patriarchal society—has an adverse affect on both men and women.
Jane Austen’s works are characterized by their classic portrayals of love among the gentry of England. Most of Austen’s novels use the lens of romance in order to provide social commentary through both realism and irony. Austen’s first published bookThe central conflicts in both of Jane Austen’s novels Emma and Persuasion are founded on the structure of class systems and the ensuing societal differences between the gentry and the proletariat. Although Emma and Persuasion were written only a year apart, Austen’s treatment of social class systems differs greatly between the two novels, thus allowing us to trace the development of her beliefs regarding the gentry and their role in society through the analysis of Austen’s differing treatment of class systems in the Emma and Persuasion. The society depicted in Emma is based on a far more rigid social structure than that of the naval society of Persuasion, which Austen embodies through her strikingly different female protagonists, Emma Woodhouse and Anne Eliot, and their respective conflicts. In her final novel, Persuasion, Austen explores the emerging idea of a meritocracy through her portrayal of the male protagonist, Captain Wentworth. The evolution from a traditional aristocracy-based society in Emma to that of a contemporary meritocracy-based society in Persuasion embodies Austen’s own development and illustrates her subversion of almost all the social attitudes and institutions that were central to her initial novels.
One of the biggest rivalries in the nineteenth century was between the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen. These women wrote some of the most popular novels in their time that often had very common themes. Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights and Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice both deal with the common theme of social standing, especially in relation to marriages. In Wuthering Heights, Catherine's higher class standing than Heathcliff’s status hinders them from being together. In Pride and Prejudice the gender roles are reversed, and it is Darcy who must deal with being with a woman, Elizabeth Bennet, in a lower standing than he and his family is. The problem of conflicting social classes extends throughout the entirety of the two novels as an obstacle that both couples most overcome in order for them to be together. These novels show how these two couples differed in their reactions to each other of being in a different social class, and how this affected their love in the end.