Eng 393: An Analysis of Class and Social Mobility in Jane Austen's Persuasion
Faith Bianchi
Thomas Edison State College | March 2013
Dr. Christine Hansen
One Writer’s Vision ENG-393 | Written Assignment 3
April 17, 2013
Admiral Croft who was among the nouveau rich, had the financial means to rent Kellnych from Sir Walter, one of the so-called landed gentry. How does Jane Austen's treatment of class and social mobility reveal about these men and their women such as Anne Elliot and Mrs. Smith? Which group fares better and why?
Class in Persuasion Jane Austen’s Persuasion challenges the notion that one’s social class determines one’s happiness. In the novel there is the upper class, which includes Sir Walter Elliot and his family; the nouveau rich, such as Admiral Croft and Captain Wentworth; and the poor lower class, such as Mrs. Smith. While it is natural to think that it would be most desirable to be the richest and most socially elite, the contrast drawn between the classes is quite surprising. Sir Walter Elliot is a caricature of the landed gentry—landowners who did not have to work for a living. He is a vain baronet whose room is lined with mirrors and refuses to be in public with those who are not pleasant to behold. The only book he ever reads is the Baronetage, particularly the page that says “Elliot of Kellynch-Hall” (Austen 3). Silly yet harmless, Austen uses the character of Sir Walter to make fun of the shallowness of the aristocracy of his time. His wife, Lady Elliot, had possessed the good judgment that he was lacking, but her unfortunate passing leaves him with three daughters, Elizabeth, Anne, and Mary. Elizabeth, who is most like him, is favored because of her beauty. Mary marries into the Musgrove family of Uppercross, and thereby gains some importance in his eyes. Anne, however, bears the brunt of Sir Walter’s folly:
…Anne Elliot had been a very pretty girl, but her bloom had vanished early; and as even in its height, her father had found little to admire in her, (so totally different were her delicate
Thomas Edison State College | March 2013
Dr. Christine Hansen
One Writer’s Vision ENG-393 | Written Assignment 3
April 17, 2013
Admiral Croft who was among the nouveau rich, had the financial means to rent Kellnych from Sir Walter, one of the so-called landed gentry. How does Jane Austen's treatment of class and social mobility reveal about these men and their women such as Anne Elliot and Mrs. Smith? Which group fares better and why?
Class in Persuasion Jane Austen’s Persuasion challenges the notion that one’s social class determines one’s happiness. In the novel there is the upper class, which includes Sir Walter Elliot and his family; the nouveau rich, such as Admiral Croft and Captain Wentworth; and the poor lower class, such as Mrs. Smith. While it is natural to think that it would be most desirable to be the richest and most socially elite, the contrast drawn between the classes is quite surprising. Sir Walter Elliot is a caricature of the landed gentry—landowners who did not have to work for a living. He is a vain baronet whose room is lined with mirrors and refuses to be in public with those who are not pleasant to behold. The only book he ever reads is the Baronetage, particularly the page that says “Elliot of Kellynch-Hall” (Austen 3). Silly yet harmless, Austen uses the character of Sir Walter to make fun of the shallowness of the aristocracy of his time. His wife, Lady Elliot, had possessed the good judgment that he was lacking, but her unfortunate passing leaves him with three daughters, Elizabeth, Anne, and Mary. Elizabeth, who is most like him, is favored because of her beauty. Mary marries into the Musgrove family of Uppercross, and thereby gains some importance in his eyes. Anne, however, bears the brunt of Sir Walter’s folly:
…Anne Elliot had been a very pretty girl, but her bloom had vanished early; and as even in its height, her father had found little to admire in her, (so totally different were her delicate
Cited: Austen, Jane. Persuasion. 1st ed. Ed. Patricia Meyer Spacks. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1995. Print.