Jane Austen Research Paper

How Houses Can Reflect More Than Social Status Typically, a house is the reflection of one’s wealth and societal status. In her novel, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen creates the almost immediate judgment of social class by the estates of Rosings Park and Pemberley in order to develop her characters. However, Austen uses the estates to form a different idea of what social status symbolizes. While both Rosings Park and Pemberley are estates of similar class, Austen provides a different insight at each estate as to how the wealthy live. When Elizabeth and her family visit Rosings for the first time, they are greeted by Mr. Collins and he shows them the house; “From the entrance hall, of which Mr. Collins pointed out, with a rapturous air, the fine proportion and finished ornaments, they followed the servants through an ante-chamber, to the room where Lady Catherine, her daughter and Mrs. Jenkinson were sitting. Her ladyship, with great condescension, arose to receive them” (161). The house of Rosings slowly takes shape during this scene and along with its grandeur, it reflects Lady Catherine’s display of wealth and her
Lady Catherine places splendor above comfort, as seen by her superior piano which no one plays. By contrast, Darcy chooses a piano which would give pleasure to whoever might play. Lady Catherine’s charity to her tenants when “she sallied forth into the village to settle their differences, silence their complaints, and scold them into harmony and plenty” (161) is seen as rude, with Darcy holds a reputation as being “the best landlord, and the best master” (243). Even the characters’ behaviors vary from place to place. Mr. Darcy’s initial proposal to Elizabeth is made while he is at Rosings, and she rejects him. However, Elizabeth immediately feels comfortable in atmosphere of Pemberley — “and at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something!”