Regency Era Etiquette

The Use of Etiquette as a Disguise during the Regency England Era: Austen’s Interpretation of Misused Etiquette in Sense and Sensibility
Throughout the past few centuries, etiquette has evolved to meet the constantly changing standards of society. During the Regency Era in England, society brought forth clear-cut expectations of etiquette that branched out into almost every aspect of daily life, such as communication, dining, departure, arrival, and addressing someone. While nineteenth century standards provided guidelines of how to live a life in accordance to society’s expectations, the explicit anticipations imposed pressure upon men and woman to constantly uphold to these standards. Although, many people took advantage of etiquette as
it provided an out to hiding an individuals’ insecurities. In Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen illustrates the use of etiquette as a shield through her characters continually hiding their true feelings behind a disguise of proper etiquette. Through Lucy Steele and Willoughby, characters who significantly contribute to the plot of her book, Austen emphasizes their unnatural mannerisms to establish the frequent misuse of etiquette. By using insecure characters who demonstrate unnatural uses of nineteenth century etiquette to shield their insecurities, Austen criticizes the pressure society inflicts to maintain perfectly polished mannerism in all aspects of Regency England daily life.
In Sense and Sensibility, Austen writes in accordance to a time when proper etiquette held the place of a predominate part of society as a result of the intense pressure induced to present oneself in the right manner at all times.
However, the burden to uphold to the nineteenth century standards often caused society to misuse etiquette in unnatural ways to convince those around them of a confident disposition. Society often criticized those who demonstrated unnatural mannerisms, when in fact the misuse of etiquette resulted from societies irrational expectations. In The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in Regency and Victorian England, Kristen Hughes taps into intensity the nineteenth century etiquette expectations and conveys “just how narrow the margins for error are concerning correct behavior” by elaborating on the importance of communication during Regency England Era time period (Hughes 174). In addition, Hughes illustrates the ways in which people presented themselves while communicating not only demonstrated a person’s level of mannerism but also greatly influenced societies’ perception of them. Likewise, In Jane Austen's Guide to Good Manners: Compliments, Charades & Horrible Blunders, [add first name] Ross reinforces the idea that “manners are indeed, the foundation of civilized society” by explaining that maintaining perfectly polished mannerism is essential in order to appeal to society’s expectations. In addition, by establishing etiquette as the most important
aspect of a Regency England era life, Ross demonstrates the pressure society faced in order to fit the mold of a perfect eighteenth century member of society.
Through her novel Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen pinpoints the key characters which effectively demonstrate the misuse of etiquette to shield society from recognizing their true feelings; true feelings in which contradict how the character may present themselves.
In terms of wrongly used etiquette, Willoughby perfectly illustrates this misuse by presenting himself in a way that meets the expectations of Regency England era etiquette according to the Dashwood women, especially Marianne. At his first impression, Willoughby presents himself in an aesthetically pleasing way that demonstrates proper etiquette; moreover, his presence instantly intrigues Elinor, Marianne, and Mrs. Dashwood, who conclude “his manly beauty and more than common gracefulness were instantly the theme of general admiration” (Austen 33). While his ingenious appearance on the surface flawlessly demonstrates mannerisms that fall in alignment with societies expectations, beneath the disguise of etiquette lies a whole different character. When describing his true morals, Colonel Brandon reveals how Willoughby impregnated the daughter of a women he previously loved, Eliza, and left her to fend for herself; therefore, he concludes Willoughby’s character when he states, “His character is now before you; expensive, dissipated, and worse than both” (Austen 148). Correspondingly, Austen also establishes character who reflects a similar, Lucy Steele, who uses unnatural mannerism to alter other perception of her.
Ultimately, Lucy’s overuse of proper mannerism directly results from a want to impress society, more specifically those whose judgments were significantly important to her. Upon first greeting, the Steele sisters instantly demonstrate Regency England etiquette, which Austen emphasizes when the narrator states, “Their appearance was by no means ungentle or unfashionable. Their dress was very smart, their manners very civil” (Austen 87). By Lucy’s demonstration of appealing manners from the start, those at Barton Cottage instantly assume her etiquette to be genuine. However, such as Willoughby, Austen illustrates how Lucy’s presentation of herself greatly contradicts her true morals, those which come from a place of insecurity and doubt in herself. By revealing the contrast between Willoughby’s and Lucy’s mannerisms to their attributed reputations, Austen illustrates their use of etiquette to protect their emotions and shield themselves from society’s judgment. By gradually revealing the flaws of both Willoughby and Lucy, Austen illustrates the downfall of those who misused etiquette how society viewed them. In The Jane Austen Handbook: Proper Life Skills from Regency England, Margaret Sullivan argues that society checks whether etiquette is real or fake, and she persecutes those who reflect unnatural mannerism (Add citation). By pinpointing character’s mistakes of using unrealistic manners, Sullivan illustrates Austen’s criticism of those who attribute to surface level etiquette instead attributing to real respectability (Add citation). In terms of surface level etiquette, Austen disapproves of the pressure placed upon nineteenth century citizens to meet the unrealistic expectations to constantly demonstrate proper mannerism in all aspects of everyday life. In addition to, Austen holds nineteenth century civilization accountable for triggering the widespread feeling to alter oneself in order to be associated with high society. As a result, Austen redefines her own ideal depiction of etiquette through Marianne Dashwood; a character who previously shunned proper mannerism and disregarded the importance of her reputation amongst the upper class. As Marianne reflects on her previous etiquette and treatment towards those she cares about, she mentions the aspects of etiquette in which she would like to improve on:
From you, from my home, I shall never again have the smallest incitement to move; and if I do mix in other society it will be only to show that my spirit is humbled, my heart amended, and that I can practice the civilities, the lesser duties of her, with the gentleness, and forbearance. (Austen 245-246)
Through Marianne listing how she intends on improving her etiquette, Austen speaks through her to establish her ideal depiction of etiquette: actions that portray respect yet reflect authenticity and one’s true characteristic. Moreover, Marianne’s excerpt reveals her criticism of the weight society puts on etiquette and her disagreement with those who succumb to the barbarous expectations of the Regency Era. Although manners held the position of the “the foundation of a civilized society” during the Regency England Era, the intense pressure to meet to the nineteenth century expectations caused people often alter themselves to please society, even if proper manners came at the expensive of their authenticity. Through society perpetuating and encouraging flawless behavior by so strongly prioritizing reputation before authenticity, most of civilization hesitated to express their true selves in fear of harsh judgement. Ultimately, Austen discourages from using etiquette as a disguise and emboldens civilization to place maintaining their authentic character above pleasing society’s harsh expectations.