Jane Austen in her book Pride and Prejudice mentions that In 18th century England, a girl was not supposed to do much, other than look pretty, demure, not too intelligent, and prepare herself for marriage by educating themselves in music, drawing, dancing, needlework, etc. In a similiar context Judy Brady in her own short story I want a Wife speaks about how she herself being wife would love to have a wife who perform all the required duties assigned with this stereo-typical image. Judy Brady's short story is a clear example of Feminist writing and is dripping with sarcasm, just as Jane Austen, who is considered to one of the pioneers of feminist writing.
Though the stories,style and writing of both are completely different the theme is in essence the same. Women and the pursuit and qualities of a wife are questioned clearly in both works. Brady spends the entire length of her short story speaking about the qualities of a wife and why she being a wife herself would love to have a wife. Though Jane Austen’s novel deals with a lot of other social issues of the time, the basic theme boils down to what is expected of a women and a wife. Though the two stories are written a whole century apart, the image of a so called good, traditional wife remains the same. Both writers list out the qualities that society assumes a good wife should have. Another thing common to both stories is how both writers clearly hit out at men as husbands and their expectations of their wives to be. They also hit out at how demanding husbands can be and how easy it is to be a husband. A good example of this is Judy Brady’s concluding paragraph which she ends by asking a rhetorical question “My God, who would’nt want a wife?”.
Jane Austen uses plot, romance, drama and many characters to bring out her point of view, while Brady uses a monologue and lists out some of the utterly ridiculous things... [continues]
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