Charlotte Bronte And Jane Austen Research Paper

Charlotte Bronte vs Jane Austen The early nineteenth-century English society expressed how females and males were considered two distinct spheres. Both Elizabeth Bronte and Jane Austen desired to reflect their beliefs and ideas into their novels and illustrate the struggles women faced while living in a traditional based society. Both novels, although contrasting in multiple ways, contain characters and themes that provide the perspective of a world dominated by women. Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre goes beyond the scope of the tradition and custom, exploiting the English society’s oppressive environment. For centuries, society had placed unrealistic ideals and expectations for women and frowned those who did not conform to society’s

Austen based the entire novel on the perspective of a female protagonist, a woman known for her sharp tongue, prideful nature, and lack of self-control. She was often ridiculed or her mannerisms and was seen as an individual with non-feminine traits - “A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages … (Austen - 42).” Austen is quite critical of the gender gap present in English society and strongly believes women are as intelligent and strong as men and emphasized her beliefs with the character Elizabeth Bennet. Austen desired to have her female characters skew away from the social norms and implored them to think as independent individuals. In addition to reflecting her beliefs in the literary world, Austen herself went against the traditional women role by becoming a writer and never marrying. She did not respect the English society’s morals and became one of the few individuals who would break the stereotypes and rebel. Pride and Prejudice illustrated Austen’s desire to break traditional customs to shed her ladylike exterior and become a creative, independent