How Did Jane Austen’s Female Characters Conform and Counteract the Societal Ideals of the Time? Through her infamous and beloved witty characters, Jane Austen has left a legacy that still affects people today. Elizabeth Bennet prevails as one of her most famous characters, and well beloved by readers. Even author Robert Louis Stevenson was enamored by her and wished she was real so he could propose to her (Laski 86). Jane Austen was not one to be limited by the societal ideals and restrictions placed upon women of her time. At a time when the majority of society wanted girls to be educated in a foreign language, dancing, sewing, and playing musical instruments, Austen’s family encouraged her to break the mold. Besides getting educated in the …show more content…
Jane Austen was born December 16th 1775 at Steventon, to Rev. George Austen and Cassandra Leigh (Nicolson 23). Closest to her father, Jane would be strongly encouraged by him to pursue her literary aspirations throughout her life. Reverend Austen would be the one to teach Jane to read and write, his tolerant nature was shown in her early writings. One would think her family would be more conservative, especially considering he was a minister. However, that is not the case, he encourages her to learn, teaching her anything a boy might have learned, her father was kind-hearted and just wanted her to be happy. He even attempted to get her first novel published, which would later become known as Sense and Sensibility (24). Despite receiving a more substantial education from her father, Jane Austen would also be taught the womanly arts at Abbey School. At school she would learn sewing, foreign language (most likely French), musical lessons, and dancing (Laski 24). The Austen’s were a good natured, witty, and supportive middle class family. Gathering together after they would complete their daily chores, the family would construct their own family theatricals. Family and friends considered Jane to be a spirited, confident, inquisitive, and attractive young woman (Nicolson 27). Although she never married, Austen had two major flirtations. First she became infatuated with a young Irish-man named Tom Lefroy, however he left soon after and they never saw each other again. Perhaps it was her experience with Lefroy that caused Austen to become xenophobic (30). Secondly she became engaged to one of her childhood friends brothers; Harris Bigg-Wither. The engagement was ill-fated and ended just twelve hours after its conception by Austen because she did not want to be married to a man she did not love (37). As she grew older, Austen became an editor and critic for her nieces and nephews who began to aspire to be