Which Class of English Society is Portrayed in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice?
The heroine’s family, the Bennets, is a member of the landed gentry. They are landowners who profit financially from their holdings, but they are not noble. Pride and Prejudice’s main conflict is centered on class inequalities.
The Georgian period of English history is reflected in the book. To be more precise, it ignores some historical events and concentrates on modern gentry society. The nobility and the gentry are the two main social groups that are portrayed in the book. Elizabeth, the primary character, is a member of the landed gentry. It has to do with Jane Austen, who wrote the book, having a similar ancestry. The gentry is similar to the nobility in that they are wealthier than the general populace. But there is a chasm between the two, which the book investigates.
The class divide mostly manifests itself in the Bennet daughters’ romantic relationships. Jane, for instance, likes Mr. Bingley, who makes more money than her family. He belongs to the upper echelons of the gentry but is not a member of the nobility. It enables him to have a strong friendship with Mr. Darcy, a member of the nobility.
There is also Elizabeth, in case you were to wonder whether there were any other daughters. She and Mr. Darcy have a complicated relationship that begins with contempt and ends in love. The enormous social and financial divides between them are one of the key challenges to their union. Clearly, it is brought up when Lady Catherine objects to their union. The characters do not care about the class divide in the end. Their family are the ones who uphold the customs and honor.
