The Regency Period (give or take a few years)

General Definition The Prince Regent (later King George IV) ruled UK during the mental incapacity of his father King George III (he is the dude who gave the colonists a hard time). A regent is someone appointed to rule in lieu of the King. During this period, English middle class gained considerable prestige and social status due to the success of the Industrial Revolution. Newly successful middle class began to associate with the landed aristocracy by purchasing extravagant estates.

What was going on during this time? Machines were replacing manual labor and causing lay off of workers and unemployment among English working classes. Politically, few citizens had the right to participate in government. English society was heavily influenced by the French revolution although only abstractly alluded to in Austen’s novels. In 1804, Napoleon established a totalitarian regime in France and a war between England and France broke out lasting until Austen alludes to the military being stationed close by and includes military men in her novels, but she does not make commentary related to the war. England’s cities during this time was industrial, crowded, powerful and troubled, however, Austen living in the countryside was shielded from this bleak world.

Austen’s Writing and the Regency Period Austen’s novels take place within this circle of England’s landed gentry and aristocracy. Less than 2% of England’s population were part of this circle Women’s property rights were extremely limited during this time. Entailment dominated a women’s possibility of inheritance. Pride and Prejudice Mr. Bennet’s distant cousin, Mr. Collins, will inherit the family estate after Bennet’s death. Mr. Collins inherits the house and land and Mrs. Bennet and daughters will be forced to find another home. If Mr. Bennet had had a son, the son would inherit the house and land. ‘ Motivation for Entailment – Land was everything for the landed gentry and created a social and economic system for the middle class that was unheard of before this time. – If the family head ( father ) dies without sons and the land went to his daughters this could cause the land to ultimately be claimed by the daughters’ husbands. – In essence, the family name and association with the property would vanish once the daughters’ husbands became the owners.

Satirical Elements in P&P Novels of Manners Jane Austen focused on the middle class life with humor and understanding, but is critical of the conventions such as entailment and social propriety. While Mrs. Bennet and other women are very preoccupied with marrying the younger women off and achieving wealth through the marriage, Elizabeth Bennet is hoping to marry someone she loves. This was definitely not the norm. Marriage is most definitely criticized in the novel. Consider the marriages of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and the ultimate marriages of the daughters. Which ones are mostly likely to be successful? Why? Balls, parties and other social gatherings occupied the time of the landed gentry and the aristocracy, especially since these groups did not work for a living.