Jane Austen vs The State

Jane Austen described her astute observations on social dynamics in rural England during the transition from the eighteenth to the nineteenth century as “pictures of domestic life in country villages”, but was there a hidden agenda in her writings?  On the surface she focused on independent heroines dealing with the trials and tribulations of courtship, but she also indirectly commented on the inequities of the society in which she lived.  While many view her novels as delightful stories of romance, others see a deeper meaning in her work, a subtly subversive view of society framed against the backdrop of patriarchy, manifested in all its permutations based on wealth, power, and control, conditions shaped and enabled by the state.

The establishment of patriarchy as the natural order began centuries before Jane Austen was born, giving social and legal power to the father or eldest male as head of the family and excluding women.  Jane’s novels feature many examples of the impact this has on women who are dependent on male protection or flounder in poverty.  Women could not vote and the justice system gave them few if any rights.  Her family was fortunate of have so many brothers to help support them after the death of her father or they would have fallen into abject poverty. 

Another ‘state’ wielding control over society was predicated on religious control in partnership with wealthy secular landlords in the form of “the living” that benefited both.  The Church of England, under the auspices of local clergyman exacted a 10% tithe of everything produced in the parish which was shared with the landowners who paid no taxes at all.  Jane’s family had a deep connection to clergy life, and she respected the advantages that benefited her family, but she was not oblivious to the patriarchal and societal control it promoted nor the tenuousness of the clerical role.

The state extended control over other societies deemed to be uncivilized and ignorant.  British dominion over other countries, or intention to establish dominion, was the driving force behind many conflicts. England built its wealth, power, and control over the lives of others through slavery and dominance.  The deep ties between the Church of England and slavery came under the guise of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Lands.  Among its supporters were major slavery apologists in charge of book reviews in The British Critic whose owners, editors, and printers were heavily invested in supporting the Church of England.  Jane subversively kept the title to Mansfield Parkhidden knowing it would raise alarm among pro-slavery advocates because of the reference to Chief Justice Mansfield. It was only one of her novels never reviewed by The British Critic because of its underlying anti-slavery undertone.

Establishing and safeguarding social rank was of fundamental importance in Jane’s time and she deliciously takes aim at the conceit.  Her own creations include people whose status is above reproach, but whose behavior undermines their respectability; all humorously and bitingly revealed.  She establishes that rank and character do not necessarily cohabit in the same person and shows us that people who live by their principles earn far more esteem than those who flaunt their status and demand preservation of rank.

The political climate and social restrictions faced by women in Jane Austen’s time did not allow her to openly give voice to frustrations about the inequities that were so firmly entrenched; instead she demonstrates her understanding by creating female characters with high personal standards willing to make hard choices and live by their own principles despite societal pressures, and still achieve happiness by overcoming the barriers of rank and fortune that beset them.

Sense and Sensibility

The lack of agency for the women in the Dashwood family is revealed early on when they are displaced from their home by a half-brother who inherited the estate and was unwilling to provide support.  Colonel Brandon’s story of the unscrupulous treatment of a young female ward of his father who usurped her fortune and forced her into a bitter marriage with the colonel’s eldest son is another example of a scorned women abused in a patriarchal society. 

Pride and Prejudice

An entailed estate would displace the five unmarried Bennet daughters and their mother, another example of patriarchy.  The reason for an entailment was to ensure the value of a family estate was handed over to a male next of kin and inheritances went to first born sons; the estate took precedence over the family members.  Second sons were expected to marry well and establish their own wealthy estates; building wealth was the priority.  A woman with an inheritance gave it over entirely to her husband once she married because the state valued property over people, especially women, and the laws supported the principle based on centuries of established patriarchy.

Mansfield Park 

The not-so-subtle anti-slavery message woven into the storyline of Mansfield Park is revealed in names and places.  Chief Justice Mansfield passed a judgement that effectively ended slavery on English soil.  The name Norris points to a slavery apologist who claimed in the most glowing colors how advantageously a slave ship was fitted up for travel including “the best sauces for African cookery.”  Sir Thomas Bertram owned property in Antigua and visits there during the story.

Attitudes towards clergy are amusingly revealed by Mary Crawford whose distain for the life of a clergyman is the only impediment to her romantic interest in Edmund Bertram, who as second son, is to inherit the living from his father.  Mary makes the comment that “A clergyman has nothing to do but to be slovenly and selfish - read the newspaper, watch the weather, and quarrel with his wife.  His curate does all the work…”   Even though Jane lampoons the life and we know her to have been a religious person, she was also a keen observer of the benefits of the living.

Emma

While Emma enjoys all the advantages of her birthright and feels no need to marry, options are grim for other unmarried women. Poverty is the fate of Mrs. and Miss Bates, the former wife and daughter of a deceased clergyman.  Jane Fairfax appears destined for life as a governess unless her secret engagement to Frank Churchill comes to fruition.  Her would be benefactress for attaining a governess position is none other than newly married Mrs. Elton.  Her family wealth came from slavery but it did nothing to temper her self-importance and entitlement.

Northanger Abbey

Catherine Morland’s father is a clergyman but with so many children, he can’t afford to provide for his eldest son, James, to marry his fiancé, Isabelle Thorpe, right away.  Wealth and social standing are guiding features in Regency society causing General Tilney to misjudge the prospects of Catherine whom he mistakes for an heiress.  Doweries were a currency of the time, and the lack of dowry could be a major impediment for a young lady. 

Persuasion

Sir Walter Elliot is a classic example of a man obsessed with his social standing and belittling those he thinks beneath him such as an admiral of the navy who wishes to lease his estate.  Sir Walter considers the navy to be too lenient in helping non-aristocrats build wealth and achieve upward mobility.   He has no wish to mingle with those he considers beneath him.

Anne Elliot’s former schoolmate and friend, Mrs. Smith, fell on hard times after the death of her husband and has no recourse but to rely on the help of a man to speak up for her in the courts so she could access an inheritance.  The state gave no voice to a woman in court to present her own case. 

Is Jane Austen merely a romance novelist? If the answer is yes, why does her writing still resonate 250 years after her birth?  Her disarming advocacy for those facing the challenges presented by the state in the form of patriarchy and its various manifestations is what captures our attention.  Patriarchy relies on power, wealth, and control; it influences social order, legal rights, human rights, and religious dominion.  She speaks to a fundamental truth about human nature that mere love stories can’t convey.  That is what makes her novels timeless.