Representation of Women in 19th Century Literature

Running head: REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN 19TH CENTURY LITERATURE
Representation of women in 19th century Literature
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1REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN 19TH CENTURY LITERATURE
“Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in
so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands.”
The above quoted line of Jane Austen from her famous novel “Persuasion” speaks
volume about the condition of women in the 19th century, be it in the social sphere or in the
sphere of education or employment. As opined by Kelley (2017), the society of the 19th
century was drastically different from the ones of the earlier ages or for that matter of the 18 th
century not only because of the status quo of the society but at the same time the role as well
as the functions that the women performed within the framework of the society. Campbell et
al. (2017) are of the viewpoint that even in the 19th century the women enjoyed very small
amount of freedom or liberty and were not entitled to any kind of property or similar rights
yet a change was noticed at this time since the women were increasingly breaking away the
gender stereotypes. For example, in the earlier ages it was seen that the educational
opportunities, decisions in the matters of marriage, travel and others were not readily
available to all the women apart from the ones belonging to the royal however in the 19th
century this trend underwent a drastic change and it was seen that the women were trying to
come out of the shackles that had bound them since the traditional times (Danahay 2016).
According to Ofek (2016), literature and as a matter of all forms of artistic creativity
can be seen as an expression of not only the mind of the artistic but at the same time a
representation of the age in which the concerned artistic lived. In this regard, it needs to be
said that the large number of novels, poems, dramas and other literary works composed by
the women literary composers in the 19th century clearly hint towards the increasingly
important roles that the women played in the 19th century and also the power that they held.
In this regard, mention needs to be made of two female novelists, namely, Jane Austen (1775-
1817) and Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855) among others whose works not only changed the
landscaped of English Literature in the 19th century but is of interests to millions of readers

2REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN 19TH CENTURY LITERATURE
even in the present times (Steiner 2015). More importantly, apart from the artistic creativity
and the literary value that the works of these female novelists are redolent with they can also
be seen as social chronicles which aspired to offer an overview of the 19th century society and
also the position of women in it. This essay will analyze the manner in which Jane Austen’s
“Persuasion” and Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre” seeks to offer a portrayal of the 19th century
women.
Jane Austen is often reputed as one of the very first women novelists of England and
also for the simplicity with which she was being able portray on the pages of her novels the
complicated lives of the 19th century women (Garcia 2018). In this regard, mention needs to
be made of her novel “Persuasion” (1817) which was not only her novel but is also
considered to be one of most mature novels (Weir 2017). According to Wilkes (2016), one of
the most important aspects of the novel “Persuasion” is the fact that rather than showcasing
some idealistic or utopian woman which the majority of the novelists of the age were trying
to do, she seeks to present a woman of flesh and blood. As a matter of fact, the protagonist of
the novel, Anne Elliot along with Elizabeth Bennett from the novel “Pride and Prejudice” of
Jane Austen herself are often credited as the most realistic female literary characters of the
19th century even in the presented times (Anand 2017).
A surface level reading of the novel under discussion here would reveal to the casual
readers the fact that the plot of the novel is mainly concerned with the courtship of Anne
Elliot by Captain Frederick Wentworth, the manner in which their clandestine engagement
was broken, the chance through which they met again and also the manner in which they
realize that they still have feelings for each other (Todd 2015). Furthermore, it is seen that to
make this simple story more interesting to the readers Austen takes the help of various
interesting sub-plots which serve to elevate the intricacy of the main plot. It is pertinent to
note that there are many readers even in the present times whose main gratification factor for

3REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN 19TH CENTURY LITERATURE
reading the novel is the intricate love story of Anne Elliot and Captain Frederick Wentworth.
However, a critical analysis of the novel reveals the fact that the novel is rich in feminist
elements and intends to offer an unadulterated image of the women of the contemporary.
Fergus and Wood (2016) are of the viewpoint that one of the key features of the
literary works related to the Elizabethan age and the 17th and 18th centuries was the fact that
the women in these works were either exulted to the pedestal of angels or degraded as
buffoons. At the initial phases of the novel Anne Elliot is also similar to the earlier
representations of women by earlier writers since she is easily influenced by her family
members and although she loves Captain Frederick Wentworth she breaks her engagement
with him (Miller 2015). However, during the entire course of the novel she undergoes a
remarkable journey and many experts have even stated that she is a representation of the
women of 21st century and not of the 19th century (Paris 2017). The lines of the novel, “I hate
to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures.
None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives” reveals the modernity of the character as
well as the nature of Anne Elliot (Austen 2016). Furthermore, Austen has presented her as a
woman who is not afraid to speak her mind and is also fond of intelligent company. This
aspect of her character becomes evident from her lines “My idea of good company...is the
company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what
I call good company” (Austen 2016).
One of the most important character traits of Anne Elliot is her loyalty in love as well
as devotion to Captain Wentworth throughout the entire course of the novel (Campbell et al.
2017). In this regard, it needs to be said that although she had broken her engagement under
the influence of her family members yet she maintains her fidelity to Captain Wentworth and
this is probably one of the major reasons why she is not too keen to marry Mr. Elliot, her
cousin and the heir to the Elliot estate. In this context, her line “You pierce my soul.....am