Analyzing Women in 19th Century Literature: Austen & Brontë

This essay analyzes the representation of women in 19th-century literature, focusing on Jane Austen's "Persuasion" and Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre." It highlights how Austen presents a realistic portrayal of women through Anne Elliot, showcasing her intelligence, loyalty, and willingness to challenge societal norms. Similarly, Brontë's "Jane Eyre" depicts a woman's struggle for independence and self-respect in a patriarchal society, emphasizing her emotional resilience and selfless nature. The essay argues that both novels offer valuable insights into the evolving roles and challenges faced by women during the 19th century. Desklib provides access to similar essays and study resources for students.

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 18th
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

4REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN 19TH CENTURY LITERATURE
half agony, half hope...I have loved none but you” is important to note since it sheds valuable
light on this aspect of her character (Austen 2016). In addition to these, Austen has also
portrayed the character of Anne as that of a loving, caring and intelligent woman who is not
afraid of going against the wishes of her family and society for the thing that she believes in.
Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre” (1847) was initially published as “Jane Eyre: An
Autobiography” under the pen name of “Curran” because the publishers were not ready to
accept the fact that a woman could write such a piece of work (Fraser 2015). This work can
be seen as an experiment of the novelist with the Bildungsroman genre and also gives a semi-
autobiographical account of the childhood and the early life of the novelist herself (Wagner
2018). This novel is not only considered to be one of the finest novels of the 19th century but
at the same time introduced the “first person narrative” style of writing in the English
Literature (Scholl 2016). The expertise with which she has used this style of writing and also
her expertise of presenting her experiences in the governmental girl schools, as governess and
others have been much appreciated by the readers (Al-Haj 2015). As a matter of fact, this has
even earner her, the title of “first historian of the private consciousness” and also the ancestor
of some of the greats of modern literature like Proust, Lawrence and others (Henson 2016).
The novel “Jane Eyre” intends to offer an unadulterated picture of the kind of women
in the 19th century who had no substantial wealth or social standing and were required to earn
their livelihood (Alexander 2016). More importantly, the novelist through the suffering as
well as problems faced by Jane Eyre at the girls school, particularly, the lack of food,
clothing, ineffective education, lack of medication and other tries to bring to light that the
problems of the government sponsored educational institutions of the 19th century which were
meant to equip the women with better quality opportunities (Maier 2017). Furthermore,
through the problems that Jane Eyre faces as a governess and the initial harsh treatment that
she receives from Mr. Rochester is an indicative of the kind of behavior that the governesses

5REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN 19TH CENTURY LITERATURE
commonly faced in the 19th century. However, one of the most important aspects of the
character representation of Jane Eyre is the fact that rather than showing her as an individual
who is weighed down by all these circumstances Charlotte Brontë shows her as an
independent character who is willing to lead her life on own terms. This becomes apparent
from her lines “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an
independent will” (Brontë 2016).
One of the most important aspects of the character of Jane Eyre is the fact that the
struggles which she had undergone like the ones at the home of her uncle, at school and
others have left an important mark on her emotions (Coon and Hassan 2015). More
importantly, these hardships and struggles have completely changed her ideology towards life
and thus she says that “I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more
unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself” (Brontë 2016). However, at the same time it
needs to be said that her emotions towards Mr. Rochester are completely selfless and this
becomes evident at the end of the novel (Wagner 2018). For example, it is seen at the first
encounter between Mr. Rochester and Jane, Mr. Rochester unknowingly curses her yet she
still helps him. Furthermore, later on she is even playfully accused by Mr. Rochester of the
fact that she has bewitched the horse and she even saves his life when his room has been set
on fire by his wife. It is true that she leaves him on knowing that Mr. Rochester is already
married and cannot marry her while his wife is alive yet at the end of the novel when she sees
the miserable condition in which he is she proactively takes the responsibility of Mr.
Rochester and even starts the process of his regeneration from physical and emotional scars.
In this regard, her lines “Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or
registering wrongs” are important to note (Brontë 2016).
A critical analysis of Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre” clearly reveals the fact that
Brontë intended her protagonist to be a representation of modern women and also the kind of

6REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN 19TH CENTURY LITERATURE
women that the women of the 19th century should strive to become (Fraser 2015). For
example, the novelist has presented her as a female who is devoid of the traditionally popular
celestial or womanly values and in a manner also defies the social traditions or conventions
for the women. In this regard, the lines of Jane Eyre wherein she says to Mr. Rochester “I am
not an angel…..and I will not be one till I die: I will be myself. Mr. Rochester, you must
neither expect nor exact anything celestial of me - for you will not get it, any more than I
shall get it of you…” are important to note (Brontë 2016). This becomes more apparent in the
final sections of the novel when she decides to marry Mr. Rochester and give up the
opportunity to marry St. John and go with him as a missionary to serve the people of India.
However, she justifies this decision on the basis of the fact that earthly love is more important
to her than heavenly love and also through the line “Every atom of your flesh is as dear to me
as my own: in pain and sickness it would still be dear” which she says to Mr. Rochester to
convince him that she does not loathes him (Brontë 2016).
A comparative analysis of the character of Anne Elliot and Jane Eyre in the two
novels under discussion here reveals that there are certain common features among both of
them. For example, one of the most important common factor among these female
protagonists is the fact that both of them are character portrayals who are far ahead of their
times (Coon and Hassan 2015). In this regard, it needs to be said that both of these women
protagonists could have easily formed a part of the novel of the 21st century rather than a
novel of the 19th century and that too without much difficulty. As opined by Henson (2016),
this can be explained on the basis of the fact that the authors themselves wanted to come out
of the suffocating grip that the 19th century society held in their lives and thus they created the
kind of women protagonists who could break away from this suffocating grip. More
importantly, the entity of love is a dominant one in the lives of both of these female
protagonists and as a matter of fact in both the novels it is seen that the protagonists had to go

7REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN 19TH CENTURY LITERATURE
through various trials and tribulations to win their love interests (Scholl 2016). In this regard,
it needs to be said that both of these women chose the kind of husbands of whom their family
members and friends disapprove of and as a matter of fact they themselves have had
problems with them in the past. However, despite these aspects the most important benefits
that these two female protagonists render the novelists is the fact that they help the novelists
to showcase the actual problems faced by the women in the 19th century, the sacrifices that
they had to make because of orthodox societal norms and others (Alexander 2016).
To conclude, the women novelists of the 19th century sought to offer an unadulterated
as well as pure representation of women of that age rather than following back on various
kinds of societal norms or conventions. In this context, it can be said that the various literary
works since the ancient times have tried to offer an idyllic, utopian, ideal, celestial and other
similar kinds of portrayal of women. However, the major drawback of these portrayals is the
fact that they are very far away from the actual reality and thereby fail to offer an accurate
representation of the condition of women. The novelists Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë
have tried to overcome these problems associated with the actual representation of women in
their literary works. For example, it is seen that through the usage of personal experiences,
past emotions and others their works offers not only the representation of the condition of
women in the 19th century but at the same time the kind of individuals that they needed to
become. In this regard, it needs to be said that the protagonists of the novels of both of these
authors are independent, self-dependent, loving, caring, risk taking and others which are
completely different from the values that society expected the women to posses.

8REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN 19TH CENTURY LITERATURE
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