Novels written during the Victorian era are both similar and different in many ways and can be explored through many different views. The difference in gender of the main characters is sometimes what sets the stories apart most evidently. The novels “Pride and Prejudice,” “Sense and Sensibility,” and “Emma” are the three novels categorized in the girls series. “David Copperfield,” “Oliver Twist,” and “Great Expectations” are the three novels categorized on the boys side. Through these six novels, we are able to compare and contrast the similarities and differences present in the girls series and the boys series. So, without further ado, let’s see how these novels are similar and how these novels are different.
Social classes are what differs the rich from the poor which can also prevent one from doing what they want. Social class can determine your living conditions, your neighbors, and your interactions with others. In both series, social class plays an important role in shaping the choices and opportunities given to each character. In "Pride and Prejudice," social class plays a significant role and impacts different characters differently. The rigid societal hierarchy of the Victorian era greatly impacts individuals based on their wealth and social status. The Bennet family isn't very wealthy or poor. When at social events, it is evident that the Bennets aren’t treated as well as the wealthier people, but nor are they looked down upon. Mr. Darcy, on the other hand, is a wealthy and aristocratic figure who initially looks down upon those below his social status. Other families, such as the Lucas family aren't quite as wealthy, which is a factor that contributes to Charlotte’s ultimate decision in marrying Mr. Collins. Through the unfolding of the story, the novel explores how social class influences relationships, perceptions on others, and opportunities. In “Sense and Sensibility,” social class is an important aspect in the novel as different people take different actions and have different views on it. John Dashwood is the richest amongst all. His annual income is between £5,000 - £6,000 annually, that is, $350,000 - $420,000 today. His wife, Fanny, inherited £10,000 from her mother, which is equivalent to $70,000 today. The John Dashwood’s’ family income would be between $353,500 and $403,500 annually today, making them a wealthy family. Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters, however, are amongst the less fortunate. After Mr. Dashwood’s death, John Dashwood is left to take care of his father’s widow (Mrs. Dashwood) and his three half sisters. However, under the influence of his wife Fanny, he eventually leaves them with a £50 annual salary, in other words $3,500 each to live on, resulting in them being in the lower social class. Your annual income is typically what determines your social status. “David Copperfield” explores the theme of personal identity within the context of social class. As David goes on a journey of self discovery, we are able to see how social class impacts him in many different ways. “Oliver Twist” explores the difficulties those in the lower class go through during the Victorian era. The novel also greatly demonstrates the conditions of the Victorian workhouses. The Victorian workhouse, a system of workhouses that dominated England and Wales during the 19th century, was an institution where those who weren’t able to sufficiently provide for themselves financially were offered living accommodations and employment. This workhouse system in many ways reflected the societal attitude towards poverty, those of a lower class, and charity at the time. The novel “Great Expectations,” focuses on social mobility and how wealth and class can influence one’s behavior and morals. Social status is something society at the time highly valued and is what people judged you upon and your social status can also determine how people treat you and how much respect you receive from others. All in all, social class plays an important role in all the novels but in many different ways.
Due to the fact that social classes are what society judges people upon, many individuals are motivated to strive and become more wealthy and change their social class. These people are referred to as social climbers. Mrs. Dashwood is someone who is driven by her desire for social status. In some instances, she is willing to sacrifice her own daughter's happiness for a higher social class. In “Sense and Sensibility,” Emma’s reasoning for focusing on Harriet’s love life was in hopes that her social class could improve by marrying a gentleman. The Coles family also demonstrate social mobility as their business makes more money and they rise in social standing. As explored in the novel, one’s social class can greatly determine how one treats you. Emma, as someone of the higher class, demonstrates this. At first, Emma treats Miss Bates, someone of the lower class, indifferently due to their difference in social class. However, as the story progresses, we learn that social class isn’t the only thing that determines the quality of one’s character. In “David Copperfield,” there were many examples of social climbers as well as those who remained in their current social class. There were also examples of those who lost their wealth due to unfortunate events and those who were able to gain back their wealth. In “Oliver Twist,” we discover that Oliver is actually someone of a high social class but was just born somewhere of a lower social class. As Oliver ages, he slowly discovers who he is and returns to where he belongs. In “Great Expectations” on the other hand, there are many social climbers who each “climbed” in a different way. Estella is someone who’s social class changed after she was adopted by Miss Havisham and became Miss Havisham’s adopted daughter. However, after her marriage to her husband Bentley Drummle, things started going downhill. Her husband wasted everything, died and left Estella nothing. Ultimately, her inheritance from Miss Havisham was used to pay off her late husband’s debts. Pip too, on the other hand started low, but after being patronized by Magwitch whom he thought was a good person, wasted all his money on his extravagant lifestyle. However, once Magwitch’s real identity was revealed, Pip was left with debts. Other characters such as Herbert and Joe changed social classes due to their hard work. From the experiences of these characters and many others from Dickens’ novels, we can see and conclude that marriage is the fastest way to advance in social class. Everyone has different views on the importance of social status/class, therefore taking different actions towards it.
Neighbors can represent the values and mindset of the society/community. In the novels, neighbors can function as a “highlighter” that highlights the flaws in the main character(s). In both series the most impactful neighbors are females. However, although in both the series though neighbors play an important role, they play slightly different roles in each series. In “Pride and Prejudice,” Lady Lucas is portrayed as a pragmatic and practical woman who is concerned with securing a match for her daughter, Charlotte. While Mrs. Bennet is overly dramatic and focused on marrying her daughters off to wealthy suitors, Lady Lucas takes a more measured and rational approach. This action then highlights the extremes of Mrs. Bennet's behavior and highlights the different approaches to marriage and social status. Lady Lucas demonstrates the pressure women at that time faced when trying to secure a suitable match and the need to conform to societal norms. However, despite this, she is still close friends with Mrs. Bennet demonstrates the importance of good bonds with your neighbors. Though Lady Lucas is too, a minor character, she greatly demonstrates the function of a neighbor. She supports the Bennets like what a neighbor should and her pragmatic actions contrast those of Mrs. Bennet, highlighting the different mindsets & perceptions of people in a community. Lady Lucas highlights the importance of strong connections with neighbors, offers a pragmatic perspective on marriage, and showcases the impact that neighbors and friends can have on one's life. “Pride and Prejudice" also showcases the function of neighbors and demonstrates the impact they can have on one's life. Mrs. Bennet plays a major role in the novel as she is the mother of the Bennet girls. She is surrounded by many other women who are her neighbors and in some ways they are similar and in some ways they are different. Mrs. Long functions as the gossiper of the community as much information goes through her. Throughout her 14 appearances in the novel, much about life during the Victorian era can be understood throughout her mindset and personality. Lady Lucas is another neighbor with great importance. She contrasts Mrs. Bennet’s views on marriage and is an example of different views and mindsets of neighbors. Mrs. Phillips functions as the social butterfly in their neighborhood. She hosts many gatherings and helps maintain social connections and interactions. As seen in the girls novels, neighbors demonstrate more of how society is at the time compared to boy novels and plays a slightly smaller role than the neighbors in the boys series.
Females played a small yet important role in many of Charles DIckens novels, showcasing the reality of women at the time. In Dickens boy novels, the women in each of the novels taught us an important lesson and impacted the main protagonists in many different ways.
The many female characters in the novel “David Copperfield” that David meets along the way all play a significant role in shaping David's life and helping him on his journey of self discovery. In the novel there are many strong and complex female figures who defy Victorian gender norms, showcasing the power of females in a male dominant society. Figures such as Agnes Wickfield, Dora Spenlow, and Betsey Trotwood each represent different aspects of femininity and each play an individual and unique role in David’s life. In "Oliver Twist," the representation of female characters demonstrates the vulnerabilities and societal expectations faced by women during the Victorian era. Figures such as Nancy and Mrs. Bumble demonstrate the harsh realities of life for women, particularly those of the lower social class. Nancy, a complex character, is portrayed as both a victim and protector in the novel. Although she is deeply connected to a gang of thieves and a world of crime, her fierce loyalty and protection instincts towards Oliver demonstrates her true human nature. Her death ultimately demonstrates the fate that awaits women at the time who wish to redeem themselves from their current circumstances. As stated in Wikipedia, “ In spite of her criminality, Nancy is portrayed as a sympathetic figure, whose concern for Oliver overcomes her loyalty to Sikes and Fagin.” (Wikipedia) In "Great Expectations," Dickens' portrayal of Estella, Miss Havisham, and Biddy also serve their own importance throughout the story and impact Pip in many different ways. Estella, shaped by Miss Havisham's desire for revenge against men, becomes an example of emotional detachment and the destructive potential of societal expectations. Her beauty and social status attracts Pip, yet her inability to feel love and affection results in her not reciprocating Pip’s love towards her. Estella demonstrates the dangers of raising a female according to patriarchal standards of beauty and power and the consequences that come with it. Miss Havisham, an eccentric character who demonstrates the scars of betrayal, shows how traumatic experiences can shape one’s identity. All in all, the women/female characters in Dickens’s Boy Series greatly demonstrates the important role of women/female characters in literature.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” - “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” This is the quote at the beginning of the book “Pride and Prejudice”. What it really means is that a rich man would want a beautiful wife, but even the prettiest girl in the world would be in the need of a husband in order to survive. Single men of a large fortune wouldn’t be judged that much by society. The man himself would want a wife that would give him a son to inherit his fortune. However, a single woman in society, no matter how beautiful she is, would be expected to marry. This quote is ironic because it shows rich men wanting a wife when a woman at that time needed a husband much more for financial stability. All novels explore the concept of marriage in some way. Some have marriage as a center theme and others showcasing marriage on the sidelines. However, both series of novels showcase the importance of marriage to a lady at the time. During the Victorian era, marriage was crucial, especially for women. It was part of their role in life to have a successful marriage and have kids. Women were expected to do so and those who didn’t were constantly being bugged. Marriage was important as it provided financial stability to the female, and an heir to the male. Many girls back then were also expected to marry rich men. During the Victorian period, marriages were imagined as matches made for personal fulfillment as much as for status and power.
Marriage was an important concept explored in both series and played an important role in shaping the lives of the many characters. Marriage comes with many benefits, ranging from financial benefits to living conditions. Often, with marriage, comes financial benefits. If two wealthy people marry, their wealth combined makes them even wealthier. However, for someone poor to marry someone richer, the poorer person gains financial benefit & stability. In “Pride and Prejudice” when Charlotte married Mr. Collins, she married him knowing that he will inherit a large amount of inheritance from Longbourne, therefore providing her with financial stability. A pragmatic marriage, however, can result in consequences that can have a lifelong impact. Although Charlotte’s marriage to Mr. Collins provides her with many benefits, her pragmatic decision also results in her being stuck with someone whom she has no romantic feelings for and someone who is not so smart. Additionally, she is stuck with an arrogant neighbor. Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen, shows examples of many different marriages with many different approaches. Typically, both back then and nowadays, the rich chose to marry the rich, and the poor are left to marry each other. Lady de Bourgh wanting her daughter to marry Mr. Darcy is a classic example of the rich marrying the rich. “Emma,” on the other hand, greatly demonstrates the risks associated with marrying someone who is not on the same social level. Social ostracization, financial instability, and misunderstandings are some of the potential consequences of marrying outside of one's social class. A rich person will never understand a poor person’s struggles and a poor person will never truly fit into a rich person’s social circle. Especially for women at the time, the man you marry can determine a lot of things in the future. As the novel unfolds, one by one the risks of marrying someone from a different social class shows itself, teaching all of us an important life lesson. It is also important to be emotionally mature when starting a relationship and to have shared goals and dreams. Emotional maturity in relationships involves the ability to manage and express emotions and includes self awareness, something that young Marianne in “Sense and Sensibility” lacked when she was in a relationship with Willoughby. Marianne was still young at the time, and didn’t fully understand love. This resulted in her to lack emotional maturity, which contributed her to be less aware of what was really happening and to be blinded by love. However, when she realizes the reality, she discovers who Willoughby truly is and finally comes back to his senses. As she regains the ability to think straight, she goes on a journey of self discovery and learns to prioritize emotional maturity in relationships. In the novel “David Copperfield,” the marriage between Dora and David was also shown as a marriage that was flawed due to their differences in maturity and personality eventually resulting in an unsuccessful relationship. Dora, though charming and pretty, was immature and unable to understand and comprehend the complexities and difficulties of life as an adult. David, on the other hand, was struggling to find his own identity and passion, and was seeking purpose in life. As time went on, David realized that he was too old for Dora and that she was still too immature for him. In the end, however, Dora dies following a miscarriage and Agnes Wickfield, who later becomes David’s second wife, brings him back to his passion as a writer. This marriage highlights the difficulties of a successful marriage due to the differences in maturity and personality.
Despite all the similarities, the two series focus on different things due to the gender difference in the main characters. The girls series explores more of life for a woman during the Victorian/Regency era while the boys series more focuses on personal growth and personal fulfillment. Women in society both then and now have requirements that they are expected to live up to. They are still expected to live up to a certain standard in which shadows over who and what women truly are. The standards us women live up to restricts them from doing what they want to do but what society wants to see them doing. An accomplished woman back then had many aspects in which they were to succeed in order to be called “accomplished.” Many tasks including knowledge in music, painting tables, covering screens, knitting net purses, singing, dancing, knowing language, manner of walking, tone of voice, and address were traits that society thought women should have in order to be accomplished. It was also part of their role in life to have a successful marriage and have kids. Women were expected to do so and those who didn’t were constantly being nagged. In “Pride and Prejudice,” Miss Bingley, Mrs. Hurst, Mr. Darcy, and Mr. Bingley all had a conversation about the perfect lady. Their views, in fact, were quite different. Mr. Bingley believes that an accomplished lady should be able to paint tables, cover screens, and net purses. He also believes that the woman should have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, and must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions. Marriage was also the center of these young girls’ lives as they were all pressured to have a good marriage. Pride and Prejudice shows the high requirements that are required in order for a woman to be successful. The role of a woman back then was to do all this AND be a housewife AND be a mother. Society has many tasks labeled for women that make up the role of an “accomplished” woman. The boy's novel on the other hand stresses the importance of personal growth and development throughout the novel. Personal growth is an important part of life as it demonstrates how one can change over time and as they get older. Although all three novels explore the theme of personal growth, in some novels, personal growth is more important than others. “David Copperfield” and ‘Great Expectations” both emphasize personal growth strongly. However, David's journey is more internal and reflective, while Pip's is more external and marked by the events that happen throughout his journey. “David Copperfield” explores how one should go after their dreams and achieve what they believe. “Great Expectations” on the other hand talks more about Pip’s journey to become "uncommon” and how many events along the way impacts him.“Oliver Twist” on the other hand is less about personal growth and more about survival in a challenging environment/situation. Personal growth can be shown in many ways and can be expressed differently.
Through these six novels many different topics are explored. Although Austen and Dickens’s novels are similar in many ways, they also have many differences that set them apart from one another. However despite their differences, these novels are able to come together and teach us important lessons in many different aspects of life. Through the eyes of these young girls and boys we are able to see how both Austen and Dickens’s novels are similar and different. So, without further ado, let’s compare and contrast Austen and Dickens novels with one another and dive into the world of Victorian literature.
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