World Literature

The revolution sweeping across Britain in 18th and 19th centuries had an undeniable influence on Jane Austen’s works. Her writings bear a subtle testimony to the horrors of war and political turbulence. […]

Jane Austen lived during the turbulent political times that saw the French Revolution. Wartime bears its markings on not just her and her family’s lives, but also on her writings. […]

Most of Jane Austen’s fictional characters were below the lesser nobility. Her books also criticize the complex system that today we’d call social class, rather than condition. […]

Jane Austen grew up in a highly stratified social system. However, she didn’t include any minor characters higher than a viscount in her major fiction. […]

While there are claims that Austen focused her stories on ‘the aristocracy’, her books actually provide little mention of them. In her finished works of fiction, she rarely acknowledges the existence of royalty. […]

While not every leisure activity in Austen’s fiction must be read as a defining element of one’s personality, she rarely includes any random details. Thus, even the choice of card games reveals a lot. […]

During Austen’s time, leisure activities included social visits and balls. Visits ensured that connections were maintained. The etiquette for visits was simple compared to the complicated etiquette for behavior at balls and dances. […]

In Austen’s time, carriages were a sign of wealth and status. There were different types of carriages that carried different meaning. But it wasn’t only what vehicle one had; where one traveled mattered, too. […]

One’s available number of leisure hours depended on their economic privilege. The wealthy had access to their own horses and carriages. However, the types of carriage one had also carried meanings. […]