Context - Including Gender Roles, Jane Austen, Regency England, Regency Rules and Behaviour, Marriage Law, Elopement, Entail and Social Class

When was Austen born?

1775

What was Austen’s social status?

She wasn’t rich

What classes does Austen set her books in?

Upper and middle class

What are the upper and middle classes notable for?

Wit

What techniques does Austen use in her writing?

Irony and satire

How does Austen view marriage and love?

She turned down a proposal from a wealthy man.

What were women expected to do?

Have children

When was the Marriage Act?

1882

How did the Marriage Act affect women?

Her earnings belonged to her husband

What could men to that women couldn’t do?

Divorce

What couldn’t the mother do after a divorce?

See her children

How did the Marriage Act of 1753 affect men?

They couldn’t marry below their class

What were the four different classes during Regency England?

Upper, land gentry, middle and lower

What class did the Bennets and Darcy belong to?

Land gentry

Where do upper class usually marry?

Within family

What were the expectations of higher class women?

She had to be chaperoned

During conversation, what had to appropriate when speaking to someone?

Gender, age and class

What shouldn’t women do during a conversation?

Debate

What was expected to know during a conversation?

Forms of address

What can’t a lady do during dancing?

Dance more than twice with the same partner.

What do balls allow women to do?

Speak privately to men

What can’t a lady do during visting?

Call on a man alone

What should be given before a visit?

A warning

What can’t a gentleman do with a lady during a visit?

Sit with her alone

What age can’t a woman walk alone?

Under thirty

What should the man do regarding the lady?

Wait for her

What was the expectation during greetings?

You must wait to be introduced.

What couldn’t women do?

She had no rights on inheritance

What did lawyers have to decide on since the Black Death?

Determine the rightful relative

What was the consequence of widow?

They could be thrown out into the street

What is a potential difficulty for the first son?

He could be left with nothing.

When was Regency England compassed?

1811-1820

What continued during Regency England?

Industrial Revolution

What was the Regency England known for?

Art, literature, fashion, design and architecture

Where did most British people live during the mid-19th century?

Towns

What did most people do for living?

Mined or worked in manufacture

What did the upper class invest money in?

Giving their daughters ‘season’ finding a husband

Who possessed the land and estates?

The eldest son

What did younger sons have to do?

Marry well

What needed to be granted before a marriage

Parental approval

Who couldn’t marry a merchant?

A nobleman’s daughter

Why were private balls an opportunity for women?

They can find partners

What were men expected to commute to?

Their place of work

What were women expected to do?

Complete their domestic duties at home

What kind of jobs did working women have?

Knitters, seamstresses, factory workers and maids

According to Caroline Bingley, what must a woman possess to be ‘highly skilled’?

Singing, dancing, drawing and learning languages

What were sexually active woman viewed as?

Ineligible to marry

What wasn’t important for women to do?

Academic work

What was marriage viewed as?

A business agreement

What was elopement a result of?

Love without family approval

Where can the couple go if they weren’t of age to marry?

Scottland

Why did families pretend to approve eloping couples?

Sex before marriage was unacceptable