Independent project 15 credits
Exploring values of Money, Reputation, and Appearance
Discussing the impact of class divisions through Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in the Swedish EFL classroom
Author: Sandra Darberg Supervisor: Anna Greek Examiner: Anna Thyberg Term: Spring 2019
Subject: English Literature Level: Bachelor
Course code: 2ENÄ2E
Abstract
This essay is a discussion about how English teachers in the Swedish school system can use Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice to encourage awareness and reflection in students regarding issues of class division and its impact on society. The essay provides examples of how the contemporary Swedish society and the society depicted in Pride and Prejudice share both similarities and differences in issues regarding class division. The reader response perspective has been applied to show how teachers may use the novel to emphasize students’
reflections and responses. This, in the hope of creating rewarding discussions in the classroom that are based on the curriculum for the Swedish upper secondary school’s content of
democratic values and human rights. This essay will show that Pride and Prejudice is a suitable choice of literature to use as basis for generating awareness and reflection regarding the issues of the impact of class divisions on society in the EFL classroom.
Key words: class division, Pride and Prejudice, EFL classroom, culture, upper secondary
school, social class, reader response
Table of contents
1 Introduction 4
2 Theoretical background 5
2.1 Pedagogical framework 10
3 Exploring Pride and Prejudice from a class-based perspective with implications for EFL 14
3.1 Class divisions in Pride and Prejudice 14
3.2 Teaching practices for the EFL classroom 19
4 Conclusion 22
5 Works cited list 25
1 Introduction
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was first published in 1813. The main character is Elizabeth Bennet, who is one out of five daughters of a country gentleman living near the fictional town of Meryton in Hertfordshire near London. The story follows Elizabeth as she deals with issues of manners, morality, and marriage in the society of the gentry in the early 19th century England. Since the novel is a classic novel and part of the literary canon, many teachers use the novel in the classroom and much research is done within the field of Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice. Daniel R. Mangiavellano writes in “First Encounters with Pride and Prejudice in the Composition Classroom” that he even uses the novel to teach skill- based, academic writing. However, this paper will show how Swedish English teachers may use the novel in EFL classrooms.
The author, Jane Austen, was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction have earned her place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature. Her realism and social commentary provide a window into life among the elite in a small English community in the early 19th century. For this reason, the aim of this paper is to investigate to what extent the novel Pride and Prejudice could be used as a basis for studying English culture and society in the EFL classrooms.
The novel Pride and Prejudice provides examples and images of class division that can be compared with contemporary issues in society in order to identify similarities and
differences. Class division in society creates the opportunity to work with the basic values that the upper secondary school should convey. The curriculum for upper secondary school states that the education shall be designed to mediate the fundamental democratic values and human rights which the Swedish society is based on (Natl. Ag. f. Ed. 1). However, as the novel’s language is old it may be difficult for students in the lower levels of English studies.
Therefore, the paper will focus on the level of English 6 in the Swedish school system. The syllabus for English 6 highlights the importance of students being given the opportunity to develop knowledge of “[l]iving conditions, . . . social issues . . . cultural conditions in different contexts” as well as meeting written and spoken English of different kinds and relating the content to their own experiences and knowledge (Natl. Ag. f. Ed. “Syllabus for English 6” 1).
The essay shows how the early 19th century society of Pride and Prejudice in
comparison to the contemporary Swedish society of the 21st century can be used in teaching
students about the impact of class divisions on society, in the hope of creating awareness, reflection, and dialogue among the students. It provides examples of how the contemporary Swedish society of today shares both similarities and differences in issues regarding class division. To do this, the paper focuses on value of money, male and female expectations, and appearance, comparing contemporary practices with the 19th century society of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
The analysis is divided into two parts. The first part is a literary analysis of examples from the novel from a new historicist perspective. The second part is a pedagogical analysis that will show the similarities and differences between the two societies, in order to be able to explore how teachers may use these examples in teaching class division’s impact in literary and cultural studies in the EFL classroom. The perspective that will be discussed in the context of teaching is the reader response perspective. According to Bobkina and Stefanova, the reader response approach is a “complex process of anticipation and retrospection” that students use to “connect the fictional world with the familiar world, and gradually become aware of the meanings given to literary representations and the feelings these representations evoke” (682). The reader response perspective is chosen for its benefits of generating richer reflection and discussion opportunities that may arise after reading a text, in hope of that it may increase the development of students’ critical thinking skills in reading literary texts in the EFL classroom.
Thus, the paper shows how English teachers in the Swedish school system can use the novel Pride and Prejudice to encourage awareness for students regarding issues of class division and its impact on society. The paper will show that the focus areas of value of
money, male and female expectations, and appearance, play significant parts in class divisions in contemporary Swedish society, just as they did in the early 19th century society of Pride and Prejudice.
2 Theoretical background
The New Historicism is a form of literary criticism that seeks to find meaning of a literary
work within the framework of current ideas and assumptions of its historical era. It focuses on
understanding the historical contexts behind the text, such as the time the author lived in and
social background, the ideas of people at the specific period, and culture milieus, in order to
understand a literary piece. It is not clear when New Historicism began to appear in literary
analysis, but it became a coined term in literary analysis by the American critic Stephen
Greenblatt. According to Greenblatt, New-historicist critics try to “understand the intersecting circumstances not as a stable, prefabricated background against which the literary texts can be placed but as a dense network of evolving and often contradictory social forces” (20).
Greenblatt also explains that “[t]he idea is not to find outside the work of art some rock onto which literary interpretation can be securely chained but rather to situate the work in relation to other representational practices operative in the culture at a given moment in both its history and our own” (20). The New Historicism perspective becomes important in analysing aspects of the society in Pride and Prejudice, because it helps the reader with understanding historical contexts and social practices in the 19th century British society. Furthermore, the New historical perspective according to Janet E. Gardner and Joanne Diaz takes account of both “what history has to teach us about literature” and “what literature has to teach us about history” (177).
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice takes place in the Regency period that started around the end of the French Revolution and before the beginning of the industrial revolution in Europe, and was present during the Napoleonic Wars. According to Greenblatt, England during this time was “experiencing the ordeal of change from a primarily agricultural society, where wealth and power had been concentrated in the landholding aristocracy, to a modern industrial nation” (5). Greenblatt explains that this change in society occurred in a context of revolution in America, France, and Haiti, by “counterrevolution, war, economic cycles of inflation and depression, and of the constant threat to the social structure from important revolutionary ideologies to which the ruling classes responded by the repression of traditional liberties” (5). Furthermore, the British society during the Regency period was highly stratified with class distinctions that were present, but they were not completely rigid in the sense that
“[b]irth was not the sole determinant of a person’s destiny” (Ramanathan 42-43). According to Ramanathan, a person could be born as an agricultural worker and “find a way up the social hierarchy, to the trading, middle, landed, and even the aristocratic classes” by different paths such as “[w]ork, income, fortune, marriage, [bravery], ambition, enterprise and talent” (43).
These different paths created opportunity for people to climb the social latter, and even possibilities to “take one into the highest circles of British society” (Ramanathan 43).
In order to use Pride and Prejudice as a basis for discussion in the EFL classroom, it is
necessary to identify aspects of the novel that can be used as a comparison to the Swedish
contemporary society. One aspect is the British society’s view on the concept of value and
money. In the Regency period, the concept of value had been converted and money became
more important for the social status than the value of people. According to Gao, “the value of people counted on the possession of a fortune” (385), meaning that income at this time became recognized as a source of a person’s status in life. There are several examples of this in Pride and Prejudice as will be discussed in the analysis.
The second aspect is the importance of a person’s reputation. Women and men were expected to behave in certain ways and to step outside these social norms could have disastrous consequences. As the novel shows, people were closely watched and judged in social gatherings based on whether or not they behaved properly according to social norms.
The consequences of misbehavior were judged more strictly in the case of women than in men. If a woman did not behave properly, it could mean the downfall of her reputation and hence her and her sisters’ marriage possibilities, and affect the status of the family name. This is shown in the novel by the letter from Mr. Collins regarding Lydia’s behavior in eloping with Mr. Wickham (Austen 169).
The aspect of male and female expectations is also a necessity to consider. In the Regency period, the prospects for men and women were very different. Hui-Chun explains that “[w]omen were subservient to men in many ways, having nearly no property rights, legal rights, or control over their own destinies” (77), meaning that women at this time were supposed to marry for money and thereby providing to a family’s future financial security.
Gao explains that “marriage to an economically respectable man was considered to be the only legitimate choice for most women of the gentry or the aristocracy in order to survive”
(385). However, if a woman from the gentry did not marry and had no family members who could take her in and provide for her, the only respectable alternative was to become a governess, a teacher in a school or a lady’s companion (Gao 385). The income for these positions was barely enough for survival and would lower her social status, making it almost impossible to attract a husband (Gao 385).
When it comes to male expectations and prospects, men were supposed to live by the social rules and act properly according to their specific social class. Men were supposed to work, marry a woman of the right social rank, and provide for their family (Gao 385).
However, men belonging to the upper social classes who had higher status in society were titled “gentlemen,” and they did not need to work for a living. Examples from the novel of such gentlemen are Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. The title gentleman is used generally for a man of high birth or rank, good social standing, and of wealth, but also according to
Duckworth for external qualities such as “beauty, a fine countenance, a good figure, and very
pleasing address" (309) which were viewed as "most gentlemanlike" (309). In addition, birth
played a huge factor in determining social standing. For example for the eldest son and heir, the standing was established with an inherited title and fortune (Teachman 69). Men who did not inherit estate or fortune from family or relatives, had little choice but to work for a living.
During the Regency period, there were four professions offered to men who needed to work but did not want to lose the status of a gentleman, and these professions were occupations within the church, the law, or the military. Examples from the novel of such gentlemen are Mr. Collins, Mr. Gardiner, and Mr. Wickham.
In the context of financial status, the operations of inheritance played a fundamental role in the Regency period and especially in Pride and Prejudice. Only men were able to inherit from family or relatives. However, legally there was no barrier for leaving an estate to women by using strict settlement, but as a means of doing so in practice, such inheritance was extremely rare (Teachman 68). According to Teachman, the common law of England required that in cases where a will was not made and an entailment was not in force, “an estate was to be inherited automatically by the eldest son of a family” (68). However, if there is no son to inherit the property, as in the case of Pride and Prejudice, the right to inherit the property would descend to the eldest nephew or male cousin in the next generation of the family (Teachman 68).
As the society in the Regency period, the contemporary Swedish society is also
structured by aspects such as the value of money, male and female expectations, and norms of appearance. According to a report on social formations in society by Statistics Sweden, the individual´s position in the labor market is assumed to have importance for an individual’s welfare distribution and life opportunities (72, translation mine).
1The report distinguishes between categories in the labor market using factors such as status of work and qualification requirements, requirements through training, education, and length of education (Statistic Sweden 72). The formations within the labor market affect differences in living conditions, which are proven to be largely linked to where the individuals are placed in the social structure of society (Statistics Sweden 69).
2Living conditions and segregation in contemporary Swedish society occur to an increasing extent in different contexts. The segregation on the housing market may have an impact on people because it affects the view of what class division and social status an
1 Original in Swedish: ”..individens position på arbetsmarknaden, vilken antas ha en avgörande betydelse för välfärdsfördelningen och livschanser.”
2 Original in Swedish: ”Dessa skillnader i livsvillkor är i stor utsträckning knutna till var individerna är placerade i samhällets sociala struktur.”
individual in Swedish society has. According to a report by the National Agency for
Education (2010), residential segregation is a state on the housing market where households are different in properties and live geographically separated from each other (93, translation mine).
3The residential areas are usually areas with different physical and social status and are often involuntarily created, and may be influenced by factors such as age, education, income, or ethnic background (Natl. Ag. f. Ed. 93, translation mine).
4Furthermore, in contemporary Swedish society the norms regarding expectations of men and women are still very present. An example is the environment of Swedish schools today, where judgment and bullying occur between students due to gender expectations. In a report on bullying and harassment by Friends (2018), bullying in schools is affected by society’s norms, namely the expectations and notions about what is “normal” (6). What is “normal” can be anything from how the “right” body looks, whom you are expected to fall in love with, and which current status markers apply (Friends 6, translation mine).
5Furthermore, the report shows that there is a strong norm today about expectations regarding having a slim body, and if one does not have it there is a risk of being subjected to offensive words such as “fatty” or worse (Friends 12, translation mine).
6These norms are created and maintained by both adults and children and have a great impact on people’s everyday lives (Friends 6, translation mine).
7In the context of norms regarding expectations, the importance of a person’s appearance is also a social factor in contemporary Swedish society. It is shown by the second report by Friends (2017) focusing on harassment and offensive behavior, that when students are asked about what the harassments were about, it was most commonly about things like a person’s interest, clothes, or looks (22, translation mine).
8Furthermore, the report shows that girls are subjected to sexual harassment to a much greater extent than boys are in schools today.
According to the report, it is a fact that norms regarding appearance for each gender, the expectations on women are that they are supposed to be passive, self-disciplined, and at the
3 Original in Swedish: ”..bostadssegregation avses ett tillstånd på bostadsmarknaden då hushåll med olika egenskaper bor geografiskt åtskilda från varandra”
4 Original in Swedish: ”..vanligen i bostadsområden med olika fysisk och social status, därtill ofta ofrivilligt”… ”olika egenskaper (ålder, utbildning, inkomst, etnisk bakgrund..)”
5 Original in Swedish: ”Det kan vara allt från hur ”rätt” kropp ser ut till vem du förväntas bli kär i eller vilka statusmarkörer som gäller just nu.”
6 Original in Swedish: ”..det finns en stark norm kring att ha en smal kropp. Har man inte det finns risk att bli utsatt för kränkande or som till exempel ”tjockis””
7 Original in Swedish: ”Dessa normer skapas och upprätthålls av både vuxna och barn, och har en stor påverkan på vår vardag.”
8 Original in Swedish: ”När vi frågar elever som blivit kränkta vad kränkningarna handlade om är det vanligast att det rör saker som intresse, klädstil eller utseende.”
same time, supposed to be sexual objects for boys (Friends 23, my translation).
9By contrast, boys are expected to be active, to have a sense of entitlement, and to exercise rights over other peoples’ bodies (Friends 23, my translation).
10It is also explained in the report, that it is experienced by students that boys to a greater extent than girls, judge the opposite sex on the basis of their appearance and comment on their sexual life freely (Friends 23, my
translation).
11Examples in the novel of expectations on appearance are shown by Mr. Darcy’s requirement of what accomplishments a woman must cultivate, as well as how Miss Bingley as a fine lady looks down on women from lower societal classes.
The first part of the analysis will analyse examples from the novel of the aspects of value and money, male and female expectations, and reputation and appearance. It will show that Pride and Prejudice provide clear examples of class divisions and therefore can be considered a suitable choice of literature for historical and cultural literary studies regarding the impact of class divisions on society.
2.1 Pedagogical framework
The theme of the impact of class divisions on society is a relevant subject to discuss in the EFL classroom. As mentioned above, in the curriculum for Swedish upper secondary school discussions of class divisions are supported by that students will be given the opportunity to work with the basic values, democratic values, and human rights, on which the Swedish society is based (Natl. Ag. f. Ed. 1). Due to this, it is important to make students aware of the historical and cultural circumstances in English-speaking countries in order for them to be able to reflect on their own contemporary culture and point in history. In this context, the theme of class divisions affects and involves people all over the world in different ways and provides an opportunity for student reflection through the incorporation of these historical and cultural aspects into teaching. In this case, the study of social division in the novel Pride and Prejudice provides a basis for the discussion of cultural and historical similarities and
differences, hence it lends itself well to teaching in the EFL classroom.
When teachers incorporate literature into the classroom and ask the learners to
participate in literary and cultural studies with critical perspectives, it is highly important to
9 Original in Swedish: ”..förväntningar på tjejer att vara passiva, kontrollerande men samtidigt sexuella objekt för killar.”
10 Original in Swedish: ”Killar förväntas vara aktiva, ta för sig och ha rätt till andras kroppar.”
11 Original in Swedish: ”..killar i högre utsträckning bedömer tjejers utseende, kommenterar deras sexuella liv..”
consider the differences among the learners. According to Harmer, any group of learners is made up of individuals and it is clear that “they are not the same and therefore have different personalities, interests and learning styles” (86). Therefore, it is important for teachers to consider these differences and be prepared for issues that may occur within the group. Such issues may be reluctant readers, lack of motivation and differences between high and low achievers. In order to choose a text for a whole class to read the teacher should besides trying to follow the aims and goals of the national curriculum, have in mind that the text should deal with areas that are of interest to all the learners in the class.
Integrating literature such as novels and fiction in the process of foreign language acquisition in the EFL classroom, offers learners a meaningful context for processing and interpreting new language. It also offers a unique opportunity to explore and understand the world around them. In the core contents of English studies for Swedish upper secondary school it clearly states that teaching the subject teachers should give the opportunity for different ”[c]ontemporary and older literature, poetry, drama and songs” (Natl. Ag. f. Ed. 7) and ”[t]hemes, ideas, form and content in film and literature; authors and literary periods”
(Natl. Ag. f. Ed. 7). Using literature in the context of promoting cultural and historical awareness in the EFL classroom is considered to be valuable for learners, because it helps learners grow intellectually. According to Vourdanou, literature helps learners to “acquire a certain aesthetic appreciation and understanding of people’s past and present experiences”
(106). Furthermore, literature is also considered to contribute to learner’s language acquisition and multiplicity of meaning (Vourdanou 106). According to Vourdanou, the multiplicity of meaning may “promote the exchange of feelings and opinions, something which transforms language learning into a process of response” (106). With the choice of Pride and Prejudice as literature, the purpose is to highlight the cultural and historical perspective of class divisions in the novel and make student’s respond to it.
By using Pride and Prejudice as a literary basis in teaching EFL learners, culture will be a fundamental part of teaching. According to Nasirahmadi and others, teachers should teach culture for the reasons of “the bonds of language and culture, the benefits of offering higher-order thinking, and the developing of intercultural competence” (1326). However, the most important reason for teaching culture according to Nasirahmadi and others is that culture provides EFL language learners with the opportunity to reconsider and reflect over their own culture and cultural system. Nasirahmadi and others say:
By developing a kind of critical thinking in EFL learners, it gives the students a
chance to compare their L1 culture with L2 culture, that is beside from developing our
student's intercultural competence, it gives them a kind of “meta-cultural awareness”
to develop a dynamic and developmentally ever-changing cultural system. (1326) With the choice of Pride and Prejudice, the hope is that learners in the EFL classroom will create a deeper understanding about the British culture and society in the 19th century, and how class divisions effected people then in order to be able to reflect over issues in their own contemporary society.
The perspective of reader response is in focus because of its many benefits in areas of reading texts, in student response and reflection, and for discussion activities with literary texts in the EFL classroom. According to Rosenblatt, reading is “a transaction, a two-way process, involving a reader and a text at a particular time under particular circumstances”
(268). The reader response perspective rejects the idea that a literary work only has meaning built within it, and turns the attention to the reader’s response of the text instead. Rosenblatt’s view of the reading process and the reader’s stance is that the words in their particular pattern wakes up parts of the memory and activate areas of the reader’s consciousness (268). The reader then brings “past experience of language and of the world to the task, sets up tentative notions of a subject, of some framework into which to fit the ideas as the words unfurl”
(Rosenblatt 268). However, if the words in the text do not fit into the framework for the reader, it may have to be revised and then “[opens] up new and further possibilities for the text that follows” (Rosenblatt 268). This means that a constant series of choices from the many possibilities in the text and their synthesis will lead into an organized meaning for the reader (Rosenblatt 268).
Furthermore, Rosenblatt distinguishes between two approaches to reading, namely the efferent stance and the aesthetic stance (268-269). The two approaches to reading varies depending on the orientation of the reader, text, and the reading situation. The approach of efferent stance implies on informativereading for such as textbooks, news articles, or a driving manual. According to Rosenblatt, in efferent reading the reader “narrows the attention to building up the meanings, the ideas, the directions to be retained” (269) and therefore the
“attention focuses on accumulating what is to be carried away at the end of the reading”
(269). However, in the approach of aesthetic stance the reader seeks texts such as example
stories, poems, or plays, where the reader’s attention will center on what he/she is living
through or what’s being created during the actual reading (Rosenblatt 269). Here it is the
content of the text that will be allowed to rise into consciousness and also “what those objects
or referents stir up of personal feelings, ideas, and attitudes” (Rosenblatt 269). Examples of
contents such as the plot, the characters, the environment, or the problems in the story.
According to Rosenblatt, the “very sound and rhythm of the words will be attended to”(269) and “[o]ut of these ideas and feelings, a new experience, the story or poem, is shaped and lived through”(269). The literary studies in the EFL classroom will be focusing on the aesthetic stance because Pride and Prejudice will be read and reflected upon, and due to the fact that the student’s responses to the novel will be used in classroom discussions and activities.
Moreover, the reader response perspective displays numerous open-ended possibilities which enable learners to interact with the literary work. It allows learners to project their own view on the meaning given to the text. According to Bobkina and Stefanova, this approach is a “complex process of anticipation and retrospection” (682) that learners use to “connect the fictional world with the familiar world, and gradually become aware of the meanings given to literary representations and the feelings these representations evoke” (682). The reader
response perspective does not only affect learners’ development of critical thinking, it also increases learners’ abilities to “reflect critically, relating experience and theory, undergo positive transformation in the course of formulating and discussing their vision of the text”
(Bobkina and Stefanova 682). Since the understanding and interpreting of the text of Pride and Prejudice is going to differ among the learners, there will be many different responses to it. The learner’s different reactions, feelings and opinions may create great opportunity for discussions in the classroom that will lead to that students learn from each other through sharing of own experiences and perspectives.
Due to the fact that the main aim of using Pride and Prejudice as the literary basis is for learners to read and respond to it for later discussions with other learners on own reflections, the reader response perspective will hopefully create a deeper understanding and awareness regarding the issue of impact of class divisions on society. Therefore, it is important for teachers to consider activities relating to work with the text. An example of activities is
“response-oriented reading,” which assumes that the activities are based on the text and deepen the understanding of it (Lundahl 412, translation mine).
12Other activities that occur in the reader response perspective are discussions, creative writing, and dramatizations (Lundahl 412).
By incorporating critical thinking and reader response methods in the EFL classroom, the syllabus core content of English 6 regarding production and interaction will be covered.
The syllabus highlights that students should be given opportunity for “[o]ral and written
12 Original in Swedish: ”..förutsätter att aktiviteterna utgår från texten och fördjupar förståelsen av den.”
production and interaction in different situations and for different purposes where students argue, report, apply, reason, summarize, comment on, assess and give reasons for their views”
(Natl. Ag. f. Ed. 7), and for the “[a]daptation to genre, situation and purpose” (Natl. Ag. f. Ed 7).
The second part of the analysis will analyse how similarities and differences between the contemporary Swedish society and the society of Pride and Prejudice may be worked with through the reader response perspective. This, to enlighten the issues of the impact of class divisions on society. Activities which emphasize dialogues between students, and the focus on their thoughts and reflections surrounding the similarities and differences between the two societies, will be reflected upon.
3 Exploring Pride and Prejudice from a class-based perspective with implications for EFL
3.1 Class divisions in Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen can be used to study the impact of class division on society because the novel itself is a product of the Regency era’s social ranking system. The novel shows examples of how stratification was present and reinforced by the laws as well as the conventions in society. In this part, the following aspects will be further analysed: the concept of money by inheritance, male and female expectations, and the importance of reputation and appearance. These aspects of 19th century British society will hence well to the New historical perspective because they do “situate the work in relation to other
representational practices operative in the culture at a given moment” (Greenblatt 20). I will analyse how these aspects are reflected in the novel, in order to show that Pride and Prejudice is a suitable choice of literature to use as a basis in teaching about the impact of class
divisions on society in the EFL classroom.
The system of class divisions is shown in the novel by the story’s presentation of the
different families. According to Gao, what class a family belonged to and a person’s value
were determined by the possession of a fortune, estate, or of income (385). The Bennet family
is a family of the lower gentry, due to the fact that “Mr. Bennet’s property consisted almost
entirely in an estate of two thousand a year” (Austen 16). The Bennet family has little in the
way of wealth beyond their home and the income which is connected to it. However, the
Bennet family is of sufficient importance in the society of the English countryside that allows
them to be included in assemblies such as the dance at Netherfield. By being acquainted with different families of different social classes, the Bennet family is allowed by social rules to socialize with higher classes if they have been properly introduced, but they are significantly below the social level of the Bingley family.
The Bingley family is of distinctly upper-class. The Bingley family is a respectable family in the north of England. Mr. Bingley inherited property to the amount of “nearly a hundred thousand pounds from his father” (Austen 9) and is described as a “single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year” (Austen 1). Furthermore, Mr. Bingley’s sisters are fine ladies with education and fortune of their own. By being fine ladies they are allowed to be “associating with people of rank” (Austen 9) and “entitled to think well of themselves, and meanly of others” (Austen 9), due to the fact of their specific social class. The Bingley family is allowed by social rules to be in acquaintance with even higher upper-classes in society, as in the novel is the highest upper-class where the family Darcy is placed.
The Darcy family is of the highest classes of English society and owns a large estate in Derbyshire. Mr. Darcy is considered to be a very wealthy gentleman by “having ten thousand a year” (Austen 5), and by being the owner of the fine property named Pemberley. Due to the social status of Mr. Darcy, he is to be “looked at with great admiration” (Austen 5) and “to be above his company” (Austen 5). The Darcy family is related to the wealthy Lady Catherine de Bourgh, widow of Sir Lewis de Bourgh, who is by far the richest character in the story and therefore has the highest status among the different families.
As mentioned above, a person could find a way up the social hierarchy to higher classes through paths such as inheritance, different types of jobs, and marriage (Ramanathan 42-3). In the novel, the operations of inheritance play a fundamental role due to the fact that the
Longbourn estate is going to be inherited by Mr. Bennet’s first male relative, Mr. Collins.
According to Teachman, the entailment of Longbourn “is always present, determining actions
and consequences for many of the individuals within the novel” (68). Because Mr. Bennet
only has daughters, none of them will be able to be cared for when Mr. Bennet passes away
and therefore it creates a lot of financial worries for the women in the family. Mr. Bennet
talks one morning about the severity of the situation when Mr. Collins is coming to visit, by
saying “Mr. Collins, who, when I am dead, may turn you all out of this house as soon as he
pleases” (Austen 38) and urges his family to behave properly around him. Mrs. Bennet shows
her frustration regarding the entailment by saying “I do think it is the hardest thing in the
world, that your estate should be entailed away from your own children” (Austen 38). Due to
this, the only legitimate choice to secure the future for the Bennet sisters is through marriage.
The different professions and their social status are well represented in Pride and Prejudice through different male characters. The occupation related to the church is
represented by Mr. Collins. He finds honour and glory in serving society as a clergyman on the ordination of Lady Catherine. In a letter to Mr. Bennet, Mr. Collins expresses his deepest gratitude for being granted such a position by saying that “it shall be my earnest endeavour to demean myself with grateful respect towards her ladyship, and be ever ready to perform those rites and ceremonies which are instituted by the Church of England” (Austen 38). By being a clergyman, Mr. Collins ensures his social status in society by the security of income from the patronage of Lady Catherine, and as the heir of Longbourn.
Due to the fact of the Napoleonic Wars and the change occurring in English society in the context of revolution in America, France, and Haiti (Greenblatt 5), occupation in the military offered life with respectable status and opportunities to climb social ranks. The military officers were highly valued and admired by unmarried women in society, which is exemplified by Lydia’s explanation of officers in the novel as “the young and the gay” and
“dazzling” (Austen 144). The one presenting the military occupation in the novel is Mr.
Wickham, who according to Duckworth is most gentlemanlike because he “had all the best part of beauty, a fine countenance, a good figure, and very pleasing address” (309). However, Mr. Wickham’s true character is hidden behind the social mobility and anonymity provided by the military and the glamor of his title as an officer. His is a corrupt and directionless opportunist, who in order to secure his future financial situation, needs to marry into fortune because he has no fortune of his own. This is shown by how Mr. Wickham is shifting interest from Elizabeth to a young lady of “sudden acquisition of ten thousand pounds” (Austen 93), and by his earlier attempts to run away with Mr. Darcy’s sister Georgiana and his final success with Lydia. Hence, through the military occupation Mr. Wickham has been able to ensure income and higher social rank, which benefits his target to marry into a fortune.
The impact of class divisions on male and female expectations in the Pride and
Prejudice society is demonstrated by analysing the different marriages between the characters
in the novel. The marriage between Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins shows an example of a
loveless practical marriage, where the sole purpose is to provide Miss Lucas and her family
with future financial security. For Mr. Collins, the purpose is to find a comfortable and
suitable partner. As mentioned above, marriage to an economically respectable man was
considered to be the only legitimate choice for most women of the gentry in order to survive
(Gao 385). Mr. Collins’ social rank as a clergyman and his present circumstances and
prospects of future wealth, make him an eligible choice for Miss Lucas whose only desire is
marriage and an establishment of her own. Miss Lucas’ reflections on their marriage are that she was generally pleased with her situation and she points out that “'I am not a romantic' . . . 'I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins’s character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people'” (Austen 79). By their marriage, Miss Lucas thereby eliminates the risk of her remaining unmarried and dependent on her family for the rest of her life.
By contrast, the marriage between Mr. Wickham and Lydia Bennet is an example of a patched-up business marriage as a result of an elopement. Due to the fact that Mr. Wickham’s income is based on his occupation as a military officer and has no fortune of his own, he sees his chance to climb in social rank and get in possession of a fortune by marriage. Through sufficient charm and flirtation, Mr. Wickham convinces Lydia to run off with him secretly in the hope of getting access to her money. However, Lydia’s dowry is not enough for Mr.
Wickham so by persuasion and bribe, he agrees to marry Lydia thereby “preventing her from becoming a completely disreputable and unmarriageable woman at such a young age”
(Teachman 58). This action is not just unacceptable by societies rules, but also is “really too great a violation of decency, honour, and interest” (Austen 173). As mentioned above, if a woman did not behave properly, it could mean the downfall of her reputation and hence her and her sisters’ marriage possibilities, and affect the status of the family name. Lydia’s elopement is considered to be “proof of family weakness, such an assurance of the deepest disgrace” (Austen 170) and a “humiliation, the misery she was bringing on them all” (Austen 170). Luckily for Lydia, the bribe and the marriage to Mr. Wickham prevents a scandal in the society and the ruin of her reputation.
The marriage between the eldest sister Jane and the gentleman Mr. Bingley provides an example of a marriage between different levels of social classes. Jane is from the lower gentry and therefore significantly below the social level of Mr. Bingley who belongs to the upper- class. An alliance between the two is of most advantage for Jane, who will be marrying into a higher social class and a large fortune. As women were subservient to men in many ways and having nearly no property and legal rights or control over their own destinies (Hui-Chun 77), Jane hereby guarantees by the engagement both her and her family’s future financial security.
For Mr. Bingley however, marriage to Jane may endanger his social standing by an alliance with a woman of lower social standing. This may lower him socially. However, Jane is also well mannered, accomplished, and a graceful person. These are qualities that strengthen her position and make her worthy of Mr. Bingley. Mr. Bingley is also uncaring of class
differences and their marriage is based on mutual love. Mr. Bingley “'did admire her'…'it was
equally evident that Jane was yielding to the preference which she had begun to entertain for him from the first, and was in a way to be very much in love'” (Austen 12). However, from a perspective of social class Jane is not the logical or ideal choice of wife for Mr. Bingley.
In the context of Jane and Mr. Bingley’s rare marriage based on love and affection, the engagement between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy may be considered to be extraordinary or even phenomenal from a social class perspective. The foundation of this marriage is also love and affection. However, for a man of Mr. Darcy’s class to fall in love with and propose to a woman from the lower gentry was extremely uncommon. A gentleman like Mr. Darcy, from the elite classes of English society, the eldest son and heir with an inherited title and fortune, has expectations to live up to. He is supposed to live and act properly according to specific social rules for his social class and to marry a woman of right social class and wealth. As mentioned above, the male expectations were that men were supposed to marry women of the right social rank and provide for their family (Gao 385). Mr. Darcy opposes these
expectations and social rules for the love of Elisabeth, and therefore endangers his social standing in society. Lady Catherine explains the severity of this transgression by saying to Elizabeth “Do you not consider that a connection with you must disgrace him in the eyes of everybody?” (Austen 221). Lady Catherine also explains why a marriage between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy is considered to be outrageous by saying:
“Because honour, decorum, prudence, nay, interest, forbid it. Yes, Miss Bennet, interest; for do not expect to be noticed by his family or friends, if you willfully act against the inclinations of all. You will be censured, slighted, and despised, by everyone connected to him” (Austen 220)
Yet, because of Elizabeth’s accomplishments in honesty, virtue, manners, and social behavior, she is considered to be a worthy woman by Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth and Jane possess a social grace that their family members clearly lack, and it is because of it they manage to fit into higher social classes.
The norms regarding a person’s appearance show by how the socially superior category assumes the right to have requirements and to comment on their inferiors. An example is how Miss Bingley talks about Elizabeth in a conversation with Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, and Mrs.
Hurst. Miss Bingley comments about Elizabeth’s appearance as “'Elizabeth Bennet' . . . 'is one of those young ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex, by
undervaluing their own; and with many men I dare say it succeeds” (Austen 24) and ends by
“[b]ut, in my opinion, it is a paltry device, a very mean art" (Austen 24). Similarly, in a
conversation between Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley about Jane Bennet’s prospects of
marriage, Mrs. Hurst says “'I have an excessive regard for Jane Bennet, she is really a very sweet girl, and I wish with all my heart she were well settled. But with such a father and mother, and such low connections, I am afraid there is no chance of it'” (Austen 21). This shows that even if Jane is well mannered, accomplished, and a graceful person, her appearance will still be judged by the socially superiors because of her family and connections. Furthermore, an example of male requirements of women is shown by Mr.
Darcy’s view of what an accomplished woman must possess to earn the word. Supposedly, the requirements of an accomplished women are that “[a] woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages” (Austen 23), which Mr. Darcy confirms by saying “Yes, I do comprehend a great deal in it” and “I cannot boast of knowing more than half a dozen, in the whole range of my acquaintance, that are really accomplished” (Austen 23). This clearly shows how important it was to have the right acquaintances, family and relatives, requirements and reputation, for one’s appearance to be considered socially acceptable in society during the 19th century.
3.2 Teaching practices for the EFL classroom
In this part of the analysis, the literary analysis’s aspects of class division shown in Pride and Prejudice will be compared with the contemporary Swedish society’s similarities and
differences. This pedagogical view will present how teachers in the Swedish EFL classroom may use the similarities and differences to encourage awareness in students regarding impact of class division on societies, in the hope of creating awareness and reflection among the learners.
As mentioned above, when teachers incorporate literature into the classroom and ask
their learners to participate in literary and cultural studies with critical perspectives, it is
highly important to consider the differences among the learners. To incorporate literature such
as Pride and Prejudice, teachers should have in mind that some learners may think that the
language is too old, the plot of the story is boring, or that they are not fond of the romance
genre. Therefore, by adding a theme such as the impact of class divisions on society, learners
may relate to it by reflecting in their own experiences in life and society, which may increase
learners’ interest and participation. According to Harmer, one of the keys to sustaining
learners’ motivation is “to make the materials and activities we are using relevant to our
students’ lives and interests” (93). Due to this, it may also have an effect on issues regarding
reluctant readers and learners with lack of motivation. Harmer suggests that with usage of
materials that are not especially interesting for the learner, teachers must find “ways of relating what is in them to the students themselves” (93). Due to this, the aspects of value and money, male and female expectations, and appearance will hopefully work as a way to make students relate through themselves to the novel and the theme.
Pride and Prejudice is used in the context of promoting cultural and historical awareness for learners regarding society in the Regency era. The cultural and historical awareness that is provided through the novel is valuable because it helps learners to acquire knowledge and understanding of people’s past and present experiences (Vourdanou 106).
When learners become more aware of the society behind the novel, the aspects of value of money will stand out in relation to their own contemporary society, and the similarities and differences of the impact of class divisions will be noticeable. As mentioned above, the contemporary Swedish society is structured by an individual’s position in the labor market and its importance for welfare distribution and life chances (Statistics Sweden 72). Due to this, there are similarities with the social rank system of the different families in Pride and Prejudice, because of the formations within the labor market are made to distinguish between the different classes (Statistics Sweden 72). The differences in social rank between the Bennet family, the Bingley family, and the Darcy family are constructed from factors such as work, income, fortune, and ambition, as well as on inherited title and fortune. It is therefore both similar to and different from the formations on the labor market in contemporary Swedish society, where the social classes depend on factors such as the status of the work or the
qualifications an individual possesses through education for the occupation (Statistics Sweden 72).
In the society of the Regency period, the aspect of value and money is of great importance for an individual’s living conditions. During its time, inheritance and different types of jobs could determine a person’s living condition and social rank. As in the case of Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice, whose occupation in the church and his future inheritance of Longbourn make him an individual with both income, expectations of estate, and social rank in society, thus provide him with good living conditions. Similarly, in Swedish
contemporary society living conditions can be shown by residential segregation (Natl. Ag. f.
Ed. 93). The residential areas in Swedish society are also an effect of social status and can be
affected by factors like education, inheritance, and income (Natl. Ag. f. Ed. 93), just as in the
society of Pride and Prejudice. The activities regarding comparing the two societies may,
according to Nasirahmadi and others, develop learners’ critical thinking, the bond between the
language to culture, and intercultural competence (1326).
In the EFL classroom, Pride and Prejudice provides great examples of norms regarding male and female expectations that differ from modern norms of expectations in the
contemporary Swedish society. The modern norms of expectations in schools today are shown to be connected to beliefs about what is “normal”, which can be anything from status markers, how the “right” body looks, or whom you are supposed to fall in love with (Friends 2018, 6). By reading the novel, learners are given the opportunity through knowledge about male and female expectations in different types of marriages, to reflect and respond to the differences in the two societies regarding their expectations of people and the chance to discuss the matter with other students. As a result of this, the perspective of reader response is in focus. As mentioned above, the view of the aesthetic stance and Rosenblatt’s process of reading will be beneficial in the reader response approach because it highlights the content of the text that will be allowed to rise into consciousness, and also “what those objects or referents stir up of personal feelings, ideas, and attitudes” (Rosenblatt 269). The learners in the EFL classroom will therefore work with the text of Pride and Prejudice with the intention of interaction and response to it, regarding the differences in male and female expectations over time.
The reader response perspective will also be beneficial for learning outcomes, due to the fact that it is the values and experiences that the teacher wants to emphasize, in order to create rewarding dialogues in the classroom between the learners based on their reflections on the text. These values and experiences may be shared or they may be diverse from each other.
Therefore, it is important for teachers to consider text-related activities that allow learners to express themselves freely and that highlight the use of their own thoughts and feelings.
Nevertheless, the classroom climate must be safe in order for learners to feel comfortable to share openly with others in discussions. Examples of these types of activities, which also promote the reader response perspective, are discussion activities, response-oriented reading, creative writing, and dramatizations (Lundahl 412). These activities are good for learner development and for a deeper understanding of the text in focus (Lundahl 412).
The norms regarding appearance in the Pride and Prejudice society compared to
contemporary Swedish society show similarities by individuals’ assumption to make
requirements and comments on others. The example of Mr. Darcy’s requirement on what
qualities an accomplished woman must possess to appear worthy of him, is similar to the
norms expressed by students by the norms of appearance in schools in the contemporary
Swedish society today. The students express that boys to a greater extent assume the right to
comment on and judge girls on their appearance, more than girls do (Friends 2017, 23). By
using the reader response approach in this comparison of the two societies’ views on
appearance, the approach is a “complex process of anticipation and retrospection” (Bobkina and Stefanova 6), that gradually allows learners to “become aware of the meanings given to literary representations and the feelings these representations evoke” (Bobkina and Stefanova 6). However, in the case of miss Bingley’s assumption to talk about Elizabeth as a woman that “seek[s] to recommend [herself] to the other sex, by undervaluing their own” (Austen 24), it provides a clear example of how appearance of a woman leads to assumptions, just as it does in the contemporary Swedish society were girls are assumed to appear passive, self- disciplined, and to be sexual objects for boys (Friends 2017, 23). Due to the comparisons of appearance between the two societies, Pride and Prejudice offers examples for learners to connect the fictional world with their familiar world. By using the reader response approach in this literary context, the teacher may develop learners’ critical thinking skills and increase their abilities to relate experience and theory (Bobkina and Stefanova 6). As a result, the core content in the syllabus for English 6 regarding “Living conditions, attitudes, values, traditions, social issues as well as cultural, historical, political and cultural conditions in different
contexts and parts of the world where English is used” (7), has been approached and covered by the theme of impact of class division on societies.
4 Conclusion
The aim of this essay has been to discuss how teachers in the EFL classroom can use the issue of class division’s impact on societies in order to create awareness and reflection among learners. By comparing the society of Pride and Prejudice with the contemporary Swedish society concerning aspects such as the value of money, male and female expectations, and appearance, the hope is that the similarities and differences may inspire learners to become aware and reflect on the privileges they have by living in their contemporary society.
Discussions in the EFL classroom of the aspect of value of money can help students
realize that class divisions in Swedish society still exist, through the examples made by the
formations on the labor market and segregations in the housing market, but it may also lead to
rewarding reflections over their democratic society where everyone has equal rights. In the
Pride and Prejudice society, it is shown by the value of different families determined by
money, that to have rights in society was a privilege for the upper class such as Mr. Darcy and
Mr. Bingley, and not for everyone. Due to the fact that the curriculum for the upper secondary
school says that education should convey democratic values (1), the learners are hereby given
the opportunity to reflect over the fact that democratic rights have not always been a right for everyone, and therefore encourage learners to value their own democratic rights in society.
The similarities and differences in male and female expectations may get learners to reflect on the importance of equivalence. Since the women in the Pride and Prejudice society in principle did not have any rights at all and that marriage was considered to be the only legitimate choice for most women to survive, it may inspire learners to reflect on gender equality and its effect on society today. The example of Miss Lucas’ marriage to Mr. Collins, where the sole purpose is to provide Miss Lucas and her family with future financial security and Mr. Collins with a comfortable and suitable partner, can encourage rewarding discussions in the EFL classroom about gender equality in society today and how it can be improved in the future. However, the example of how male and female expectations occur in schools today by how important it is to be “normal” and by expectations about whom you are expected to fall in love with, and the differences in marriages in Pride and Prejudice, contributes to opportunities for learners to reflect on the importance of human value and human rights.
The aspect of appearance appears to be important in both the society of Pride and Prejudice and the contemporary Swedish society. The similarities are shown by individuals’
assumptions of having requirements or rights to comment on others. In contemporary Swedish society, it is shown that appearance is commonly judged by factors such as a
person’s interests, general expectations of women and men, clothes, and looks. The similarity to the society of Pride and Prejudice is that judgment on one’s appearance is shown by how the social superior category assumes the right to comment on their inferiors. Examples are made by Mr. Darcy’s requirements for an accomplished woman, and by Miss. Bingley’s commentary on Elizabeth’s appearance. By discussing the similarities and differences in the aspect of view on appearance, it provides significant opportunity to work with the basic values that the curriculum for upper secondary school is supposed to promote in teaching. It may therefore provide the learners with the opportunity to reflect on the basic value of the equal value of all people.
The benefits of using the reader response perspective in raising the issue of the impact
of class divisions on society is that reader response gives learners the opportunity to reflect on
the world in a larger perspective through the text in the literature. Through reading Pride and
Prejudice learners are given the opportunity to gain perspectives on historical and cultural
meanings for societies, and also to work with”[c]ontemporary and older literature, poetry,
drama and songs” (Natl. Agency f. Ed. 7) by relating the content to their own experiences and
knowledge. In the EFL classroom, learners´ own values and experiences are used in
combination with Pride and Prejudice to promote deeper and more rewarding reflection on their own society, which is later supposed to be shared in discussions with other learners.
To sum up, it is clear that both the society of Pride and Prejudice and the contemporary Swedish society share similarities and differences in the aspects of money, male and female expectations, and appearance, and that these aspects have an impact on societal class
divisions. As for further research, it would be very interesting to study what issues and
aspects students today consider important for their contemporary society and their future
society. Views on issues and aspects that students consider important might be very different
from the teacher’s view. This essay shows that the similarities and differences create an
opportunity for further awareness, reflection, and dialogue among students in the classroom
thus an opportunity to work with the curriculum for upper secondary school. Therefore, the
novel Pride and Prejudice is a suitable choice of literature to use in the hope of generating
awareness and reflection regarding issues of the impact of class divisions on society in the
EFL classroom.
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