1. Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen 1813

2. Background: the times and literary environment 1. Social classes in England in the 18th century: - Aristocracy - Gentry - wealthy merchants / tradespeople 2. Status of women: few legal rights; financially dependent on men -marriage: a way to climb the social ladder

3. -Importance of dowries -Unmarried women: a burden to their families

5. A novel of Manners - A novel that examines the morals, conduct and social practices of one particular class - In Austen’s case the English gentry at the turn of the 19th century -Literary devices: innuendoes, understatements, and irony -More specifically, she focused on the conflicts women had to go through in order to find their rightful place in society

6. -Marriage: crucial to women’s economic support  recurrent theme in Austen’s novels.

7. Pride and Prejudice as a marriage-novel - Jane Austen’s six major novels featured heroines challenged to find suitable marriage partners.