Dreadful Old Maids: Jane Austen and the Unmarried Women of Regency England
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Anne Heath
Document Type
Poster
Event Date
4-15-2016
Abstract
Through her novels, Jane Austen discussed the social situation of the world in which she lived. Her novels place tremendous importance on marriage and marrying well. They illustrate how essential marriage was to the life of a woman in Regency England and how devastating it could be to remain unmarried. Austen’s novels include spinster characters, but it is her heroines, all of whom for a time must consider a future as a spinster, who can best illustrate the challenges facing unmarried women in Regency England. When Austen’s female characters Miss Bates, Emma Woodhouse, Jane Fairfax, Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth Bennet, and Anne Elliot are examined within the historical context of actual unmarried women in Regency England, they expose some of the challenges and insecurities women faced regarding marriage. They demonstrate the ridicule faced by unmarried women, how spinsters had no well-defined place in society, and how, for many women, any marriage was better than no marriage. Through her characters like Elizabeth Bennet and Anne Elliot, Jane Austen argues for the capability and intelligence of women independent from men, and through Miss Bates, Austen argues for a bit of understanding for “Dreadful Old Maids” such as herself. Austen’s plots highlight the importance and practicality of marriage, the consequences of remaining unmarried, and the dependence of women on men, but her female characters, especially those considering the spinster life, show that her women are more than their marital status, and being an old maid wasn’t necessarily all that dreadful.
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Comments
This project was supported by the ACM-GLCA Newberry Program.