Women, Feminism, and Jane Austen

Imagine having to spend your entire lives cooking, cleaning, painting tables, doing needlepoint, and playing piano all day. Sounds awesome, right? Now imagine that everyone around you is going to college and getting smarter, and now you are sitting in a room full of people that assumed you are not their equal because of the way you were born. Oh, and they own your entire life. That is how women felt in a society full of men that did not believe women were equals. That is probably how Jane Austen lived.

In the 1790s, before feminism was a term that people used regularly, there were bold, brazen women like Mary Wollstonecraft who stood up and fought for her right as a human being, and there were quiet, subtle workers who yearned for the same freedoms. Jane Austen is the latter. Austen did not scream and kick and put up a fight; instead, she decided to create strong, intelligent heroines that inspired readers all over the world.

Why feminism? Jane Austen is one of the most popular female authors of her time. She constantly mentioned the social and economic standing of females in the eighteenth century, created female characters that were headstrong, independent, and intelligent, and she influenced many women. Austen expressed her disdain for a woman’s status in several, if not all, of her books, but was able to soften it with comedy and happy endings. Life was portrayed realistically; a woman had to get married if she wanted to survive.

The following selective annotated bibliography includes a variety of sources regarding women, gender, and feminism in Jane Austen’s books. Works include analyses of Austen’s novels, influences on Austen herself, and the prevalence of feminism within her work.

Students, scholars, and teachers may use this bibliography for a greater understanding of women, gender, and feminism in Jane Austen’s novels.

Anderson, Kathleen. “Fathers and Lovers: The Gender Dynamics of Relational Influence in Emma.” Persuasions On-Line 21.2 (2000): n. pag. Summer 2000. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.

Anderson argues that Emma’s character growth was not beneficial; Emma became a submissive wife. In the article, Anderson closely examines the roles of Emma’s father and Mr. Knightley, as well as the similarities between Emma’s relationship with Harriet and Mr. Knightley’s relationship with Emma. Patriarchal figures play a part in the deciphering of relationships in Emma, oftentimes confusing gender roles. This is a beneficial source for those who wish to delve into the question of gender roles in Emma.

Ascarelli, Miriam. “A Feminist Connection: Jane Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft.” Persuasions On-Line 25.1 (2004): n. pag. Winter 2004. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.

Ascarelli’s article reveals the similarities between Mary Wollstonecraft and Austen, although their approaches to feminism are drastically different. Ascarelli explains the political turmoil in the 1790s, Wollstonecraft’s writing and botched reputation, Austen’s subtle feminist agenda, and why Jane Austen may have avoided establishing a public connection between Wollstonecraft and herself. Also, Jane Austen’s “fairytale endings” are put into perspective for anyone that is skeptical of Austen’s role as a feminist icon.

Booth, Wayne C. “Emma, Emma, and the Question of Feminism.” Persuasions 5 (1983): 29-40. Jasna.org. Jane Austen Society of North America, Feb. 2009. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.

Booth’s article is separated into five sections discussing the idea of the love story as a necessary evil within Emma. Booth explains the dangers of Emma and taking the male roles too seriously, as well as Austen’s reasoning behind Emma’s strong, overpowering male characters. He continues by giving examples on how to keep a clear head (and heart) while reading the novel. This article provides a lighthearted view on the dangers of reading Emma without sufficient comprehension skills and showcases Austen’s ability to keep Emma Woodhouse a feminist role model.

Brown, Lloyd W. “Jane Austen and the Feminist Tradition.” Nineteenth-Century Fiction 28.3 (1973): 321-38. JSTOR. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.

Composed for graduate students and professors, Brown’s eighteen page article addresses the difficulty many scholars have in defining the feminist and female aspects of Jane Austen’s novels; examples from Persuasion on inherently “female” characteristics; comparisons between Austen’s novels and Mary Wollstonecraft’s Vindication of the Rights of Woman regarding education; sexual passion and modesty in Austen’s work; and finally, Austen’s treatment of marriage. Brown delves into Austen’s work using comparisons with James Fordyce, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Thomas Gisborne, producing an in depth analysis of female stereotypes and truths.

Jeffers, Regina. “Jane Austen and Feminism.” Austen Authors. Austen Authors, 20 Jan. 2011. Web. 01 Oct. 2013.

Regina Jeffers uses her experiences as a child of the women’s movement in 1968 as a tether to Jane Austen’s feminist role in the early eighteenth century; Jeffers also brings up the difficulties of being a female writer in Austen’s time. This article is composed for easy understanding, and is beneficial for those who know little to nothing about Jane Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft, as well as women writers in the eighteenth century.

Kirkham, Margaret. “III Allusion, Irony and Feminism in the Austen Novels.” Jane Austen, Feminism and Fiction. Sussex: Harvester, 1983. 81-99. Print.

The third section of Kirkham’s book contains chapters twelve through sixteen, highlighting Austen’s earlier works: Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, and Pride and Prejudice, as well as a short chapter entitled “Kotzebue and Theatrical Allusion in Mansfield Park and Emma”. Kirkham examines the schemas Austen uses in her early novels, the heroines, Austen’s steady improvements throughout each novel, and the influence of August von Kotzebue on her later works. This section of Jane Austen, Feminism and Fiction reveals the rise of the strong, intelligent heroines within Austen’s earlier novels as well as analyses on the concepts behind the stories themselves.

Marantz Cohen, Paula. “Jane Austen’s Rejection Of Rousseau: A Novelistic And Feminist Initiation.” Papers On Language & Literature 30.(1994): 215-234. Humanities Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 24 Oct. 2013.

Marantz Cohen proposes that Jane Austen was not a traditional feminist; Austen reacted to the female stereotypes in a more refined fashion, and her feminist perspective grew as her writing skills did (215). Northanger Abbey and Pride and Prejudice are used to show Rousseau’s influence of Austen’s writing style and schema, opinions on education, heroines, and concept of nature. Marantz Cohen shows the growth within feminist understanding in Jane Austen’s writing.

Moffat, Wendy. “Identifying with Emma: Some Problems for the Feminist Reader.” College English 53.1 (1991): 45-58. JSTOR. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.

Moffat’s essay is separated into sections: “The Problem of Emma’s Autonomy”, “Marriage and the Genre of Emma”, “The Problem of Knightley” and “The Relation of Narrator to Reader”. Moffat, as a “feminist reader”, uses her skills to determine whether the use of history should be involved while teaching about Emma, and “about the relation between academic reading…and naïve reading” (45). This essay provides examples of why Emma is not often considered a feminist novel, and why Emma may not be considered a feminist heroine.

Morrison, Sarah R. “Of Woman Borne: Male Experience And Feminine Truth In Jane Austen’s Novels.” Studies In The Novel 26.(1994): 337-349. Humanities Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

In this article, Morrison discusses the lack of inner life in Austen’s male characters, and whether it is attributed to the condemnation of female stereotypes or the equality of men and women (349). The lack of sexual relationships as well as the abundance of strong familial relationships and friendships are used to unveil Austen’s feminist vision. Morrison uses the thirteen-page article to touch on subjects such as male power and marriage in Austen’s novels.

Swords, Barbara. “”Woman’s Place” in Jane Austen’s England.” Persuasions 10 (1988): 76-82. Jasna.org. Jane Austen Society of North America, Feb. 2008. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.

Barbara Swords explores the legal rights, economic security, marriage, and (especially) education of women in Jane Austen’s time. Swords examines the female characters of Austen’s novels and how marriage and education affected the characters’ growth and economic standing throughout the stories. The article provides insight into the lives of women in the nineteenth century as well as the realistic representation of these issues in Jane Austen’s work.