Issues of Class in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (Social Issues in Literature) - Hardcover

This is a fine collection of previously published scholarly essays that bring together a look at the life and times of Jane Austen and her family; class issues as expressed in Austen’s writings, particularly Pride and Prejudice; and an exploration of contemporary perspectives on class in America. Offering in-depth examination of Austen’s presentation of social issues, the book expands and explains her descriptions of characters and their place in society’s classes of the time. For example, the essays in one chapter offer the reader opportunity to see both the similarities and differences between Austen’s time and contemporary America. The book includes a chronology of Austen’s life, questions to lead discussion of Pride and Prejudice, a list of Austen’s other books, a bibliography, and an extensive index. One of 12 in the Social Issues in Literature series, this volume would benefit high-school and undergraduate students as they attempt to understand how Austen’s works portray the society in which she lived. Grades 10-12. --J. B. Petty