WEALTH AND WOMANHOOD: A FEMINIST MARXIST READING OF PROPERTY, INHERITANCE, AND CLASS MOBILITY IN PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Abstract

This research reveals how the way female characters perform social roles, express their desires, and make their decisions in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813), is influenced by their economic status, which was a common motive for marriage in the contemporary society of the nineteenth century. By using feminist Marxist theory, the analysis in this article shows how mobility in class, property, and inheritance interacted in Regency-era England and affected women in the novel. By exploring the textual nuances, dialogues, and characters' interactions, the study brings to light how ownership and inheritance influenced the level of agency and autonomy for women. Importantly, the study underscores the fact that Elizabeth Bennet's journey towards independence and self-awareness was shaped almost all the time by the struggle against the injustice of property standards and the class system. Generally, the research accentuates the significance of Austen’s work in the context of the issues that address women’s equality in the early 19th century, such as gender, property, inheritance, and social justice. This research adds to the research body on Pride and Prejudice, but also gives a holistic picture of the multilayered interconnection of class mobility, feminism and Marxism with its literary representation.