| dc.description.abstract | This thesis has one major purpose: to examine how women’s autonomy over their own lives has changed from Jane Austen’s writing until Caitlin Moran’s memoir in 2011. The thesis will show through literary analysis how expectations toward women have changed from the 1800s until today. The novels in focus in this thesis is Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park by Jane Austen and the memoir How To Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran. The literary analysis will focus on how a woman’s family and society controlled the way she lived her life contrary to how family and society control, or lack of control, in Caitlin Moran’s life. Austen’s protagonists will represent life in Austen’s time, while Caitlin Moran will represent the modern woman.
To be able to conduct this investigation it is important to understand what society expects from women both in Austen’s time and today. Chapter 2 will explain the feminist and patriarchal theories I will be using to explain this view on women. Furthermore, the theoretical orientation chapter will explain why marriage and money was so important for Austen’s protagonists. The characters in focus are Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice and Fanny Price in Mansfield Park. This thesis will also show how Elizabeth and Fanny show their independence by fighting against these expectations. In chapter 5 women’s role in modern society will be explained alongside Caitlin Moran. This study will show how the three major feminist waves from the 1800s until today, paved the way for the independent modern woman.
This thesis will also show how freedom from family and economical independence are the main reasons for the modern woman to have autonomy over her life. The protagonists Elizabeth and Fanny are not able to have economic freedom. They will need to marry to achieve this. Their families are important in making this happen. To be able to make a good match they will need connections. They will also need a high social ranking to be able to secure a rich man. Caitlin Moran has access to education and is able to secure a job and an income. The aim of the discussion is to show, through literary analysis of the books, how social expectations, access to education and financial independence have changed over the decades. | |
