Jane Austen's thoughts about church and aristocracy?

Answer 1

We do not have anything like a complete record of Jane Austen's thoughts, so to large extent, the answer to this question is derived from her novels.

Jane Austen has a lot of clergymen in her novels. Mr. Morland, Henry Tilney, Edward Ferrars, Mr. Collins, Edmund Bertram, Mr. Norris, Dr. Grant, and Mr. Elton all come to mind. Only Persuasion seems to be without one. Some of the clergy are heroes, or at least the love interests of heroines, and some are simply ridiculous. Jane Austen, as a daughter of a country parson, probably knew a lot of clergy, and drew from what she understood. She was, however, clearly a Christian, and this is an idea reinforced by her extant letters.

There are only a few members of the titled aristocracy (people who have inherited titles) in her books, such as Sir William Bertram and Sir Walter Elliot, who are baronets, and a brief glimpse of the dowager Viscountess Dalrymple. We see them mostly in the people to whom they are related, such as Col. Fitzwilliam, who is the son of an Earl. There are a lot of knights and people, like Mr. Bennet and Mr. Knightley, who have estates of some size. All of these are really ordinary people, including good and bad, generous and greedy, serious and foolish. I think that might have been a point - titled and wealthy people are really no better than anyone else. This is a point made explicitly by Anne Elliot, one of her heroines. We also know that Jane Austen rather disliked and disapproved of the Prince of Wales, but that was probably a reflection on his personal character rather than his status.

Answer 2

Jane Austen's works often depict church and aristocracy in a critical light. She satirizes the hypocrisy and self-importance of the aristocratic class, while also illustrating the role of the church as a social institution fraught with issues of morality and societal expectations. Austen's writing often challenges the established power structures of her time, highlighting the flaws and limitations of both church and aristocracy in shaping individual lives and relationships.