Female bonding in the novels of Jane Austen?

Answer 1

Female bonding is not as big an issue for Jane Austen as marriage is, but it is important. In several cases, it is crucial to the plot. It is more subtle in its treatment, because it is not something the women are trying to achieve, in most cases, but something that just is. Her approach to female bonding is not formulaic, and no two sets of pairs of women are the same.

The bonding of Catherine Morland with Isabella Thorpe happened because the later was after her supposed wealth. If there is a female predator in Jane Austen's novels, Isabella is it. Eleanor Tilney is a better companion, but not as completely fleshed out.

In Sense and Sensibility, the bonding between Elinor and Marianne is famous, and for good reason. They always give each other affection, comfort, and support.

The same can be said of Lizzy and Jane, in Pride and Prejudice. Charlotte Lucas has an important relationship with Lizzy, but one gets the sense that she is replaced to large degree by Georgiana Darcy in the end.

Emma tries to bond with Harriet Smith. This is a mistake, not because there is anything bad about Harriet Smith, but because they have little in common. In the end, Harriet wisely, or perhaps without real though, marries the very man Emma had told her was wrong for her.

In Mansfield Park, there are attempts at bonding, but they fail, unless we count Fanny's relationship with Susan, which we do not see a lot of. Fanny's relationship with Mary Crawford is not really possible because Fanny does not trust Mary's character or judgement.

Anne Elliot is not a young woman who bonds with other young women much. Lady Russel is a friend and tries to act as a surrogate mother, but has given her bad advice, and really does not understand Anne very well. So it is a relationship that has to be overcome.

Answer 2

AnswerJane Austen usually makes her women very strong and committed to whatever they decide to undertake. AnswerAlso, Jane Austen points out some of the problems women have in her society. Unless they are independently wealthy, those who are raised well and educated have three possibilities in life: they marry, they become governesses, or they wind up dependent on someone's charity. They have no opportunity to find jobs, aside from being governesses (which Jane Fairfax, in Emma, compares to being slavery). This is made all the worse by the fact that a quarter to a third of all the young men of the time were off in the Napoleonic Wars. And it is rendered even worse yet by the fact that the world includes some very unscrupulous young men who are quite happy to marry for money, without any consideration for the feelings of the women they marry.

Answer 3

Female bonding in Jane Austen's novels is characterized by strong, supportive relationships among women that provide emotional sustenance and companionship. Whether through sisterhood, friendship, or mentorship, Austen's female characters often find solace and strength in their connections with other women, sharing their joys and navigating the challenges of society together. These bonds also serve as a counterbalance to the constraints and limitations imposed by patriarchal norms, allowing the female characters to assert their agency and autonomy within the confines of their social world.