Social status and marriage in the last 18th century in England as reflected in Jane Austens Emma

ABSTRACT

Studying literature is not only studying the works of an author but also the society in which the works are created, for the author is the member of society, so through a literary work an author had viewed the events surrounding him or her. A literary work is a picture of the real condition that usually tells about Lie social condition of certain society because the author is the member of certain society. Literary work and society cannot be separated because it is the reflection of human's life. It can be their thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and attitudes of human being. On the other word, a literary work is a picture of human social life or the mirror of society. Novel is one literary works in the form of prose. Novel has a long story; usually is divided into chapters. Novel consists of many pages; novel summed in hundred pages, and novel is written by the author to describe the reality of life.

Furthermore, the researcher has chosen .lane Austen's Emma because this novel is very interesting and tells about the relation between social status and marriage in (he society, which arc viewed as the dominant objects, We sometimes can find such condition in our society, Thal is why, for the case above, the purposes of this research are to find out the kinds of social status arc found in Emma, to find out the influence of social status to marriage in Emma, and to find out the relation or the similarity between the social status and marriage in Emma and the social status and marriage in England in the last 18th century.

This research is designed as literary criticism. By using literary criticism we, as the critics, are given the freedom to express our ability in criticizing a literary work because we interpret a literary work directly. Further, this research also uses genetic structuralism because the researcher does not only analyze the social condition inside the novel but also the social condition outside the novel.

From the result of analysis it is found that in Emma the society is dominated by upper-middle society in which the difference is caused by the different individuals status. Every person has a name to mention his or her status. There are gentlemen, superior, and first circle to mention the person who is included in upper status and the middle status is mentioned by half-gentlemen, inferior and yeomanry. Because of this difference, an individual who tends to marry will find a couple who has the same status with him. Marriage with someone from the different status is impossible to happen. Further, there are similarities between the social status and marriage in Emma and Ihc social si alts and marriage in England. First, both in Emma and in England people arc ranked based on their status, and the dominant social status is upper-middle status Second, both in Emma and in England, marriage is not lor love. It is as the business arrangement and to gain the better life.