By Iren Plastinina
I will start this paper with an historical look back at the ages of Neoclassicism and Romanticism. I believe it is of importance to Austen’s novel. To really understand Jane Austen’s work one need to comprehend what had happened, was happening and was going to happen in the nearby future in this time. To be able to find the relevance to a person in our time, one also needs to grasp society and how a person lived and dealt with what was going on around him then.
In Jane Austen’s own life as well as in her novel there were prejudice and intolerance. England had almost reached its peak in power, both politically and economically. By the year 1850 Britain had become the most powerful nation in the world. Its Empire was vast. The English imported cheap raw materials and food from their colonies and sold industrial commodities. The English imperialists had colonies in almost every corner of the world. Although they had lost their colonies in America, they had gained new ones in Canada and Africa in the war against Spain. London was about to become the world’s economic heart and the pound the most important value. The English considered themselves of a higher “quality” then the majority of the people in the world. This was supported by the growth of racial theories based on the misconception that the white race was superior to other races. They claimed there were biological differences. These theories are not discussed in the novel, but they are very much a part of the societies in this particular age. However, if one read history one will find there is no such thing as a “British race”. Numerous races have settled in Britain from many parts of the world. Over the years these races have merged into what we today call British culture and life.
The American and French Revolutions had, not long ago, taken place, which caused fear within the upper classes. They were terrified of the possibility that this might happen in England. Strict laws and punishment was legislated to keep the lower classes down. Religion was very important. The Church of England was, socially and politically, the correct church to belong to, and had a lot of power. The characters in Sense and Sensibility belonged to this religion. Some decades earlier there was a warlike situation between the Catholic Church and the Church of England. Wars were fought over this matter. The Pope had his strong supporters in the Spanish and French Kings, and he urged them to go fight for him and the Catholic religion, which they did. The Catholics lost the war against the English and Dutch, who had joined forces, and their power in England. For over a hundred years afterwards, they were discriminated, and not allowed to have higher positions in society. The Irish Catholics were discriminated up till the last decades of the twentieth century. In fact, if an heir/heiress to the English throne became a Catholic, he or she could no longer inherit the throne. This law is valid even today.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries many English migrated to the colonies. England was overpopulated and there was no work to be found. Quite a large part of the population was starving. They migrated to get a better life. So did numerous younger sons of the upper classes and nobility. Only the oldest son inherited the father, so the younger ones had to find another way to an income. Since these individuals came from wealthy families and used to live an upper class life, naturally, they wanted this life to continue. Therefore many of them became adventurers; in view of the fact that it was easier to make a fortune in the colonies that is where they went.
Men were measured above women. Women had no influence socially before they were married, and then only through their husbands. A “lady” was not allowed to work and she, by law, could not own land or have money of her own. In general it was considered vulgar to earn money from work. Only “old” (inherited) money was looked at as adequate. Marriage was more or less a business transaction where family matters were more important then the two persons getting married. It was a “good” marriage when the wealth and social status was increased or at least maintained. Daughters, especially, had to be secured with a provider who had a good income, because they could not inherit their fathers and therefore, if the father died before they were married, risked to live the rest of their lives in poverty. The family of the bride also had to pay a dowry to the groom. Money and social status meant everything and love was usually not an issue.
The western world today is a melting pot of races, religions and culture. We live in a multicultural society. Like in the 1700s and 1800s people migrate and have contact across borders but more and faster caused by our new inventions of transport and communication. The reasons for the vast increase of migration are many. Most of the individuals that migrate are refugees from war, political and racial persecution, famine and drought. Others are hoping to find work and a better future for themselves and their families, and some are adventurers seeking fame and fortune. They carry with them their own culture. Since most western countries today not exactly are wishing the newcomers enthusiastically welcome and often send them from country to country, the refugees more often than not have enough time to make their contribution to the cultural diversity in the countries they are passed through, before they are sent back to what's left of their destroyed national states.
Regrettably, in all western countries, we find the remains of the racial theories from late 1700s. German skinheads are not interested in learning anything about foreign culture that could possibly make their Arian purity filthy. Instead they start fires of purification in the houses were refugees live. The English police have been accused of racism after a young black boy was murdered, in the United States; about a decade ago a black man was beaten to death by the police. The Scandinavian counties are no exception; also here the police have several times been accused of racism. We also have groups where Arian purity is the agenda and Hitler their hero. Not many years ago a 16 year old boy was murdered in Norway because his skin was of another colour. The wars fought today have similar motives like the wars in the timeframe of Austen’s novel. Usually the reasons are a desire to expand one’s borders (imperialism), religion or economical profit.
As in the age of Neoclassicism and Romanticism, more individuals have become nationalists. This is not necessarily negative, but when it excludes groups’ of citizens because of race, religion and culture, it is. If one takes a more thorough look at what people call their national inheritance, one can see no distinctive characteristics that, for example, is Norwegian. Our costumes are a mixture of many other countries costumes. Take our Norwegian fairytales for example, we look at them as our national heritage, but we find their parallels in India, with some changes suitable to this particular culture, of course.
Today a large percentage of our community has no appreciation for the cultural variety in our society. A MMI inquiry a few years back showed us that Norwegians in general meant that of all evils, the immigrants were the worst. They claimed that our cultural differences were overwhelming; dialog not possible and only problems would be the result. As a consequence of racism and discrimination governments all over the Western world have approved laws against it. These laws have been reviewed several times and made even stricter in an attempt to reduce the many cases in society based on these issues. Unfortunately, we see only small steps in the right direction so it will take time to change people’s attitude toward our new citizens. Unsurprisingly, racism and discrimination are not only practiced by the white population. Gangs of young individuals of different races have been active in racial rebellion against white citizens, and each other with tragic results.
In our modern society parents generally want their children to marry within their own race and religion with at least a similar culture. Social pressure is often used to achieve this. When children do not follow the path their parents would like them to, they are often heading for trouble. Some parents accept their children’s wishes, others, in time, find it more agreeable, and a few disown their children and thereby their grandchildren. Fortunately, we no longer have to pay a dowry to the groom in the Western world, but money matters. Most of us want the person we marry to have a good economy. We do not want to struggle economically. Men and women of today are striving to become successful, and climb the social latter, with a nice home, a good car, with high-priced hobbies and be able to afford expensive vacations. If they achieve a high position in society it will automatically have a positive effect on their nearest families’ status’. Clearly, social status is an important issue today too. Humans also seek to the group who is most familiar and secure in their social life.
The western nations all have strong feelings about arranged marriages in the Muslim world, but are they not present in our society too? In rich and influential families arranged marriages still exist. They are based on the same principles as one find in Austen’s novel. Family matters, money and social status are the most important. Western women, however, have a much better position today than in the age of Neoclassicism and Romanticism. More or less all doors are open. There is, of course, social pressure from their families in how they should live their lives and with whom, but this is something men have to deal with in their lives too. Parents want the best for their children. If they do not like their children’s choices, they feel as parents, they have a right to try to correct what they look at as the errors.
On the working arena there is discrimination in gender and race, religion too, if it’s revealed. Society has laws against this, but it still happens. Where a man and a woman are equals in education and experience, the employer will most times pick the man, even if the woman is more suitable for the position. This, naturally, comes from the fact that women give birth and stay at home with the child for almost a year afterwards, and also if a child is ill, the woman is usually the one who stays at home. The company hire the person they feel will be more of a resource to them. In the matter of race, many employers will most certainly hire a White instead of a Coloured person, and a Christian before a Muslim, if education and experience was identical. Some companies would do this even if the Coloured person had a better education and more experience. In extreme cases people with an Arabic, Asian or African background, have changed their names to more western ones to be able to get a job. It is a well-known fact that our name is an important part of our identity and therefore the name change must cause great problems. Not only to the person itself, but also to his or her family. When race are involved it is also a fact that companies rather hire a woman of another race than a man. This is probably because women represent less threat.
In society today we have discrimination of religion. The Muslims have become an outcast in the Western world. One of the most important motives has its background in terrorist attacks by Muslim groups who hate the West and what it stands for. The tension between Christians and Muslims is not new. It started in the time of the Crusaders like, for example, Richard the Lion-Heart (1157-1199) and has, ever since, been an on-going struggle. The United States, with President Bush junior, started the war against terror, and several European countries joined them. Terror is an evil no matter what may be the reason and the ones who suffer the most are the innocents. After the terrorist attacks, USA and other states have used methods of interrogation that in many ways equals the terror acts. This kind of behaviour is not worthy a modern and democratic country today.
In Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility one finds a structured society with clear rules. The social order was obvious to every person. Today the world appears more confusing. In our multicultural societies, where ethnic groups keep to themselves most of the time, one easily misinterpret what is actually meant. This, naturally, causes tension between. However, our children give us hope that the future will be better. The young of today find their friends in all parts of society, within different races, cultures, religions and social status’. They have the opportunity to learn all kinds of languages and thereby cultures. Many teenagers today speak two or three different languages beside their own. Some even more. They travel and experience how other cultures are living and this make them more able to grasp our, at times, confusing society.
The relevance of Austen’s novel for a person in 2009 one mostly find in the negative aspects in civilisation today, in for example war, racism, discrimination, social striving and the hunger for money. Sadly, here the similarities are many. Today, in general, people have more respect for one another. A growing percentage of the population in our part of the world finds that a cultural variety encourages understanding and communication across cultural borders. I believe there is no antagonism between taking care of one’s national culture, and receiving the culture from the rest of the world with an open mind. It enriches our society. Migration has always existed. In history one learns that people from Europe was migrating to the colonies in Africa, Asia, Australia and America. Today it’s the other way around, with the exception, of course, of USA, Canada and Australia. Considering the industrialized countries consumes 75 % of what the earth give and the rest, 25 % is split up between the often overpopulated nations in the third world, it is no wonder the citizens migrate to get a larger part of the “cake”. This is exactly the same reasons for the migration 2-300 years ago. A person in 2009 has an improved life with many choices in education, occupation and where and how he or she wants to live. Most societies have freedom of speech and religion in addition to other basic human rights. Can we blame the third world citizens for trying to improve their lives as we have improved ours?
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