"Universally Acknowledged Truths" - Moral and Social Parameters in Jane Austen's Novels

1. THEMATIC ASPECTS OF JANE AUSTEN'S NOVELSIn the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century, the British territory has experienced a period of change, dislocation and unprecedented crisis. This period marked by the industrialization, is extremely attractive from the historical point of view. Industrial and cultural transformations, political and social unrest, the emergence of new social structures, war, economic reconstruction, colonial expansion, scientific progress and the efforts to abolish slavery represent the main features to investigate the crisis and the social anxiety in the British territory.Living in a time of ideological conflict and social unrest and witnessing the profound alteration of the stable society in which she lived, Jane Austen responded to the turmoil of her time in a way suitable to her environment and social class. Her novels are a proof of what that critical period of social change meant. Although Jane Austen was not, certainly, a person actively involved in politics, her writings have shown in their own way her answer the the great events of the time, the response of a person deeply interested in the question of how individual must live in society and how this society must be organized1.For an accurate and realistic interpretation of Jane Austen's novels and their message it is necessary to understand two key concepts which form the basis of all her novels: the social and the moral network. Jane Austen's work coincides with a period of the British culture in which there was a general consensus on the elements that constitute a moral life. Understanding the interaction between morality and social norms is essential for contextualizing the work of Jane Austen.2. THE CONSTRUCTION OF FEMALE CHARACTERS IN JANE AUSTEN'S NOVELSJane Austen's novels are a hybrid between romance and comedy, satire and feeling, fairy tale and reality. The novels are populated by female characters with various connections between them, some harmonious, some discordant. Despite the emphasis on the inner life, the heroines are well rooted in the society in which they live; they participate in dialogues and react to what others say. Generally they do not initiate speeches; rather they interrupt, respond, ask questions, flirt and suddenly become preoccupied in the middle of a discussion. Heroines are aware of the codes and social conventions; they reflect on them and use them to communicate2. When their mutual publisher, John Murray, asked Walter Scott to write a review for the novel Emma, Scott assessed Jane Austen as the most brilliant example of a new school of fiction that avoids the sensational and melodrama focusing on psychological and social aspects3.Morality, ethics, respect, compassion and decency are unequivocal values in the society of Jane Austen's novels. The calm and daily life harmony aura in this thoroughly organized world present in the writer's fiction come from the security offered by the existence of some clear moral conventions.Moral values in Jane Austen's novels represent a fixed, unchangeable system, a base of all her novels.The main condition imposed by the society of Jane Austen's novels is that each person should be a good human being, according to the concepts of the social class to which they belong. Morality involves respect towards those who are socially superior, and benevolence, within certain limits, towards the poor class. Honesty is also one of the main qualities that should characterize any person, regardless of their social class. Almost equally important are shyness and modesty. Darcy in the novel Pride and Prejudice, for example, enjoys many social and personal advantages - wealth, education, imposing appearance - but this wouldn't have the same value, if Elizabeth did not discover that beyond his apparent pride, Darcy is actually a person of an inherent modesty and even shyness. Also Knightley in the novel Emma would not be so appealing to Jane Austen and her readers, if he was infatuated or insensible in the relation with his society. …