This thesis will explore Jane Austen’s social commentary on class structure and boundaries as they evolved from her writing of Sense and Sensibility to Persuasion. By identifying and researching the philosophical concepts of sense, sensibility, and sympathy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, I examine how Austen shifted her beliefs to reflect the changes in social class occurring in England during her lifetime. I will be conducting close readings of the two novels, along with various historical texts, diary entries, and letters from the time period in question in order to recognize how historical events influenced the social structure in Regency England and how those changes were received by the gentry. By looking at how Austen’s characters react to, reflect on, and work around these boundaries, I recover a better understanding of Regency England society’s feelings and response to these changes as well.
","abstract_html":"<p>This thesis will explore Jane Austen’s social commentary on class structure and boundaries as they evolved from her writing of Sense and Sensibility to Persuasion. By identifying and researching the philosophical concepts of sense, sensibility, and sympathy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, I examine how Austen shifted her beliefs to reflect the changes in social class occurring in England during her lifetime. I will be conducting close readings of the two novels, along with various historical texts, diary entries, and letters from the time period in question in order to recognize how historical events influenced the social structure in Regency England and how those changes were received by the gentry. By looking at how Austen’s characters react to, reflect on, and work around these boundaries, I recover a better understanding of Regency England society’s feelings and response to these changes as well.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Libby, Megan M."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in English","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Halina Adams, PhD
Dr. Elizabeth Veisz, PhD
Dr. Kathleen Vejvoda, PhD
"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:22:00Z","subjects":["English Language and Literature","Jane Austen","Class Structure","Boundaries","England","Diary Entries","Regency England"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://vc.bridgew.edu/theses/77","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Halina Adams, PhD
Dr. Elizabeth Veisz, PhD
Dr. Kathleen Vejvoda, PhD
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"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Sense, Sensibility, Sympathy, Social Class Upheaval in Jane Austen’s Novels"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Halina Adams, PhD
Dr. Elizabeth Veisz, PhD
Dr. Kathleen Vejvoda, PhD
"],"dc:creator":["Libby, Megan M."],"dc:date.available":["2020-10-06T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis will explore Jane Austen’s social commentary on class structure and boundaries as they evolved from her writing of Sense and Sensibility to Persuasion. By identifying and researching the philosophical concepts of sense, sensibility, and sympathy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, I examine how Austen shifted her beliefs to reflect the changes in social class occurring in England during her lifetime. I will be conducting close readings of the two novels, along with various historical texts, diary entries, and letters from the time period in question in order to recognize how historical events influenced the social structure in Regency England and how those changes were received by the gentry. By looking at how Austen’s characters react to, reflect on, and work around these boundaries, I recover a better understanding of Regency England society’s feelings and response to these changes as well.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://vc.bridgew.edu/theses/77"],"dc:subject":["English Language and Literature","Jane Austen","Class Structure","Boundaries","England","Diary Entries","Regency England"],"dc:title":["Sense, Sensibility, Sympathy, Social Class Upheaval in Jane Austen’s Novels"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in English"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:22:00Z"}