Dysfunctional Motherhood in Jane Austen Novels Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility

Abstract

Although Jane Austen's novels end happily with the heroines succeeding in finding suitable partners to establish a perfect family, the family backgrounds of these heroines provide illustrations of dysfunctional motherhood. The focus of this paper is on examining these examples of motherhood in Jane Austen novels with the aim of shedding light on the most deviant mother figures in Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. Considered against the social and cultural standards of motherhood set by social philosophers and conduct writers in the 18th century, these mother figures portray ineffectual or "bad mothering". Escaping the fallibility and devasting influence of their mothers, the heroines succeed in finding suitable partners and aspire to be worthy future mothers. The study demonstrates the need to make maternity a site of empowerment and encouragement for mothers to provide children with a proper moral education, caring and discipline.