Abstract
Abstract: Despite the socially constrictive societies they each lived in, Jane Austen and Victor Hugo demonstrate that Marxist-feminist and related egalitarian beliefs result in stronger romantic relationships. Through the beliefs, actions, and ultimate fates of their characters, Austen and Hugo advocate for matrimonial and broader societal reform. The relationship between feminism and love present in two of the authors’ major works—Pride and Prejudice and Les Miserables—can best be examined by comparing the relationships of feminist couples to those of conforming couples; Elizabeth and Darcy or Marius and Cosette are more feminist and have a stronger relationship than Charlotte and Collins or Jane and Bingley. Ultimately, this research implies that relationships founded on the basis of equality and mutual respect are stronger than those which are not.
Highlights
Authors, scholars, and literary critics throughout history have long noted the idea of the tradition-defying romantic couple
While a vast number of works include the theme to some extent, in this research, two relatively different works, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, including its Broadway musical production, will be analyzed from a feminist and quasiMarxist lens
This research concept stems from the observation that Mr Darcy's love for Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice grew alongside her increasingly bold behavior, and that the ultimate fate of couples in both novels is a function of their Marxist-feminist ideology
Summary
Scholars, and literary critics throughout history have long noted the idea of the tradition-defying romantic couple. This research concept stems from the observation that Mr Darcy's love for Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice grew alongside her increasingly bold behavior, and that the ultimate fate of couples in both novels is a function of their Marxist-feminist ideology Both Austen and Hugo (and the creators of the Les Misérables musical) subtly advocate in favor of these ideologies by determining the final condition of the characters who express or fail to express these ideals. 1.1 Introduction to Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813, nearly six years after she first began writing the novel In some ways, her novel reflects her world and the English society she lived in—the emphasis on acquiring or maintaining wealth through marriage, for instance, was a very real concern for many members of the higher levels of society. This research and subsequent discussion will focus on the original novel by Victor Hugo, as well as the stage musical (Boublil, Natel, Schönberg, & Taylor, 1995) and the 2012 film (Bevan, Fellner, Hayward, Mackintosh, & Hooper, 2012)
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