Commonly regarded as a realist writer in her accurate portrayal of everyday, Regency era life, Austen was moreover "one of the great formative and founding influences on how we think about 'England' and 'Englishness,' as well as class, ideology and gender issues.... While, as it is implied by the opening quote, marriage was considered a goal, or duty of women, the power of manipulation was a tool which women could use to their advantage. ... Caroline Bingley's claim quoted at the beginning of this essay outlines the skills a woman must retain to be awarded the t...

• Word Count: 5516
• Approx Pages: 22
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate