“Her father had been an attorney...She had a sister married to a Mr. Philips, who had been a clerk to their father, and succeeded him in the business, and a brother settled in London in a respectable line of trade.” (Page 29)
During the Victorian era, people were divided into classes chiefly by what types of occupations they had and their consequential incomes. Although many employed themselves as craftsmen and farmers, the most respectable (and often most highly paid) professions included judges, lawyers, and clergymen. In this novel, the reader becomes familiar generally with the upper class. Jane Austen was considered part of the gentry during her time period; her family was not of the highest social class but it was relatively well-to-do. With this in mind, it seems fitting that Austen would be able to write so easily about people with higher quality reputations. Although this particular excerpt discusses Mrs. Bennet’s background, it is key in demonstrating the importance of reputation. There are countless instances throughout the novel where reputation and class affect how people interact with one another (specifically Darcy toward Elizabeth).
"Victorian Occupations: Life and Labor in the Victorian Period as Seen by Artists, Writers, and Modern Historians." The Victorian Web: An Overview. Web. 09 Mar. 2010. http://www.victorianweb.org/history/work/workov.html.
Judge. Digital image. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. http://www.defreitasbooks.com/bookwebpics/picsVanity/AtoK/VPBramwell.jpg.
Clergyman. Digital image. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. http://barrymichaels.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/seelosseatedbrievary.jpg.
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