Social Class

Paper Summary:

The paper compares and contrasts the theme of social class in the three novels "The Princess of Cleves," "Wuthering Heights" and "Frankenstein." The paper discusses how social class was of utmost importance in European culture at the time these novels were written. The paper illustrates how difficult it was to break through prejudices and preconceived notions and how the lower classes were doomed to being subservient and poor. The paper also demonstrates how women were a separate social class. In these works, women do what is expected of them, rather than what they desire and thus they have little input or influence on society.

From the Paper:

"Social class is still important, and limiting, in many areas of the world. These novels all indicate how important it was in the history of Europe. From medieval times (and even before), the people were grouped into classes determined mostly by their income and birth. Thus, the poor were relegated to the lowest social class, and as a family's wealth increased, so did their standing in the community. The wealthiest obtained the highest social class, and as they married and had children, their children remained in the highest social class. Rarely did the classes mingle, except for servitude, as many of the lowest classes served the higher classes for wages."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bronte, Emily, Anne Bronte, and Charlotte Bronte. Wuthering Heights, Agnes Grey, and Poems. London: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1907.
• de Lafayette, Madame. "The Princess of Cleves." ProjectGutenberg.org. 1996. 16 May 2006. < http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext96/pclev10.txt >
• Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein Or, the Modern Prometheus. New York: Collier Books, 1961.

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