The English Class System in Austen, Scandal, and Blanning

Introduction

Jane Austen's novel Persuasion, director Michael Caton-Jones's film Scandal, and T.C.W. Blanning's Oxford History of Modern Europe each portray the English upper class and the English class system in a largely unflattering manner. Persuasion shows the pre-Victorian British upper class to be superficial and obsessed with appearance over substance. Similarly, Scandal depicts a more modern Britain as a society that bases class on superficial distinctions and is quick to vilify those who dare to aim above their station. By contrast, Blanning's account provides a more balanced view of Britain's class system from the late 1700s to the present. Ultimately, these three works reveal that while Britain's class system has changed dramatically over the past centuries, the ingrained idea of class dominance remains very real within modern Europe.

Persuasion and the Pre-Victorian Class Ideal

Persuasion is a deeply romantic novel that satirically examines the social pretensions of the English upper class through the eyes of one of its members. The novel's heroine, Anne Elliot, is a woman in her late twenties who struggles with the feeling that her life has passed her by. Many years earlier, Anne fell in love with Captain Frederick Wentworth but rejected him as a romantic partner because he was considered to be below her in social class. As the novel progresses, Anne again comes into contact with Captain Wentworth and begins to recognize that she made a mistake in rejecting him based on her family's insistence that she find a man more closely matched to her social status.

Persuasion is a biting commentary on the social pretensions that existed in pre-Victorian England. As seen in the novel, this society values appearance and prestige over true happiness and genuine friendship. Many of the characters are duplicitous and shallow, yet they manage to be highly successful within the English upper class of the era. In contrast, Anne and Frederick are honest and trustworthy, and they serve as a refreshing foil to pretentious characters such as Anne's father and her sister Elizabeth.

Scandal and Modern Class Obsession

Scandal, the 2000 film directed by Michael Caton-Jones and starring John Hurt and Ian McKellen, offers a biting critique of the English upper-class social system in a more modern context. In the film, a British social climber takes a young showgirl under his wing. Under his tutelage, she becomes a coveted socialite who soon has nearly all of Britain's political elite at her command. Ultimately, she creates the scandal of the film's title when her affairs with John Profumo, a British government official, and a Russian spy are revealed.

Similar to Austen's Persuasion, Scandal reveals the British class system as obsessed with superficial appearance and status. The young showgirl is treated as the toast of the town when she is presented as an upper-class socialite. However, when she becomes embroiled in a sex scandal and her real origins are exposed, she is vilified by the British social elite — in part for daring to aspire beyond her station in life.

Conclusion

Persuasion, Scandal, and The Oxford History of Modern Europe together provide an illuminating insight into the English upper class and the English class system. While the portrayals in Scandal and Persuasion are largely unflattering — depicting the upper class as pretentious and superficial — Blanning's book provides an important counterpoint, tracing the evolution of the class system over time and noting that class still plays a significant role in the lives of many modern Europeans.

Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Persuasion. Signet, 1996.

Blanning, T.C.W. Oxford History of Modern Europe. 3rd ed., Oxford University Press, 2000.

Scandal. Directed by Michael Caton-Jones, performances by John Hurt, Ian McKellen, Bridget Fonda, and Joanne Whalley, Anchor Bay Entertainment, 2000.