Abstract

This thesis explores the politics of social mobility in Jane Austen through an analysis of her two last published novels, Emma and Persuasion . The thesis uses an analysis of . discourses on spatial and temporal mobility to argue against Marilyn Butler's and Alistair Duckworth's seminal interpretations of Austen's conservative views on the landed gentry and to suggest instead that Austen puts forward progressive narratives in her novels. It emphasizes, in other words, that it is not rank, but the individual's moral values that differentiate the characters. Issues of moral authority and the importance of community complement the study, highlighting Austen's proposed new model for society, in which the individual's inner worth and not hierarchy is the predominant value.