Minor Characters and Commentary

"...a number of minor characters who occupy places in the social hierarchy well beyond the gentry and professional classes where Austen's major characters are situated. She writes no explicit analysis, but by passing details, she fills in the large social picture and provides indirect commentary."

-Juliet McMaster, Class

"...it is sometimes a disadvantage to be so very guarded. If a woman conceals her affection with the same skill from the object of it, she may lose the opportunity of fixing him...a slight preference is natual enough; but there are very few of us who have heart enough to be really in love without encouragement. In nine cases out of ten, a woman had better shew more affection than she feels. Bingley likes your sister undoubtedly; but he may never do more than like her, if she does not help him on."

-Charlotte Lucas in Pride and Prejudice p. 59

This quote from Juliet McMaster's essay, Class, sounds similar to the Woloch's The One vs. Many but the essay provides an informative analysis of class in Austen's world. McMaster says that certain minor characters in Austen's books provide commentary on society and fill in the "large social picture" through said commentary. Great examples of this are the few times that Mary speaks and the quote from Charlotte Lucas above. Charlotte's discussion is about how a woman should conduct herself when a woman feels affection for a certain man (in this case, the situation between Mr. Bingley and Jane) but ultimately, this discussion is about propriety. In this society, propriety should dictate one's actions and keeps individuals from being perceived as too bold or impolite. Propriety dictates how Jane conducts herself around Mr. Bingley and prevents her from giving a clear message of affection to him because that it would be improper. It is clear that Jane likes Mr. Bingley, but not clear enough. If she wants Mr. Bingley to be aware of how she feels, according to Charlotte, she must show "more affection than she feels". While this is the ideal, Jane is prohibited by being of a lower class than Bingley and obligated by propriety. Austen does not directly say that this is the case, rather it is said through Charlotte and the idea of the importance of propriety is inferred by the reader from the text.