Renaissance Women Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Middlemarch by George Eliot exhibits life of English society in the Victorian era. The social class system controls every aspect of life. To maintain social standing, women must marry into respectable, wealthy families. In Middlemarch and Pride and Prejudice, however, two women manage to break away from the conventional ideals of love and marriage. The role of women appears subordinate to the males in Pride and …showed first 75 words of 487 total…

…showed last 75 words of 487 total…she relates to and truly loves. Dorothea Brooks, of Middlemarch, desires a great mind. Unlike her antagonist Rosamond, she cherishes intellect instead of wealth and appearance. Dorothea and Elizabeth defy the customary practices of Victorian era women by marrying for what they want and not what society wants. Both Elizabeth and Dorothea are contemporary women who do not let social classes hold them back. Instead, they consider what will make them content with their lives.