Familial Relationships as Portrayed by Jane Austen in Mansfield Park

Jane Austen (1775–1817) a well known English novelist was born in the period of prolific literary productivity. Jane Austen"s novels realistically portray middle class life in England in the eighteenth and the early nineteenth century. Jane Austen presents the English society of her period in all its essence. She deals with all the familial and social concerns of both men and women of her days. She brings out all the aspects of her society which begins at home and stretches out to cover society, politics, education, gender, marriage, religion, profession and economy in her works. With a minute and penetrating social observation, she paints a realistic picture of the English society of which she was an integral part of her entire life. This paper tries to bring out the familial relationships in the society of nineteenth century mainly focussing on the life of a particular section of people who is popularly known as „gentry" through Jane Austen"s novel, “Mansfield Park”.