LITERATURE AS A MIRROR OF SOCIAL ISSUES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF AUSTEN’S AND KAPUR’S FICTION

Abstract

The connection between literature and society is inseparable, as literature reflects life and portrays the essence of social reality. This study presents a comparative study of social issues in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility and Manju Kapur’s A Married Woman, examining how both novels portray the intersection of gender, marriage, and societal expectations. It focuses on the representation of social issues in Sense and Sensibility and A Married Woman, with an emphasis on themes such as marriage, class, patriarchy, and gender roles. Despite being set in vastly different historical and cultural contexts—early 19th-century England and post-colonial India—this study explores the ways in which both novels critique patriarchal structures and their impact on women’s autonomy. While Austen’s work examines the social constraints surrounding marriage, inheritance, and class, Kapur’s novel portrays the tensions between tradition and personal freedom in a modernizing society. Both authors highlight the struggles of their female protagonists in negotiating societal norms and assert their agency within restrictive frameworks. The paper further investigates the role of marriage as a social institution and the ways in which both authors challenge traditional gender roles. By focusing on generational conflicts, societal pressures, and the transformative power of education, this study highlights how both novels depict the persistent quest for women’s identity and autonomy, despite differing cultural and historical contexts.