CONSTRUCTING MASCULINITIES Prevalent and Emergent Masculinity Norms in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

Abstract

Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice presents masculine ideals of early 19th-century England. This essay examines how Austen constructs and critiques these ideals by analyzing her male characters in the novel. By applying Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity, this study explores the hierarchical natures of masculinity and the societal structures that strengthen them. The male characters of Mr. Wickham, Mr. Collins, Mr. Darcy, and Mr. Bingley are situated within the context of Regency England, which provides insight into the analysis of how class and social duty shape male identity. Through the comparative analysis of these male characters, this study identifies how Austen embodies and contrasts flawed, stylized, aristocratic, and emergent masculinities. Prevailing masculinity norms are both reinforced and reformed, which highlights the progressive and emotionally available alternatives Austen constructs. This essay reflects on how gender ideals of Regency England are depicted in Pride and Prejudice; highlights how masculinity adapts to social, historical, and material context; and emphasizes how Austen critiques and reconstructs what it means to be a man within the evolving society of the Regency era.