It is a truth universally acknowledged, that many research papers, books and articles have been written about Jane Austen. Ever since Mary Lascelles put Austen studies firmly on the map with her...Show moreIt is a truth universally acknowledged, that many research papers, books and articles have been written about Jane Austen. Ever since Mary Lascelles put Austen studies firmly on the map with her 1937 publication Jane Austen and Her Art, there have been ongoing debates about Austen, led by academics like Janet Todd, Deirdre Le Faye, and David Selwyn. One of these debates is about whether or not she should be called a (proto)feminist writer, and authors such as Miriam Ascarelli, Margaret Kirkham, and Claudia L. Johnson have contributed a lot to this subject. This thesis aims to show that Austen was a radical author for her time, who displays some very proto-feministic views in her novels. To prove that Austen was a proto-feminist author, this thesis will analyse Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey, and relate these novels to the views and opinions of one of the first proto-feminists, Mary Wollstonecraft, written down in Vindication of the Rights of Woman.Show less
