Jane Austen's novels tend to show a certain type of life: parties, walks in the park, trips to London or Bath, attitudes towards a particularly advantageous marriage - in a word, privilege. Furthermore, this world is structured according to a relatively strict hierarchical code. Of Austen's six novels, they are all set in this relatively small and elite social microcosm of eighteenth-century British society, and, for the most part, all the protagonists are insiders. Austen spends little time discussing the lower classes. In fact, the only times those of lower status are introduced are to stand in contrast to the landed class who are the central figure in all of his works. However, Austen herself did not belong to this class. Irene Collins writes: "Jane Austen [. . .] was on visiting terms with the local gentry: but to visit is not to live. She depended very much on observation in the early stages of writing her novel" (ix). And in fact all her heroines, who in the attempt to build a secure future by marrying well, end up embodying what it means to be an informed and aware woman, are similarly outsiders: Emma Woodhouse, thought of at the zenith of Highbury society, is not it is necessarily secure in its position; and Anne Elliot, although born privileged, eventually loses all her privileges. By telling her story through the mouth of an outsider, Austen is able to portray the inevitability, superficiality, and liveliness of this world that has captivated so many readers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One of Austen's most engaging characters, Emma Woodhouse captivates the reader with her vivacity, self-awareness, and prosperity. In the first sentence, in fact, we read that she is "beautiful, intelligent and rich" (7). Although she is at the pinnacle of Highbury society, she is fixated on the social structure: maintaining her own, raising Harriet's, keeping an eye on the Coles', and watching out for competition from Jane Fairfax. Such a portrayal seems to undermine the premise outlined earlier that all of Austen's heroines in some sense do not belong to this elite world. However, Shinobu Minma argues that "[i]t is clear, then – as no doubt was clear to the contemporary reader – that, although [the Woodlouses] have settled in Highbury 'for several generations' and are now admitted to be 'first and foremost there, consequently, the Woodhouses are in fact in almost the same position as the Westons, the Coles, and the Sucklings of Maple Grove" (62). Therefore, the Woodhouses are not members of the landed gentry; although they possess many privileges, they do not have the lands or titles of insiders. And so, because she has no special claim to her place in society, Emma must play keep her place, keep others to themselves, and occasionally help a friend she's chosen move up a level or two. It is not necessarily the game itself, but the way Emma plays it that the reader often finds distressing. Her attempts to bring Harriet and Mr. Elton together - fixing her boot, taking up portraiture, humiliating Robert Martin - while well intentioned, are often quite unpleasant. "As a member - or 'mistress' - of a family that is 'first of consequence' at Highbury, Emma is aware that she is expected to give generous attention to the less privileged, and believes she understands her duty well" ( Minma 58 ). Minma then goes on to argue that Emma's misunderstanding of her duty, "her moral inadequacies[,] are highlighted to place blame on the non-landed nobility" (63). However, this very conservative view of thequestion seems to place too much emphasis on the rather obscure argument that the Woodhouses are part of the non-landed nobility. Rather, Emma's moral inadequacies highlight the shortsightedness of the means necessary to ensure a privileged future in a world inevitably structured according to hierarchical moral codes. While Emma follows the Austen mold and secures a privileged future by marrying into the landed gentry (and finding a match in Mr. Knightley who complements her), Anne Elliot, in Persuasion, in many ways breaks the mold. Unlike Fanny Price, Elizabeth Bennett or Catherine Morland, Anne was born the daughter of a baron. However, despite her position in the hierarchy, Anne has lost many things: her mother died, Kellynch Park was rented, she rejected a marriage proposal, and she was snubbed by another possible suitor. As a result, Anne finds herself, despite her birth, in much the same position as Austen's other heroines. However, there is much less humor in this novel than in the others. While Mr. Collins' selfishness is amusing, Mr. Elliot's is disdainful. Where Marianne, muddied but otherwise unharmed, is rescued by Willoughby after falling down a hill, Louisa suffers serious injuries after Captain Wentworth fails to catch her jumping off the cobb. Virginia Woolf has suggested that many of these diversions from the stereotypical Jane Austen novel in this, her last work, are a consequence of her growing maturity and closeness to the world of which she writes: "[Austen] is beginning to find that the world it is bigger, more mysterious, and more romantic than he had supposed" (152). He goes on to suggest that "[h]ad [Austen, who died at the age of forty-two) lived a few years longer [...] she would have stayed in London, dined out, dined out, met famous people." , made new friends, read, travelled, and brought back to the quiet country cottage a treasure trove of observations to feast on in his spare time" (152). The degree to which the reasons for the changes in Persuasion can be extrapolated from Jane Austen's biography is debatable However, it is clear that the typical Austen heroine has evolved from the first archetype, characterized in this essay by Emma. This evolution is most striking in the novel's conclusion secure and ascendant by the end of the novel, Anne, although promised to marry Captain Wentworth, has yet to marry. Furthermore, the advantage in the match is minimal; Wentworth has no property or considerable income, and therefore their future together, which presumably it will happen, it will be spent without much security. The world of privilege and hierarchy is the world that Jane Austen writes about. Although the cast is relatively small and the story somewhat predictable, it is a joy to watch women's lives unfold "beautiful, intelligent and rich". However, there is a hint of criticism in the way Austen portrays this community. The way Emma knowingly manipulates the people around her, especially Harriet, is often detestable. The criticisms, however, are not all-encompassing. Emma ultimately marries well, both in terms of wealth and complement, and appears to experience privilege and a happy ending in a secure social position. While Persuasion essentially deals with the same community and themes as previous novels, there seems to be an evolving notion of what it means to have a privileged and secure future. No marriage takes place in the novel, and what presumably happens in the future is not the kind of soaring arrangement one would expect from Austen. It seems that in the last of Austen's novels her world is beginning to change. Works consulted Austen, Jane. Emma. London: Penguin,]