EXPLORING SOCIAL ISSUES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF AUSTEN’S PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND KAPUR’S DIFFICULT DAUGHTERS

Abstract

“The relationship between literature and society cannot be separated, because literature presents a picture of life over social reality” (Manugeren et al., 2020, p. 151). This research presents a comparative study of social issues in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Manju Kapur’s Difficult Daughters, examining how both novels portray the intersection of gender, marriage, and societal expectations. While Pride and Prejudice deals with the impact of social class, financial stability, and personal choice on marriage, Difficult Daughters focuses on the complexities faced by women in post-colonial India, highlighting the tension between tradition and personal autonomy. Through their respective portrayals of female protagonists, the novels critique patriarchal structures, offering insights into how women navigate societal norms and assert their agency within restrictive frameworks. This study further examines the role of marriage as a social institution, highlighting its varied significance across different historical and cultural contexts, and the ways in which both authors challenge traditional gender roles and advocate for emotional and intellectual autonomy. The findings demonstrate that both novelists, Austen and Kapur, negotiate social issues such as gender, marriage, and societal expectations, with Austen focusing on the constraints of marriage and inheritance in 19th-century England, while Kapur explores gender oppression and resistance in 20th-century India. Both highlight women’s struggles for autonomy, with education serving as a transformative agent in their lives. Despite differing cultural contexts, both authors emphasize generational tensions, societal expectations, and women’s persistent quest for identity and agency.