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Abstract
Jane Austen's attitude towards morality has always been a debatable topic for those who consider morality as an integral part of religion. Though the daughter of a clergyman, she never discusses religion in her novels which is why she remains popular to this day. Austen, a keen observer of her society, can see that times change with new ideologies, inventions and contact with others at universal level because of modem means of communications. She knows that acceptance and respect for the opinions of others can lead to greater understanding and world peace. Her art of creating a microcosm which she calls "little bit (two inches wide) of ivory" conveys the message through the stories of few families. This paper is an attempt to search how she tries to harmonize the characters of her novel belonging to different classes and social groups, by making them realize that if they keep on sticking to their old worn-out beliefs, they will never be able to bridge the gap with the others and taste the fruits of wholesome relationships.
Keywords: Society, values, threadbare morality, change, self-realization, harmony
Introduction
Though often regarded a secular author due to the absence of religion from her novels, "Austen's novels critique the faults of the human personality and the flaws of human institutions including marriage, society, and the church. ... as she sees [them] reflected in the human relationships (Griffin, 2002). As such, "Jane Austen was able to combine the stuff of the novel . . . with the matter of the sermon" in a very seamless manner (Giuffre, 1980:17). Essentially a Georgian (1714-1830), Jane Austen's vision is also Georgian, a time when the state and the church still co-existed in an organic unity (Giffin, 2002). However, her world view or her concept of order for that matter is a living, dynamic order, not static imposed by the society and the church (Jackson, 2000).According to Rodham:
Austen's novels critique the faults of the human personality and the flaws of human institutions including marriage, society, and the church. She conducts this critique as a devout believer within the established church who accepts mainstream Anglican "truth" as she sees it reflected in the human relationships (Rodham, 2013).
This paper contends that Austen's world...