Women and Value in Jane Austens Novels

The exploration of Jane Austen's minor female characters reveals the economic and social challenges faced by British women during the long eighteenth century. These characters navigate a marketplace that prioritizes dowries over intrinsic worth, reflecting the struggles of women in transactional marriages or those marginalized from the marriage market. Through a socio-historical lens, the book highlights the tensions between evolving economic value and personal significance, illustrating the limited choices available to women and the complexities of their roles within a competitive consumer economy.