Explain the following:
Social changes in Britain which led to an increase in woman readers.
In the 18th century, the most exciting element of the novels was the involvement of the women. The middle classes in Britain became more prosperous Women got more leisure to read as well as write novels. And novels began exploring the world of women, i.e. their emotions and identities, their experiences and problems. There were several novels that were based on domestic life – a theme about which women were allowed to speak with authority. They drew upon their experience, wrote about family life and gained public recognition. For example, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice which give us a glimpse of the world of women in rural society in early 19th century Britain. It makes us think about a society which encouraged women to look for good marriage and find wealthy or propertied husband.