Feminism is Love: Structural, Romantic, and Marxist-Feminist Themes in Pride and Prejudice and Les Misérables

Abstract

Abstract: Despite the socially constrictive societies they each lived in, Jane Austen and Victor Hugo demonstrate that Marxist-feminist and related egalitarian beliefs result in stronger romantic relationships. Through the beliefs, actions, and ultimate fates of their characters, Austen and Hugo advocate for matrimonial and broader societal reform. The relationship between feminism and love present in two of the authors’ major works—Pride and Prejudice and Les Misérables—can best be examined by comparing the relationships of feminist couples to those of conforming couples; Elizabeth and Darcy or Marius and Cosette are more feminist and have a stronger relationship than Charlotte and Collins or Jane and Bingley. Ultimately, this research implies that relationships founded on the basis of equality and mutual respect are stronger than those which are not.