Jane Austen's letters to her sister Cassandra, written between 1796 and 1801, shed much light on the social events that Austen included in Pride and Prejudice. Often the entire substance of Jane's letter was a description of a ball she had just attended, a ball she was going to attend, a ball her sister might attend, and references to balls in in which his sister's name was mentioned. During the period these letters were written, Austen was composing Pride and Prejudice. A modern reader of Pride and Prejudice might conclude that Elizabeth is a reflection of Jane's personal nature, and that Jane was therefore primarily the gossip that transpired at these balls. However, when viewed in the context provided by these letters, these conclusions may not be entirely accurate, as the girlish glee and deliciously naughty descriptions that appear in Austen's letters are almost identical to her descriptions of the assembly at Meryton and the ball at Netherfield. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essay Although it is not immediately obvious to the reader of Pride and Prejudice, the "ball society" of the 18th century offered a safe way for young people to get to know each other, court each other and compare their experiences. The number of guests at a prom becomes an important factor, as a large mixed event provides young people with a better opportunity to socialize and meet potential friends safely. In describing the Meryton Assembly, Austen alludes to it by telling the reader that “a report soon followed that Mr. Bingley was to bring with him 12 ladies and seven gentlemen to the assembly. The girls were afflicted with such a number of ladies” (Austen 7). Although the social significance of this phenomenon could easily be overlooked by the reader or taken as a commentary on the superficiality of girls, Austen's letters leave no ambiguity in that they repeatedly list the number of participants, their gender, age and relative desirability. For example, in her letter to Cassandra dated November 25, 1798, Austen writes: “Thursday's ball was indeed small, hardly as large as an Oxford slap. There were only seven couples and only 27 people in the room” (LeFaye 22). In a letter the following month, Austen described another event, saying: “Our ball was very slim, but by no means unpleasant. There were 31 people and only 11 ladies on the number and five single women in the room” (LeFaye 29). ). The repeated emphasis on the number of gentlemen and ladies present is found throughout the letters written in the late 1790s and leaves no doubt as to what constituted a desirable event. Viewed in the context of the letters, what appeared to be a scathing social commentary from Austen becomes a genuine concern about the nature of the event. The social "shelter" provided by the "ball society" was all the more important when we remember that the late 1700s were a socially destabilizing time. The American Revolution, the French Revolution, and the decline of George III's mental health created much uncertainty and change in social roles. Although politics did not intrude into Pride and Prejudice, the number of military officers speaks to the relative social instability of the era. These men are generically called officers or more obliquely (for the modern reader) “redcoats” (Austen 61). The attendance of these men at the Meryton Assembly and the Netherfield Ball is included in the accountingof Austen concerning the guests at the ball. His letters are often more explicit with references to rank. Austen's letters to Cassandra also provide insight into the importance of gossip in Austen's life. While it is easy for the reader to assume that Jane Austen (speaking through Elizabeth) was above the petty concerns shown by Elizabeth's sisters and mother, the letters to Cassandra suggest otherwise. For example, the anticipation with which Kitty and Lydia look forward to the Netherfield ball seems to be calculated to cause the reader to question the girls' judgment. Austen notes that “nothing less than a dance on a Tuesday could have made such a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday bearable for Kitty and Lydia” (Austen 61). However, this eagerness was partly shared by Austen. While the first sentence of her letter dated January 10, 1796 deals with superficial matters, in the second sentence Austen launches in saying: "With this necessary preamble, I will inform you that we had a very good ball last night." (LeFaye 1) - and the rest of the letter describes the event at length. Clearly, Austen shared all of Lydia and Kitty's enthusiasm for these social events. Likewise, observations made by those who attended the Meryton Assembly, and the "post-mortem" gossip of the event afterwards, lead the reader to assume that Austen is perhaps proposing it as a comment social. However, if we consider the context of the letters, it becomes clear that Austen is herself an inveterate gossip. For example, Mrs. Bennet's delighted comments ("He is so exceedingly handsome! And his sisters are charming women. In my life I have never seen anything more elegant than their dresses. I dare say the lace on Mrs. Hurt's Dress” (Austen 10)) leads the reader to conclude that Austen has established a certain moral high ground above her characters. However, the letters clearly establish that Austen is also talkative. In her letter to Cassandra dated May 12, 1801, Austen reveals: "I am proud to say that I have a very good eye for an adulteress, for although I have repeatedly assured that another in the same group was the She, I settled on the right one. one of the first. - A resemblance to Mrs. Leigh was my guide. She's not as pretty as I hoped; her face has the same baldness as that of her sister, and her features are not so beautiful; she was very much made-up and seemed rather calm and content with an idiot than anything else. Mrs. Badcock and two young women were in the same group, except when Mrs. Badcock felt obliged to leave them and run around the room after her drunken husband. His avoidance and pursuit with the probable drunkenness of both was an amusing scene (LeFaye 85). Austen clearly delights in being naughty – and is as inveterate a gossip as any of her characters. Austen's letters to Cassandra also provide greater insight. why Darcy's snub of Elizabeth was so devastating to her and why Elizabeth initially viewed him with such low regard. Pride and Prejudice provides a true accounting of who is upholstering and who is engaged in the social world. Darcy's snobbery of Elizabeth ("she is tolerable; but not pretty enough to tempt me" (Austen, 9)) was preceded by Elizabeth's withdrawal from the action for lack of a partner. Austen tells the reader, "Elizabeth Bennet had been obliged, for want of gentlemen, to sit down for two dances" (Austen 8), leaving the reader to conclude that this somehow factored into the rejection of her by Darcy. This rejection (and the reason behind it) was rendered by Elizabeth who observed that "at Meryton Mr. Darcy only danced once with Miss Hurst and once with Miss Bingley", 1995.