A contemporary portrait of Jane Austen based on an original
drawing by Jane's sister Cassandra. I am amusing myself with
Miss Austin's [sic] novels. She has great power and
discrimination in delineating common-place people; and her
writings are a capital picture of real life, with all the little
wheels and machinery laid bare like a patent clock. —Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow, Journal entry, May 23, 1839 Using a novel
as a "primary" source—a way to learn about social history,
students can gain valuable insights. Fictional accounts,
particularly those judged "realistic" by contemporary observers,
can tell us things that are not typically explored in supposedly
more reliable, factual accounts. Fiction can be a useful source
for learning about the past; however, it is important to teach
students what kinds of information can legitimately be gleaned
from novels and how to evaluate and analyze that information.
This lesson examines two themes—the status of women and the
nature of class—in Jane Austen's masterpiece P