Yuritzin Itchel Santana Gmez

106004865

Jane Austen and Guadalupe Loaeza.

At first you would think that those two writers don't have things in common since the former was from early XIXth century whereas the later from late XXth. There are other many reasons which make us believe that they are completely different, but I have found some common ground. I'll expose those points and of course remark on the disparities of both authors. It is not my intention to compare the literary transcendence of either of them, only the similarities in their stories. Jane Austen lived all her life in the countryside and her books reflects this life, she used to describe the people that surrounded her, their habits, their customs, their expectations. Her characters were based on the people she grew up with, and the same thing happens with Guadalupe Loaeza. She portrays on her books what kind of people move in the higher circles of Mexican society which is where she was born and educated. After watching the attitude of the people in their societies, Loaeza and Austen focuses in the women inside it. They tell us these women's stories, what is their ideal of happiness and how to achieve it. It is important to say that in both cases, women are housewives, the only provider is the man, he is in charge of sustenance, he is also the only person who has a real idea of their Financial troubles. While the ladies may comprehend the strains they are going through, it is not in their power to fix it. Women are solely in charge of the household and the children's education referring to social niceties and ettiquete. Womens personal education is just based on how to better please their families, their communities, and of course as a way to get the best catch. Even though both writers may have this in common, the difference lies in the life's alternatives that they have. In Jane's world, the only option women had, was going from the parental house to the groom's, without the necessity of new aspirations. Contrasting, the women in Loeza's books have the possibility of achieving a professional life which they choose not to take because it is more comfortable living an hedonistic life. The education they are willing to take serves just to reach a higher status within their society and not really as a desire to acquire knowledge. There is a constant in both writers stories : the value of a person or a family, is measured not by their morals or their actions but by the amount of money they possess. The richer a

person becomes, more respected he/she is. Money is a symbol of the power a person has in his social sourroundings, it is not important if the person has moral values. Nevertheless, Austen rescues characters that are in the middle of this kind of behaviour, and prove to be different by following actions that are less materialistic, contrary to Guadalupe who shows us the worst of her circle. It would appear as if in this higher world, people are not concerned with the quality of the individual as a good person. Both writers ridicule the way people behave toward others, if they belong to the same social class, they treat them with hypocrisy whereas if they are from a different class their behaviour turns into disdain. In both Loaeza and Austen's books the characters may seem prejudiced against people who do not belong to their entourage. It is of great importance to mention that the atmosphere of Jane Austens books is concentrated on the countryside, all her characters live in it, and the way of behaving is different from the way people living in big cities. On the other side, Guadalupe focuses her attention on the women that have been raised in the city. The behavior of those two groups of girls is completely different; women from the country are more nave, less covetous and more conservative. Another contrast between the stories of both authors would be the relevance of the country socioeconomic situation. While Loaeza uses the national conditions to create her stories and to reflect the reactions of her circle around these national events, Austen prefers to concentrate on the immediate problems of her characters. The books do not show us a concern with the intensity of the conflicts existing in her time, they just portray the way people lived in the country and what were their preoccupations of ordinary days. We can also learn human behavior and the rules of society of both writers but it is not part of Janes storyline to mix political subjects in her books or create (al least I dont think) a social conscience, she does not pretend to provoke a change in the way women behave in this circle, her goal is just to portray it as it is, whereas Guadalupe fabricates this plots as a form of complaint before society. In conclusion, both writers manage the subject of women, we can notice that their circles are not that different between one and the other, and the aspirations of women havent really changed much. It is also evident that in modern times women have more alternatives than just marriage, it is in their power to take it or not.