English culture has often been guilty of exclusionary attitudes towards those of lower social status. Class divisions and their respective roles were established in the Middle Ages and documented in literature. A man's place in society determines his reputation. Several centuries later, the 18th-century magistrate and writer Henry Fielding noted in his novel Joseph Andrews that the class-conscious populace continued to believe that even “the slightest familiarity [with those of lower social status was] a degradation” (137). ). One of Regency England's most beloved writers, Jane Austen, continued the tradition of interpreting literature as a reflection of contemporary society's prejudices. His novels are full of indicators of the preconceptions of regent England. The characters in Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice seek economic security through marriage and cast a critical eye on those who engage in minor and frivolous pursuits, resulting in them struggling to maintain or struggle with propriety. recognized” (Austen 5) in Austen's time that marriage produced benefits of a practical nature. Indeed, several characters in Pride and Prejudice are fixated on the remuneration of an advantageous union. Mrs Bennet is the character most mesmerized by this aspect of Regency life. In fact, in the novel it is stated that "the business of his life" is to get his daughters married (5). In one case, she shrewdly sends her eldest daughter, Jane, to her suitor's home on horseback, in the rain, to make an overnight stay necessary and thus facilitate their courtship. Mrs Bennet's (31) "cheerful predictions" backfire when Jane falls ill due to the inclement weather. Despite this, the mother's machinations are...... at the heart of the paper ...... of the class in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Ed. Johnson, Claudia Durst. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009.87-97. Print.Fielding, Henry. The story of the adventures of Joseph Andrews and his friend Mr. Abraham Adams. 1742. New York: Signet, 1979. Howard, Carol. Introduction. Pride and prejudice. By Jane Austen. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2003. xxvi-xxvii. Print.McMaster, Juliet. "Class." Copeland, Edward and Juliet McMaster eds. Jane Austen's Cambridge Companion. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1997. 118. Print.Spring, David. “Rank Levels”. Class Issues in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.Ed. Johnson, Claudia Durst. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. 42-50. Print.Teacher, Debra. Understanding Pride and Prejudice: A Student Casebook on Historical Issues, Sources, and Documents. Westport, Conn.: The Greenwood Press, 1997. Print.