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Books

A single man of no fortune must be in want of a job: younger sons in Jane Austen’s England

24 August 2019

9:00 AM

24 August 2019

9:00 AM

Readers of Jane Austen gain a clear idea of the task facing the daughters of gentlemen. They need to secure a husband who can enable them to keep or even improve their social and economic status. But what about their opposite numbers? How did the younger sons of gentlemen face up to the challenges and responsibilities of adulthood?

Primogeniture meant that even those from a wealthy background often had to earn their living.

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