Set in 1814 England, Persuasion by Jane Austen tells the story of love lost and renewed within English upper-class society. The story follows Anne Elliot, the oldest of Austen's heroines, at the age of twenty-seven. Anne suffers from a decision forced upon her eight years earlier: to break off her engagement to the man she deeply loved, Captain Frederick Wentworth, because of his lack of wealth. Visiting her sister Mary at Uppercross Cottage, Anne is reunited with her former fiancé when her sister and brother-in-law, the Crofts, take out a lease on Kellynch Hall, Anne's former home. Wentworth, now wealthy from war victories in the Navy, has not forgiven Anne for her rejection of him. Austen depicts the relationship between social class and marriage through her interactions and behavior between characters. Similarly, at Northanger Abbey, Catherine Morland must overcome class disparities in order to find love and happiness with the wealthy Henry Tilney. In Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, Austen offers a critique of the consciousness of the British class system and the narrow-mindedness of those who strictly adhere to it. Through her heroines, Anne Elliot and Catherine Morland, Austen illustrates the struggles faced within different classes to find love. Austen describes Anne Elliot as attractive, well-educated, and kind. She is the daughter of Sir Walter Elliot, a vain baronet, who bankrupted his family with his extravagant spending. The Elliot family are forced to leave their Kellynch Hall estate in order to reduce their debt. This instability of economic benefits conflicts with the belief that recognition of social class is universal, which is at the heart of traditional British society. ...... middle of paper ...... and cars all reveal social rank in English society. Austen highlights the nuances of classroom domination in both Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. In Northanger Abbey, Catherine Morland grows from an awkward adolescence to a mature woman and later, marriage. Catherine must look beyond her own classroom to begin her life with Henry Tilney. As both stories unfold, Anne and Catherine must break free from family authority to assert their independence and marry for love. In Austen's time, there was no real way for young women from the lower or upper classes to stand out and be independent. The only way for women to acquire money was to marry or inherit it. As the stories unfold, Austen analyzes the British class system through Anne Elliot and Catherine Morland's struggle to achieve love and happiness..