『왓슨 가족』에서 제인 오스틴의 후기 소설로 확장된 주제 연구

Abstract

This paper examines how the themes of The Watsons, one of Jane Austen's early works, expand and develop into her later novels. The Watsons is an unfinished work believed to have been written between 1803 and 1805. Some critics speculate that Austen abandoned The Watsons due to the gloomy circumstances of her life at the time. However, I argue that Austen did not abandon The Watsons but utilized it to revise early works or create new novels, as its anecdotes and themes are recurring foci in her later works. Like other Austen novels, The Watsons is, on the surface, a love story culminating in marriage. Yet beneath this narrative lies Austen's incisive critique of patriarchal society. Themes such as women treated as chattel, the lack of proper employment opportunities for women due to unequal education, the inheritance system that excludes women, economic instability driving women to become “husband hunters,” incompetent or absent fathers, and daughters bearing the full responsibility of caring for elderly parents are all addressed in The Watsons and revisited in Austen's later novels. Furthermore, Austen expresses her desire for social evolution by creating truly cultured and considerate male and female protagonists caring for other people in her novels. Given these connections, The Watsons, although short and unfinished, occupies a significant position bordering the early works and later novels in Austen's canon.