The Societal Depiction of the English Society in Bridget Jones Diary and Harry Potter - Literature review Example

s Portrayal of Britain in Bridget Jones’ Diary and Harry Potter Novels areoften deemed to be an inspiration from or a depiction of society and authors generally base the plots of their stories on certain aspects of the social order. The substance of this prose will assess the depiction of the English society in the novels Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding and Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone by J.K. Rowling. Both novels belong to entirely different genre but they all revolve around the same setting that is the English society and highlight various aspects of the society through various twists and turns in the plot. Besides the societal depiction in the both the novels the nature of the protagonists is somewhat similar as well, even though both novels belong to different genres. Harry Potter is a fantasy novel about a boy, who learns that he is a wizard on his thirteenth birthday and is shipped off to a boarding school called “Hogwarts” where he learns witchcraft and masters his magical skills. Though a fantasy novel can hardly be taken to be a true representation of society, but certain cultural connotations and various gestures were inspired from the things that actually exist in the society. Similarly, Bridget Jones’s diary is a comedy with a heavy encompassment of dramatic elements in the plot. By definition a comic literature can never be taken to be a true depiction of the society, however the plot of the novel is set against a very realistic backdrop. The plot of the novel is centered on a contemporary British woman, and shows how she handles various situations in her life that can be faced by any woman, yet the way she addresses those problems adds a humorous and lighthearted touch to the story and makes it relatable to women, in general. (Fielding, 2001) Before delving in greater detail as to how both the novels represent the society, it is best to first highlight some of the key aspects of the English social order, in an attempt to gain greater amount of insight into the subject. British society is one of the most socially stratified societies that exist today. It is divided into a class system define by a number of factors such as birth, education, occupation, income, housing, lifestyle and language. The class system is broken down into the following groups such as upper class that consists of land owners and people involved in the country’s politics. (Bone et.al, 2006, p. 78) Following the upper class there is ‘middle class’, which is further dichotomized into lower and upper strata. The upper middle class consists of officials and owners of huge business empires, whereas the lower middle class comprises of small officials and small business owners. Finally at the end of the hierarchy, there is the working class and the lower class people, who are factory workers, cleaners and unskilled laborers, and unemployed individuals respectively. Therefore, there are essentially five different social classes that are present in the English society today and their lifestyle is the main as to which class a particular individual belongs to. (Bone et.al, 2006, p. 78) Having defined the structure of the British society, the depiction of these features in the aforementioned novels will be discussed and highlighted in greater detail in later parts of the prose. In Bridget Jones’ diary, describes the dynamics of the upper middle class society and the relationship between white middle class Londoners and depicts the homogeneity of the British culture. The author has discussed various critical aspects of contemporary society such as familial stability that has greatly deteriorated in the last few years due to a rise in the number of divorces so far. This feature is shown through the relationship between Bridget’s parents’ as her mother is trying to find her true self and this leads her in the arms of a new man but eventually she returns back to her family and husband. The film also displays that the British society now primarily revolves around nuclear families and how the families meet each other only during special occasions such as Bridget meeting her parents during Christmas, which has become the usual tradition in contemporary English society. Her mother’s character also signifies another major aspect of the society as she is garrulous and is always trying to get Bridget married off to a rich man; which shows that every individual in the society possesses a latent desire of moving up in the social class ladder. (Fielding, 2001) This was the general premise around which the plot of the novel is structured; the novel demonstrates these aspects in a very comical fashion such as the fact the sexual promiscuity of the people belonging to the upper class. Bridget also describes a scenario at a party where she refers to women as ‘tarts’; the connotations attached with the word in the novel is that the women are dressed is skimpy dresses that are really revealing, whereas the men are dressed as “Vicars” that is a ‘preacher’ as they fully dressed from head to toe. (Fielding, 2001) There are various terms that were used in the book to show the denotative and connotative language that has become a major component of the English language in the contemporary society. The author, Helen Fielding has used the word “slut” and “sluttish” in numerous places in order to describe something sloppy and filthy habits. Though, the modern definition of the word ‘slut’ is used to describe women, who are sexually suggestive and promiscuous. The issues dealt in the book are relevant to the present society and realistically portrays these aspects. On the other hand, Harry Potter is a novel that tells the adventures of the boy and though it does not depict society as overtly as in Bridget Jones’ Diary, instead the author has used symbolism that metaphorically represents these aspects of the society. The fact that the student body is divided into four houses and they enter these houses on the basis of their lineage such as “Slytherin” is house that is representative of all the “pure blood wizards” that is born in to a wizarding world. The magical world is further divided into various classes according to their magical powers and skills. (Rowling, 2008) Non magical people are referred to as ‘Muggles’; the basic definition of the word is used to describe an individual, who is ignorant or someone who possesses no skills. However, the author J.K. Rowling has used the word and given it a new connotation to describe someone, who is not only oblivious to the existence of magic but does not possess any magical powers or skills. Harry Potter though belongs to the genre of fantasy fiction but the book has received critical reception and analysts have discovered that book sheds light on the fact that the British society is highly stratified and has various references to prevalent stereotyping in the society. (Neumann & Nexon, 2006, p. 94) The book shows that prominent families in the wizarding word such as “Malfoys” have a monopoly and influence the rules and regulations of the school and also the decision made by the governing body of the magical world called the Ministry of magic. It sheds light on the act that bullying n schools have escalated and shows how some people are bullied in their schools by students because of their family backgrounds and ethnicities. Such as, the Weasley family was often looked down upon and mistreated by the wizards belonging to eminent families due to their financial position and striking red air, which defines that the social stratification is not only based on one’s income bracket but also their appearances as well. (Neumann & Nexon, 2006, p. 94) Both novels have very overlapping features in them; however Harry Potter is more relatable to English society in the Edwardian and Victorian society, whereas Bridget Jones’ Diary has more contemporary and modern elements in it. Moreover, Bridget Jones’ diary focuses on one class people, whereas Harry Potter has a more collective approach and represents the ordeal and treatment of people belonging to various ethnicities and races. Unlike Bridget Jones’ diary there are subtle hints and allusions to actual societal elements such as discriminating ogres, goblins, centaurs and elves. (Neumann & Nexon, 2006, p. 94) Both novels are wonders in the modern literary world and have been made into movies starring eminent stars. The books are highly successful and shed lights on various facets of the society, in a comical and fanciful way that enrapts readers immensely from all over the globe. Works Cited Bone, John et.al. Social Stratification. Taylor and Francis. 2006: p. 78 Fielding, Helen. Bridget Jones’ Diary. Picador. 2001 Neumann, Iver B. & Nexon, Daniel H. Harry Potter and International relations. Rowman & Littlefield. 2006: p. 94 Rowling, Joanna K. Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone. Paw Prints. 2008 Read More