The criticism toward the European upper-class way of life in 1800`s as revealed through the major characters` characterizations in August Strindberg` Miss Julie - USD Repository
THE CRITICISM TOWARD THE EUROPEAN UPPER-CLASS WAY OF LIFE IN 1800’S AS REVEALED THROUGH THE MAJOR CHARACTERS’ CHARACTERIZATIONS IN AUGUST STRINDBERG’ MISS JULIE AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
YOHANES JIMMY OY WEA
Student Number: 054214054
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2009
THE CRITICISM TOWARD THE EUROPEAN UPPER-CLASS
WAY OF LIFE IN 1800’S AS REVEALED THROUGH THE
MAJOR CHARACTERS’ CHARACTERIZATIONS IN
AUGUST STRINDBERG’ MISS JULIE
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
YOHANES JIMMY OY WEA
Student Number: 054214054
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
Aristocracy has three successive ages.
First superiority, then privileges and
finally vanities. Having passed from the
first, it degenerates in the second and
dies in the third. By François-René de ChateaubriandDedicated for: My Lord, Jesus Christ My Father, Ambrosius B. Wea
My Mother, Hilaria M. Lengga My sister, Yoan My brother, Mapes
My beloved girl-friend, Nani Arifianti
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would express my greatest gratitude to my Father, Jesus
Christ for His blessing and guidance. I can finish writing this thesis because of
Him. God is good all the time.I would like to thank my father, Ambrosius B Wea and my mother
Hilaria M Lengga, for their prayers and struggle to finance my study..Both of
you have been my motivation in finishing this thesis writing. I thank my sister too: Yoan and my brother Mapes. I love you all.
I would like to give my sincere gratitude to my advisor, Ni Luh Putu
Rosiandani, S.S, M.Hum. for her precious time and guidance in this thesis
writing. I would like also to give my gratitude to my co-advisor Maria Ananta,
S.S, M.Ed for her time and willingness to correct my thesis. I thank all the
lecturers and all staffs in the secretariat of English Letters Department too.Furthermore, I thank my closest friends in campus:Fajar, Agung, Budi,Trimbil,Nani, Priska Niawati, Tetty Florentina Simbolon, Weny Natalia, Pipy, Lita, Cita, and Deby. I thank all 2005 English Letters Department’s
students and all family of The Importance of Being Earnest: Fajar, Estu, Putri,
Orie, Herni, Bayu, Surya, Yusi, Rizki, Irene, Troy, etc. Thank you for the good time we have been through together. All of you mean friendship.
I am grateful to all my friends in Saron Hause: Adi, Iwan, Aang, Riko, So2, and Boby for the happiness, sadness, smile, tear, anger, and all the precious time. There is no single day without all of you, guys.
My special thanks go to Nani Arifianti for the love, laugh, support, help, and encouragement. You make my days colorful. I do not know what will happen to my life without you. I cannot finish this thesis without your hands, thank you my love.
Last but not least, I thank everyone whose name I cannot mention one by one for helping and supporting me during the completion of my thesis. May God bless you all. Thank you so much.
Yohanes Jimmy Oy Wea
TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE ................................................................................................ i
APPROVAL PAGE ...................................................................................... ii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE ................................................................................. iii
MOTTO PAGE ............................................................................................. iv
DEDICATION PAGE ................................................................................... v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................... vi
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ...................... viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................... ix
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................... xi
ABSTRAK ..................................................................................................... xii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ................................................................ 1
A. Background of the Study ................................................................... 1 B. Problem Formulation ......................................................................... 4 C. Objectives of the Study ..................................................................... 4 D. Definition of Terms ........................................................................... 4CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW ............................................... 6
A. Review of Related Studies ................................................................ 6 B. Review of Related Theories .............................................................. 81. Theory of Character ..................................................................... 8
2. Theory of Characterization .......................................................... 10
3. Theory of Social class ................................................................... 11
4. Review on European Upper-class Way of Life ............................ 14
5. Review on Europe in 1800s ......................................................... 18
C. Theoretical Framework ..................................................................... 21
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ............................................................ 22
A. Object of the Study ............................................................................ 22 B. Approach of the Study ....................................................................... 23 C. Method of the Study .......................................................................... 24CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ......................................................................... .25
A. The Major Characterizations that are Described in Strindberg’s Miss Julie ...................................................................... 25d. Confused of herself ................................................................... 32
2. Jean ............................................................................................... 36
a. Ambitious .................................................................................. 36
b. Upper-class like ........................................................................ 40
c. Conceited .................................................................................. 41
B. The Class Stratification Presented in the Play .................................... 43
1. Upper-class ................................................................................... 44
a. Title ........................................................................................... 44
b. Power ........................................................................................ 46
c. Hausing ..................................................................................... 47
d. Lifestyle .................................................................................... 49
e. Marriage .................................................................................... 50
2. Lower-class .................................................................................. 51
a. Title ........................................................................................... 51
b. Housing ..................................................................................... 52
c. Lifestyle .................................................................................... 53
d. Marriage .................................................................................... 54
C. The Criticism toward the European Upper-Class Way of Life in 1800’s As Revealed through the Major Characters’ Characterizations ............................................................................... 55
1. Miss Julie ...................................................................................... 56
a. Stubborn .................................................................................... 56
b. Full of pride ............................................................................. 59
c. Desperate of love ...................................................................... 61
d. Confuse of herself ..................................................................... 63
2. Jean ............................................................................................... 65
a. Ambitious .................................................................................. 65
b. Upper-class like ........................................................................ 66
c. Conceited .................................................................................. 69
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION .................................................................... 71
BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................... 74
ABSTRACT
YOHANES JIMMY OY WEA. The Criticism toward the European Upper-
Class Way of Life in 1800’s as Revealed through the Major Characters’
Characterizations in August Strindberg’ Miss Julie. Yogyakarta: Department
of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2009.
One of the functions of literature is to criticize the society. In 1800’s, social revolutions has spread out in Europe. People start to erase the barriers between the classes. The upper-class was expected to be more open and realize that the era of their exclusiveness is no longer needed. But many of them refuse to accept these changes and continue their way of life. This is the social problem discussed in August Strindberg’s Miss Julie. He tries to criticize the European upper-class in 1800’s. Since it is very important, I decided to analyze the criticism toward the European upper-class way of life in 1800’s as revealed through the major characters’ characterizations in Strindberg’s Miss Julie.
There are three questions that have to be answered in this thesis. The questions are (1) How are the major characters described in Strindberg’s Miss
Julie
? (2)How are the class stratification presented in the play? (3) What are the criticisms toward the European upper class way of life in 1800’s revealed through the major characters characterizations in the play?
This study is a library research. The primary source is August Strindberg’s
Miss Julie,
while the secondary resources are some books of literature, and sociology. In this thesis, sociocultural-historical approach is used because it talks about the social condition in which a work was created and which it necessarily reflects. Therefore this approach is the most suitable to be used in analyzing the criticism toward the European upper-class way of life in 1800’s.
There are three points that can be concluded after analyzing the play. First, the major characters in the play are Miss Julie and Jean. The characterizations of Miss Julie are: stubborn, full of pride, desperate for love, and confused of herself. The characterizations of Jean are: ambitious, upper-class like, and conceited. Second, two social classes in the play are the upper-class represented by Miss Julie, signed by the title, the high power, the luxurious housing, the glamorous lifestyle, and exclusive marriage inside the class. The second one is the lower- class represented by Jean signed by no title or money, poor house, poor partner’s marriages, and no glamorous lifestyle. Third, Strindberg tries to criticize the upper class way of life at that time through Miss Julie and Jean’s characterizations as the major characters.
ABSTRAK
YOHANES JIMMY OY WEA. The Criticism toward the European Upper-
Class Way of Life in 1800’s as Revealed through the Major Characters’
Characterization in August Strindberg’ Miss Julie.Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra
Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2009.
Salah satu fungsi karya sastra adalah mengkritisi masyarakat.Pada revolusi sosial tahun 1800an, masyarakat mulai menghapus batasan-batasan antarkelas sosial. Kalangan atas diharapkan untuk lebih terbuka dan menyadari bahwa keistimewaan mereka tidak lagi dibutuhkan .Inilah masalah sosial yang dibahas dalam drama Miss Julie karya August Strindberg.Penulis mencoba mengkritisi kalangan atas Eropa pada tahun 1800an.Karena hal tersebut sangat penting, saya memutuskan menganalisa kritik terhadap gaya hidup kalangan atas eropa pada tahun 1800an yang terlihat melalui karakterisasi tokokh utama dalam Miss Julie karya August Strindberg.
Ada tiga pertanyaan harus dijawab dalam tesis ini,yaitu (1) Bagaimana tokoh-tokoh utama digambarkan dalam Miss Julie?(2)Bagaimana stratifikasi sosial ditampilkan dalam drama?(3)Kritik apa terhadap gaya hidup kalangan atas di Eropa pada masa 1800san yang terungkap dalam karakterisasi tokoh-tokoh utama Miss Julie?
Skripsi ini adalah studi pustaka. Sumbernya adalah drama Miss Julie karya August Strindberg dan buku-buku sastra serta buku kemasyarakatan. Pendekatan yang paling sesuai adalah sosiokultural historikal sebab membahas kondisi sosial saat karya sastra diciptakan..
Ada tiga kesimpulan setelah menganalisis drama ini. Pertama, Miss Julie dan Jean adalah tokoh-tokoh utamanya. .Karaktersisasi dari Miss Julie adalah: keras kepala,penuh kebanggaan akan diri sendiri,haus akan cinta,dan bingung terhadap dirinya sendiri.Karakterisasi dari Jean adalah:ambisius,berprilaku seperti kalangan atas,dan angkuh.Kedua,kelas sosial dalam drama ini adalah kelas atas yang diwakili oleh Miss Julie, ditandai dengan adanya gelar,memiliki kekuasaan serta rumah yang megah, gaya hidup yang glamor, dan pernikahan yang eksklusif sesama kalangan atas.Kelas bawah diwakili oleh Jean.Mereka tampa gelar, rumah mereka sangat sederhana, gaya hidup tampa keglamoran, dan pernikahan mereka hanya membuat mereka tetap miskin.Ketiga,Strindberg mencoba mengkritisi gaya hidup kalangan atas Eropa masa itu melalui karakterisasi dari Miss Julie dan Jean yang adalah karakter-karakter utama dalam dramanya.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the study Literary work is one of the tools which are used by human beings to
express their experiences of life. By reading literature, human beings can understand every single part of human’s life. People’s problems of life such as: love, discrimination, social class, conflict, religion, hated, brotherhood, friendship, or beauty can be found in literary works. It can be stated that literary work is “an illustration of human life because the literary works present the literary of human situation, problems, feelings, and relationship” (Welleck and Warren, 1956: 96).
In brief, literary works can describe the portrait of human life.
However, to have a good understanding about literary works or literature, what literature should be known first. In Approach to Literature, Graham Little tries to define literature as:
The principle element of a culture. It contains the record of values, thoughts problem, and conflict, that are transmitted either through written or spoken words. With such acknowledgment literature stats as a tool to pass the experience from one generation to the next. Literature, then, functions as a representation of the situation time and place (1963: 1).
In other words, literature is media to represent the social reality of human beings life. Theory of literature by Rene Wellek and Austin Warren also states that “Literature represents life and life is in large and the inner of subjective world reading literature, the readers can learn about social condition is a certain area and in a certain time because literature is the imitation of the reality.
One of the social problems which are imitated by literature is the problem of social class. According to Speneer, “social class is large group of people who share similar income, life-style, education, occupation, or some other standards.” (1994: 205). Since the very beginning of human kind history, the problems that grow inside the social class have been known as one of the greatest problem of human being’s civilization. In this situation, literature stands as the media which is used to criticize problems that appear inside the social class. For years, literature has been used as the guardian of social class. The Importance of Being
Earnest
is used by Oscar Wilde to criticize the hypocrisy of the English upper class or Arms and the Men by Bernard Shaw which was written to criticize the society in Victorian Era.
August Strindberg’s Miss Julie is also an example of literature as a media of criticism toward the social class. Miss Julie is a one-act play which tells about an upper-class lady, named Miss Julie, who gets confused of herself. As a member of upper class, Miss Julie has to live according to the upper class way of life. The way of life is norms or rules that must be followed by the members, in order to emphasize someone’s existence as an upper class and to differentiate the upper class from other classes. Instead of following the upper class way of life, Miss Julie creates her own way of life. By her attitudes, Miss Julie does the opposite of lower-class way of life, Jean acts like he is an upper-class person. It is not normal since there is a very strict line that separated lower-class from the upper-class.
By using Miss Julie, August Strindberg actually tries to criticize the European upper class and its way of life in 1800’s. At that time, the upper class had very strict rules in order to manage the behavior of its members’ life and the life of the class itself. The member of the upper class had to follow the way of life and if they refused to do so, they would not be considered as members anymore.
Miss Julie
then was written to break this point of view. It can be stated that the criticism toward the European upper class way of life is revealed through Miss
Julie.
Criticism toward the European upper class way of life in 1800’s is chosen as the topic of this undergraduate thesis because it is one of the problems that walk side by side with European civilization’s development and in general, human being’s development. In his book Literary Theory: The Basic, Hans Berten stated that “…..far from being untouched by the historical moment of its creation, the literary text is directly involved in history” (Berten, 2008: 140). It means historical moment and literary texts are two things which are connected each other. As long as human being has its history, literary text has always had its place. The upper classes still can be found in the whole part of Euro such as England, Holland, Spain and all around the world. Thus, the topic is worthy to be studied. August Strindberg Miss Julie is chosen because it is one of the most
B. Problem Formulation
Based on the explanation above, there are three questions that appear: 1. How are the major characters described in Strindberg’s Miss Julie? 2.
How are the class stratification presented in the play? 3. What are the criticisms toward the European upper class way of life in
1800’s revealed through the major characters’ characterizations in Strindberg’s Miss Julie? C.
Objectives of the Study
The research mainly aims to answer the three problems stated in the problem formulation. The first aim is to describe the major characters in Strindberg’s Miss Julie. The second aim is to find out how are the class stratification presented in the play. The third aim is to find out what is the criticism toward the European upper class way of life in 1800’s that revealed through the major characters’ characterizations in Miss Julie.
D. Definition of Terms
Criticisms, according to Baldick in his book The Concise Oxford
Dictionary of Literature Terms (1990: 48) is concerned with revealing the
author’s true motive or intention, in terms of its relationship to some fields, such as history, gender, and social class.
Social class, according to Speneer, in her book Foundations of Modern
Sociology
(1994: 205) is large group of people who share similar income, life- style, education, occupation, or some other standards.
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies Johan August Strindberg was born in Stockholm, Sweden and well known
as one of the Sweden greatest writers. He had written so many qualified plays such as Master Olof (1872), The Stronger (1889), and many more. The world admits his ability in writing play.He even states as the only writer that can portray the savagery of the human heart with such utter honesty and agony.
There is no other playwright in the world who portrays the savagery of the human heart with such utter honesty and agony as does August Strindberg. When it comes to people acting from motives they themselves do not understand, people who lie to themselves and others, people who want one thing, and want the exact opposite of that thing, at one and the same time; people who suffer from the profound and inevitable ambiguity of the human soul--Strindberg is the master.(Bethune, 2005)
One of his masterpieces is Miss Julie which was published in 1888. This is one of his very popular plays that has been analyzed and criticized by many critics and experts. Some of the critics are:
Filand Indrawati Prayogo in her thesis A Study of Julie’s Tragic Life as
Seen in August Strindberg’s Miss Julie explores Julie’s tragic life. She states that
Julie can be considered as a character who fails in life, there are many factors that influence her. She analyzed what factors cause Julie to her tragic life, and how the factors lead her to her tragic life (2001: 6).
In August Strindberg’s one act play, Miss Julie, the title character, Miss Julie, a noblewoman, and Jean, a valet (footman), alternate pursuing each other in a flirtatious game of “cat and mouse,” with the expectation of conquering and using the other to their advantage. Miss Julie pursues Jean, using “threatening” discourse influenced by her social status as employer and aristocracy to intimidate Jean into becoming her “playfellow” (Strindberg 300). Similarly, Jean seduces Miss Julie with romantic narratives that are meant to gain Miss Julie’s confidence and compassion <www.villagevoice.com>
Both of them try to influence each other because they believe what they do will give advantages for each of them. Miss Julie believes that by pursuing Jean, she can get peace. It is apparent that Miss Julie was not in love with Jean, but rather his status. Miss Julie longs to fall from her pillar to peace; Jean’s social status represents Miss Julie’s peace. Jean’s power shows Miss Julie that he is a suitable challenge for her feminist dominance, but her desire for peace is what causes her to become intimate with him. Meanwhile, Jean seduced Miss Julie because he knows that she was his way out of the proletariat and into the bourgeois.
Emma Goldman in her essay Miss Julie: An Analysis of the Play by August
Strindberg which was published in The Social Significance of the Modern Drama
explores the relationship between August Strindberg’s life and the play itself. She states that: August Strindberg, himself the result of the class conflict between his parents, never felt at home with either of them. All his life he was galled by the irreconcilability of the classes; and though he was no sermonizer in the sense of offering a definite panacea for individual or social ills, yet with master touch he painted the degrading effects of class distinction and its tragic antagonisms. In Miss Julie he popularized one of the most vital problems of our age, and gave to the world a work powerful in its grasp of elemental emotions, laying bare the human soul behind the mask of social
It is obvious that Emma Goldman believes that August Strindberg’s experience of life inspired him in writing his masterpiece drama, Miss Julie.
This undergraduate thesis tries to develop the study that has been done before.
They only concerns with the main character’s tragic life, the de-centering power of
Miss Julie and Jean, and the relationship between Strindberg’s life with the play. This
research is different from the above studies because this research concerns on the
criticism toward the European upper-class way of life in 1800s that revealed through
the major characters ‘actions as seen in August Strindberg’s Miss Julie.B. Review of Related Theories
The theories used to support this study are the theory of character, the theory of characterization, and the theory of social class. The explanations of the theories are as follows: 1.
Theory of Character
There are some conceptions about the term of character. According to Stanton, the term character generally has two meanings (1965: 17). The first meaning is the individual who appear in the story and the second one is the mixture of interest, desires, emotions and moral principles that shape each of these individuals. While from the book A Handbook to Literature, the term character is used to indicate the individual’s speech and action. Thus, the character can represent human actions, behaviors and attitude (Holman and Harmon, 1986: 81).
A story mainly has major character and minor character. The major are presented to explain and to help the other characters, especially the major character (Stanton, 1965:17-18).
Furthermore, a character may be either static or dynamic. A static character is one who changes little or not at all. Things happen to such a character without things happening within. A dynamic character, on the other hand, is one who is modified by actions and experiences, and objective of the work in which the character appears is to reveal the consequences of these actions (Holman, 1986:83).
Forster (1974: 46-51) states that character is divided into two kinds. They are flat character and round character. A flat character is built around a single idea or quality and presented in outline and without much individualizing details, and it can fairly be described in a single word or a sentence. He is characterized by one or two traits. There are two advantages of flat character. First, he can be easy recognized not only by the visual eye but also by the reader’s emotional eye. It means that by seeing a part of person’s character, the readers can get the descriptions of the whole character. Second, the readers can easily remember him.
It is because the character does not change from the beginning of the story until the end.
A round character, then, is complex in temperament and motivation. It is represented with a subtle particularly. We can remember him from his connections with the great scenes. It indicated that we cannot remember him so is difficult to describe with any adequacy as a person in real life, and like most people he is also capable of surprising us.
2. Theory of Characterization
The existence of characters in a literary work is also very important. The authors usually reveal their real life through the novel so that the reader will be interested. Therefore, they have to describe all of the characters as realistic as possible. The creation of these imaginary persons so that they exist for the reader as lifelike is called characterization (Holman and Harmon, 1986: 81).
According to Stanton, there are four ways of characterization. First, character’s name. It is the way to interpret the character through his or her name.
Second, personal description. It may give a description and any comment about the character. Third, provided by the other characters. It is how the other characters can support the major character through the expression of thought, attitudes and behaviors. Forth, character’s own dialogue and behavior. It makes the reader easily to recognize the character through his or her words (speech) and action (1965: 17-18).
While according to Holman and Harmon, there are three fundamental methods of characterizations. They are: first, explicit presentation which reveals the character directly through the exposition. Second, action presentation which gives a few descriptions about the character because the author expects the reader will be able to recognize the character through his or her action in the story.
3. Theory of Social Class
Many different schemes have been used to identify social classes or division of rank and wealth within societies. Some schemes have used broad distinctions and some others have used narrow ones in deciding which people occupy similar position in a stratification system. In order to understand better about social class, it is better to discuss about social stratification first.
According to Roucek and Warren in Sociology: An Introduction, social
stratification is the vertical division of society into different social status levels.
These status levels may be social classes or castes (1959: 61). It means on the basic of membership in a social class or castes, the individuals of society have access to different groups within the society and to different sets of rights and responsibilities. In other words, society in the world is classified into some classes according to their statuses. Social stratification is found in all complex societies, and in many primitive societies.
Social class can be defined as an unorganized group of people who
become members by birth, or by later entry into the groups, who treat each other as approximate equals, who associate with each other more intimately than other persons from other groups within the society (1959: 61). In other words, social classes have no formal organization, but each member of the class is tied to his/her class.In the play, it can be seen that the major characters are placed in the different social classes. investment and managerial activities at the top through the various of categories to unskilled laborer or “relief” recipients. Second, amount of income. It varies from millions of dollars per year to practically nothing.Third, type and amount of formal education. It varies all the way from postgraduate work at a university of great prestige, through similar work of or a diploma from other universities, to high school or even elementary school. The number of years of schooling is not the only important thing. Also important is the nature of the institution, whether a college of high or low prestige, whether a public high school or an exclusive prep school, etc.Forth, type of residence. It varies from the exclusive old family district of an older community to the slum area. Fifth, type of recreational activity. It varies from active participation in the planning of charity balls or exclusive theater party benefits to playing pinball machine in the local tavern. Sixth, membership in associations. It varies from exclusive country clubs or literary societies or board membership in philanthropic associations to membership in associations of little prestige (Roucek and Warren, 1959: 61-62).
While the social class position of one’s family is determined by just factors as above, it, in turn, helps to determine the social class position of the individual member. In all of these instances, there is a reciprocal relationship between the individual factor and the person’s social class position. So, for example, type and amount of formal education help to determine one’s social class position, but one’s social class position helps to determine the type and
Class determinants are conditions that classify someone into particular class.In the play, it can be seen that Miss Julie has the conditions to be put in Upper-class and Jean in Lower-class.
Class Consciousness. Class consciousness is the awareness by the
members of a particular social class of themselves as an in-group. This awareness seems to vary with the mutuality of interests among the members of each particular social class. The more they have in common, in addition to their common social status, the more class conscious will the members of a class become. However, many interests cut across class lines, uniting some people from different classes, and separating some people in the same social class. But social class barriers are so strong, it prevents vertical social mobility, people come to identify their lot with that of others in the social class in which they are born and will remain (Roucek and Warren, 1959: 64).
In the play, it can be seen that both of the major characters have lost their class consciousness. Both of them try to identify themselves in the social class in which they are not born.
Social Mobility refers to change of position. Change of position on the
same status level is called horizontal mobility. Movement up or down from one status level to another is called vertical mobility. Vertical social mobility is possible only in a society of open classes, that is, in a society in which one may enter a different social class from that of the family into which he was born
4. European Upper-Class Way of Life
The upper class is a concept in sociology that refers to the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. In their daily life, there are some ways of life obtained by the upper-class members. These ways of life differentiate them from the other classes and also function as life guidance. The ways of life are:
a. Title
. Earlier, in feudal continental Europe, every member of a noble family was considered nobility and all were entitled to bear coats of arms. This practice among the hereditary aristocracy resulted in an enormous number of European titled families whose descendants tended to marry only members of other titled families. In Europe an aristocracy of birth, wealth or legal status was able to exercise a disproportionate influence over the lives of their follow men, either as governors and magistrates, as manorial lords, as monopolists of high office in army, church, and state, or merely in their way of life or their opportunities for culture attainment and foreign travel (Rude 1972:35)
b. Education
The most obvious background check to be a member of the upper classes is what school one went too. In many cases some are so upper class they do not go to school at all and are self taught by a tutor. Yet it is possible to be upper class considered to be more important than the level of education attained. Traditionally, upper class children will be brought up—at home—by a Nanny for the first few years of life, until old enough to attend a well-established prep school or pre-preparatory school (www.lonympics.co.uk.htm)
c. Sport
The upper class seems to enjoy sport which involves a horse. Equestrian activities are popular—with both sexes. There is a long-standing tradition of the upper class having close links to horses. Hunting and shooting, too, are favored pastimes. Some upper class families with large estates will run their own shoots (typically they would need 1,000 acres (4 km2), or more, though some shoots do operate on about half that), but many will know someone who keeps pheasants, or other game, and may instead shoot with them. Much as with horses, there is a particular affinity for dogs (especially Labradors and Spaniels) amongst the upper class - and, equally, sporting pursuits that involve them (www.lonympics.co.uk.htm)
d. Power and Money
In 19th century European, the reestablished hereditary aristocracy of royal relatives and noble families, along with the newly wealthy entrepreneurial landholders, dominated the economy, politics, and society. This dominant aristocratic upper class controlled the material production, as well as the production of ideas, established cultural style, and dictated political doctrines. The technological development, and development of professions such as law and medicine. As their economic power grew ever greater, they mobilized and sought increased political rights to shield them from capricious royal rulers (www.gallery.sjsu.edu.htm).
e. Housing
The upper classes tend to live in large old mansions, with large well maintained gardens, with a stable. These houses often have many employees a butler, maid, gardener etc to maintain these houses. Often the houses will be of such beauty it will be called a stately home (www.lonympics.co.uk.htm).
The inside of a house, however grand the façade, is equally indicative of class. Upper class homes (if privately owned, and not staffed) tend to be comparatively untidy composites of grand furniture—having been inherited— which may have become frayed and threadbare over time and vast piles of ancient books, papers and other old reading material for which there is now no home.
Many upper class families will be in possession of works of art by old masters, valuable sculpture or period furniture, having had said pieces handed down through several generations. Indeed, inheriting the vast majority of one's possessions is the traditional form in upper class families.
(www.gallery.sjsu.edu.htm)
f. Food
A cynical individual would suggest that anything the working class can as upper class meal now. Caviar, champagne, and wine are still regarded as upper class items (www.lonympics.co.uk.htm).
g. Marriage
In the noble’s point of view of themselves, familial arrangements carried heavy burdens. For the nobles, marriage is expected to provide political power, status, and cash. As the result, through the eighteenth century, personal choices played little role in most aristocratic marriage decisions. Ideally marriage was intended to secure for a family distinguished connections, connecting the family with in-laws who could bring it new luster and powerful political connections. For more important, marriage had to serve economic needs. Through most of the eighteenth century, all nobles married for money, in the sense that all girls in this milieu had to bring properties to marriages: either cash, in the form of dowry, of expectations or a substantial inheritance from parents or other relatives (Dewald, 1996:168)
h. Dancing
Ladies were taught to dance with easy, becoming and graceful movements to be more pleasing to the gentlemen, but were also instructed to refuse to dance with any gentleman with whom they were not already acquainted without a proper introduction or a man from a different classes (www.gallery.sjsu.edu.htm).
i. Lifestyles of the Rich and Upper Class
The wealthiest of the upper class moved their residences as far away as oppressive and unpleasant, upper class families took journeys into the countryside, as their aristocratic ancestors had. They luxuriated at their vast inherited or purchased country chateaus while lower class servants, tenant farmers, and sharecropping laborers worked to produce income for them and maintain their grand lifestyle. Upper class families living in cities generally bathed at least once a week; they were most likely to own large tubs in which the entire body could be immersed. Their upper class lifestyle included theatre, opera, entertaining, feasting, and dancing, and required the constant acquisition and consumption of luxury goods; a family could spend the equivalent of at least $10,000 a year on meat alone. Exclusive, specialized, high quality purveyors provided foodstuffs for the upper class. They were the most envied and admired members of society; from the 17th to 19th centuries, leading theatre characters were almost exclusively individuals of wealth and social position (www.gallery.sjsu.edu.htm).
C. Review on Europe in 1800s
Europe in 1800s was full of dissatisfaction of the people especially from the lower and middle class with their governments. Led by the middle-class, people started to fight the status quo in order to change the situation that was controlled by the upper-class, the aristocrats, and the royal family. That is why European at this time also known as age of revolution. It was portrayed by three The revolutions made people had a new paradigm about their social condition of the society itself.
The European revolutions in 1800s started in Paris, France. It happened when Louis Philippe was the king of France and Guizot as his chief minister.
People who disappointed with the government policies organized an opposition movement in Paris. Lead by the middle-class, the France lower-class formed group to against the government. In February 23, 1845 the group made a movement that can force Louis Philippe to sign a note of abdication and fled to England. The movement finally created a new government which led by people outside the royal family. The class division in France became meaningless because the upper-class lost their special rights and the lower-class realized that they also could do something (Craig, 1962: 129-132).
The second revolution happened in the Austrian Empire. This revolution was influenced by the France revolution. When the people of Austrian Empire heard about the France revolution, criticism toward the government became vocal. Middle-class and lower-class people started to question their position in the society. They were inspired by France middle and lower-class to break through the wall of class division. That is why they created a movement that forced Emperor Ferdinand to agree to make a reformation in his Empire (Craig, 1962: 132-136).
Another revolution that influenced the European society in 1800s was The country demonstrate demand of reformation. These movements of middle and lower- class succeed to force the king to call liberal business and professional man to office, and to promise speedy convocation of a national Prussian.
All of these revolutions influenced the paradigm of the Swedish about their country, society, and the problems that appeared inside their society especially about the class stratification. At that time, Sweden was a country whose government was aristocratic and feudal whose rulers showed a stubborn attachment to royal prerogatives. They were particularly insistent on their rights to dictate the foreign, military, and social policy (Craig, 1962: 334).
After those revolutions, the Swedish especially from the lower-class started to understand that it was not impossible for them to break through the class stratification’s wall. For many years, they did not do anything to fight for their condition because they believed that it was supposed to happen like that. The upper-class ruled the society and they served the upper-class. But now their lower- class brothers in France, Austria, and Prussia inspired them to make a movement in order to change the situation.
The result of the Swedish lower-class’s fight was the royal absolution of Bernadotte who had ruled as Charles XIV from 1818-1844 had given way gradually to a moderate liberalism under his successors Oscar I (1844-1859), Charles XV (1859-1872), and Oscar II (1872-1907). The constitutional laws of 1864 abolished the old estates and set up a bicameral legislature with considerable