Admiral Croft who was among the nouveau rich, had the financial means to rent Kellynch from Sir Walter, one of the so-called landed gentry. How (I assume this should be what) does Jane Austen's treatment of class and social mobility reveal about these men and their women such as Anne Elliot and Mrs. Smith? Which group fares better and why?

Persuasion is set in a time when landed gentry were beginning to lose their firm grasp over the money and power of society and were being forced to acknowledge not only the presence of the nouveau riche, but the fact that one cannot survive on name alone. The nouveau riche were faring better financially but were not accepted socially by titled men such as Sir Walter, who may have been losing their estates slowly due to falling incomes and a spread of the collective wealth of the area but were still not apt to welcome those from families who may not have been mentioned in Burke's Peerage. Social mobility was allowing people with new money the access to old families with title and position that previously would have been unattainable.

Austen shows an interesting difference between being rich and being titled – one stands firm and one is easily lost. Sir Walter is losing his fortune at a rapid pace, and along with it, his home and estate, while his title and position in society stand firm. He could lose every penny, but the title on his name would still grant him entry to most any home or societal function. Mrs. Smith, on the other hand gained her position in society by marrying a rich man, and when he died and the money dried up, so did her invitations to participate in the season. It is made clear that this is a common result of losing one's fortune, as Anne visits her and it is mentioned she is “living in a very humble way, unable even to afford herself the comfort of a servant, and of course excluded from society”. The fact that it is to be assumed one loses their place in society should they lose their money but retain it if they are titled says almost all you need to know about the place of the rich versus the noble in this time. When Mrs. Smith is aided in recovering her husbands West Indian fortune, she once again seems to be in good graces with the landed gentry, as now she has money again which apparently makes up for her lack of title.

I think an important fact to take away from Persuasions concept of social mobility is that mobility does not always mean upwards. Sir Walter and Anne were both increasingly “better off” once they took a step back and realized that a move closer to the (still wealthy, but socially less esteemed) middle class would improve their lot in life a great deal. Sir Walter relieves the stress of maintaining his affluent lifestyle by living within his means and renting his estate, while Anne becomes a completely different person on the last page from the sad confirmed spinster she seems to be when the novel opens. Her social mobility is created by finally throwing off the influence of Lady Russell and marrying Wentworth, her one true love. Disregarding his lack of connection, position, and extreme wealth, she makes her own decision to move down the social ladder where she is happy and loved instead of being forced to sit on a higher rung alone and lonely.

While I would avoid saying Austen was making a statement that being nouveau riche is preferable to being landed gentry, I would say she was making a less than delicate nod to the falling aristocracy and welcoming the rising meritocracy with open arms. She makes clear that those who have earned their money are more likely to keep it, and if circumstances arise to prevent that would fare far better without it than those like Sir Walter. Lady Russell overvalues inherited social class and titles, such as Sir Walter's ridiculously inflated view of his baronetcy, to such an extreme that she very nearly cheats the tender hearted Anne of her one chance at real happiness. When the circumstances prove both Wentworth's worthiness and the overwhelming ineptitude of Mr. Elliot, she is forced to admit that “she had been pretty completely wrong and take up a new set of opinions and hopes”. I am apt to believe that Persuasion was written for those with views much like those of Lady Russell’s with the very hope that in the end we would all begin thinking the same way.