Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice

Lovelace is proud, and Richardson refers repeatedly
to his yearning for superiority (Eaves and Kimpel 267).
Title and inheritance, not money, were the watchwords for
his type of aristocracy. Many of Lovelace's class were
land poor and alarmed that the rising merchant gentry
could not only eat up their estates, but also could sully
the purity of their noble lines by marrying into
aristocratic families. Lovelace is unique to his class
in that he watches his pennies, keeping himself out of
debt. However, he typically envies the unlimited supply
of merchant money while cinching in his own belt.
For all his possessions, Lovelace was in much the
same position as James Harlowe, Jr. Both actively sought
titles they believed they deserved. Lovelace did not
inherit his father's title, nor could he inherit his
uncle's; Lord M. could not bestow it on him, either.
Lovelace would have to earn it through land and money,
and, most likely, marriage. The rules for inheritance
regarding land and money were very different in the
eighteenth century than in any other time, past or
present (Habbakuk 41). The House of Commons was made up
mostly from the landed gentry, prosperous merchants,
businessmen, and professionals. Though the members of
the Commons often held titles, they were inferior