Both series examine the development and construction of identity in a society divided along rigid class lines.
Perry's works are notable for introducing a range of independent and unconventional women characters and plots that highlight controversial social issues, especially in regard to the positions of women and the poor in nineteenth-century British society. Extensive historical research underlies the detailed descriptions of Victorian life to portray the niceties of upper-class etiquette, the grim poverty of the workhouses, the endless domestic routines of servants, and the confining roles of upper- and middle-class women. Perry's novels briefly introduce historical figures and touch on historical events such as the Crimean War, the American Civil War, and the Revolutions of 1848. As Perry noted when interviewed by Diana Cooper-Clark in 1983, "My novels focus on the political power struggle." Perry's plots highlight the need for political reform, and while her characters challenge many social norms, they seek to improve, not overturn, basic social structures. Female characters develop a protofeminist awareness of the injustices faced by women; yet, as Victorians they share many of the values of their society. Their desires for the same legal and political rights held by men does not preclude their fulfilling to some degree traditional roles as companions, lovers, and wives.
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