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England in the 19th century was in the throes of great ferment and upheaval, driven by economic and cultural change. That change was indirectly reflected in its literature, for example in the work of Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, and Emily Brontë. Though Britain was building a great empire around the world and the Industrial Revolution produced enormous wealth especially for the elites, life still seemed hard and contingent for many.
A fortunate few enjoyed great comfort, yet many others, often brothers, sisters or cousins, through accident of birth and the convention of primogeniture, were trapped by their circumstances, even as they may have been of the manor born. Of course, there was a large, mostly faceless, nameless underclass that provided labor to enable the lifestyles of the handful.
The three authors were products of this mezzanine world, in which they did not stand to inherit or marry into great wealth, but partook of it at least for a time by virtue of their birth or other fortunate circumstance. In short, they did not have to work in domestic service, farming, or the new industrial jobs, but could pursue their interests and even write great literature. They may not have thought much about unique their circumstances, since it was the only world order they knew. None was a revolutionary; none rebelled against…