The social/economic upper class in England in Mrs. Virginia Woolf's Dalloway, Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray are represented through the lifestyle, wealth and behaviors of the characters. Woolf, Austen and Wilde give insightful portraits of the characters with emphasis on their social roles in English society. Their portrayals of the characters suggest that they criticize the phony lifestyle of the upper class. Members of England's socioeconomic upper class in the literary works of Woolf, Austen, and Wilde are distinguished by their lifestyle. In Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, the upper class seems to have a simple and comfortable life. One of Woolf's focuses on upper-class lifestyle is Clarissa Dalloway. Clarissa's lifestyle involves planning and organizing social events for upperclassmen. When Woolf says, "Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself." For Lucy had her work cut out for her” (Woolf 3), he notes that it was not common for women of the upper classes to carry out their own duties. Women are also seen as lazy because they do not need to work to earn a living. Upper-class women spend much of their free time shopping, maintaining their social role by attending social gatherings and indulging in their desires. They seem to live a lavish lifestyle because "they lived with whatever they wanted" (Woolf 111), whether it was "breakfast in bed" (Woolf 111) or having servants for do their job for them. Austen's Sense and Sensibility provides detailed information. perceptions of the upper class lifestyle. Similar to Woolf's descriptions in Mrs. Dalloway, the aspects of the upper class in Austen's novel imply that they live a relaxed lifestyle...... middle of paper ......have the influences that the upper class Social status impacts the lifestyle, behavior and perspective of others. They also highlight the social expectations and restrictions placed on upper-class women, including their social role, appearance, and personality. It is evident from the literary works of the authors that people are judged based on their social position. Woolf, Austen, and Wilde's depictions of the upper class in their literary works show that upper-class social status does not guarantee happiness. Works CitedAusten, Jane. Sense and sensitivity. Ed. Stephanie Stark. London: Penguin, 2002. Print. Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Michael Patrick Gillespie, editor. Norton Review Edition. New York: WW Norton & Company, Inc., 2007. Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. London: The Hogarth Press 1925. London: Penguin Books, 1996.