Social Convention and Transgressive Love

Love in the set texts is never a purely private matter — it is always shaped, constrained, and sometimes destroyed by social convention. Class barriers, sexual morality, religious norms, racial prejudice, and the expectations of family and community determine what kinds of love are permissible and what kinds are punished. This lesson examines how the set texts represent love that transgresses social boundaries and the consequences of that transgression.

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Class and Love

Class is the most pervasive social barrier to love in the set texts. Every relationship exists within a class structure that determines who may love whom and on what terms.

Key Examples