The social and economic upper class in England in Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde are represented through the lifestyle, wealth and behaviors of the characters. Woolf, Austen, and Wilde provide insightful portraits of the characters emphasizing their social roles in English society. Their character portrayals suggest that they are critical of the fictional lifestyles of the upper classes. Members of the English 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 appears to have a simple and comfortable life. One of Woolf's focuses on the lifestyle of the upper class is Clarissa Dalloway. Clarissa's lifestyle consists of planning and hosting social events for members of the upper class. When Woolf says, “Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself. For Lucy had her work cut out for her” (Woolf 3), notes that it is not often that upper class women carry out their duties. Women are also perceived as lazy because they don't have to work to live. Upper class women spend much of their free time shopping, maintaining their social role by attending social gatherings, and satisfying 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 to do their work for them. Austen's Sense and Sensibility provides detailed insight into the lifestyles of the upper classes. 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. Social status affects a person's lifestyle, behavior, and perspective of others. They also highlight social expectations and restrictions for upper-class women, including their social role, appearance, and personality. From the literary works of the authors it appears that people are judged based on their social position. Woolf, Austen, and Wilde's portrayals of the upper class in their literary works show that an upper class social status does not guarantee happiness. Works Cited Austen, Jane. Reason and sensitivity. Ed. Stephanie Stark. London: Penguin, 2002. Print.Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Michael Patrick Gillespie, editor. Norton critical edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2007. Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. London: The Hogarth Press 1925. London: Penguin books, 1996.