The literature of the 18th century England began to reflect the different social classes. The 18th century was a time of great change and, if you were in the right group, prosperity. It was a time in which people were ranked by money and social standing. Class structure began to shift and became an increasingly prominent factor in what the members of the different classes were able to do. There were many differences between these classes and those differences were very obvious.
             A major part of the society of the 18th century was the class system. During the 1700's, there were four major social classes, or ranks as they were called until the end of the century. These classes were not only set by social standing but, also, by the amount of money that a person had. The four classes were: the aristocrats, the gentleman, the middle or merchant class, and the "laboring poor." The aristocrats included the people who were eligible to sit in the House of Lords.
             They were the titled people like: dukes, earls, and barons. This was by far the smallest of the groups and it held the largest amount of power.
             The next level, the gentlemen, consisted of a few knights and baronets, but the majority of the population. Early in the century, England had a population of five to six million people. Well over two million of these people belonged to this extremely large, increasingly powerful group. Merchants, farmers, shopkeepers, and tradesmen were members of this class. Most of the population belonged to the "laboring poor" class. These members of society, the artisans, laborers, soldiers, and paupers, had virtually no power.
             Shaw goes on to explain why Liza would marry Freddy (and not Higgins) (p.250). Even though, Eliza Doolittle is a sassy, smart-mouthed kerbstone flower girl with deplorable English she's very aware why she would not be Higgins choice for a wife. Liza is uneducated, poor, and from the lowest soc...