Is Pride and Prejudice told from a middle class point of view and Emma from an upper class one, and what differences are shown in the social status?

During the period in which Austen lived and wrote there
were seven distinct href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfUR3jPPO71JZfH8jH0hyphenhyphenS-OB1ATBiRfV_KYMdXBD7F7OI3DCYuM13n3kR8yY3_4oDr8gvuBkl1lD7DN6gSkt3W9sCksgFjcUpdEx9Cf-HcZwQPoQ8nO7yLW57ewOALWyEhg4b5pTg4A/s1600-h/1814+society.JPG">classes
in England. Austen finished writing Pride and Prejudice in 1798.
She finished writing Emma in 1815. The same class structure spanned
all these years.

The highest class was comprised of royalty
and lords, ministers of State (e.g., Chancellor) and titled nobility down to, but not
including, baronet. The second class comprised baronets and knights and wealthy country
gentlemen and anyone else with a large income. Darcy and Bingley both belonged to this
class. The third class holds educated professionals like doctors, the clergy,
barristers, banker, merchants, large manufacturers. Mr. Collins and Mr.Weston were in
this class.

Mr. Woodhouse belongs to the second class as a
wealthy country gentleman. Mr. Bennet belongs to the second class for the same reason
(though his wealth is dwindling). Therefore, both Pride and
Prejudice and Emma are told from upper class points of
view. The second class is one of the two upper classes; this is why it is acceptable for
nobility (1st class) to marry gentlemen's daughters (2nd class) since both are of the
upper classes.

It is a common misconception that the Bennet
family is of the middle class, but this notion is not at all substantiated in the novel.
The Gardiners represent the middle class as they made moderate money in trade. At home,
Elizabeth is shown with her mother and sisters and  none of them are working in the
house or in a garden. Mrs. Bennet boasts that she doesn't have to teach her daughters to
cook because she can afford a cook!: “Mrs. Bennet … assured him with some asperity that
they were very well able to keep a good cook.” Mr. Bennet is shown either with his wife
and daughters, “The astonishment of the ladies was just what he wished,” as in the
opening chapters, or in his library: “in his library he had been always sure of leisure
and tranquillity.” They are described as an upper class family of (dwindling) wealth and
leisure.

The social class differences shown between the
novels relate to extra characters, not to the Woodhouses nor to the Bennets. The highest
class individuals the Woodhouses know are Mr. Knightly and Frank Churchill. Mr.
Knightley is important but has no title so is in the second class along with the
Woodhouses. Frank Churchill was adopted by the Churchill family who also have no titles
so are also in the second class. Mr. Elton is a clergyman in the third class with
educated professionals. The lowest class individuals, aside from the gypsies, are
Harriet, farmer Robert Martin, Miss Bates, and Jane
Fairfax.

The highest class individual Elizabeth knows is
Lady Catherine de Borough who seems to be in the second class also, otherwise she would
have a title of baroness or higher. Elizabeth also knows Colonel Fitzwilliam who is the
younger son of an earl. The lowest class individuals are Wickham, Mr. Collins, and Uncle
and Aunt Philips in Meryton.

You can see that the stories
are told from exactly the same class, which is the second class, not the middle class,
which would actually be members of the third and fourth classes. By examining the
characters, e.g., Mr. Knightley and Lady de Borough, you see that Elizabeth associates
with characters of higher status than Emma does. By examining lower class characters,
like Harriet and Mrs. Younge, you can find the differences in social class
representation in the novels.