Sunday, September 16, 2007
Rationale
The type of task I am doing is a website. The context of my te xt production will appear on my URL which is http://prideandprejudicelit.blogspot.com/. The type of audience should be grown up and mature. The title of my text production is Pride and Prejudice. The text production is like a summary to what I have studied. The objectives I have set for my text production is to make it look in an old manner, since this story is quite old, to make it for a mature audience I designed the website in the old fashion way and to kind of help me study Pride and Prejudice.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Jane Austen Biography
Jane Austen was a major English novelist, whose brilliantly witty, elegantly structured satirical fiction marks the transition in English literature from 18th century neo-classicism to 19th century romanticism. Jane Austen was born on 16 December, 1775, at the rectory in the village of Steventon, near Basingstoke, in Hampshire. The seventh of eight children of the Reverend George Austen and his wife, Cassandra, she was educated mainly at home and never lived apart from her family. She had a happy childhood amongst all her brothers and the other boys who lodged with the family and whom Mr Austen tutored. From her older sister, Cassandra, she was inseparable. To amuse themselves, the children wrote and performed plays and charades, and even as a little girl Jane was encouraged to write. The reading that she did of the books in her father's extensive library provided material for the short satirical sketches she wrote as a girl. At the age of 14 she wrote her first novel, Love and Freindship (sic) and then A History of England by a partial, prejudiced and ignorant Historian, together with other very amusing juvenilia. In her early twenties Jane Austen wrote the novels that were later to be re-worked and published as Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey. She also began a novel called The Watsons which was never completed. As a young woman Jane enjoyed dancing (an activity which features frequently in her novels) and she attended balls in many of the great houses of the neighbourhood. She loved the country, enjoyed long country walks, and had many Hampshire friends. It therefore came as a considerable shock when her parents suddenly announced in 1801 that the family would be moving away to Bath. Mr Austen gave the Steventon living to his son James and retired to Bath with his wife and two daughters. The next four years were difficult ones for Jane Austen. She disliked the confines of a busy town and missed her Steventon life. After her father's death in 1805, his widow and daughters also suffered financial difficulties and were forced to rely on the charity of the Austen sons. It was also at this time that, while on holiday in the West country, Jane fell in love, and when the young man died, she was deeply upset. Later she accepted a proposal of marriage from Harris Bigg-Wither, a wealthy landowner and brother to some of her closest friends, but she changed her mind the next morning and was greatly upset by the whole episode. After the death of Mr Austen, the Austen ladies moved to Southampton to share the home of Jane's naval brother Frank and his wife Mary. There were occasional visits to London, where Jane stayed with her favourite brother Henry, at that time a prosperous banker, and where she enjoyed visits to the theatre and art exhibitions. However, she wrote little in Bath and nothing at all in Southampton. Then, in July, 1809, on her brother Edward offering his mother and sisters a permanent home on his Chawton estate, the Austen ladies moved back to their beloved Hampshire countryside. It was a small but comfortable house, with a pretty garden, and most importantly it provided the settled home which Jane Austen needed in order to write. In the seven and a half years that she lived in this house, she revised Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice and published them ( in 1811 and 1813) and then embarked on a period of intense productivity. Mansfield Park came out in 1814, followed by Emma in 1816 and she completed Persuasion (which was published together with Northanger Abbey in 1818, the year after her death). None of the books published in her life-time had her name on them — they were described as being written "By a Lady". In the winter of 1816 she started Sanditon, but illness prevented its completion. Jane Austen had contracted Addisons Disease, a tubercular disease of the kidneys. No longer able to walk far, she used to drive out in a little donkey carriage which can still be seen at the Jane Austen Museum at Chawton. By May 1817 she was so ill that she and Cassandra, to be near Jane's physician, rented rooms in Winchester. Tragically, there was then no cure and Jane Austen died in her sister's arms in the early hours of 18 July, 1817. She was 41 years old. She is buried in Winchester Cathedral.
Acknowledged from: http://www.jasa.net.au/jabiog.htm
Acknowledged from: http://www.jasa.net.au/jabiog.htm
Friday, September 14, 2007
The Bennets Family
Elizabeth Bennet
Elizabeth is a spontaneous, high-spirited, vivacious, witty, and warm young lady. She is also a bright, complex, and intriguing individual who is realistic about life. Unlike her sister Jane, she is not ready to believe that everyone is flawless. She knows the ‘impropriety’ of her father and is aware that it springs from the unhappiness of his life with his wife. She also perceives the fickleness of her mother’s temper and her crass social behavior. Even to the point of being saucy and blunt at times, Elizabeth is not afraid to speak her mind.
Throughout the novel, Elizabeth’s encounters with Darcy are a battle of adult minds. Elizabeth’s speeches, crackling with irony, filled with pep, and displaying vibrant humor, exert a magnetic pull on Darcy. He recognizes that she is a woman endowed with sense and sensibility, radically different from most young females that he knows. He is particularly impressed with her poise; she is not intimidated by the upper class or overawed by the arrogant Darcy.
Elizabeth’s main flaw is an exaggerated prejudice. Her first negative impression of Darcy at the Netherfield ball, Wickham’s tall story about him, and Darcy’s influencing Bingley against Jane fuel her prejudice. She spends most of the novel truly disliking her future husband. When Darcy proposes to her the first time, she does not even give the offer serious thought before turning the man down. Fortunately, Darcy is determined and does not give up on Elizabeth.
Elizabeth is an honest individual, both to others and to herself. Once she realizes the truth about Darcy, she admits her incorrect prejudice against him and regrets her previous rejection of him. In fact, she even admits to herself that she is in love with Darcy, but she is realistic enough to think that she no longer stands a chance with him. When she learns that Darcy has saved Lydia from disgrace, she swallows her remaining pride and states her appreciation to Darcy. His response is to ask for her hand in marriage once again. This time, a much wiser Elizabeth eagerly accepts.
In the novel, Elizabeth Bennet proves that she is a woman both particular to her age and society and yet different from it. Like her mother, Elizabeth is sometimes prone to outspoken speeches and impulsive actions; yet, she never disregards the propriety which the age insisted upon for women. Her keen intelligence, her good sense, and her unconventional charm make Elizabeth an unforgettable character.
Mr. Bennet
Although Mr. Bennet is basically a sensible man, he behaves strangely because of his disillusionment with his wife. Living with Mrs. Bennet has made him somewhat bitter and cynical. Trapped in a bad marriage, he makes life endurable for himself by assuming a pose of an ironic passive spectator of life, who has long ago abdicated his roles as a husband and a father. Once in awhile, he comes out of his ivory tower to amuse himself by pestering his foolish wife or making callous remarks about his daughters. He reality, he is quite fond of his children, particularly Elizabeth, who he finds sensible and witty.
Throughout the novel, Mr. Bennet proves he is an insensitive father. His wit, though enlivening, is disturbing because of its cynicism; unfortunately, it is often turned on his daughters. When Jane is jilted in love, he speaks of it in a very light manner, saying it is an unavoidable occurrence, which distresses Jane even more. He is not concerned about Lydia’s inappropriate behavior and allows her to go off to Brighton, in spite of Elizabeth’s warnings to him; his negligence on this account leads to Lydia’s elopement. This incident shocks him out of his complacency, and for once he seems genuinely worried about one of his children. He even goes to London to search for his daughter; unfortunately, he soon allows Mr. Gardiner to replace him. When Elizabeth announces her engagement to Darcy, Mr. Bennet seems genuinely concerned, for he still believes Darcy to be arrogant and rude; he does not want his daughter to enter into a miserable marriage like his own. When he learns of Darcy’s goodness and Elizabeth’s true love for him, Mr. Bennet blesses the union. At the end of the novel, however, he is not a greatly changed man; he is still in his ivory tower, trying to escape the inanity of his wife.
Mrs. Bennet
Mrs. Bennet is described by the author as "a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper." In her youth, her beauty won her a husband, but she could not sustain Mr. Bennet’s interest for long because of her crude behavior. As the novel opens, she has one purpose in life - to find acceptable husbands for her oldest three daughters.
Mrs. Bennet is loud and gauche as is illustrated in her behavior at Netherfield. Whenever she opens her mouth, she seems to make a fool of herself. Her vulgar social behavior becomes a major deterrent for Bingley and Darcy in the pursuit of her daughters. In addition to her crass behavior, Mrs. Bennet is not very intelligent or sensible. She is given to hasty judgments and fluctuating opinions. Throughout the book, her opinions of people swing between abhorrence and admiration, as seen in her changing feelings for Mr. Collins, Wickham, Bingley, and Darcy. Of course, much of how she judges them is based on whether or not she believes they will become her sons-in-law.
Like her husband, Mrs. Bennet fails miserably in her role as a parent. She fails to understand the sensibilities of Jane and Elizabeth, and often embarrasses the two girls with her indiscreet behavior and hurtful remarks. She ridicules Jane for her love for Bingley and wants Elizabeth to marry the horrid Mr. Collins. Her permissiveness with Lydia leads to her living with Wickham outside of marriage. Mrs. Bennet’s reaction to the elopement is to go into hysterics and hide herself in her room. She is incapable of holding the family together in a moment of crisis; in fact, she just makes matters worse.
In the end, Mrs. Bennet gets exactly what she has desired; her three eldest daughters are married. She, however, remains the same gawking, vulgar and foolish woman.
Jane Bennet
Jane is the beautiful, charming, and subdued sister of Elizabeth. In fact, she is so gentle and kind that she genuinely and naively believes that everyone else in the world is the same. Elizabeth even tells her that "you never see a fault in anybody. All the world is good and agreeable in your eyes. I have never heard you speak ill of any human being." Her attraction for Bingley is instant, for she sees him as a simple, unassuming man and a perfect mate. She is greatly disappointed when Bingley seems to lose interest in her, but she patiently waits for him. At the end of the novel, the good Jane is rewarded for her patient endurance when Bingley proposes to her.
Mary Bennet
The third daughter, who is pedantic, tasteless, plain, vain, silly, and affected. She doesn't really care about people around her, she is mostly in her own world.
Catherine Bennet (Kitty)
The fourth daughter, who is almost a non-entity in the novel except for chasing soldiers.
Lydia Bennet
The youngest daughter who is silly, thoughtless, stupid, unprincipled, flirtatious, loud-mouthed and scatter brained; not surprisingly, she is Mrs. Bennet’s favorite daughter. She elopes with George Wickham.
Acknowledged from: http://www.pinkmonkey.com/
Elizabeth is a spontaneous, high-spirited, vivacious, witty, and warm young lady. She is also a bright, complex, and intriguing individual who is realistic about life. Unlike her sister Jane, she is not ready to believe that everyone is flawless. She knows the ‘impropriety’ of her father and is aware that it springs from the unhappiness of his life with his wife. She also perceives the fickleness of her mother’s temper and her crass social behavior. Even to the point of being saucy and blunt at times, Elizabeth is not afraid to speak her mind.
Throughout the novel, Elizabeth’s encounters with Darcy are a battle of adult minds. Elizabeth’s speeches, crackling with irony, filled with pep, and displaying vibrant humor, exert a magnetic pull on Darcy. He recognizes that she is a woman endowed with sense and sensibility, radically different from most young females that he knows. He is particularly impressed with her poise; she is not intimidated by the upper class or overawed by the arrogant Darcy.
Elizabeth’s main flaw is an exaggerated prejudice. Her first negative impression of Darcy at the Netherfield ball, Wickham’s tall story about him, and Darcy’s influencing Bingley against Jane fuel her prejudice. She spends most of the novel truly disliking her future husband. When Darcy proposes to her the first time, she does not even give the offer serious thought before turning the man down. Fortunately, Darcy is determined and does not give up on Elizabeth.
Elizabeth is an honest individual, both to others and to herself. Once she realizes the truth about Darcy, she admits her incorrect prejudice against him and regrets her previous rejection of him. In fact, she even admits to herself that she is in love with Darcy, but she is realistic enough to think that she no longer stands a chance with him. When she learns that Darcy has saved Lydia from disgrace, she swallows her remaining pride and states her appreciation to Darcy. His response is to ask for her hand in marriage once again. This time, a much wiser Elizabeth eagerly accepts.
In the novel, Elizabeth Bennet proves that she is a woman both particular to her age and society and yet different from it. Like her mother, Elizabeth is sometimes prone to outspoken speeches and impulsive actions; yet, she never disregards the propriety which the age insisted upon for women. Her keen intelligence, her good sense, and her unconventional charm make Elizabeth an unforgettable character.
Mr. Bennet
Although Mr. Bennet is basically a sensible man, he behaves strangely because of his disillusionment with his wife. Living with Mrs. Bennet has made him somewhat bitter and cynical. Trapped in a bad marriage, he makes life endurable for himself by assuming a pose of an ironic passive spectator of life, who has long ago abdicated his roles as a husband and a father. Once in awhile, he comes out of his ivory tower to amuse himself by pestering his foolish wife or making callous remarks about his daughters. He reality, he is quite fond of his children, particularly Elizabeth, who he finds sensible and witty.
Throughout the novel, Mr. Bennet proves he is an insensitive father. His wit, though enlivening, is disturbing because of its cynicism; unfortunately, it is often turned on his daughters. When Jane is jilted in love, he speaks of it in a very light manner, saying it is an unavoidable occurrence, which distresses Jane even more. He is not concerned about Lydia’s inappropriate behavior and allows her to go off to Brighton, in spite of Elizabeth’s warnings to him; his negligence on this account leads to Lydia’s elopement. This incident shocks him out of his complacency, and for once he seems genuinely worried about one of his children. He even goes to London to search for his daughter; unfortunately, he soon allows Mr. Gardiner to replace him. When Elizabeth announces her engagement to Darcy, Mr. Bennet seems genuinely concerned, for he still believes Darcy to be arrogant and rude; he does not want his daughter to enter into a miserable marriage like his own. When he learns of Darcy’s goodness and Elizabeth’s true love for him, Mr. Bennet blesses the union. At the end of the novel, however, he is not a greatly changed man; he is still in his ivory tower, trying to escape the inanity of his wife.
Mrs. Bennet
Mrs. Bennet is described by the author as "a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper." In her youth, her beauty won her a husband, but she could not sustain Mr. Bennet’s interest for long because of her crude behavior. As the novel opens, she has one purpose in life - to find acceptable husbands for her oldest three daughters.
Mrs. Bennet is loud and gauche as is illustrated in her behavior at Netherfield. Whenever she opens her mouth, she seems to make a fool of herself. Her vulgar social behavior becomes a major deterrent for Bingley and Darcy in the pursuit of her daughters. In addition to her crass behavior, Mrs. Bennet is not very intelligent or sensible. She is given to hasty judgments and fluctuating opinions. Throughout the book, her opinions of people swing between abhorrence and admiration, as seen in her changing feelings for Mr. Collins, Wickham, Bingley, and Darcy. Of course, much of how she judges them is based on whether or not she believes they will become her sons-in-law.
Like her husband, Mrs. Bennet fails miserably in her role as a parent. She fails to understand the sensibilities of Jane and Elizabeth, and often embarrasses the two girls with her indiscreet behavior and hurtful remarks. She ridicules Jane for her love for Bingley and wants Elizabeth to marry the horrid Mr. Collins. Her permissiveness with Lydia leads to her living with Wickham outside of marriage. Mrs. Bennet’s reaction to the elopement is to go into hysterics and hide herself in her room. She is incapable of holding the family together in a moment of crisis; in fact, she just makes matters worse.
In the end, Mrs. Bennet gets exactly what she has desired; her three eldest daughters are married. She, however, remains the same gawking, vulgar and foolish woman.
Jane Bennet
Jane is the beautiful, charming, and subdued sister of Elizabeth. In fact, she is so gentle and kind that she genuinely and naively believes that everyone else in the world is the same. Elizabeth even tells her that "you never see a fault in anybody. All the world is good and agreeable in your eyes. I have never heard you speak ill of any human being." Her attraction for Bingley is instant, for she sees him as a simple, unassuming man and a perfect mate. She is greatly disappointed when Bingley seems to lose interest in her, but she patiently waits for him. At the end of the novel, the good Jane is rewarded for her patient endurance when Bingley proposes to her.
Mary Bennet
The third daughter, who is pedantic, tasteless, plain, vain, silly, and affected. She doesn't really care about people around her, she is mostly in her own world.
Catherine Bennet (Kitty)
The fourth daughter, who is almost a non-entity in the novel except for chasing soldiers.
Lydia Bennet
The youngest daughter who is silly, thoughtless, stupid, unprincipled, flirtatious, loud-mouthed and scatter brained; not surprisingly, she is Mrs. Bennet’s favorite daughter. She elopes with George Wickham.
Acknowledged from: http://www.pinkmonkey.com/
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The Bingleys and The Hursts
Caroline Bingley
Mr. Bingley’s unmarried sister, who is snobbish, conceited, scheming and jealous.
Charles Bingley
A promising young man endowed with wealth and social ease, Bingley is the owner of Netherfield. Unlike Darcy, he is very popular with everyone because he is gentle, kind, and amiable, and his manners are socially pleasing. His love for Jane is instant and pure; unfortunately, he is at first discouraged from pursuing a relationship with her.
At times, Bingley seems a bit weak, lacking self-confidence. He lets himself be manipulated by his friends and his sisters. Darcy acts like an adviser, philosopher, and guide to him, leading him away from his attraction to Jane. Unfortunately, Bingley always places a great premium on Darcy’s sense of judgement and follows his advice, almost without questions. On the whole, Bingley is a very simple, uncomplicated character. Elizabeth Bennet correctly depicts him as a man who is ‘very easy to understand’.
Mrs. Hurst
Bingley’s married sister who lives a lazy, purposeless life.
Mr. Hurst
Bingley’s brother-in-law, who is lazy and purposeless, like his wife.
Acknowledged from: http://www.pinkmonkey.com/
Mr. Bingley’s unmarried sister, who is snobbish, conceited, scheming and jealous.
Charles Bingley
A promising young man endowed with wealth and social ease, Bingley is the owner of Netherfield. Unlike Darcy, he is very popular with everyone because he is gentle, kind, and amiable, and his manners are socially pleasing. His love for Jane is instant and pure; unfortunately, he is at first discouraged from pursuing a relationship with her.
At times, Bingley seems a bit weak, lacking self-confidence. He lets himself be manipulated by his friends and his sisters. Darcy acts like an adviser, philosopher, and guide to him, leading him away from his attraction to Jane. Unfortunately, Bingley always places a great premium on Darcy’s sense of judgement and follows his advice, almost without questions. On the whole, Bingley is a very simple, uncomplicated character. Elizabeth Bennet correctly depicts him as a man who is ‘very easy to understand’.
Mrs. Hurst
Bingley’s married sister who lives a lazy, purposeless life.
Mr. Hurst
Bingley’s brother-in-law, who is lazy and purposeless, like his wife.
Acknowledged from: http://www.pinkmonkey.com/
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
The Darcys
Fitzwilliam Darcy
While Elizabeth is the symbol of prejudice in the novel, Darcy embodies the element of pride, which is clearly established in him from the very beginning of the book. His arrogant ways make him unpopular and misunderstood, even though he is envied for his good looks and wealth. Elizabeth takes a particular disliking to him for his haughty rudeness when he initially says that he is not interested in her at the ball. When she learns that he has advised Bingley not to pursue a relationship with Jane, she is further incensed at the man. It is not surprising, therefore, that when Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, he is turned down, especially since his offer was made in a haughty and condescending manner. Elizabeth’s refusal jolts his pride and sets him on a course of self realization.
When Elizabeth visits Pemberley, she discovers a different side of Darcy. She is impressed with the taste and refinement of his home. He is obviously a cultured and intelligent man. From the housekeeper, she also learns that he is a generous landlord, a kind master, and a devoted brother. Later in the novel, it is revealed that he is the only son of aristocratic parents and that at a very early age he had to take up family responsibilities which made him independent and conceited.
Darcy’s love for Elizabeth is clearly a conflict for him between head and heart. He thinks he should not love her because of her lower social position and her crass family; but his heart is attracted to her beauty, her sensibility, her independence, and her vivacity. When he proposes to her the first time, he is sure that she will accept. Because of her rejection, Darcy undergoes a metamorphosis from an insolvent aristocrat to a kind, down-to- earth soul. Out of his love for Elizabeth, he silently rescues Lydia by "buying" her marriage to Wickham. Later, he is even kind and courteous to her parents. In summary, Darcy becomes the perfect picture of a thoroughbred gentleman and the ideal husband for Elizabeth.
Georgiana Darcy
The younger sister of Fitzwilliam Darcy who is shy, reserved, and warm-hearted.
Acknowledged from: http://www.pinkmonkey.com/
While Elizabeth is the symbol of prejudice in the novel, Darcy embodies the element of pride, which is clearly established in him from the very beginning of the book. His arrogant ways make him unpopular and misunderstood, even though he is envied for his good looks and wealth. Elizabeth takes a particular disliking to him for his haughty rudeness when he initially says that he is not interested in her at the ball. When she learns that he has advised Bingley not to pursue a relationship with Jane, she is further incensed at the man. It is not surprising, therefore, that when Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, he is turned down, especially since his offer was made in a haughty and condescending manner. Elizabeth’s refusal jolts his pride and sets him on a course of self realization.
When Elizabeth visits Pemberley, she discovers a different side of Darcy. She is impressed with the taste and refinement of his home. He is obviously a cultured and intelligent man. From the housekeeper, she also learns that he is a generous landlord, a kind master, and a devoted brother. Later in the novel, it is revealed that he is the only son of aristocratic parents and that at a very early age he had to take up family responsibilities which made him independent and conceited.
Darcy’s love for Elizabeth is clearly a conflict for him between head and heart. He thinks he should not love her because of her lower social position and her crass family; but his heart is attracted to her beauty, her sensibility, her independence, and her vivacity. When he proposes to her the first time, he is sure that she will accept. Because of her rejection, Darcy undergoes a metamorphosis from an insolvent aristocrat to a kind, down-to- earth soul. Out of his love for Elizabeth, he silently rescues Lydia by "buying" her marriage to Wickham. Later, he is even kind and courteous to her parents. In summary, Darcy becomes the perfect picture of a thoroughbred gentleman and the ideal husband for Elizabeth.
Georgiana Darcy
The younger sister of Fitzwilliam Darcy who is shy, reserved, and warm-hearted.
Acknowledged from: http://www.pinkmonkey.com/
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Themes, Motifs and Symbols
Themes:
Love
Pride and Prejudice contains one of the most cherished love stories in English literature: the courtship between Darcy and Elizabeth. As in any good love story, the lovers must elude and overcome numerous stumbling blocks, beginning with the tensions caused by the lovers’ own personal qualities. Elizabeth’s pride makes her misjudge Darcy on the basis of a poor first impression, while Darcy’s prejudice against Elizabeth’s poor social standing blinds him, for a time, to her many virtues. (Of course, one could also say that Elizabeth is guilty of prejudice and Darcy of pride—the title cuts both ways.) Austen, meanwhile, poses countless smaller obstacles to the realization of the love between Elizabeth and Darcy, including Lady Catherine’s attempt to control her nephew, Miss Bingley’s snobbery, Mrs. Bennet’s idiocy, and Wickham’s deceit. In each case, anxieties about social connections, or the desire for better social connections, interfere with the workings of love. Darcy and Elizabeth’s realization of a mutual and tender love seems to imply that Austen views love as something independent of these social forces, as something that can be captured if only an individual is able to escape the warping effects of hierarchical society. Austen does sound some more realist (or, one could say, cynical) notes about love, using the character of Charlotte Lucas, who marries the buffoon Mr. Collins for his money, to demonstrate that the heart does not always dictate marriage. Yet with her central characters, Austen suggests that true love is a force separate from society and one that can conquer even the most difficult of circumstances.
Reputation
Pride and Prejudice depicts a society in which a woman’s reputation is of the utmost importance. A woman is expected to behave in certain ways. Stepping outside the social norms makes her vulnerable to ostracism. This theme appears in the novel, when Elizabeth walks to Netherfield and arrives with muddy skirts, to the shock of the reputation-conscious Miss Bingley and her friends. At other points, the ill-mannered, ridiculous behavior of Mrs. Bennet gives her a bad reputation with the more refined (and snobbish) Darcys and Bingleys. Austen pokes gentle fun at the snobs in these examples, but later in the novel, when Lydia elopes with Wickham and lives with him out of wedlock, the author treats reputation as a very serious matter. By becoming Wickham’s lover without benefit of marriage, Lydia clearly places herself outside the social pale, and her disgrace threatens the entire Bennet family. The fact that Lydia’s judgment, however terrible, would likely have condemned the other Bennet sisters to marriageless lives seems grossly unfair. Why should Elizabeth’s reputation suffer along with Lydia’s? Darcy’s intervention on the Bennets’ behalf thus becomes all the more generous, but some readers might resent that such an intervention was necessary at all. If Darcy’s money had failed to convince Wickham to marry Lydia, would Darcy have still married Elizabeth? Does his transcendence of prejudice extend that far? The happy ending of Pride and Prejudice is certainly emotionally satisfying, but in many ways it leaves the theme of reputation, and the importance placed on reputation, unexplored. One can ask of Pride and Prejudice, to what extent does it critique social structures, and to what extent does it simply accept their inevitability?
Class
The theme of class is related to reputation, in that both reflect the strictly regimented nature of life for the middle and upper classes in Regency England. The lines of class are strictly drawn. While the Bennets, who are middle class, may socialize with the upper-class Bingleys and Darcys, they are clearly their social inferiors and are treated as such. Austen satirizes this kind of class-consciousness, particularly in the character of Mr. Collins, who spends most of his time toadying to his upper-class patron, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Though Mr. Collins offers an extreme example, he is not the only one to hold such views. His conception of the importance of class is shared, among others, by Mr. Darcy, who believes in the dignity of his lineage; Miss Bingley, who dislikes anyone not as socially accepted as she is; and Wickham, who will do anything he can to get enough money to raise himself into a higher station. Mr. Collins’s views are merely the most extreme and obvious. The satire directed at Mr. Collins is therefore also more subtly directed at the entire social hierarchy and the conception of all those within it at its correctness, in complete disregard of other, more worthy virtues. Through the Darcy-Elizabeth and Bingley-Jane marriages, Austen shows the power of love and happiness to overcome class boundaries and prejudices, thereby implying that such prejudices are hollow, unfeeling, and unproductive. Of course, this whole discussion of class must be made with the understanding that Austen herself is often criticized as being a classist: she doesn’t really represent anyone from the lower classes; those servants she does portray are generally happy with their lot. Austen does criticize class structure but only a limited slice of that structure.
Motifs:
Courtship
In a sense, Pride and Prejudice is the story of two courtships—those between Darcy and Elizabeth and between Bingley and Jane. Within this broad structure appear other, smaller courtships: Mr. Collins’s aborted wooing of Elizabeth, followed by his successful wooing of Charlotte Lucas; Miss Bingley’s unsuccessful attempt to attract Darcy; Wickham’s pursuit first of Elizabeth, then of the never-seen Miss King, and finally of Lydia. Courtship therefore takes on a profound, if often unspoken, importance in the novel. Marriage is the ultimate goal, courtship constitutes the real working-out of love. Courtship becomes a sort of forge of a person’s personality, and each courtship becomes a microcosm for different sorts of love (or different ways to abuse love as a means to social advancement).
Journeys
Nearly every scene in Pride and Prejudice takes place indoors, and the action centers around the Bennet home in the small village of Longbourn. Nevertheless, journeys—even short ones—function repeatedly as catalysts for change in the novel. Elizabeth’s first journey, by which she intends simply to visit Charlotte and Mr. Collins, brings her into contact with Mr. Darcy, and leads to his first proposal. Her second journey takes her to Derby and Pemberley, where she fans the growing flame of her affection for Darcy. The third journey, meanwhile, sends various people in pursuit of Wickham and Lydia, and the journey ends with Darcy tracking them down and saving the Bennet family honor, in the process demonstrating his continued devotion to Elizabeth.
Symbols
PemberleyPride and Prejudice is remarkably free of explicit symbolism, which perhaps has something to do with the novel’s reliance on dialogue over description. Nevertheless, Pemberley, Darcy’s estate, sits at the center of the novel, literally and figuratively, as a geographic symbol of the man who owns it. Elizabeth visits it at a time when her feelings toward Darcy are beginning to warm; she is enchanted by its beauty and charm, and by the picturesque countryside, just as she will be charmed, increasingly, by the gifts of its owner. Austen makes the connection explicit when she describes the stream that flows beside the mansion. “In front,” she writes, “a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance.” Darcy possesses a “natural importance” that is “swelled” by his arrogance, but which coexists with a genuine honesty and lack of “artificial appearance.” Like the stream, he is neither “formal, nor falsely adorned.” Pemberley even offers a symbol-within-a-symbol for their budding romance: when Elizabeth encounters Darcy on the estate, she is crossing a small bridge, suggesting the broad gulf of misunderstanding and class prejudice that lies between them—and the bridge that their love will build across it.Acknowledged from:
http://www.sparknotes.com
Love
Pride and Prejudice contains one of the most cherished love stories in English literature: the courtship between Darcy and Elizabeth. As in any good love story, the lovers must elude and overcome numerous stumbling blocks, beginning with the tensions caused by the lovers’ own personal qualities. Elizabeth’s pride makes her misjudge Darcy on the basis of a poor first impression, while Darcy’s prejudice against Elizabeth’s poor social standing blinds him, for a time, to her many virtues. (Of course, one could also say that Elizabeth is guilty of prejudice and Darcy of pride—the title cuts both ways.) Austen, meanwhile, poses countless smaller obstacles to the realization of the love between Elizabeth and Darcy, including Lady Catherine’s attempt to control her nephew, Miss Bingley’s snobbery, Mrs. Bennet’s idiocy, and Wickham’s deceit. In each case, anxieties about social connections, or the desire for better social connections, interfere with the workings of love. Darcy and Elizabeth’s realization of a mutual and tender love seems to imply that Austen views love as something independent of these social forces, as something that can be captured if only an individual is able to escape the warping effects of hierarchical society. Austen does sound some more realist (or, one could say, cynical) notes about love, using the character of Charlotte Lucas, who marries the buffoon Mr. Collins for his money, to demonstrate that the heart does not always dictate marriage. Yet with her central characters, Austen suggests that true love is a force separate from society and one that can conquer even the most difficult of circumstances.
Reputation
Pride and Prejudice depicts a society in which a woman’s reputation is of the utmost importance. A woman is expected to behave in certain ways. Stepping outside the social norms makes her vulnerable to ostracism. This theme appears in the novel, when Elizabeth walks to Netherfield and arrives with muddy skirts, to the shock of the reputation-conscious Miss Bingley and her friends. At other points, the ill-mannered, ridiculous behavior of Mrs. Bennet gives her a bad reputation with the more refined (and snobbish) Darcys and Bingleys. Austen pokes gentle fun at the snobs in these examples, but later in the novel, when Lydia elopes with Wickham and lives with him out of wedlock, the author treats reputation as a very serious matter. By becoming Wickham’s lover without benefit of marriage, Lydia clearly places herself outside the social pale, and her disgrace threatens the entire Bennet family. The fact that Lydia’s judgment, however terrible, would likely have condemned the other Bennet sisters to marriageless lives seems grossly unfair. Why should Elizabeth’s reputation suffer along with Lydia’s? Darcy’s intervention on the Bennets’ behalf thus becomes all the more generous, but some readers might resent that such an intervention was necessary at all. If Darcy’s money had failed to convince Wickham to marry Lydia, would Darcy have still married Elizabeth? Does his transcendence of prejudice extend that far? The happy ending of Pride and Prejudice is certainly emotionally satisfying, but in many ways it leaves the theme of reputation, and the importance placed on reputation, unexplored. One can ask of Pride and Prejudice, to what extent does it critique social structures, and to what extent does it simply accept their inevitability?
Class
The theme of class is related to reputation, in that both reflect the strictly regimented nature of life for the middle and upper classes in Regency England. The lines of class are strictly drawn. While the Bennets, who are middle class, may socialize with the upper-class Bingleys and Darcys, they are clearly their social inferiors and are treated as such. Austen satirizes this kind of class-consciousness, particularly in the character of Mr. Collins, who spends most of his time toadying to his upper-class patron, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Though Mr. Collins offers an extreme example, he is not the only one to hold such views. His conception of the importance of class is shared, among others, by Mr. Darcy, who believes in the dignity of his lineage; Miss Bingley, who dislikes anyone not as socially accepted as she is; and Wickham, who will do anything he can to get enough money to raise himself into a higher station. Mr. Collins’s views are merely the most extreme and obvious. The satire directed at Mr. Collins is therefore also more subtly directed at the entire social hierarchy and the conception of all those within it at its correctness, in complete disregard of other, more worthy virtues. Through the Darcy-Elizabeth and Bingley-Jane marriages, Austen shows the power of love and happiness to overcome class boundaries and prejudices, thereby implying that such prejudices are hollow, unfeeling, and unproductive. Of course, this whole discussion of class must be made with the understanding that Austen herself is often criticized as being a classist: she doesn’t really represent anyone from the lower classes; those servants she does portray are generally happy with their lot. Austen does criticize class structure but only a limited slice of that structure.
Motifs:
Courtship
In a sense, Pride and Prejudice is the story of two courtships—those between Darcy and Elizabeth and between Bingley and Jane. Within this broad structure appear other, smaller courtships: Mr. Collins’s aborted wooing of Elizabeth, followed by his successful wooing of Charlotte Lucas; Miss Bingley’s unsuccessful attempt to attract Darcy; Wickham’s pursuit first of Elizabeth, then of the never-seen Miss King, and finally of Lydia. Courtship therefore takes on a profound, if often unspoken, importance in the novel. Marriage is the ultimate goal, courtship constitutes the real working-out of love. Courtship becomes a sort of forge of a person’s personality, and each courtship becomes a microcosm for different sorts of love (or different ways to abuse love as a means to social advancement).
Journeys
Nearly every scene in Pride and Prejudice takes place indoors, and the action centers around the Bennet home in the small village of Longbourn. Nevertheless, journeys—even short ones—function repeatedly as catalysts for change in the novel. Elizabeth’s first journey, by which she intends simply to visit Charlotte and Mr. Collins, brings her into contact with Mr. Darcy, and leads to his first proposal. Her second journey takes her to Derby and Pemberley, where she fans the growing flame of her affection for Darcy. The third journey, meanwhile, sends various people in pursuit of Wickham and Lydia, and the journey ends with Darcy tracking them down and saving the Bennet family honor, in the process demonstrating his continued devotion to Elizabeth.
Symbols
PemberleyPride and Prejudice is remarkably free of explicit symbolism, which perhaps has something to do with the novel’s reliance on dialogue over description. Nevertheless, Pemberley, Darcy’s estate, sits at the center of the novel, literally and figuratively, as a geographic symbol of the man who owns it. Elizabeth visits it at a time when her feelings toward Darcy are beginning to warm; she is enchanted by its beauty and charm, and by the picturesque countryside, just as she will be charmed, increasingly, by the gifts of its owner. Austen makes the connection explicit when she describes the stream that flows beside the mansion. “In front,” she writes, “a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance.” Darcy possesses a “natural importance” that is “swelled” by his arrogance, but which coexists with a genuine honesty and lack of “artificial appearance.” Like the stream, he is neither “formal, nor falsely adorned.” Pemberley even offers a symbol-within-a-symbol for their budding romance: when Elizabeth encounters Darcy on the estate, she is crossing a small bridge, suggesting the broad gulf of misunderstanding and class prejudice that lies between them—and the bridge that their love will build across it.Acknowledged from:
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Monday, September 10, 2007
Analysis
I have created a website online to achieve my objectives and tasks. My tasks was to give a small text production for an audienece who is mature and can understand things pretty well. I have done this by getting information from various websites and by editing and adding some more information to the texts. Examples can been seen on my website, you can post comments on the website and comment on them if the audience thinks I did good or bad, the audience can post their thoughts and comments on the website. I think I was pretty sucessful but my main challenges were that it was the first time I created a website so I didn't really know what to do, and many errors came while I was trying to create my website which really got me quite paranoid.
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