Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen was born in Steventon, England, in 1775, where she lived for the first twenty-five years of her life. Her father, George Austen, was the rector of the local parish and taught her mostly at home. She began to write as a teenager and completed the original manuscript of Pride and Prejudice, titled First Impressions, between 1796 and 1797. A publisher rejected the manuscript, and it was not until 1809 that Austen began the revisions that would bring it to its final form. Pride and Prejudice was published in January 1813, two years after Sense and Sensibility, her first novel, and it achieved a popularity that has remained to this day. (Butler, 96) During Austen's life, only her immediate family knew of her authorship of these novels. At one point, she wrote behind a door that creaked when visitors approached; this warning permitted her to hide manuscripts before anyone could enter the room. Though publishing anonymously prevented her from gaining reputation as a writer, it also allowed her to maintain her privacy at a time when English society associated a female's entrance into t
Considerations of class are omnipresent in the novel. The novel does not put forth a democratic ideology or call for the leveling of all social classes, yet it does criticize an over-emphasis on class. Darcy's excessive pride is based on his extreme class-consciousness. Yet eventually he sees that factors other than wealth determine who truly belongs in the upper classes. While those such as Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst, who are born into the aristocracy, are idle, mean-spirited and annoying, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner are not members of the nobility in terms of wealth or birth but are natural aristocrats by virtue of their intelligence and good-breeding. The comic formality of Mr. Collins and his submissive relationship with Lady Catherine serve as a satire class consciousness and social formalities. In the end, the verdict on class differences is moderate. As critic Samuel Kliger notes, "It the conclusion of the novel makes it clear that Elizabeth accepts class relationships as valid, it becomes equally clear that Darcy, through Elizabeth's genius for treating all people with respect for their natural dignity, is reminded that institutions are not an end in themselves but are intended to serve the end of human happiness." (Grey, 206) The novel represents a society in which a woman's reputation is of the most importance. A woman is expected to behave in certain ways. Stepping outside the social standard makes her exposed to isolation. 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. The happy ending of Pride and Prejudice is satisfying, but in many ways it leaves the theme of reputation, and the importance placed on reputation, unknown. (Gilbert, 58) with gratitude and pleasure, his present assurances." When Jane is invited for dinner at Netherfield, Mrs. Bennet refuses to provide her with a carriage, hoping that because it is supposed to rain Jane will be forced to spend the night. However, because Jane gets caught in the rain, she falls ill and is forced to stay at Netherfield until she recovers. Upon hearing that Jane is ill, Elizabeth walks to Netherfield in order to go nurse her sister. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst (Bingley's sisters) are scandalized that Elizabeth walked so far alone in the mud. Seeing that Jane would like Elizabeth to stay with her, Bingley's sisters invite Elizabeth to remain at Netherfield until Jane recovers. During her stay at Netherfield, Elizabeth increasingly gains the admiration of Mr. Darcy. She is blind to his partiality, however, and continues to think him a most proud and haughty man because of the judgment she made of him when he snubbed her at the ball. Miss Bingley, who is obviously trying to gain the admiration of Mr. Darcy, is extremely jealous of Elizabeth and tries to prevent Mr. Darcy from admiring her by making rude references to the poor manners of Elizabeth's mother and younger sisters and to her lower class relatives. When Mrs. Bennet and her younger daughters come to visit Jane, Elizabeth is mortified by their foolishness and complete lack of manners. Bingley's admiration for Jane continues unabated and is evident in his genuine solicitude for her recovery. After Jane recovers, she returns home with Elizabeth. Mr. Collins, a cousin of Mr. Bennet who is in line to inherit Longbourn because the estate has been entailed away from the female line, writes a letter stating his intention to visit. When he arrives, he makes it clear that he hopes to find a suitable wife among the Miss Bennets. Mr. Collins is a clergyman, and his patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh (who is also Darcy's aunt), has suggested that
Some common words found in the essay are:
Austen Elizabeth, Regency England, Pride Prejudice, Lady Catherine, Darcy Wickham, Darcy Elizabeth, Wickham Darcy, Darcy Elizabeth's, Sense Sensibility, Elizabeth Jane, pride prejudice, lady catherine, miss bingley, darcy wickham, darcy elizabeth, english society, jane elizabeth, austen critical, elizabeth's acceptance, own social circle, society novel, lady catherine de, catherine de bourgh, scorn outside own, outside own social,
Approximate Word count = 3131
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
