preview

Annotation In Pride And Prejudice

Better Essays

What Pride displays as Elizabeth’s impertinence results from her wit and intelligence, which are products of her education. If Elizabeth is perceived as more attractive because of her intellect, why doesn’t Austen make Mr. Darcy fall in love with Mary, who is extremely focused on learning and interested in developing her attributes? Even though Austen emphasizes the importance of female instruction, in comparing Elizabeth and Mary it is possible to understand why the first is considered attractive and the other is a dull character: Though both women are educated similarly, and both are avid readers, Mary cannot form an opinion of her own. Through the character of Mary, Austen parodies those people unable to form an opinion that is not an imitation …show more content…

Although Mary talks about the same topic as other people, as shown in the example above, she does not share attention with others in that she does not contribute to the conversation but rather states facts and information that she has acquired on that topic. Unlike Miss Lucas and Elizabeth who are talking with each other, Mary is talking at them. According to Baron-Cohen, a person’s ability to share attention with others affects their socio-emotional development and the capacity to have healthy relationships (Mindblindness 66). As Mary is unable to share attention, her mindreading ability becomes impaired. Two instances in the novel show Mary’s lack of mindreading abilities and how they contrast with Elizabeth’s: Mary’s unawareness of other people’s discomfort at her singing (I: 18, 69), and Mary’s lack of sympathy or empathy for her sister Lydia’s mistake (III: 5, 193). While Elizabeth is constantly studying other people’s behavior, Mary is so absorbed in herself that she cannot perceive when she acts disturbingly. At the Netherfield ball, Mary decides to sing for an extended period of time and fails to read other characters’ behavior to understand that she was making a fool of

Get Access