Austen's Use of Environment in Pride and Prejudice

However, Elizabeth’s active nature and her refusal to be passive, “You give your opinion very decidedly for a woman of your age” (Austen 159), overshadow the traditional qualities she possesses. Her personality makes her very disagreeable to Lady Catherine and Mr. Bingley's sisters. When Jane falls ill, Elizabeth walks miles through the mud to visit Netherfield. Upon arriving, Elizabeth shocks the Bingley sisters, “I shall never forget her appearance this morning. She looked almost wild.” (Austen 35). Lady Catherine also plays a role in contrasting Elizabeth with more traditional women of the time. The confrontation between the two at Longbourn shows Elizabeth’s willingness to stand up for herself against people of higher social standing, “`I have said no such thing. I am only resolved to act in that manner, which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness, without reference to you, or to any person so wholly unconnected with me.''(Austen 332). Austen’s use of a limited social structure highlights the clear message about the expectations of women in Regency England and Elizabeth’s refusal to

Thesis: Throughout the text of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen challenges gender and social norms in the Georgian Era through the development of Elizabeth Bennet as she interacts with characters in the novel.

Austen compares Elizabeth and Jane to show how differently they are viewed by society. Austin shows that simply being pretty, patient and kind does not guarantee happiness. While Jane was tortured awaiting Mr. Bingely, Elizabeth was chasing her own happiness. Elizabeth wasn’t the prettiest or the sweetest, but certainly was no damsel in distress. Lizzy broke through the restraints of a proper, societal woman in which her sister followed to a tee.

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice examines and critiques a society built upon gender roles. Austen does this by examining the obstacles women experienced in the Regency Period. Austen expresses how women were controlled, and objectified by men through their need to get married to a man. Additionally, the novel ridicules how women who could not afford to live without men were shadowed by their partner. This commentary is seen through the portrayal of the Bennet sisters. The females of the family are forced to marry because they do not inherit any wealth. The family is forced to comply with the same boundaries Austen was governed by. Therefore, Austen focuses on how the Bennet sisters overcome a society that suppresses them. This allows the reader to comprehend the strength, perseverance, determination, and assertiveness of the women in this time. Overall, Jane Austen addresses gender issues throughout the story. This is seen in the progressive image of Elizabeth, as she combats the inequality women experience. Although it was not common for women to criticize the patriarchy, the overall depiction of females is progressive. Elizabeth represents Austen’s feminist views, and the depiction of women in the novel is seen through her feminist image as she deals with Mr. Collins and Mr. Darcy.

Jane Austen originally wrote Pride and Prejudice in 1813 as a novel of manners. Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist, encompasses Austen’s viewpoints on the world, although Austen uses Elizabeth’s transformation through the novel to demonstrate them fully. Included on pages 11 to 12 of the novel is a passage Austen utilizes to depict major themes that recur throughout the novel. She did this by using dialogue between Elizabeth and Jane, as well as Elizabeth’s thoughts. The Bennets have recently met the Bingleys at a very informal ball. During the passage, Jane and Elizabeth discuss Mr. Bingley and his sisters, as well as their opinions of them. Austen uses sentence structure, diction that creates a cynical

Through the writing, Austen makes each character unique and different. This technique is clearly shown in her novel, Pride and Prejudice. Therefore, Austen identifies the voices of characters, such as Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, through the dialogue. Both characters use a complex structure in dialogue. For Mr. Darcy, this shows his intelligence and high class. Whereas for Elizabeth, this shows her insecurity within her social class. Elizabeth competes with Mr. Darcy by using the same structure to showcase her intelligence and wit. Elizabeth’s rejection of Mr. Darcy’s first proposal demonstrates this concept. She says, “From the very beginning, from the first moment I may almost say, of my acquaintance with you, your manners impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form that the groundwork of disapprobation, on which succeeding events have built so immovable a dislike” (Austen 131).

The reader is first acquainted with Mr. Darcy's arrogance at the Meryton Ball. Speaking of Elizabeth Bennet, he so snobbishly says that she was, "…tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me" (Austen 9). His feelings of superiority to the people of the town

The progress between Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s relationship, in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) illustrates and explores several the key themes in the novel. Their relationship highlights class expectations, pride and prejudice, and marriage, and how they play a major role in determining the course of their association. These are outlined through their first prejudiced dislike of each other when they first meet, the stronger feelings for Elizabeth that develop on Darcy’s side, her rejection in Darcy’s first proposal, then her change of opinion and lastly the mutual love they form for one another. Pride and Prejudice is set up as a satire, commenting on human idiocy, and Jane Austen

Austen creates a scenario where she allows the reader to identify a variety of persons, each of

Jane Austen’s novel is commanded by women; Pride and Prejudice explores the expectations of women in a society that is set at the turn of the 19th century. Throughout the plot, Austen’s female characters are all influenced by their peers, pressures from their family, and their own desires. The social struggle of men and women is seen throughout the novel. Characters, like Elizabeth, are examples of females not acting as proper as women were supposed to, while other women like Mrs. Bennett allow themselves to be controlled by men and society. Mr. Collins is a representation of the struggles males deal with in a novel dominated by women. The theme of marriage is prominent during Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Marriage can be examined in

Austen, Jane, Claudia L. Johnson, Susan J. Wolfson. Pride and Prejudice, A Longman Cultural Edition. New York: Longman, 2003.

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice takes place in rural England among the landed gentry. In the society’s social atmosphere, it is imperative for characters to have a facade and for most of the characters, their first impressions are much different from who they really are. The only characters that do not have a facade, such as Mr. Collins, are socially inept. These first impressions play a large role in the novel and are often taken at face value, to the detriment of the receiver and impressionist.

Jane Austen develops a strong illustration of how challenging emotional circumstances can initiate a change in character, using Elizabeth Bennet as an effective demonstration in Pride and Prejudice. Cases such as Mr. Darcy's proposal, Charlotte's marriage, and the discovery of Mr. Wickham's past are compelling support for Austen's idea that alterations to one's behaviour and actions can occur as a result of being placed in a strenuous emotional position. Each influences Elizabeth in a different way, some causing rapid change, while others cause a slower, more gradual one. Self-reflection and the reconsideration of a character's worldview allow Austen to highlight the importance of change in trying situations.

Jane Austen is prone to creating characters that depend upon this sort of discussion. Throughout the novel, Pride and Prejudice, we are often given character analyses through the dialogue among other characters, rather than an author’s direct description. Through these dialogues, readers are able to portray each character through the opinions and attitudes of other characters within the story.

Pride and Prejudice is one of the most popular novels written by Jane Austen. This romantic novel, the story of which revolves around relationships and the difficulties of being in love, was not much of a success in Austen's own time. However, it has grown in its importance to literary critics and readerships over the last hundred years. There are many facets to the story that make reading it not only amusing but also highly interesting. The reader can learn much about the upper-class society of this age, and also gets an insight to the author's opinion about this society. Austen presents the high-society of her time from an observational point of view, ironically describing human behavior. She describes what she sees and adds her own