Dichotomy In Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice

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.

Pride and Prejudice tells a story of a young girl in the midst of a very materialistic society. Jane Austen uses the setting to dramatize the restraints women had to endure in society. As the novel develops, we see how women have to act in a way according to their gender, social class, and family lineage. Elizabeth Bennet’s sisters represent the proper societal lady while Lizzy is the rebel. Through her characters Austen shows how a women’s happiness came second to the comfort of wealth. As the plot develops, events are laid out to illustrate how true love is unattainable when women marry for intentions of wealth. Women have very specific and limited roles in a society where men are the superior. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice is a novel that has intrigued readers for decades. Despite where one may be from, what gender they are, or what age they are, this story enthralls every reader. One of the primary reasons that this book is so notorious is because the two main themes: pride and prejudice, are two characteristics that any person can say they have come to know. Whether it be in themselves, in a friend, or even in a stranger, pride and prejudice are two defining attributes a person may have. Almost every character in this novel possesses at least one of these characteristics and because of this, relationships are created, broken down, and built

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.

    "Like all true literary classics, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is still capable of engaging us, both emotionally and intellectually" (Twayne back flap) through its characters and themes. This essay illustrates how Jane Austen uses the characterization of the major characters and irony to portray the theme of societal frailties and vices because of a flawed humanity. Austen writes about the appearance vs. the reality of the characters, the disinclination to believe other characters, the desire to judge others, and the tendency to take people on first impressions.

Mr. Collins possesses a definite sense of vanity. He is in no way concerned about his own opinion of his character, for as we see his character leaves much to be desired. All he cares about is what others think of him. He always needs the approval of his present company. When he gives Elizabeth the grand tour of his nothing-spectacular home, he is looking for her approval of his position and possessions. It is not important to Mr. Collins for people to like him as a person, they just had better be impressed his status in life and his connections.

The novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) by Jane Austen centres on Elizabeth Bennet and her family and the society of Austen’s time. Jane Austen believed “that three or four families in a country village is the very thing to work on” (Herbert 5). In Pride and Prejudice, and in Austen’s other works, domestic life takes the centre stage in her critique on society. Julia Prewitt Brown stated in her book on Austen’s novels and social change that readers often believe “that laws, customs, social norms, and preferences are the unexplained assumptions of her world”(24), yet she argued that Austen intended to explain the necessity or rather, expose the weaknesses and criticize societal expectations.

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

“Society made me do it.” This phrase is a reality for many people in the world who live their lives through society’s expectations. Having a perfect reputation and living exactly by society’s rules is not always easy when faced with challenges such as restrictions amidst social classes. In Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, social classes are a common theme throughout the book. This theme is strongly influenced by the culture and desires of people in the Georgian Era, when the author began working on this book, which dictates the major choices in the characters’ lives. For example, something that people value most in this era is reputation. Main characters in Pride and Prejudice like the

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, a novel written by Jane Austen during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century is often thought of as simply a love story and although on the surface this is true, it is in fact much more than that. Austen focuses greatly on the class system and lack of social mobility allowed in England during this period (the Napoleonic Wars, 1797-1815) and the pride and prejudice that these social divides reveal, as well as the personal pride and prejudice shown by individual characters and how these interlink. The novel is in many ways a comedy of manners (that is, a comedy that ridicules a particular social group because of their attitudes and behaviour, in this case the Upper class and to some extent the Middle class).

This is different in Jane Eyre as she is pleased with her position in society, she doesn’t judge or put down those of a lower status due to knowing what it is like. An example of this is where she takes the positon of a teacher and she feels as though she has “taken a step which is sinking her instead of raising her in the scale of social existence.” She then mentions that she must not forget that these “coarsely-clad little peasants are flesh and blood as good as the scions of gentlest genealogy.” As readers of Charlotte Bronte 's story we are naturally prepared to offer her our affection and admiration for the duration of the book, as a teller of her own story she has to reveal with the becoming modesty what will make her loveable and admirable. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane allows us as readers to witness her remarkable skill at shaping characters into unique individuals through the most commonplace actions and events. These are prime examples of why and how these female authors are able to write successful novels.

Jane Austen, the author of Pride and Prejudice, holds feminist views and uses the novel to show her opinions about women's issues. Pride and Prejudice is a personal essay, a statement of Jane Austen's feelings about the perfect lady, marriage, and the relationship between the sexes. Jane Austen's characters, plot, and dialogue are biased to reflect her beliefs.

She uses this unspecified person, who is outside of all the novel's action and gives explanations, as a medium of communication to present her own opinion in an allusively open way. This narrator is the first means of making ironic remarks. Through the narrator a certain mood is created that prevails throughout the novel. The very first sentence of the novel shows this with the following sentence, It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife (Pride and Prejudice, p. 3). The irony of this statement is the universal validity with which assumptions are made in that upper-class society. It is assumed that there is nothing else for a man of high rank to want but a wife to complete his possessions. Along with his money, land, riches etc. she acts as nothing more but another piece of property, which was a common attitude in those days. Austen manages to make the attitude towards matrimony upheld by this upper class look rather ridiculous and incredible. Another ironic description is given, for instance, when Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst take care of the sick Jane, who stays at their house. They present themselves as very affectionate and caring friends to Jane. However, that does not stop them from talking very bad about Jane's relations. The real ironic comment is that the

In the novel 'Pride and Prejudice', Jane Austen has presented both positive and negative aspects of the two main theme—Pride and Prejudice. She has used a range of good examples and characters to demonstrate these two characteristics. She has also set different rewards or punishments for different characters, showing us both sides of being pride or prejudice.