The Importance of Letters

He tells her that Darcy convinced Bingley not to marry Jane because he did not approve. Lizzy blames Darcy for her sister's unhappiness. In contrast to Mr. Collins proposal Darcy declares his love for Elizabeth and she at first has no clue how to react. She proceeds to tell him he is the last person she would want to marry. When Elizabeth and Darcy meet again he gives her a letter. It is from him explaining how he feels terrible and explains who Wickham truly is. Lizzie realizes how she had overreacted and how prejudice she was toward

Deeper in the novel Elizabeth begins to admire another fellow by the name of Wickham. During Elizabeth’s and Wickham’s relationship he informed her that he has been treated horribly by Darcy. Wickham’s telling her that sabotaged Elizabeth’s opinion on Darcy (chapter 13-17). Later on Darcy proposed to Elizabeth and she rejects him. Explaining to him that him that his actions to Wickham were irrational and that his arrogant demander when proposing wasn’t pleasant. After Elizabeth’s remarks Darcy gives her a letter explaining everything and showing that he really in not a bad person (chapter 27-34). The letter soon changes Elizabeth’s perspective Darcy. Darcy facing rejection causes him to transform his arrogance into courtesy for others. Which led to him being worthy of Elizabeth’s love (chapter 56-61). Darcy cleaning up is act is an example of how Elizabeth’s perspective on him inspired him to better himself in her favor.

Darcy as a proud, arrogant man based upon his actions at the assembly where she first sees him. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy first meet at a ball where she instantly believes him to be a rude individual as she watches him only dance with women he knows and hears him call her tolerable. Elizabeth is offended by Mr. Darcy’s actions at the ball, and uses this knowledge to instantly form a negative opinion of his character. Mr. Darcy’s good nature and kind heart is therefore overlooked by Elizabeth as they continue to see each other, and she does not let go of her original prejudice of him until the end of the novel when she eventually realizes her love for him and marries him. Elizabeth’s poor and unchanging opinion of Darcy led to her initially saying no to Darcy’s first marriage proposal. Had Elizabeth not held a grudge on Mr. Darcy for his original actions at the ball, she could have realized her love for him sooner. Her mistrust of Darcy also led to repercussions that negatively affected her and her family’s lives. She would not have been deceived by Mr. Wickham and she would have saved her family from shame and embarrassment if she would have waited longer to form an opinion of Mr.

Another quote to suggest this is: "I write with no intentions of paining you" Even before he commences the explanation of his actions he makes it obvious that he does not aim to affront Elizabeth. The fact that he states this in the very beginning of the letter, and in such a concise way suggests to the reader that Elizabeth is at the forefront of his mind, and that he has deliberated over what her initial response will be. This is a stark contrast to his previous attitude towards her. During his proposal he describes how he struggles with himself and his "Better" judgement and asks for her hand in marriage, there is evidently no thought into how she would react here.

His sense of her inferiority–of its being a degradation of–the family obstacles which judgment had always opposed to inclinations were dwelt on...” (Austen 12). These words reflect Mr. Darcy’s excessive pride and heightened awareness of social status, while inducing him to recount all the ways in which he and Elizabeth are an illogical union, rather than relaying anything complimentary. In response to this insult-ridden proposal, Elizabeth proclaims that if he had acted in a more “gentlemanlike manner,” she would have been more inclined to express sympathy following her rejection of his advances. Despite Elizabeth’s clear message that she will not observe his insensitive words in submission, Mr. Darcy endures in the conviction that his prideful manners toward Elizabeth are well-justified and merely detail the truthful, adverse nature of her inferior social standing with the utmost sincerity.

Even though, Elizabeth is very smart she is too quick to let her opinions stop her from understanding the people around her. She also lets her emotions cloud her judgment, especially when her friend Charlotte Lucas decides to marry Mr. Collins. She states, “And to the pang of a friend disgracing herself and sunk in her esteem, was added the distressing conviction that it was impossible for that friend to be tolerably happy in the lot she had chosen”(87). About halfway through the book, Elizabeth realizes ‘“How despicably have I acted!” she cried. “I, who have prided myself on my discernment... Pleased with the preference of one, and offended by the neglect of the other, on the very beginning of our acquaintance, I have courted prepossession and ignorance and driven reason away, where either were concerned. Till this moment, I never knew myself”’. She sees that her clouded judgment has misled her in seeing the true nature of Darcy and Wickham. Towards the end Elizabeth and Darcy are finally together and she reveals to him that she was being rude towards him at the beginning and he tells her that he was attracted to her because of her ‘liveliness ’, she tells him “You may as well call it impertinence at once. It was very little less”. In observing this evolution Austen shows us that we need to put our pride

Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen by Fay Weldon gives the reader unique insight into the social divisions portrayed in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It affirms the beliefs held by Jane Austen but offers a new perspective of Austen’s beliefs.

The letter states that Darcy did provide Wickham with the money Darcy’s father left for him, but Wickham gambled away his money and was left with nothing, causing him to greedily ask for more. When he was denied by Darcy, Wickham conjured up a plan to trick Georgiana, Darcy’s little sister, into marrying him. Wickham hoped to convince Georgina to elope with him so he could steal her inheritance, which is the main reason for the hostility between Darcy and Wickham. This letter reveals to Elizaebth how Wickham managed to infiltrate her life and deceive her into falling for his charm. As seen in the letter, "...She tried to recollect some instance of goodness, some distinguished trait of integrity or benevolence, that might rescue him from the attacks of Mr. Darcy; or at least, by the predominance of virtue, atone for those casual errors under which she would endeavour to class what Mr. Darcy had described as the idleness and vice of many years' continuance. But no such recollection befriended her…”, Elizabeth tried to think of a time where she felt as Wickham was a truly genuine and good person, but alas, she could not. (Chapter

Since this time period, letter writing has exponentially grown to a larger source of people, especially in the early modern period. The 18th century in particular

Texts and their adaptations are significant when comparing the paradigms in place in their respective time periods. Throughout history, there has been a drastic change of belief on the importance of marriage. When Frank Churchill, in Emma by Austen, finally announces his hidden engagement to Jane Fairfax, there is a considerable uproar for many reasons. Personally, to Emma, she felt deceived as she thought she was beginning to develop real feelings for Churchill. Although, to everyone else in the town, this engagement was seen as a scandal; particularly as he was seen as much worthier status and finance than his fiancé. Also, this kind of ‘reckless’ behaviour is accentuated by valued character, Mr Knightley, who comments with high modality, “This is very bad. He had induced her to place herself, for his sake, in a situation of extreme difficulty and uneasiness”. With this negative response from the Highbury community,

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

Through a thorough awareness of the composer’s purpose, the reader becomes vastly more aware of the meaning behind the texts. A critical study of the subtle and obvious connections between Fay Weldon’s epistolary non-fiction text Letters to Alice and Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice allows responders to achieve an extensive understanding of how context shapes perspectives. The authors purpose in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, is to convey the ways in which pride and prejudice can blind someone from the truth. The composer’s purpose in Letters to Alice by Fay Weldon, however, is to connect to the audience through Alice and shape a greater understanding of the historical context and true meaning within the text Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. By an understanding of the composer’s purpose and connections between the text, readers are able to further understand and develop a deeper awareness of the meanings of the text.

Letters play a very important role in ‘Pride and Prejudice’. They can tie the story together because letters provide information which we would not have found out from the dialogue between the characters. We can also find out extra background information which can help with the reader’s understanding of characters, the plot and the novel in general. Letters can reveal character’s personalities and how they feel about the other characters in the novel, for example Miss Bingley’s feelings about Jane. Letters are used as a dramatic device in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ to further the plot, link the story and to inform the readers of the character’s personalities.

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

Letter writing is a method of communication that people have been using since 500 BC. Originally, they were closed with a wax or hand seal which had to be paid for when receiving it and