In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen portrays a classic Elizabethan society that rests on certain ideals that all members of society have to abide by, certain manners of courtship. The novel is centered around the Bennet family in the town of Netherfield with their five daughters on the brink of marriage. The course of the whole story progresses on various attempts by these spinsters to find eligible husbands who have a high enough social standing in society and who will elevate the status of these females. Even among these daughters the novel focuses on Elizabeth and Darcy's courtship the most. The whole course of the novel is marked by various social interactions and exchanges that illuminate the characteristics and views of the characters, indirectly showing how society functions and what society values in its members. The setting of the play varies, centering mainly around social gatherings where individuals interact and share the latest "news" (or gossip might be a more appropriate term) of society.
Austen shows us a variety of different characters. First Elizabeth is quick witted but is hasty to make impressions upon people she meets. This is shown in the turn of events when Elizabeth realizes and admits that she made a mistake in judging who Darcy was as a person. Jane is Elizabeth's older sister who is extremely kind but is sometimes weak emotionally. She is also overly trusting of people and can be persuaded easily. Mr. Bingley, later Jane's husband, is essentially the same character compared to Jane, only different in his gender. Darcy first comes through as a person who can be very harsh and very proud. His first impression serves as a mask under which the reader will later find a pleasant, generous personality as Elizabeth finds for herself.
Austen shows us a variety of different characters. First Elizabeth is quick witted but is hasty to make impressions upon people she meets. This is shown in the turn of events when Elizabeth realizes and admits that she made a mistake in judging who Darcy was as a person. Jane is Elizabeth's older sister who is extremely kind but is sometimes weak emotionally. She is also overly trusting of people and can be persuaded easily. Mr. Bingley, later Jane's husband, is essentially the same character compared to Jane, only different in his gender. Darcy first comes through as a person who can be very harsh and very proud. His first impression serves as a mask under which the reader will later find a pleasant, generous personality as Elizabeth finds for herself.
The theme of Pride and Prejudice, is that true love can be discovered but only when one has removed all of his/her "pride and prejudice".
Throughout the majority of the play, the tone imagery remains consistent with the tone of the passage, conveying a very serene and overall harmonious picture, whether it be in relation to nature or among the society’s members. The focus of the text remains to be the people while the background set-up sheds light on a simple yet elegant world. Importantly, the title itself sheds light on the theme. While pride is present in each and every member of society, whether it be is a form of social standing due to financial capability or whether in terms of one’s views as presented by Elizabeth, the establishment of a social hierarchy inevitably gives rise to a prejudice and pre-conceived notions about an individual that are fed by the desire to set oneself apart in society. This is confirmed by Darcy's first failed proposal of marriage to Elizabeth. Both were too blinded to recognize how similar they are to each other and their pride was the source of their prejudice.
Quotes:
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." - Narrator
"Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity to what we would have others think of us." - Elizabeth
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." - Narrator
"Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity to what we would have others think of us." - Elizabeth
Good summary, you hit every point that people actually need to know. One thing I would suggest doing is compare Elizabeth with her sisters, and summarize how different their perspective of love is.
ReplyDelete