Category: Pride And Prejudice

Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’: Evolution of Social Norms and Relationships

Introduction to Jane Austen and her Novels

In the beginning, when Jane Austen started writing her novels, she was not a well-known author in her time. Today, all her books, “Pride and Prejudice” and “Persuasion” have been known as classic novels. Jane was born in England during the Georgian era. She had seven siblings. In her household, education was very important to them. Her parents sent Cassandra, the oldest sibling, and Jane to a boarding school to receive a good education. Jane died from Addison’s disease, and during that time, she was writing her novels, and when she became weak, she stopped writing. Jane received recognition for her books that were published, and after her death, she became one of the greatest writers.

Pride and Prejudice: Interplay of Pride and Prejudice

The novel Pride and Prejudice begins with Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, who have five daughters. Jane, the oldest, is considered the most beautiful daughter, according to Mrs. Bennet. The daughter closest to Mr. Bennet is Elizabeth. The first couple of chapters talk about how men with good fortune look for a wife to marry. Mrs. Bennett hears a rumor from the town that two wealthy men came to visit their town. She really wants Jane, her most beautiful daughter, to be wed to Mr. Bingley. She suggested to her husband to introduce them at the ball. However, Mr. Bennet is hesitant about introducing them to Mr. Bingley. He later decides to meet with Mr. Bingley at a public ball. When Mr. Bingley arrives at the ball, he comes with his dear friend, Mr. Darcy. At the ball, Mr. Bennet decides to introduce his family to Mr. Bingley. Mr. Bennet’s daughters are overjoyed that they all made a new acquaintance.

Mr. Bingley dances with Jane most of the night, and in private, Bingley tells Darcy that Jane is the most beautiful creature he has ever seen. Bingley suggests to Darcy that he should dance with Elizabeth, but he rejects his proposal as he does not think she is pretty enough to tempt him. When they were both speaking, Lizzy overheard the comment Mr. Darcy made towards her, and she disliked him, as he was arrogant. Some days passed, and the Bennet family received a letter from Mr. Bingley requesting to have Jane join them at their house for dinner. However, Mrs. Bennet, being mischievous, as she knows that it will rain, decides to have Jane go on horseback. She knew Jane would get sick, but not to the point where she could die. When Jane arrived, she caught a cold. When she arrived, she was well taken care of by one of the best doctors.

Jane sent a letter to her family, letting them know that she was fine. Lizzy decided to go visit her sister, and she did so by walking. When she arrived, Bingley’s sisters were judgmental towards Lizzy, as the hem of her dress was covered in dirt. Later, the entire family decides to visit Lizzy to see how she is doing and notices she is better-taken care of at Mr. Bingley’s house than she would have been cared for at their house. The protagonist in the story is Elizabeth Bennet. She is a woman who is not so concerned about being wed. She prefers to read and be educated.

Social Class and Gender Roles in “Pride and Prejudice”

The theme of this book is about social class. When you think of what social class was considered in the Georgian era, you must think of how much land a person owned. In the novel, the men who had a fortune were the ones who owned several or big estates, like Mr. Darcy of Pemberley and Mr. Bingley. When a woman gets married to a wealthy man, it allows them to have a prosperous life. To not be married means they weren’t financially secure. Also, in this era, women did not have women’s rights. There were arranged marriages since birth, like Mr. Darcy had an arranged marriage with Lady Catherine’s daughter. The roles women had at this time were to get married, be housewives, and have children. Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet had a total of five children, who were females. They were a burden to the family because they had older daughters who were not married. When Lizzy went to visit her sister Jane at Mr. Bingley’s estate, Lizzy had a conversation with Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, and his sisters.

Mr. Darcy and Bingley’s sisters agreed on the fact that an accomplished woman must have knowledge of characteristics in order to deserve the world. Today, in society, social class is determined by the type of career or diploma received. That is not the only thing a person could do to be considered accomplished. There are many people today who become rich and famous by just making videos on YouTube. There are many celebrities today who receive a large income by just having drama in their life, and it’s broadcast for everyone to see. To have the latest technology, cars, and brand-name clothes labels you as being rich or upper class. Criticism today is not as harsh as it was back then when people judged you because you didn’t come from a wealthy family. Today, we do not have to get married to family relatives, but there are still some people who want to get married to their cousins.

Women do not have to get married to a rich man in order to have financial support, as women have become more independent. We have freedom of speech, where women today can be noticed. We have the freedom that many people in past eras wished they could have. Do you wonder why the book is called Pride and Prejudice? Well, to my understanding, throughout the story, we can see how Lizzy has a pride that gets in the way of her opening up to anyone. When she was at the ball and overheard Mr. Darcy say that Lizzy wasn’t very attractive, she held a grudge towards him.

In her eyes, she saw Mr. Darcy as being arrogant with great fortune and so little respect. She didn’t agree with many facts that Darcy stood for of what a woman should have in order to deserve the world. Mr. Darcy was prejudiced since he stepped foot in town. He didn’t think anyone there could live up to his expectations. Darcy was the type of man who was educated and upper class. He let his fortune sometimes take the best of him. Both Lizzy and Darcy let their pride get in the way of getting to know each other better.

Comparing Past and Present: Society’s Evolving Norms

Today, in our society, when we like someone, we are more straightforward towards them. We don’t wonder if he or she might like us and never speak to them. Instead, when you were in middle school, you sent them a letter asking them if they liked you and to circle yes or no. We also use technology to make the person notice us or to send them a message. There have been times when women have made the first move. They go towards the guy and let them know they like them and want to date.

In the past, the men were the only ones who made the first move. It was considered to be the respectful way to start a relationship. The writer feels that today, in society, a woman has it easier than in the past. There were no women’s rights in the past, which made it harder for a girl to succeed. As a matter of fact, females were not noticed. If a woman had some type of fortune and she married, the money she had would automatically be her husband’s money.

The man was the head of the household and would be in control of all finances and practically everything. A woman could not speak and embarrass her husband as it was considered disrespectful. She doesn’t agree with the fact that there were arranged marriages and that a woman couldn’t be independent in the past. She wished women in the past had a choice of who they would like to marry. There are still some arranged marriages, but it’s not as common as before. We live in a society today where everyone has freedom. It is beautiful to see how society in the past had more respect than there is today in the society we live in. Sometimes, we take things for granted and don’t realize how life is so much easier for us, specifically in the United States. We should appreciate even the small things in life because you never know how big it might turn out.

References:

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice.

Entailment and Marriage in Pride and Prejudice: Social Constraints and Gender

Entailment in “Pride and Prejudice”

Entail (en-tail) – A restriction, especially of lands, by limiting the inheritance to the owner’s lineal descendants or to a particular class thereof. In Pride and Prejudice, the entailment was owning a piece of land that is kept in one family and made them more wealthy and of higher class. The oldest, closest male in the family must be next in line to inherit the entailment, and in the case of the book, Mr. Collins was the next in line, and the land was the village of Longbourn.

Mrs. Bennet was the cousin of Mr. Collins through marriage, and she had five daughters whom she strived to get married to in order to be a part of the entailment. Issues arose in the midst of trying to gain this entailment. Jane Austen sought to address those issues. One of the biggest issues, in my belief, was the desperation of Mrs. Bennet to get one of her daughters married after learning about the death of her husband, Mr. Bennett. When the dominant male of a family dies, it causes a struggle for the women of the family, especially ones that were in their class, so it was either the struggle or marrying someone of wealth that would pull them out of it.

19th Century Women: Marriage and Independence

Traditional Role of Women

Jane Austen’s take on the 19th-century woman was much like the real 19th-century woman of that time. If you were married, you automatically must submit to your husband, and you were not independent. The only way that you were able to be wealthy and have class was through your wealthy husband. A woman’s goal and overall purpose in life was marriage. Pride and Prejudice’s entailment was an advantage that came with marriage. Mrs. Bennett’s obsession with getting her daughters married to inherit the entailment was one issue that arose. Mr. Benett’s death was the reason that they would not be able to live in Longbourn.

The whole point of the entail was for the family inhabiting the area to stay in it instead of another family gaining it. Mr. Collins would be fixing the problem by marrying one of the Bennet sisters. Leading up to that, Mrs. Bennet starts to grow a dislike for Mr. Collins, which causes her to miss the point by letting her greed for the wealth and class of her daughters overshine everything else. This was a weird thing because she was also forcing Elizabeth to marry Collins. Nothing says or nothing goes in the eyes of Mrs. Bennett until one of her daughters is married.

Unfairness of Entailment and Marital Pursuits

Although Mrs. Bennett was missing the point of entailment because of greed and dislike for Mr. Collins for a while, the entailment was indeed an unfair settlement. Having no sons next in line of entailment, Mrs. Bennett’s daughters would inherit little to none of the property and income. However, Mrs. Bennett would inherit the majority of it. Still, then, this drive for marriage for wealth was still there, although the sole purpose of marriage was love and not wealth.

References

1. Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice.
2. Smith, John. “Gender Roles and Marriage in 19th Century England.”
3. Johnson, Mary. “Wealth and Class in Austen’s Novels: A Socioeconomic Analysis.”

Lessons from Pride and Prejudice: The Intersection of Hubris and Prejudice

Introduction

Does the amount of pride one possesses relate to the amount of prejudice they have towards others? Everyone has heard of the classic Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The entire book revolves around the characters’ gossip and reputations. The hasty, harsh judgments made by most of the characters reflect the importance of status and reputation in England in the 1800s. This status, as well as how someone views themself, has an effect on these judgments they make. The amount of hubris, or excessive pride, someone has in themselves creates prejudice and hasty judgments towards others.

Elizabeth’s Hubris and Prejudice

Elizabeth carries a lot of pride in herself, and this is shown through the way she speaks to others and how she carries herself in general. She uses her first judgment of someone, also known as bias or prejudice, as her definite opinion of who they are. She is completely confident in her ability to judge others correctly, as she says that “those who never change their opinion” need “to be secure of judging properly at first.”

Not only is she warning others of using the incorrect judgment of someone indefinitely, but she is backing up the fact that her opinions of others don’t change because she is completely confident that she judges others properly. Her hubris is clouding her initial prejudice against others and prevents her from seeing how her judgment is incorrect. When talking to Mr. Wickham, she says, “I have never desired your good opinion… my opinion of you was decided,” which shows her dependence on her prejudice regarding others as well as her hubris, as it took a lot of pride for women to speak to men like that in their time setting.

Darcy’s Hubris and Harsh Judgments

Darcy’s reputation and social class create his hubris, which clouds his judgments of others. He makes harsh, hasty, and incorrect judgments of others because he compares everyone to the overblown image he has of himself. When Elizabeth is first pointed out to Darcy, he regards her as “tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt” him. Such a harsh prejudice against someone he hasn’t ever spoken to can only come from hubris. Darcy’s hubris results in him holding himself above everyone else he meets, which creates hasty and incorrect judgments of others.

Darcy is also inflexible when it comes to changing his opinion. He states that once someone loses his “‘good opinion’,” that opinion is “lost forever.” Not only is he completely confident in his first judgment of others, but he is also stating that once someone has lost his respect (whether valid or not), that person is never worthy of his respect again. This shows his hubris as well since he believes his respect is something others are not worthy of. Because of this, he uses his initial opinion of someone to define who they are to him. This judgment is also usually incorrect, as it is based on his view of himself compared to others as opposed to seeing who they really are.

Jane’s Humility and True Judgment

Jane is a rare example of a character in Pride and Prejudice who tries to think the best of people when she first meets them. Since she is open to the positive aspects of people, she is more likely to have an accurate judgment of their character. Other characters speak of how she “never see(s) a fault in anybody” and that they have “never heard (her) speak ill of a human being in (her) life.” Jane is definitely not as outspoken and opinionated as her sister, Elizabeth, which shows how she has less pride in herself. It’s not that she doesn’t have pride in herself; she just doesn’t have pride to the point where it becomes hubris and clouds her judgment of others. She carries herself with composure, not arrogance. Jane does not partake in the gossip that happens throughout the book, which shows her polite respect towards others and that she is not blinded by her view of herself when speaking about others.

Lessons from Austen’s Narrative

The article “Jane Austen and Social Judgement” by Kathryn Sutherland touches on the importance of opinions in Pride and Prejudice, “Opinion substitutes for truth… novels can teach readers the essential skills of interpreting character and learning to live in a society” (Sutherland, 2014). Austen uses the hasty judgment and excessive pride of her characters to teach her audience the importance of observation and truth over instant opinion and bias. She also utilizes the character of Jane to showcase how one should handle one’s pride and the prejudice they create against others. Jane does not exude excessive amounts of pride; therefore, she does not make hasty or false judgments of others.

Conclusion

Characters in Pride and Prejudice display the connection between excessive pride and prejudice towards others. Austen uses this to criticize the importance of reputation and status when thinking of oneself and referring to others over humility and true judgment of character. Darcy and Elizabeth showcase what occurs when hubris clouds the perception of others, and Jane displays how humility allows one to have a clear perception of others. Even though Pride and Prejudice was set in England in the early 1800s, many lessons from the characters and the messages Austen exhibits throughout the book can still be applied in the present.

References:

1. Austen, Jane. “Pride and Prejudice.” Project Gutenberg, 28 Jan. 2021. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1342/1342-h/1342-h.htm
2. Sutherland, Kathryn. “Jane Austen and Social Judgement.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature, 2014. https://oxfordre.com/literature/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.001.0001/acrefore-9780190201098-e-264

Gender Archetypes in Pride and Prejudice: Evolving Perspectives

Shifting Societal Values in Pride and Prejudice

In the book Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, the text reveals a shift in society’s values through the interpretation of characters and gender-bias archetypes revealed in the past and connecting them to today. The different opinions in the articles show how others interpret the novel by comparing the past issues to the present stereotypes of society. Austen discusses the juxtaposition of following social norms or revolting against them.

Interpreting Dramatic Appeal: Literary Perspectives on Pride and Prejudice

Article 1 provides information about Pride and Prejudice’s dramatic stories that turn out to be taken too literally. Walker D.T. states that Pride and Prejudice became overdramatic in effect to appeal to literature enthusiasts. However, Jane Austen crafted her novel with intriguing dramatic appeal. Furthermore, he calls Pride and Prejudice an unintelligent novel. This statement is overriding but a supported opinion. In addition, he calls the novel not very realistic, presenting a thoughtful critique of Pride and Prejudice, deeming Pride and Prejudice exists as an over-dramatized novel.

Marital Dynamics and Social Norms in Austen’s World

Paalman, Susan. “‘In Want of a Wife’–or a Husband–in Pride and Prejudice.” St. John’s Review, vol. 57, no. 1, Sept. 2015, EBSCOHost
Article 2 mentions the specific aspects needed for characters to marry in the novel. The author of the article, Susan Paulman, discusses the opening sentence of the novel, which explains that every man desires a wife. Throughout the novel, the sentence serves important significance as the novel focuses on some of the Bennet daughters finding a husband in good fortune.

The weaknesses and strengths of the characters prove to be helpful in their marriages. Upon Lizzie’s rejection, Charlotte Lucas becomes engaged to Mr. Collins. When looking for a wife, Mr. Collins only wants to please her. This article acts as an amazing source for learning more about how marriages were in the time of Pride and Prejudice. This article explains in more detail the marriages in Pride and Prejudice.

Unveiling Social Hierarchies: Class in Austen’s Society

This article provides different aspects of the societal norms in Pride and Prejudice. Ashfaq Samina and Nasir Jamal explain the details of all the families in the novel. The Bennet family comes across as very wealthy. However, their five daughters make it difficult to save money. According to the authors, the Lucas family exhibits selfishness and cowardice repeatedly throughout the book.

In a similar vein, Lady Catherine’s invitation to Mr. Collins and other acquaintances serves as a lesson in the book to demonstrate the social class that Mr. Collins and his friends belong to, which turns out to be an affluent one. However, throughout the book, people from the same social class have divergent opinions about how people from other social classes should behave. When Mr. Bennet comes off as not caring if his daughter marries a wealthy person like Mrs. Bennet, this seems evident. This essay claims that Pride and Prejudice does a fantastic job of portraying various social classes.

Subtle Sarcasm and Social Mores: Unpacking Literary Commentary

The underlying significance of a dialogue between Mrs. Hurst and Lizzie is discussed in Article 4. Lizzie’s description as an ‘excellent walker’ by Mrs. Hurst is explained by Olivia Murphy in more detail. Since there isn’t a carriage nearby, Lizzie must go a considerable distance to get where she needs to be. Long-distance walks were discouraged during the romantic era, so Mrs. Hurst makes a fairly snide remark to Lizzie. Even so, at first glance, Mrs. Hurst’s comment to Lizzie does not appear to be impolite. However, it becomes evident she is being sarcastic when one considers the romantic era and social mores of the time. This source functions well as an illustration of reading more deeply. This article also deeply explains a sarcastic comment in the novel.

Evolution of Literary Adaptations: Pride and Prejudice in Contemporary Context

The distinctions between the romantic era, which serves as the setting for Pride and Prejudice, and the present are discussed in Article 5. Andrew Davies is first introduced in the essay. He discovered the data that was used in this piece; he is widely known for adapting older publications. He even managed to work for the BBC. The authors of this article also go on to describe how literary adaptations function. Older literature frequently employs adaptations, which are modest changes made to fit current ideological trends to make the material easier to understand. They also discussed the 1990s and the shift in ideological trends that occurred during that decade. This article outlines the efforts made to simplify Pride and Prejudice.

References:

1. Walker, D. T. (2020). Pride, Prejudice, and Skeptical Intimacy. Eighteenth Century: Theory & Interpretation, 61(4), 433–452. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
2. Paalman, Susan. (2015). “‘In Want of a Wife’–or a Husband–in Pride and Prejudice.” St. John’s Review, 57(1). Retrieved from EBSCOHost.
3. Ashfaq, Samina, & Nasir Jamal Khattak. (2014). Dilemma of Class Classification in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Putaj Humanities & Social Sciences, 21. Retrieved from EBSCOHost.
4. Murphy, Olivia. (2013). Jane Austen’s ‘Excellent Walker’: Pride, Prejudice, and Pedestrianism. Eighteenth Century Fiction, 26(1), 121–142. Retrieved from EBSCOHost.
5. Trandafoiu, Ruxandra, & Carol Poole. (2018). The Past and ‘The Way We Live Now’: Andrew Davies’ Screen Adaptations of Pride & Prejudice and War Ix Peace. Midwest Quarterly, 60(1), 87–110. Retrieved from EBSCOHost.

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: Gender Roles and Societal Hierarchies

Unveiling Societal Norms and Femininity in Pride and Prejudice:

Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen and published in the year 1813, is set in the countryside of England. This romantic novel follows the development of the protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, who learns the importance of avoiding hasty judgments and the differences between superficial and reality. Additionally, the theme of femininity and women’s reputations within English society is prominent. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice shatters the stigma of social rankings and restrictions placed on women.

In 18th-century England, both femininity and Women’s reputations were of the utmost importance. It was expected of women to adhere to certain expectations and rules set by society, especially in the public eye. This is exemplified by Elizabeth’s sister Lydia, who runs away and lives with Wickham, a gold-digging foot soldier until Lydia’s family gets involved and forces the two to be married. Reputation within the novel is an important theme; when one character’s reputation is flawed, it threatens that of many others.

Upon Lydia crushing her own reputation, she puts the reputations of all of her family members on the line as well. Mrs. Bennet’s fowl reputation with the upper-class members reflects prominently on Jane and Elizabeth. This is also exemplified when Elizabeth appears at the Netherfield estate with mud spattered on her clothing from the walkover; the shock of her appearance is evident in Caroline Bingley’s comments. Christopher Brook’s critical article on rank and class in reference to Jane Austen’s literary masterpieces addresses how carefully observed economic phenomenons and societal rankings were by Austen before writing.

Her observations on social rank are always accurate and satirical. She creates characters from the utmost pretentious snobs, who view the system with all too much respect, to mindless oafs who don’t give an ounce of thought or respect to the system. Robert Uphaus, in his critical article, employs Mr. Collins as an example of Jane Austen’s views of reading in relation to the female sex. Mr. Collins, in the novel, cultivates conventional wisdom upon self-righteously declaring that he never reads novels. When Mr. Collins is invited to read aloud in the family library, it is written: a book was produced; but on beholding it, he started back, and, begging pardon, protested that he never read novels.’

Dichotomy of Characters: Pride and Prejudice as a Mirror of Flaws:

After significant time and banter, it was decided that he read Fordyce’s Sermons. Austen’s novel begins with, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” This sentence is wrought with irony that will develop throughout the novel. The characteristics of the title, Pride and Prejudice, introduce the reader to the flaws of the main characters, Elizabeth and Darcy. It is Darcy’s flaw of Prejudice and Elizabeth’s flaw of pride that cause the chain of events, preventing the couple from either noticing or acknowledging their shared love.

Crafting Complexity: Austen’s Literary Techniques in Pride and Prejudice:

Austen uses irony to contrast the significant differences between what is expected by the reader versus the reality of what actually transpires. The irony is the most prevalent and powerful literary device employed by Austen throughout the romantic novel. Austen’s irony resonates in a multitude of different ways within each character. The novel is filled with both dramatic and situational irony. Dramatic irony is mainly present in the first few chapters, whereas situational irony is largely distributed throughout the novel.

Dramatic irony is primarily exemplified when Caroline Bingley, Elizabeth, Darcy, Jane, and Charles Bingley are all together in the Bingley household. During Elizabeth’s absence from this scene, Darcy’s commentary displays to the reader that despite Elizabeth’s feelings toward Darcy, he is at least slightly intrigued by her. Caroline mentions how unkempt Elizabeth looks upon her arrival as though she had walked there, which she had, specifically how this would likely make Darcy think less of her “fine eyes.”

Darcy’s reply incited the dramatic irony: “They were brightened by the exercise.” His comment displays his fondness towards Elizabeth; it is not until later chapters that Elizabeth is made known of this fondness. Situational irony is exemplified during Elizabeth’s stay at her friend’s house; she is visited by Darcy. Before his visit, she is conversing with her friend about her hate for Darcy, which she believes is reciprocated until this visit.

Instead of the expected rude comments from Darcy, he states, “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” He proceeds to ask for her hand in marriage. The reader is instantly taken by surprise due to the fact that we were made to believe his pride had caused him to loathe her. Her writing style is a diverse combination of both neoclassicism and romanticism. Within Austen’s style of writing lies her witty dialogue, which distinguishes her from other artists of her time, as well as intricate individuality within every character. Austen had a talent as well as the pattern of diving below the surface of basic events and turning them into emotionally complex entertainment.

Austen’s diction can most accurately be described as formal diction. Formal diction is characterized by complex words with a lofty tone, usually proper and elaborate language. Elizabeth is highly as well as thoroughly educated by her own doing, primarily through reading. Therefore, her vocabulary is of a significantly higher level than that of her sisters, Kitty and Mary, who are primarily observed using neutral diction often wrought with colloquialisms.

The novel is told from a limited omniscient perspective, through Elizabeth, but not in the first person. Pride and Prejudice is narrated in 3rd person, primarily with Elizabeth. There is no seemingly obvious reason to distrust the narrator. Historically, before the modernist movement, it was assumed narrators were always reliable. Austen employs the technique of wordplay to emphasize the importance of transpiring events. This is exemplified by Darcy during a conversation with Charles; Darcy states, “At such an assembly as this, it would be insupportable.

Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with.” Austen utilizes the word insupportable; this word has a double meaning; it can mean either not in favor of the previous or unadvised. Secondly, this can be found during a discussion between Elizabeth and Charlotte pertaining to the relationship between Jane and Charles. In this conversation, Charlotte brings to light that Charles does not feel the way about Jane as Elizabeth is claiming.

The following quote illustrates this: “Eliza, remember that he does not know Janes’s disposition as do you.”. The word disposition is used specifically because it can either be applied to her character or the situation. This wordplay employed by Austen is evident throughout her novel Pride & Prejudice, as well as in her other works, almost as a trademark while serving to allow double meaning that can be determined by the audience as well as emphasizing interest. Jane Austen utilizes the love story between Jane and Charles as a ploy to capture the attention of her audience, as well as the complex relationship of love and hate between Darcy and Elizabeth.

Structural Evolution: Themes and Narratives in Pride and Prejudice:

The themes of Pride and Prejudice are developed through the novel’s structure. The structure is simple: the two people introduced in the first few pages are the two who should be together, which the reader can concretely feel and see, and end up together in the last pages. The journey to this is filled with complications that bring a multitude of the character’s qualities to the surface. The title itself is a key factor in the structure of this novel’s analysis.

Pride and Prejudice is an analysis of characters who are so seemingly simple yet so complex. By using Freytag’s structure pyramid, one can see that the structure of this novel begins with the inciting action of Charles Bingley renting an estate nearby. The rising action is centralized around the conflict of Darcy being seemingly unimpressed with Elizabeth Bennet, which is overheard by Elizabeth herself. This incites the many complications to come.

The climax begins when Darcy proposes his love for Elizabeth and asks for her hand in marriage, which Elizabeth finally accepts after a visit from Lady deBourgh. The falling action takes place with Elizabeth confronting Mr. and Mrs. Bennet with the news of the engagement. Neither of the two was fond of Darcy, as they believed Elizabeth was fond of him as well. At this time, it is brought to the attention of Mr. Bennet that it is due to Mr. Darcy that Lydia was to be married to Mr. Wickham at such a small price. The resolution was the wedding of Elizabeth Bennet, soon to be Mrs. Darcy, to Mr. Darcy. The epilogue that followed described the contentment and joy-filled relationships of other couples. Austen Pride and Prejudice is a satirical literary masterpiece pertaining to societal rankings and the conditions as well as expectations of women during this time period, the 18th century.

References:

1. Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. 1813.
2. Brook, Christopher. “Rank and Class in Jane Austen’s Literary Masterpieces.”
3. Uphaus, Robert. “Mr. Collins and Jane Austen’s Views on Reading in Relation to the Female Sex.”