Pride and prejudice

* pride and prejudice 

       Jane Austen was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security.

* Novels

• Sense and Sensibility (1811)
• Pride and Prejudice (1813)
• Mansfield Park (1814)
• Emma (1815)
• Northanger Abbey (1818, posthumous)
• Persuasion (1818, posthumous) 

* The novel of jane Austen 

- pride and prejudice 

       

1) explain the title : Pride and prejudice 

   * Pride and prejudice 

The society that Jane Austen presents in Pride & Prejudice is concerned with reputation and appearance.

The theme of judgment runs throughout the novel as prejudging people is a favoutite pastime illustrated by the opening sentence “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” The two main characters are both guilty of pride and prejudice and must learn the errors of their ways before they can live “happily ever after”. Elizabeth Bennet, Austen’s heroine, believes herself to be a very shrewd judge of character, but her pride allows herself to fall victim of her own set of prejudices. On the other hand, Darcy is proud of his refinement and superiority of social standing. This leads him to a general prejudice for all those below his social status..

            The title of the novel proves to be extremely fitting, as Elizabeth, the main protagonist, learns that too much pride, along with many unjustified prejudices come to result in ignorance as to who a person really is inside and renders one incapable of finding true love.

         In sum, the title, “Pride and Prejudice” very aptly points to the theme of the novel. The two protagonists have been tangling with pride and prejudice throughout the novel. ... The novel makes clear the fact the Darcy's pride leads to prejudice and Elizabeth's prejudice stems from a pride in her own perceptions. 

   

2)can we say that Elizabeth is a modern woman ? 

    *Protagonist of the novel : 

         Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist in the 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. ... Elizabeth is regarded as the most admirable and endearing of Austen's heroines. She is considered one of the most beloved characters in British literature because of her complexity.

     Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist of the novel. Most of the events and characters are described from her point of view, and readers gain access to new information and insights only when she does. ... Because of this development in her character, she achieves what she wants and ends up happily married to Darcy.

 

* Modern woman : 

  Elizabeth is described as an intelligent young woman, with "a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in anything ridiculous". She often presents a playful good-natured impertinence without being offensive. Early in the novel, she is depicted as being personally proud of her wit and her accuracy in judging the social behaviour and intentions of others.

* Elizabeth is clever woman : 

      Her admirable qualities are numerous—she is lovely, clever, and, in a novel defined by dialogue, she converses as brilliantly as anyone. Her honesty, virtue, and lively wit enable her to rise above the nonsense and bad behavior that pervade her class-bound and often spiteful society.    

* Attractive character of the novel :  

Elizabeth has all the following characteristics in her which make her an attractive character of the novel - moral integrity, character strength, charming personality, and superb intelligence. However, she also has some faults in her that makes her more of a human than god.

          

3) Jane bennet is representations of traditional marriage ? 

* Jane bennet : 

            She is unknowingly popular, and she is every bit as sensible as her sister Elizabeth (if not as clever, as Mr. Bennet believes). She is kind, considerate, intelligent, beautiful, good with children, and, apparently, each parent's second favourite.

       The oldest and most beautiful of the Bennet daughters, Jane has a good heart and a gentle nature. As Elizabeth's confidant, Jane helps to keep her sister's tendency to be judgmental in check by offering positive interpretations of negative situations. Jane's desire to see only the best in people becomes rather extreme at times, as in her disbelief that Wickham could be a liar, but she is not so entrenched in her world view that her opinion cannot be changed. Take, for example, her relationship with Caroline Bingley. When Jane finally recognizes Miss Bingley's insincerity, she stops making excuses for her and does not pursue the friendship. However, when she and Miss Bingley become sisters-in-law, Jane's good nature causes her to receive Miss Bingley's friendly overtures with more responsiveness than Miss Bingley deserves. 

                 The two most prominent of Jane's characteristics are her beauty and goodness. Whenever another character talks or thinks about Jane, they usually use one of these words to describe her.

Jane Bennet attracts admirers wherever she goes. As her sister Elizabeth Bennet says, 'Now if every man in the room does not end the evening in love with you then I am no judge of beauty.' Her mother, Mrs. Bennet, is sure that this undeniable beauty will soon net Jane a husband. Mr. Bingley, Jane's future husband, is instantly struck by her angelic serenity, and from that moment on, all of the other women at the ball recede into the background. He even gushes about Jane to his friend Mr. Darcy, 'She is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld.' For her part, Jane has this to say about Mr. Bingley: 'He is just what a young man ought to be…sensible, good-humored, lively; and I never say such happy manners! - so much ease, with such perfect good breeding!'

Not only is Jane Bennet beautiful, she is incorruptibly good-natured. She always looks for the best in people, even if there is very little to be found, and always gives them the benefit of the doubt.  

       Charles is Jane's love interest and later became her husband. They met the first time in the Netherfield ball (Meryton ball) and fell in love instantly. After Charles left for London indefinitely under the manipulations of his sisters and Darcy, she grows depressed thinking that Charles didn't have feelings for her. It was later revealed that Charles still harboured feelings for her after he learned what Darcy did. He later proposed to her and she later accepted. 

4) Do you agree with the inheritance and rule and regulation which explain in this novel . 

    Entailment is a system of inheritance that limits the inheritance to specific heirs; that is, only certain people can receive the inheritance. In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, owning land boosted a family's status and income. An entail helped keep all of the land in one chunk and in one family (on the male side) through the generations. The eldest son stood to inherit the bulk of an estate.

In Pride and Prejudice, the Bennets had only daughters, so the entailment was broadened to include the closest male relative. In this case, Mr. Collins (a distant cousin of Mr. Bennet) came up the winner.

Because of the entailment, Mrs. Bennet was justifiably desperate to get her daughters married — and the wealthier the better. Acceptable employment opportunities were extremely limited for women in their social class, so the Bennet women faced destitution after Mr. Bennet's death. There were only two ways for the young women to avoid this fate: charity from relatives or marrying a rich guy. 

       The definition of primogeniture encapsulates the concept that a firstborn son has the right to inherit the vast majority of the family’s wealth, land, and titles. This idea of firstborn-son-take-all inheritance has defined thousands of years of English history. So, if you’re a firstborn son, you love tradition like primogeniture. It’s less beloved if you’re any of the other children in the family.

But have you ever wondered who first thought up this idea? Was it some firstborn son who didn’t like his other siblings?

Well, maybe. But primogeniture was popular because it preserved a family’s legacy. Families in Regency England were long-term thinkers. They wanted to ensure their family’s high social status, not just for today but also for generations to come.  

* Social norms of the novel : 

    Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is well noted for its ability to question social norms. Most importantly, Austen explores the institution of marriage, as it was in her time, a time where many married for security rather than love.

           Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. 

5) can we say that this novel is focusing on marriage , inheritance ,male dominating , class conflict ? 

    * Marriage:

       Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is often lauded as one of the greatest romances in British literature. Its comedic structure entertains readers with the fluctuations of Elizabeth Bennet’s relationship with Mr. Darcy. However, this novel is more than a simple love story. Although almost everyone marries by the end of the novel, some of the women of Elizabeth’s world are not as well-matched with their husbands as she is with hers. Unlike Elizabeth and Darcy’s affectionate relationship, many characters in the story make marriages of convenience. The monetary and social stability that the marriage offers women is more important than the compatibility of the spouses. Austen develops the plot to hint at a more considered view on marriage. Certain formal aspects of the work further inform us on Austen’s opinion of matrimony. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen uses satire, characterization, and narrative voice to explore the vocational nature of marriage for women in her society.

* Inheritance: 

   In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, owning land boosted a family's status and income. An entail helped keep all of the land in one chunk and in one family (on the male side) through the generations. The eldest son stood to inherit the bulk of an estate.

In Pride and Prejudice, the Bennets had only daughters, so the entailment was broadened to include the closest male relative. In this case, Mr. Collins (a distant cousin of Mr. Bennet) came up the winner.

Because of the entailment, Mrs. Bennet was justifiably desperate to get her daughters married — and the wealthier the better. Acceptable employment opportunities were extremely limited for women in their social class, so the Bennet women faced destitution after Mr. Bennet's death. There were only two ways for the young women to avoid this fate: charity from relatives or marrying a rich guy.  

* Male dominance: 

          While there is no shortage of male opinions concerning the role of females, which usually approve of male dominance, there is a lack of women expressing views on their forced subservience to men. This past subordination is the very reason there were so few females who plainly spoke out against their position, and the search for females expressing the desire for independence necessarily extends to the few historical works by women that do exist. Jane Austen is a well-known female author, and it is natural that her novels would be studied in an attempt to find a covert feminist voice. However, though certain feminist elements may exist, one common theme found throughout the novels Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Emma, makes it impossible to label these works as completely supporting feminism. The idea that women should not be allowed to have power, should be controlled by men, and that males should use their power to the fullest extent is inescapable. This idea is raised repeatedly throughout these novels. 

* Class conflict : 

   Unfortunately, class conflict is commonly the barrier of human interaction between high and middle classes with that of the lower classes. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice portrays how conflict is a pivotal theme throughout the story. Social classes demonstrate how one’s treatment of others is occasionally based on another’s family name or status in society. Throughout the novel, characters develop distorted opinions about others contributing to plot conflict. However, love often overcomes social classes in relationships in which are based on genuine love rather than on what society has labeled a couple. Thus, Austen triggers an eagerness to test which is stronger – love towards a person or the love of social status and vanity – in Pride and Prejudice.