...England. The story revolves around Elizabeth Bennet and her love interest Mr. Darcy. While Pride and Prejudice is certainly a love story, Austen subtly underscores many different aspects of English society through the text. What does Jane Austen reveal about women in 19th century England through this novel? To some extent Austen affirms Virginia Woolf’s quote as most of the women in Pride and Prejudice are depicted as insignificant and dependent upon men, and certainly not depicted as equal to men. Austen paints a society of women who are entirely dependent on marriage and money to better their situations and achieve a suitable life style. However, Austen’s main character is Elizabeth Bennet, a woman who is an exception to the rule. She turns down a marriage proposal from Mr. Collins and has a rather contentious relationship with Mr. Darcy who she does finally marry. But she marries on her terms, not for money or land or because she fears not being wed. Yet the focus of nearly all the woman characters is marriage. In 19th century England, it was essential that all women marry because women who did not marry had no future on their own. At the beginning of the story, Mrs. Bennet stated, “If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield, and all the others equally well married, I shall have nothing left to wish for.” (11) This quote illustrates how essential marriage is at this time considering that Mrs. Bennet’s happiness (and the fear of being...
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...Essay about attitudes and reasons for marriage, based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. At the end of the XVIII century, families with daughters used to be worried about setting good marriages for them. Getting a good husband was the main objective of young ladies at that time. Austen uses the Bennet family of Longbourn to illustrate the good and bad reasons behind marriage. Since they had so many girls to be married, Mrs. Bennet made huge efforts to make her daughters well married. Her husband's estate was entailed to his nephew, Mr. Collins, upon Mr. Bennet's death. So, Mrs. Bennet wanted her daughters to have financial stability in case of their father's death. Women who could not find a husband were often referred to as old maids and lived their whole lives with their parents. It’s possible to understand why Mrs. Bennet did not want this for any of her daughters. The Bennets' marriage was not ideal. Mr. Bennet had married his wife because she was beautiful in her youth and her ability to supply him with children. But her beauty faded and so did their enjoyment of each other, eventually. He enjoyed his time alone in his studies where he could be away from his wife and daughters. Mrs. Bennet enjoyed gossiping about neighbours and finding future husbands for her daughters. Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth's best friend, married Mr. Collins for money. Jane Austen plainly states that Charlotte accepted his proposal for the pure and disinterested desire of an...
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...Jane Austen used irony to create a successful opening chapter. Irony in the first chapter is found in the opening line, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” This is ironic as we find out shortly that this statement is certainly not a ‘universally’ held belief and is only accepted by Mrs Bennet who is a very small minded woman of ‘mean understanding’. Austen is saying that many ‘universal’ statements, are certainly not believed by everyone, they are contrived by a selection of a societies population. In this case, the emphasis on the adverb ‘universally’ is provided as these views about marriage are Mrs Bennet’s whole ‘universe’, as her only goal in life is to marry off her daughters. This made the opening effective, as the reader is introduced to an intriguing connection between the views of society towards marriage at the turn of the 19th century and the views of Austen at this time, exhibited by her use of slight, mocking irony. In the opening chapter of Pride and Prejudice Mr and Mrs Bennet are engaged in a colourful discussion. Mr Bennet’s replies are witty and humorous, to the reader at least,...
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...1) Jane Austen * Biography Jane Austen is one of the most read writers in England. She was born on the 17th of December in 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire, in a large family with six brothers and one sister, which formed part of the Landed Gentry (well-born and well-bred people of high social class in England). Jane went on with her education by herself by reading books which her father, who supported her a lot, gave her from his large library. Her family produced plays and Jane Austen took part in these. Most of them were comedies which gave Jane the opportunity to develop her comic and satirical senses. During her lifetime she was not famous because she wanted to keep anonymity. So, instead of writing her name on the books, she just put "by a lady". It is only in the 19th century that she got famous when her nephew wrote A memoir of Jane Austen. This book even included some of her writings that were never published before. She never got married, although she was once proposed to and she never had any children. During the year of 1816, Jane Austen’s health became worse and she died in July in 1817 at the age of 41 years old. But the exact reasons of her death remain vague, some say it was Addison syndrome, other say Hodgkin’s disease, there are several hypotheses. The famous English author is buried in the North aisle of Winchester Cathedral. * Main works She started by writing poems when she was 12 years old. By the time she was 18, she started creating longer and...
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...Victoria Egan AP English IV Mrs. S. Johnson May 9, 2011 IRJ Characters Elizabeth Bennet - The main character. second daughter of Mr. Bennet, Elizabeth's most intelligent and reasonable for the Bennet sisters five years. She is well read and quick-witted in a language that can be too hot at their best. Implementation of the essential goodness of Darcy at the end the triumph of his initial prejudices against him. Fitzwilliam Darcy - a wealthy man, Mr Pemberley, and the nephew of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Although Darcy is intelligent, honest look at its causes him more pride in his social inferior. While admiring the novel, the spirits, he learns to love and class consciousness and Elizabeth for their strong character. Jane Bennet- oldest and most beautiful Bennet sister. Jane's more sober and gentler than Elizabeth. Easy pleasure with which she and Bingley will deliver the opposite of the mutual hostility that the conflict between Darcy and Elizabeth Mark. Charles Bingley: Obviously wealthy friend Darcy. On purchase of Bingley Netherfield, ownership under the Bennetts, an incentive for the novel. He's brilliant, man of good will, which contrasts with the calm nature of the boorish behavior of the original Darcy. He is happy not to worry about class differences. Mr. Bennet - Bennet family patriarch, Sir modest income of five unmarried daughters. Mr. Bennett has a sarcastic, cynical humor that he used deliberately irritate his wife. Although he loves his daughters...
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...Jane Austen’s Point of View of Marriage in Pride and Prejudice Acknowledgements This thesis has finally come into being to meet critical eyes through two months of hard work. From the very beginning when I chose the topic till the completion of the thesis, I have benefited from many people . First of all I would like to show my sincere gratitude to my tutor, Shen Guozheng. Without his sincere and trustworthy guidance，valuable suggestions and critical comments，it would be difficult for me to accomplish this thesis．His loyalty to teaching and punctilious work style has profoundly impressed me. Moreover, I heartily thank all the teachers who have helped me in the past four years, who have provided me with incentives and direction for my study. Thanks are also due to my classmates and friends for their constant encouragement and their ways of assistance in the course of writing. Last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family members, for their selfless support，thoughtfulness and encouragement． Abstract Jane Austen was one of the distinguished realistic novelists in the nineteenth- century-English literature．Pride and Prejudice is a world wide popular novel published in 1813．Austen set the story in the first decade of the nineteenth century．At that time，marriage was the only way for women to gain social status and recognition. The author of the present thesis will analyze the five marriage patterns from the perspective of...
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...A Marriage of Circumstance Pride and Prejudice illustrates the search of women in the 1700’s for a husband. The social customs of the time, such as the economic value of marriage, and the need for a woman to have a man to take care of her, are represented through the many marriages in Pride and Prejudice. The marriage of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy represents one of true love, honesty, and respect. Charlotte Lucas’s marriage to Mr. Collins, however, exemplifies a marriage of circumstance. Lydia Bennet’s marriage to Mr. Wickham is forced, consisting on one side of misguided love and on the other of economic necessity. Elizabeth Bennet is established as a woman who will not marry out of solely economic necessity. She turns down Mr. Collins’ marriage proposal despite the fact that he is a man of means with a good social standing. Elizabeth then refuses a proposal of marriage from Mr. Dary. Darcy had not courted or won Elizabeths love before the time of his proposal, and in fact had been rude to Elizabeth up until that point. Darcy’s proposal consists of him simultaneously professing his love to her and apologizing for his...
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...throughout the novel to make the readers relate to the story or understand the relations and differences between the 19th century society and the modern society. The themes in this passage are pride, prejudice, family, marriage, class and society, wealth, love, women and femininity, and language and communication. The narrative methods of this passage are narration and point of view (third person narration e.g. focalisation and indirect speech), selection and arrangement of events, characterisation, description, dialogue, exposition and the development of themes. Written in third person, this passage from the “pride and Prejudice” novel is written and told by an omniscient narrator (Jane Austin) who used her heroine and hero character (Elizabeth) as a focalizer through her actions and feelings towards herself, others and what is happening around her. The themes in this “Pride and prejudice” passage are pride, prejudice, family, marriage, class and society, love, wealth, women and femininity as well as language and communication. Throughout the passage, pride is seen as a major habit and attitude in every character when they express themselves to or treat others based on judgements and assumptions. A pride can be seen in Mrs Bennet’s words when she said ‘What is Mr Darcy to me, pray, that I should be afraid of him? I am sure we owe...
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... as marriage, social status, reputation and love. Mr. Bennet, who is the head of the household and husband to Mrs. Bennet, is always frustrated by his silly wife and troublesome daughters. He withdraws from his family by acting distantly and occasionally has bursts of sarcastic humor. Detached from his family, he is a weak father and, at critical moments, fails his family. For example, his allowance and unconcern of his youngest daughter Lydia's immature behavior, nearly leads to public shame when she elopes with Wickham, an officer in the regiment, stationed at Meryton, who at first seems like a good and likable man but later reveals his true nature. Mr. Bennet is closest to Elizabeth because they are the two most intelligent Bennets. Mrs. Bennet on the other hand is noisy and foolish, and is perfectly happy with Lydia's marriage. Never...
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...The Use of Irony in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: “The most unlearned and uninformed female who ever dared to be an Authoress” Irony serves as a fundamental literary tool for authors. It enables them to express their themes and views through characters whose words are often inconsistent with their actions, and in situations where the intended result differs from the actual result. Irony works in a clever manner by showing the reader what the author wants to express by making these inconsistencies apparent to the reader, if not to the characters themselves, and exposing it, more often than not, in a satiric fashion. Yet, while irony works with satire, the power it holds for those who wield it well is no laughing matter. Famous writers such as the sardonic H.L. Mencken and Jonathan Swift, a true satiric master, have used irony to promote real, legitimate change. In Swift’s case, his famous piece, “A Modest Proposal,” used extreme satire and irony to promote change in Irish policy. Perhaps the greatest satirist of all time, William Shakespeare used irony in almost every piece he created. In his play Julius Caesar, the speech he has Mark Antony give in which he repeats the phrase “but Brutus is an honorable man” when he is trying to convey the exact opposite serves as a truly timeless example of this literary tool. It is unique in that it does not simply throw the author’s point of view directly in the reader’s face, but rather enables the reader to discover the author’s...
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...Elizabeth Bennet – An intelligent and spirited young woman who enjoys studying people's characters. She is the main character of the story. Fitzwilliam Darcy – A wealthy, proud man who falls in love with Elizabeth and reveals a generous, thoughtful nature beneath his somewhat stiff acts. Mr. Bennet – Elizabeth's ironic and often apathetic father. He’s unhappily married. He has failed to provide a secure financial future for his wife and daughters. Mrs. Bennet – Mr. Bennet’s wife, a foolish, noisy woman whose only goal in life is to see her daughters married. Jane Bennet – The eldest and most beautiful Bennet sister. Jane is more reserved and gentler than Elizabeth. Charles Bingley – Darcy’s considerably wealthy best friend. Bingley’s purchase of Netherfield, an estate near the Bennets, serves as the impetus for the novel. He is a genial, well-intentioned gentleman, whose easygoing nature contrasts with Darcy’s initially discourteous demeanor. Lydia Bennet – The youngest Bennet sister, she is gossipy, immature, and self-involved. George Wickham – A handsome, fortune-hunting militia officer. Mary Bennet – The middle Bennet sister, bookish and pedantic. Catherine Bennet – The fourth Bennet sister. Like Lydia, she is girlishly enthralled with the soldiers. William Collins – a clergyman who will inherit Mr. Bennet's estate when he dies because of a legal stricture known as an entail. Lady Catherine De Bourgh – Darcy's arrogant aunt, who dominates Mr. Collins...
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...woman as someone who has lost femininity, leading Austen to publish anonymously. A realist, Austen shows in her novel a society where social mobility is almost nonexistent and the expression of one’s class is widespread. Considered by some to be a conservative author, Austen often writes about her main character fighting against societal restrictions. Austen was born to a clergyman and represents the Church of England with a great sense of morality derived from her religion. Austen often uses her religion to juxtapose the Puritan society of her era. Gender also plays a large role in her writing; men are portrayed as those who are in the military, church but attain wealth through their own work. Women are shown to only become wealthy through marriage. Austen’s extensive portrayal of the middle and upper class alienates the lower class, as they are only mentioned as servants that are content with their lives. Austen must have done community service, as her father was a member of the clergy, therefore experiencing the hardships of the poor. Nonetheless, Austen shows an absence of appreciation for the poor and their contributions to society. Austen’s work was favorably criticized by contemporaries, even having her works compared to those of William Shakespeare and Homer. 19th century critics viewed the works of Dickens and Eliot more favorably because Austen’s novels did not adhere to Romantic or Victorian experiences that were widespread and adored during that era. However, Austen’s novels...
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...well known also as the Jane Austen’s novel. During her lifetime, Austen's books brought her only a few positive reviews, they were published anonymously, and her work was admired only by a literary elite. Almost 200 years after it was written, Pride And Prejudice is now probably the most popular novel in English literature. The film is set in 18th century England, where marriage is extremely important for girls from less-than-wealthy families. Bennet family, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and their five daughters (Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine, Lydia) live in comparative financial independence as gentry on a working farm in rural England. When a wealthy young gentleman, Charles Bingley, occupies the nearby estate, Mrs. Bennet sees an opportunity for her daughters. Mr. Bingley is very rich gentleman, who rents a large house so he can spend the summer in the country and he brings with him his two sisters and the dashing, but proud Mr. Darcy. Mrs. Bennet husband visits Mr. Bingley before any other neighbors, on the first day of his arrival. Luckily for Bennet family, after a while Mr. Bingley falls for Mrs. Bennet’s oldest daughter, Jane. But his friend...
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...In Pride and Prejudice, each character is trying to protect, or build a good reputation in the town for their family. Most of the Bennets have this in mind, and this is because due to Mr Bennet’s will, his daughters would have to find a husband. If the family did not have a good reputation then it would be very hard for the five girls to find husbands, therefore once their father died they would have to find a place of living elsewhere, and their cousin Mr Collins would be in receipt of Longbourn. Throughout the whole novel, at social events may it be a ball or somebody has visited the Bennets, Jane and Elizabeth are both very conscious of what idea Mrs Bennet is giving to people of them, such as Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy. The Bennets are at quite a few social events that include possible husbands for the girls, and Mrs Bennet always seems to be at the extreme of an emotion. She is not portrayed as a calm character, and in this way is similar to her younger daughters Kitty and Lydia. Lydia was overwhelmed by the arrival of the soldiers, and was completely obsessed with them from the moment they arrived. She was very flirtatious around them, when she bumped into them in the village she was over friendly, and they enjoyed the company. Kitty, of course followed suit. She was influenced by her younger sister and both girls liked spending time with the Captains. This was good for the family name, as they were known for four of their daughters to be making good friends with the gentlemen...
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...upper class but education also had to do with how to behave and entertain people. Marriage was a very important and crucial thing for women, especially for the Bennets because once Mr. Bennet dies, his cousin would inherit all of his fortune leaving his wife and daughters with nothing. So I would think that the Bennet women would have to get married for security, or at least be one of the reasons to get married. But I think finding someone they love and that would provide them security would be the real challenge for these ladies. The Bennet women were very different from each other. Mr. Bennet thinks very little of his wife and daughters except for Jane and Elizabeth. Kitty and Lydia seem more emotional or immature and are taken by the glamour of a soldier in uniform. Elizabeth is intelligent and sometimes superior to most people. Jane is sensitive and smart but not as sharp as Elizabeth and she tries to see the good in everyone. I think the main character Elizabeth is smarter than the Darcy’s because she can out argue them, but I think she likes arguing with Mr. Darcy because they think differently and I think Mr. Darcy feels the same. Mr. Darcy to me seems very smitten by Elizabeth and I think she feels the same about him even though most people find him unpleasant, even Mrs. Bennet. Elizabeth doesn’t take marriage lightly and I do not think she will compromise by marrying someone other than Mr....
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