Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" is set in rural England, in Longbourn, during the Napoleonic Wars, 1797-1815. The novel centers around the Bennet family, which includes five daughters of marrying age, Jane, the oldest, then Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia. It is a story of romance, manners and a comedy of misunderstandings, in 19th century England. The protagonist of the story is the second daughter, Elizabeth, regarded as the most intelligent and sensible of the Bennet girls. She is beautiful, honest, virtuous, clever, well read, and quick-witted. However, she has the tendency to jump to conclusions and pass hasty judgments upon those around her. Moreover, she often lets loose her sharp tongue without full understanding of the situation or circumstance. "Pride and Prejudice" is basically about how Elizabeth overcomes the obstacles in her life, such as a distant father, a mother obsessed with marrying off her daughters, ill-behaved sisters, as well as her own personal faults to find true love and romance.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife" (Austen pp1). This is the first sentence of the book, and sets the tone for the entire novel. It also epitomizes the thinking of Mrs. Bennet, in particular. Elizabeth sees as her mother as a foolish middle-class woman, obsessed with marrying her daughters off to wealthy well-bred men. She is also aware that everyone else knows this fact and it puts her on the defensive against the snobbish females in the story.
Throughout the novel, Elizabeth misjudges people by first impressions. When she first meets Darcy, she is put off by his snobbish manner and arrogance, and he too considers her not pretty enough to take as a bride. Jane's dislike for him is so strong that when she hears rumors about him, she is quick to believe them and judge Darcy...
Darcy. All of these problems are worked out by the conclusion of the novel, but not before Lydia has run off with Mr. Wickham and eloped. This is considered a great disgrace and a shame for the Bennet's because it is found out that Mr. Wickham is not a very wholesome character and in fact has quite a few skeletons in his closet. But Lydia does not seem to
Pride and Prejudice Women in society today have come a long way from those in the 18th and 19th centuries. In terms of education, work, and marriage prospects, women today have many more choices than those in Jane Austen's novels, for example. Education for a young lady was generally seen as a way towards becoming a school teacher or becoming a high society married woman. There were few choices inbetween. For
Chapter 50 shows this in the gossip and the interest people partake in of the relationship of Mr. Wickham and Lydia. "How Wickham and Lydia were to be supported in tolerable independence, she could not imagine. But how little of permanent happiness could belong to a couple who were only brought together because their passions were stronger than their virtue, she could easily conjecture." (Austen, 596) Good marriages, at least
A discussion between friends casts a light on the issue of pride, which appears to be Darcy's main enemy in his relationship with the society outside his most intimate acquaintances. Miss Lucas, one of the friends of the Bennet girls finds an excuse for Darcy's overflow of pride through his social status, fortune and image. Elisabeth agrees with her, but she also admits that her pride is even bigger than
Pride & Prejudice Prideful The institution of marriage is one of the primary themes of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. The emphasis placed upon marriage by the vast majority of the characters in the novel, however, is largely due to the fact that most of them see a successful marriage as a principle means of achieving happiness. However, the specific conditions of an individual marriage account for the degree of happiness
...For the rest, it is self-evident that the abolition of the present system of production must bring with it the abolition of the community of women springing from that system, i. e., of prostitution both public and private. Marx 339-340) The communist manifesto clearly demonstrates that ideals that regard women and men, through the eyes of economic marriage partnership is abhorrent to the natural state, a satire in the subtle irony of
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now