D. Themes Flashcards
Social class theme, society, status and wealth
Money Austen shows realistic attitude to money (Charlotte). Characters defined by income (Bingley). Source of income affects social class (land valued over trade). Money equals power (Lady Catherine). Behaviour and character Public behaviour (e.g. at a ball) is judged using strict social codes and conventions. Sympathetic characters are sensitive to others’ feelings (Jane), unsympathetic characters are not (Lady Catherine). Class is the target of much of the novel’s criticism of society in general. Austen makes it clear that people like Lady Catherine, who are overly invested in their social position, are guilty of mistreating other people. Other characters, like the suck-up Mr. Collins and the scheming Caroline, are depicted as thoroughly empty, their opinions and motivations completely defined by the dictates of the class system. To contrast them, Austen offers more positive examples in Bingley and the Gardiners. Bingley is someone from the upper class who wears his position lightly and gallantly. The Gardiners represent the honest, generous, and industrious middle class and are examples of how to be wealthy without being pretentious. Austen does seem to respect the class system in a few ways, especially when it operates not as a dividing power in society, but as a force for virtue and decency. Darcy is the primary example of Austen’s ideal high-class gentleman. Though originally he seems to be an arrogant and selfish snob, as the novel progresses it becomes clear that he is capable of change. Eventually, thanks to Elizabeth’s influence and criticism, he combines his natural generosity with the integrity that he considers a crucial attribute of all upper-class people. He befriends the Gardiners and plays a key role in helping the ungrateful Lydia out of her crisis. The marriage of Darcy and Elizabeth shows that class restrictions, while rigid, do not determine one’s character, and that love can overcome all obstacles, including class. Explore the theme of wealth and property in Pride and Prejudice. Think about: • The way characters are introduced with reference to their incomes • The contrasting ways Lady Catherine and Mr Darcy manage their estates 2 men in the novel looking for rich wives - Wickham and col Fitzwilliam Elizabeth’s understandingbof this contrasted with her attitude to Charlotte THEMES MANNERS AND CLASS The world of Pride and Prejudice is a socially narrow world. Focus is on a few leisured families whose interaction with each other is regulated by conventions such as the need for a correct introduction (Vol. 1, Ch. 1, p. 2). It’s necessary to understand these conventions in order to assess the significance of characters’ actions. For example Miss Bingley’s false friendship is made clear by her slowness in replying to Jane’s letter (Vol. 2, Ch. 3, p. 123). Characters are graded by the amount of money they possess and whether this comes from land (Mr Darcy, Mr Bennet) or trade (the Bingleys, Lucases, Philipses, Gardiners). True gentility is demonstrated by behaviour. In a revealing scene, Elizabeth and her aunt visit Georgiana Darcy, who is too shy to speak. The wealthy Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley do nothing. Only the paid companion helps. The narrator comments that her ‘endeavour to introduce some kind of discourse, proved her to be more truly well bred than either of the others’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 3, p. 219). THEME TRACKER Manners and class Vol. 1, Ch. 1, p. 2: Visiting Mr Bingley – the importance of correct procedure. Vol. 2, Ch. 6, pp. 136–8: Lady Catherine’s ‘dignified impertinence’. Vol. 3, Ch. 14, p. 297: Lady Catherine refuses to send compliments. « PREVIOUS NEXT » Themes – Proper behaviour 1 of 2 How does Caroline Bingley describe Elizabeth’s decision to walk across the fields on her own to see Jane? ‘… a most country town indifference to decorum .’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 8, p. 28) Today it would be almost unthinkable for Mr Collins to be legally able to inherit the Longbourn estate and make Mrs Bennet and her daughters homeless just because he is male. Primogeniture (all property going to the oldest son) was usual in Jane Austen’s time but Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s family chose to be outside the male inheritance system – and she is hardly an admirable example. Male inheritance is the hard economic fact that makes it so important for the girls to find husbands. Mr Collins is right to say that his cousins’ beauty will help them be ‘well disposed of in marriage’ (p. 53). The theme of class becomes more obvious as the novel progresses. The Gardiners are tradespeople. This allows Caroline Bingley to despise them automatically although her brother shows his good-heartedness by saying that this is nothing to do with Jane and Elizabeth. The Bingley sisters prefer to forget that their own fortune originally came from trade. Mr Darcy’s money comes from land and so does Mr Bennet’s. The Gardiners, however, represent honesty, good sense, good manners and true gentility. Mr Darcy recognises these qualities as soon as he finally meets them in person (Vol. 3, Ch. 1, p. 209). At Husford We are introduced to Lady Catherine de Bourgh, another caricature. She shows that money and high social class do not necessarily imply refinement or good manners. Her type of pride is snobbery and arrogance. Rosings Park is the key setting for Volume 2 – the Lucases are overwhelmed, Elizabeth is not – further evidence for her strong character and ability to think for herself. Seeing how easily Elizabeth talks to Colonel Fitzwilliam evidently gives Darcy confidence in his romance. He sees that Elizabeth is well able to cope in upper-class society: ‘You cannot have been always at Longbourn,’ Darcy says (p. 149). At this moment in the novel she does not understand what a serious obstacle her family is. Propriety Elizabeth attempts to persuade her father not to allow Lydia to go. Here contrasting characters reveal themselves by their good manners or otherwise. A strained atmosphere is eased only by the polite conversation of Mrs Gardiner and Miss Darcy’s paid companion, Mrs Annesley. Caroline Bingley cannot resist making a thinly disguised reference to Wickham which mainly hurts Georgiana. Later Caroline criticises Elizabeth’s appearance in specific detail: ‘She is grown so brown and coarse!’ (p. 222). Notice her list of Elizabeth’s bad qualities (face, complexion, features, nose, teeth, etc.). Despite her social status and good education, Caroline is not a truly refined person. In contrast, Darcy can ‘contain himself no longer’ and states how much he admires Elizabeth in respectful terms: ‘it is many months since I have considered her as one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance.’ The confrontation between Lady Catherine and Elizabeth is one of the most strongly written passages of dialogue in the novel. Lady Catherine, who prides herself on her ‘sincerity and frankness’ (p. 292), shows herself to be arrogant and insulting. Elizabeth defends herself by listening carefully to whatever Lady Catherine says and turning it back on her. For example when Lady Catherine asks whether Darcy has made Elizabeth an offer of marriage, Elizabeth is able to avoid giving a direct answer: ‘Your ladyship has declared it to be impossible’ (p. 293). However, when Lady Catherine says that Elizabeth will pollute ‘the shades of Pemberley’ Elizabeth has had enough: ‘You have insulted me, in every possible method’ (p. 296). Lady Catherine is so angry that she refuses to say goodbye: ‘I take no leave of you, Miss Bennet. I send no compliments to your mother. You deserve no such attention’ (p. 297). The rhythmical repetition of ‘no … no … no … ’ is intended to emphasise her anger but only reveals her lack of real power. It is well worth looking at the strong sentence rhythms in this chapter as well as examples of other literary devices such as alliteration, when Lady Catherine accuses Elizabeth of using her ‘arts and allurements’ (p. 293) to draw Darcy in. Though this is obviously rude, it is little different from the way Charlotte suggested earlier that Jane ought to behave to succeed in ‘fixing’ or to ‘secure’ Bingley (Vol. 1, Ch. 11, p. 16).
Courtship, Proposals and Marriage theme
Love and marriage Charlotte chooses marriage without love (sensible). Lydia opts for love without marriage (shocking). Elizabeth and Darcy learn mutual respect as well as experiencing strong physical attraction. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife’ (p. 1). This first sentence introduces a central theme in the novel – the importance of marriage and its connection with money and property. Mr and Mrs Bennet have five daughters and Mrs Bennet’s one concern in life is to see them married. It is her ‘business’ (p. 3). At this point in the novel Austen does not tell the reader that the girls and their mother will be homeless after their father’s death if they do not gain their own ‘establishments’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 22, p. 102). As a narrator she is critical of Mrs Bennet and sympathises with Mr Bennet’s sarcastic teasing. These chapters also establish the strict social conventions that govern this small world. Mrs Bennet’s comments about Mrs Long reveal the potential competiveness and self-seeking beneath the surface of politeness. Marriage Theme Analysis Themes and Colors Pride Theme Icon Prejudice Theme Icon Family Theme Icon Marriage Theme Icon Class Theme Icon LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Pride and Prejudice, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Marriage Theme Icon Pride and Prejudice is a love story, but its author is also concerned with pointing out the inequality that governs the relationships between men and women and how it affects women’s choices and options regarding marriage. Austen portrays a world in which choices for individuals are very limited, based almost exclusively on a family’s social rank and connections. To be born a woman into such a world means having even less choice about whom to marry or how to determine the shape of one’s life. The way that society controls and weakens women helps to explain in part Mrs. Bennet’s hysteria about marrying off her daughters, and why such marriages must always involve practical, financial considerations. As members of the upper class, the Bennet sisters are not expected to work or make a career for themselves. Yet as women they are not allowed to inherit anything. As a result, marriage is basically their only option for attaining wealth and social standing. Yet Austen is also critical of women who marry solely for security, like Charlotte. The ideal for her is represented by Elizabeth, who refuses to trade her independence for financial comfort and in the end marries for love. THEMES LOVE, MARRIAGE AND MONEY Pride and Prejudice can be read as a romantic comedy. Despite the importance of polite behaviour there are many examples of characters being influenced by physical attraction. Elizabeth dresses ‘with more than usual care’ and prepares ‘in the highest spirits’ for an evening dancing with Mr Wickham (Vol. 1, Ch. 18, p. 74) – whom Lydia later describes as ‘an angel’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 5, p. 239). Darcy discovers that his feelings for Elizabeth ‘will not be repressed’ (Vol. 2, Ch. 11, p. 156). Jane feels she is ‘the happiest creature in the world’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 13, p. 286) when engaged to Bingley, whilst Elizabeth claims she is ‘happier even than Jane’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 18, p. 317) when she and Darcy have fully acknowledged their feelings for each other. However, Austen makes it clear that attraction is not enough for a successful marriage: Mr Bennet was ‘captivated by youth and beauty’ but Mrs Bennet’s ‘weak understanding and illiberal mind’ (Vol. 2, Ch. 19, p. 195) soon lost his respect. Mrs Bennet, a tradesman’s daughter, has at least captured a gentlemanly husband with a settled income from an estate, but their marriage is not happy. Lydia marries with no rational calculation at all. By the end of the novel her and Wickham’s relationship is ‘unsettled in the extreme’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 19, p. 321) and their married life will not be supported by even the financial and social status that her parents enjoy. Mrs Gardiner warns Elizabeth against Wickham: ‘an affection which the want of fortune would make so very imprudent’ (Vol. 2, Ch. 3, p. 120). Austen presents an unsentimental view of marriage through the character of Charlotte Lucas: ‘I am not romantic […] I ask only a comfortable home’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 22, p. 105). Charlotte asserts that ‘happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 6, p. 17) but at Hunsford Elizabeth notices that she has already adopted various coping strategies such as urging her husband to spend more time in the garden and using a back room to avoid his constant interruptions (Vol. 2, Ch. 7, p. 140). Mr Collins’s mention of his dear Charlotte’s ‘situation’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 15, p. 301) is a delicate reminder that Charlotte will have had to go to bed with Mr Collins however repulsive she finds him. She is now pregnant. Securing a happy marriage can be seen as the main objective of the novel, and Austen provides a number of examples: Mr and Mrs Gardiner clearly enjoy each other’s company (Vol. 2, Ch. 19, p. 198). His ‘sensible, gentlemanlike’ character is complemented by her ‘amiable, intelligent’ personality (Vol. 2, Ch. 2, p. 116). Elizabeth and Mr Bennet approve of Jane and Bingley’s marriage because the couple possess a ‘general similarity of feeling and taste’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 13, p. 287). The marriage of Elizabeth and Darcy represents a more complex stateof affairs. Their powerful physical attraction has initially included an element of repulsion and they have only achieved mutual understanding and respect through the painful process of deepening self-knowledge and an increase in humility (Vol. 3, Ch. 16). THEME TRACKER Love, marriage and money Vol. 1, Ch. 1, p. 1: The marriage– money connection is stated in the first lines of the novel. Vol. 1, Ch. 22, p. 105: Charlotte explains her reasons for accepting Mr Collins. Vol. 3, Ch. 16, p. 303: Elizabeth and Darcy finally admit their feelings fully. KEY CONTEXT Genteel young ladies in Austen’s time were expected to be accomplished in music and art. This was partly because they had little to do but was also a way of displaying themselves to potential husbands. Consider how piano playing makes Elizabeth more attractive but Mary less so. Think about other methods of female display – such as when Miss Bingley asks Elizabeth to walk around the room with her to get Darcy to look at them. « PREVIOUS NEXT » Lady Lucas began directly to calculate’ – shows how little her and Mrs Bennet’s friendship is worth when there is money at stake – compare Charlotte and Elizabeth? ‘marriage had always been her object’ – Charlotte is strategic. ‘Mr Collins […] was neither sensible nor agreeable; his society was irksome’ – Charlotte knows what she’s letting herself in for. From the novel as a whole: ‘It is truth universally acknowledged’ – describe the ‘neighbourhood view’ – as exemplified by the Lucas family and Mrs Bennet. Theme established at start of novel and narrator’s attitude ‘You make me laugh, Charlotte; but it is not sound. You know you would never act in that way yourself’ – an example of narrativeironyas well as Elizabeth’s good principles and naivety Chapter 6 The key theme of marriage as an economic necessity is discussed by Charlotte and Elizabeth from different perspectives. Problems between Jane and Bingley due to Jane’s habit of concealing her feelings are foreshadowed. Charlotte’s family give their points of view. Think about these – and narrator’s attitude. Is there some criticism implied? Charlotte reflects on what she has done. Explain her motives. In the novel as a whole: On the surface Charlotte and Elizabeth’s discussion of Jane is a gossip between friends. Look closely at what Charlotte is saying, however. She uses words such as ‘disadvantage’, ‘opportunity’, ‘fixing’, ‘secure’ (p. 16) which reveal her hard-headed, strategic approach to getting married. It is an example of narrative irony when Elizabeth says ‘You know […] you would never act in this way yourself’ (p. 17). In fact it is exactly how Charlotte acts later in the story. Elizabeth has to learn that even friends may not be what they seem. Other views of marriage: Mrs Bennet’s; Lady Catherine’s, etc. Lydia’s marriage – physical attraction The Gardiners’ – a good model Men and marriage: different motives Paragraph 1: Introduce the argument you wish to make: The importance of marriage as an issue in the novel as shown by the Lucas family reactions, Charlotte’s reflections and motives, etc. Paragraph 2: Your first point: Charlotte’s decision has a direct effect on her family (Give examples from extract and analyse language to catch ironic tone) Paragraph 3: Your second point: Charlotte has already been presented as calculating and strategic in her determination to find a husband (Link back to earlier conversation with Elizabeth about Jane.) Paragraph 4: Your third point: Marriage involves physical relationship – Charlotte is pregnant by end of novel. Lydia’s attraction to Wickham and the Bennets’ marriage shows physical attraction not an adequate foundation for happiness. Paragraph 5: Your fourth point: Elizabeth and Darcy – physical attraction plus suitability and real love – sufficient to make them grow as characters Conclusion: Sum up your argument: Several alternative and not necessarily compatible attitudes to marriage are evident in the extract and the novel as a What is Mrs Bennet’s main aim in life? ‘The business of her life was to get her daughters married …’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 1, p. 3) Mr Bennet says his youngest daughters are ‘uncommonly foolish’. How does Mrs Bennet show her sympathy with them? ‘I remember the time when I liked a red coat myself.’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 7, p. 23) Check the reaction of Charlotte’s sisters and brothers. ‘The younger girls formed hopes of coming out a year or two earlier than they might otherwise have done; and the boys were relieved of their apprehension of Charlotte’s dying an old maid’ (p. 102). In many families the younger girls were not allowed to attend dances and join adult society until the older ones were married. This was called ‘coming out’. It was also expected that brothers would support their unmarried sisters (as Jane Austen’s brothers did). What does she feel about Elizabeth marrying Darcy? ‘Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted ?’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 14, p. 296) The theme of marriage as an economic arrangement is mentioned by Colonel Fitzwilliam, who is aware he has come close to flirting with Elizabeth. She is privately embarrassed but manages to make a joke of it: ‘And pray, what is the usual price of an Earl’s younger son?’ (p. 152) What attracted Mr Wickham to the fifteen-year-old Georgiana Darcy? ‘…her fortune, which is thirty thousand pounds …’ (Vol. 2, Ch. 12, p. 168) Themes – Love and marriage 1 of 2 What does Charlotte Lucas say about herself? ‘I am not romantic …’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 22, p. 105) Themes – Love and marriage 2 of 2 What does Mr Bennet say would most grieve him if Elizabeth married Darcy without love? ‘… seeing you unable to respect your partner in life.’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 17, p. 312) Charlotte saw Mr Collins walking towards her home? … set out to meet him accidentally .’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 22, p. 102) How does this make Elizabeth feel? ‘… that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something!’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 1, p. 200) Themes – Love and marriage 1 of 2 What does Charlotte Lucas say about herself? ‘I am not romantic …’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 22, p. 105) Themes – Love and marriage 2 of 2 What does Mr Bennet say would most grieve him if Elizabeth married Darcy without love? ‘… seeing you unable to respect your partner in life.’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 17, p. 312) Male inheritance is the hard economic fact that makes it so important for the girls to find husbands. Mr Collins is right to say that his cousins’ beauty will help them be ‘well disposed of in marriage’ (p. 53). Mr Collins’s proposal and Elizabeth’s rejection is a key scene for the understanding of both their characters and also the central theme of marriage. Should it be for love or for security? Romantic matters are becoming complicated. Elizabeth, so clear and decisive with Mr Collins, is growing more obviously attracted to Wickham. The Bingleys’ departure from Netherfield is a serious blow for Jane’s hopes. Do not underestimate the importance of this moment in the novel. If Elizabeth had accepted Mr Collins she could have saved her mother and sisters as well as herself from potential homelessness after her father’s death. Mr Collins’s warning that she may not receive another such offer is entirely plausible but she is prepared to sacrifice financial security for personal feeling and freedom. This is key to understanding her character and also to the author’s views about true reasons for marriage. Elizabeth is nervous of facing Darcy but pleased that Bingley is attentive to Jane. On their next visit Bingley shows increasing affection towards Jane but Darcy is distant and soon departs for London. Bingley proposes to Jane; she accepts and Mr Bennet gives his permission. Charlotte and Elizabeth have a difficult conversation. Elizabeth feels she has lost her friend and is closer than ever to her sister Jane. Mrs Bennet makes everyone’s lives miserable. About the Collins marriage Elizabeth and Charlotte’s conversation clarifies their opposing ideas on the theme of marriage. These chapters are also significant for the theme of family. Charlotte’s family feel economic relief at her choice, while inthe Bennet household the selfish complaints of Mrs Bennet dominate. End of vol 1 You can explore the theme of marriage via the different perspectives of each character. For example, Charlotte’s acceptance of Mr Collins is based on her need for security. ‘I am not romantic you know. I never was. I ask only a comfortable home’ (p. 105). Elizabeth is more romantic: ‘she could not have supposed it possible that [Charlotte] would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage’ (p. 105). Mrs Bennet is full of recrimination and sees herself as the principal victim (p. 106). The Lucases are delighted and Lady Lucas even begins to wonder how soon Mr Bennet might die so her daughter will be mistress of Longbourn. Caroline Bingley writes to tell Jane that they will be remaining inLondon. She drops hints about Bingley growing closer to Darcy’s sister. Trying to sabatage Jane believes it is out of kindness but Lizzie sees through it When writing about the marriage theme, don’t forget Colonel Fitzwilliam. It is surprising to discover that he too will be marrying for money. His obvious admiration for Elizabeth may help convince the reader as well as Darcy how genuinely attractive and charming she is. When Charlotte says, ‘My dear Eliza he must be in love with you, or he would never have called on us in this familiar way’ (p. 149), she is giving the reader a hint. Imagine Darcy’s proposal Darcy arrives unexpectedly and asks her to marry him. This could not have come at a worse moment. She is shocked, flattered, insulted and refuses him. When he asks her to explain, she accuses him of ruining Jane’s happiness and reducing Wickham to poverty. Finally she accuses him of not behaving in a ‘gentleman-like manner’ (p. 160). « PREVIOUS * Powerful expression of Darcy’s passion, pride and awkwardness. * An opportunity for Elizabeth to express all the resentment, false impressions and unacknowledged emotion that she has been suppressing. * This chapter is a crucial development in the romance and is also central to the themes of marriage, pride, manners and class. If you compare this proposal with Mr Collins’s or with other examples of Darcy and Elizabeth’s dialogue you will see that the hero and heroine are adept at using the same language: for example here they both accuse each other of incivility (p. 156). This reveals the essential understanding and shared values which, in the end will make them a good couple. Darcy listens to Elizabeth as Mr Collins never did. Although Darcy’s pride is his downfall here, the real problem is the amount of time he spends talking about Elizabeth’s background. He is proud of being ‘honest’ (p. 159) but Elizabeth is quick to point out that he has simply been rude. He has focused on explaining his own feelings and has failed to notice that he is hurting hers. This lack of sensitivity is bad manners. However, she too chooses to disregard normal politeness (‘the established mode’) when she tells him that she is not grateful for his proposal (p. 157). He accuses her of rudeness ‘so little endeavour at civility’ and she replies that he was rude first (p. 158). She says that his lack of politeness about her family has spared her ‘the concern which I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentleman-like manner’ (p. 160). We later discover that this is the phrase that really hurts Darcy and makes him change. It is important to notice, however, that his rudeness is in expressing his feelings about her family, not in thinking them. In fact Elizabeth will soon discover that she agrees with him. The theme of marriage as an economic arrangement is mentioned by Colonel Fitzwilliam, who is aware he has come close to flirting with Elizabeth. She is privately embarrassed but manages to make a joke of it: ‘And pray, what is the usual price of an Earl’s younger son?’ (p. 152) When writing about the marriage theme, don’t forget Colonel Fitzwilliam. It is surprising to discover that he too will be marrying for money. His obvious admiration for Elizabeth may help convince the reader as well as Darcy how genuinely attractive and charming she is. Although Darcy’s pride is his downfall here, the real problem is the amount of time he spends talking about Elizabeth’s background. He is proud of being ‘honest’ (p. 159) but Elizabeth is quick to point out that he has simply been rude. He has focused on explaining his own feelings and has failed to notice that he is hurting hers. This lack of sensitivity is bad manners. However, she too chooses to disregard normal politeness (‘the established mode’) when she tells him that she is not grateful for his proposal (p. 157). He accuses her of rudeness ‘so little endeavour at civility’ and she replies that he was rude first (p. 158). She says that his lack of politeness about her family has spared her ‘the concern which I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentleman-like manner’ (p. 160). We later discover that this is the phrase that really hurts Darcy and makes him change. It is important to notice, however, that his rudeness is in expressing his feelings about her family, not in thinking them. In fact Elizabeth will soon discover that she agrees with him. Mr Collins tells her how happy he is with Charlotte. Elizabeth can see that Charlotte is still glad to have a home of her own. Mrs Gardiner’s reply tells Elizabeth that it was Darcy who settled Wickham’s debts and therefore bribed him to marry Lydia. Darcy claims that this was because he should have revealed Wickham’s true character but Mrs Gardiner hints that love for Elizabeth was his real motive. Lady Catherine has set off from Kent to Hertfordshire because she heard ‘a report of a most alarming nature’. This was that Jane was ‘most advantageously’ engaged to Bingley and that Elizabeth might be ‘soon afterwards united’ to Mr Darcy (Vol. 3, Ch. 14, p. 292). It is never made clear where this second part of the rumour has come from. Ironically it is Lady Catherine’s reaction that makes it come true. The final affirmation of romance. Elizabeth, the heroine, has won love, marriage and money by her intelligence, honesty – and attractiveness. Her willingness to admit her mistakes and change has been her most outstanding quality. Darcy, the hero, has also admitted his mistakes and changed. The themes of manners, good class and proper pride (not snobbery) reach a conclusion here. Family issues remain. Jane and Mrs Bennet react in characteristic ways – Mr Bennet goes further. He truly loves Elizabeth and for once takes her happiness seriously: ‘My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life’ (p. 312). Elizabeth knows her mother will be either violently set against the match or violently delighted. Notice how Austen springs a small surprise: Mrs Bennet is silent. After that her speech is even more fragmented than usual, full of incomplete sentences and exclamation marks. Mr Bennet is suddenly serious while Elizabeth teases Jane about loving Darcy for ‘his beautiful grounds at Pemberley’ (p. 309). The connection of marriage and money, initially threatening, has almost become a joke. Elizabeth learns that Darcy admires her lively mind and that his reticence on recent visits to Longbourn was due to embarrassment. She admits to the same sensation and they rejoice in recalling how the ice was finally broken. So Darcy has to endure Mr Collins as well as Mrs Philips and Mrs Bennet. Elizabeth longs for the ‘comfort and elegance’ (p. 318) of Pemberley. Jane and Elizabeth are married on the same day. The narrator tells us what happens to everyone else. Austen gives a summary of the characters and their future situations. Mrs Bennet, despite having her wildest dreams fulfilled, remains as silly as ever, but the lives of all members of the families are altered in some way by the marriages. Make a table with three columns listing whose lives and characters improve, whose become more difficult and who remains unchanged by events. This romantic novel may seem to have a simple ‘happy ever after’ ending but you should relate this to its wider themes. The final chapter mirrors a society which has achieved a state of relative peace and stability. After misunderstanding and turmoil, old prejudices have been banished by the formation of new alliances. Some things cannot be improved. Neither Mrs Bennet nor Lady Catherine will achieve true gentility and the Wickhams will continue to pursue their flimsy dreams, but Pemberley appears to offer a glimpse of an ideal world. You may feel that Austen’s decision to end with the focus on the Gardiners is an effective way of linking the themes of a good marriage, responsible family members and true gentility.
Context
Many similarities to her novels. Father a clergyman, gentry class but not rich. Jane lived mainly in country. Did not marry or have career. Didn’t settle for relationship withou love. Closeness with sister. Dependent on family partic brothers * Literary context Austen’s first readers from similar background. Attitude to books can help to define character. Influence of eighteenth-century novel-in-letters and Romantic movement (Elizabeth longs to visit Lake District). * Economic context Everyone in middle/upper classes seems to know everyone else’s income. Women without own money must ‘trade’ themselves in marriage. Higher social status is given to income from land than from trade. Characters drawn from narrow section of society – gentry, clergy, lower aristocracy. Few working-class people included. Characters seen at leisure not work – a novel of ‘manners’. Her eldest brother followed their father into the Church. Two of her other brothers, Francis and Charles, were in the Navy and her brother Henry was in the Militia. The deepest bond in her life was with her slightly older sister Cassandra and, as with Jane and Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice, her sister was her closest friend. Neither of them married. They were not financially secure and they and their mother depended on their brothers for support after their father died. Jane Austen’s own position was therefore not unlike that facing the Bennet women if none of the girls gained financial support by marriage before their father died. Austen herself could have chosen to marry for security, like Charlotte Lucas, but she did not. Austen began writing in her teens. One of her first novels was Lady Susan, probably written when she was eighteen or nineteen. First Impressions was written in 1796, rejected by a publisher in 1797, later rewritten as Pride and Prejudice and finally published in 1813. Austen wrote five other major novels, Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion. In her late thirties, for the first time in her life she was earning money that was her own. She died in 1817. Austen began Pride and Prejudice in 1796 and it was finally published in 1813. Britain was at war with France almost continuously from the start of the French revolution in 1789 until 1815. A recent history by Jenny Uglow estimates that at this time one in five families were affected by recruitment into the armed forces, and two of Austen’s brothers were in the Navy. The Militia were part of Britain’s defence against possible invasion.
Theme women
gender and social class
CONTEXTS Society and gender issues Novel portrays male-dominated society; marriage women’s only means of financial security. Women lead limited lives but can make choices about attitudes and behaviour (Jane/Elizabeth vs Kitty/Lydia). GENDER AND SOCIAL CLASS The different roles and opportunities available to men and women were an issue for Austen in her own life. In the novel Elizabeth is exceptional in her capacity for independent thought and action, though she remains a dutiful daughter. Austen knew a wider range of women and a wider social world than is reflected in Pride and Prejudice so it is fair to assume that, by insisting on the very limited opportunities available to Elizabeth, she is making a clear artistic point: Elizabeth is exceptional because she is the heroine. The novel’s hero Darcy is exceptional too. He is sensitive as well as strong and capable of accepting Elizabeth as his equal, if not superior: ‘By you, I was properly humbled […] You showed me how insufficient were all my pretensions to please a woman worthy of being pleased’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 16, p. 306). TOP TIP One way in which characters are judged is by their attitude to books. Consider this with reference to Mary (Vol. 1, Ch. 2, p. 4), Elizabeth (Vol. 1, Ch. 8, p. 29), Mr Darcy (Vol. 1, Ch. 8, p. 30), Miss Bingley (Vol. 1, Ch. 11, p. 44), Mr Collins and Lydia (Vol. 1, Ch. 14, p. 56). Mr Bennet must visit Mr Bingley (and Mr Bingley return the visit) before it is proper for Bingley to meet Mr Bennet’s family PROGRESS AND REVISION CHECK SECTION TWO: CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING Task: Examine the theme of class and manners, paying close attention to Caroline Bingley and Louisa Hurst’s conversation about Elizabeth in Vol. 1, Ch. 8, pp. 27–8. Think about: How Caroline and Louisa behave towards Elizabeth in this extract How Austen discusses the theme of class and manners elsewhere in the novel SHOW / HIDE ANSWERS Caroline and Louisa begin ‘abusing’ Elizabeth as soon as she is out of the room. Describe their negative language. This is bad manners. The Bingley sisters are revealing themselves not to be as genteel as they pretend. They focus on the detail of her dirty petticoat. Generally in the novel the more refined characters do not discuss specific, concrete details. They prefer more abstract language and ideas. Consider Lady Catherine’s similar attention to detail. It diminishes her social station. Look at the responses of Bingley and Darcy. Bingley shows his kindly, gentlemanlike nature. What does Darcy’s response suggest? Compare other characters whose manners are either better or worse than their social class might suggest, e.g. Lady Catherine (worse), Mrs Annesley and the Gardiners (better). What does this say about Austen’s message about behaviour in the novel as a whole? TOP TIP This task requires more thought and a slightly longer response. Try to write at least three to four paragraphs. « PREVIOUS NEXT » In the example above, Austen speaks through the narrator to make her point directly. Generally she allows her characters to reveal themselves. Bad manners are conceit, selfishness, insensitivity and are as apparent in the socially superior Lady Catherine as in Mrs Bennet and Lydia. When Lady Catherine claims that Elizabeth is unsuitable to marry Darcy on the grounds of class, Elizabeth finally speaks out – ‘He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman’s daughter’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 14, p. 295) – and makes her resentment clear: ‘You have insulted me, in every possible method’ (p. 296). Themes – Money 1 of 2 Mr Bingley’s sisters are rich and conceited. What do they prefer to forget about their money? ‘That it had been acquired by trade .’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 4, p. 11) Themes – Money 2 of 2 What attracted Mr Wickham to the fifteen-year-old Georgiana Darcy? ‘…her fortune, which is thirty thousand pounds …’ (Vol. 2, Ch. 12, p. 168) The family was a key unit in the social class that Austen portrays in Pride and Prejudice. The Netherfield ball is for the gentry – there’s no question of Mr and Mrs Philips being invited, for instance. Within the strict conventions of this group, people are seen as family members rather than as individuals. The behaviour of each member can affect the reputation of the rest of the family. Personal matters – such as the likelihood of Jane marrying Bingley – should not be discussed in public and Mr Bennet’s sarcastic treatment of his middle daughter, Mary, is also not polite. Mr Collins’s conceited pomposity and Lydia’s violent yawns both reduce the reputation of the Bennet family. This has the potential to ruin Jane and Elizabeth’s chances of happiness however well they behave individually. What does she feel about Elizabeth marrying Darcy? ‘Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted ?’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 14, p. 296) Primogeniture (all property going to the oldest son) was usual in Jane Austen’s time but Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s family chose to be outside the male inheritance system – and she is hardly an admirable example. As an unpleasant a character as Austen display last c to be though, she is nevertheless powerful and definite.her wealth gives her power. His terrible suggestion that it would be better that Lydia had died than be disgraced. This was though sadly a sign of the times Chapter 18 Good manners – or the lack of them – are central here. Darcy has the opportunity to tell Elizabeth his side of the Wickham story but is far too reserved and private to do so. He also witnesses every bit of embarrassing behaviour by members of the Bennet family. Mr Collins’s ridiculous ideas about the behaviour of ‘young ladies’ (p. 89) are comic, but there is also a feeling of threat in Chapter 19, expressed through reminders of what will happen to Elizabeth and her sisters if they don’t marry. We see how vulnerable they are, and that power commonly lies with men in this society. Issues of gender are also highlighted in Mr Collins’s attitudes to women and in the Bennet sisters’ inability to inherit their home. How confident he is that he knows about women How little he listens to Elizabeth Austen would certainly have been aware of Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, published in 1792. We don’t know exactly what Austen thought about women’s rights but it is significant that Elizabeth, her heroine, demands to be taken seriously as a person, not dismissed or patronised because of her gender: ‘Do not consider me now as an elegant female […], but as a rational creature speaking the truth from her heart’ (p. 91). You could contrast the style of Mr Collins’s long-winded sentences with Elizabeth’s brief, forceful, unambiguous statements, such as ‘Can I speak plainer?’ (p. 91) * Powerful expression of Darcy’s passion, pride and awkwardness. * An opportunity for Elizabeth to express all the resentment, false impressions and unacknowledged emotion that she has been suppressing. * This chapter is a crucial development in the romance and is also central to the themes of marriage, pride, manners and class. If you compare this proposal with Mr Collins’s or with other examples of Darcy and Elizabeth’s dialogue you will see that the hero and heroine are adept at using the same language: for example here they both accuse each other of incivility (p. 156). This reveals the essential understanding and shared values which, in the end will make them a good couple. Darcy listens to Elizabeth as Mr Collins never did. Ultimately Austen shows that good character and not social rank are the true indicators of worth: The gardeners’ good character later accepted by Darcy Elizabeth and Jane Lady c and Mrs. Bennet, both of very different wealth and status are both exaggerated characters (perhaps charicatures) who are rude and impertinent We soon learn that, despite her title, Lady Catherine is every bit as impertinent (rude and nosy) as Mrs Bennet. In the world of Pride and Prejudice it is not good manners to ask too many personal questions of a new acquaintance and Elizabeth is irritated at being asked her age. Lady Catherine’s evident surprise at her refusal to give a direct reply prompts Elizabeth to speculate that she may be the first person to stand up to her. ‘“Upon my word,” said her ladyship, “you give your opinion very decidedly for so young a person”’ (p. 138). It can sometimes help you extend your thinking if you consider what is not included in Pride and Prejudice. All writers and artists have to choose their special focus and this always means excluding other possibilities. Austen concentrates so narrowly on the leisured social class that working people are almost invisible. This does not mean that they are insignificant. At Rosings the servants are listed as if they were possessions or objects: ‘such rooms, so many servants and so splendid a dinner’ (p. 133) whereas at Pemberley the housekeeper plays a small but important role praising Mr Darcy. She says, ‘There is not one of his tenants or servants but what will give him a good name’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 1, p. 204). Colonel Fitzwilliam takes care to warn Elizabeth that he needs to marry someone wealthy. He also tells her that Darcy recently saved his friend Bingley from a ‘most imprudent marriage’ (p. 153). Colonel Fitzwilliam takes care to warn Elizabeth that he needs to marry someone wealthy. He also tells her that Darcy recently saved his friend Bingley from a ‘most imprudent marriage’ (p. 153). Darcy’s proposal Although Darcy’s pride is his downfall here, the real problem is the amount of time he spends talking about Elizabeth’s background. He is proud of being ‘honest’ (p. 159) but Elizabeth is quick to point out that he has simply been rude. He has focused on explaining his own feelings and has failed to notice that he is hurting hers. This lack of sensitivity is bad manners. However, she too chooses to disregard normal politeness (‘the established mode’) when she tells him that she is not grateful for his proposal (p. 157). He accuses her of rudeness ‘so little endeavour at civility’ and she replies that he was rude first (p. 158). She says that his lack of politeness about her family has spared her ‘the concern which I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentleman-like manner’ (p. 160). We later discover that this is the phrase that really hurts Darcy and makes him change. It is important to notice, however, that his rudeness is in expressing his feelings about her family, not in thinking them. In fact Elizabeth will soon discover that she agrees with him. Although Darcy’s pride is his downfall here, the real problem is the amount of time he spends talking about Elizabeth’s background. He is proud of being ‘honest’ (p. 159) but Elizabeth is quick to point out that he has simply been rude. He has focused on explaining his own feelings and has failed to notice that he is hurting hers. This lack of sensitivity is bad manners. However, she too chooses to disregard normal politeness (‘the established mode’) when she tells him that she is not grateful for his proposal (p. 157). He accuses her of rudeness ‘so little endeavour at civility’ and she replies that he was rude first (p. 158). She says that his lack of politeness about her family has spared her ‘the concern which I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentleman-like manner’ (p. 160). We later discover that this is the phrase that really hurts Darcy and makes him change. It is important to notice, however, that his rudeness is in expressing his feelings about her family, not in thinking them. In fact Elizabeth will soon discover that she agrees with him. Check back over the moments when a new character is introduced. There is often a surprisingly large amount of information concerning their money or their relatives. This reflects the smaller social world of Jane Austen’s times. Strangers were less common than they are today and proper introductions were important. Somehow Wickham has slipped through this protective net. It is not only Elizabeth who has been fooled by him – so has the ‘neighbourhood’ (p. 171). And the neighbourhood judged Darcy wrongly too, when he first appeared at the Meryton Assembly. Austen supports social conventions (such as correct introductions) but often satirises the changing nature and mistakes of public opinion. ‘How much I shall have to tell!’ says Maria as they leave Hunsford. Elizabeth privately adds, ‘And how much I shall have to conceal’ (p. 180). The difference between appearance and reality is a major theme of fiction and there are many ways to consider it in this novel. For example, it is a feature of style, with irony often the gap between what is said and what is meant. Austen suggests that secrecy is a way of surviving social life – behaving politely and keeping your thoughts to yourself, as Elizabeth does with Lady Catherine. Reputation Austen presents two different sides to Lydia in Chapter 18 – a fun-loving teenager ‘tenderly flirting with at least six officers at once’ (p. 192) and a danger to the family: ‘the very great disadvantage to us all, which must arise from the public notice of Lydia’s unguarded and imprudent manner’ (pp. 190–1). How do you view Lydia at this stage in the novel? The conventions of Austen’s time enabled relationships to progress at a careful pace. Understanding of the conventions was shared between members of a social class. For instance, the Gardiners are quick to notice that the Darcys have called sooner than normal. Being invited to dine at Pemberley is a significant step forward in friendship so Mrs Gardiner is anxious to know whether Elizabeth is comfortable with this. Good manners include being careful not to intrude into other people’s private feelings. The Gardiners are a good example of this sensitivity (unlike Lady Catherine or Mrs Bennet): ‘They saw much to interest, but nothing to justify enquiry’ (p. 216). Mr Bennet knows more of the world than Jane and Elizabeth and realises immediately that Mr Gardiner is not telling him the full details of the settlement: ‘Wickham’s a fool, if he takes her with a farthing less then ten thousand pounds’ (p. 250). Jane and Elizabeth are shocked: ‘Ten thousand pounds! […] How is half such a sum to be repaid?’ (p. 250) It is obvious from Mr Bennet’s attitude that he knows he will never be able to repay this amount. None of them guess the truth. They are also shocked that this huge sum of money has had to be spent in order for Lydia to marry ‘one of the most worthless young men in Great Britain’ (p. 253). Mrs Bennet’s response is predictably shallow: now that her daughter has been saved from disgrace she makes plans to go out visiting her neighbours again and spend more money on clothes and a large house for the newly weds. The story of Lydia and Wickham’s elopement challenges our modern understanding. Given that Lydia has reached today’s age of consent (sixteen) it may not seem so shocking that a teenage girl might have sex outside marriage, and so the idea of bribing her partner to marry her seems surprising. However, Lydia has no means of stopping herself getting pregnant and if Wickham were to leave her there would be no guaranteed financial help for her. Even without a child, once she has lost her virginity and her good name, prostitution would be almost the only way in which she could support herself. That is what is meant by ‘come upon the town’ (p. 254). The scene with Lady Catherine is dramatic and makes an important contribution to the theme of manners, social class and true equality. (p. 295), Elizabeth tells her. ‘He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman’s daughter’ The final affirmation of romance. Elizabeth, the heroine, has won love, marriage and money by her intelligence, honesty – and attractiveness. Her willingness to admit her mistakes and change has been her most outstanding quality. Darcy, the hero, has also admitted his mistakes and changed. The themes of manners, good class and proper pride (not snobbery) reach a conclusion here. Family issues remain. Jane and Mrs Bennet react in characteristic ways – Mr Bennet goes further. He truly loves Elizabeth and for once takes her happiness seriously: ‘My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life’ (p. 312). Mr Bennet is suddenly serious while Elizabeth teases Jane about loving Darcy for ‘his beautiful grounds at Pemberley’ (p. 309). The connection of marriage and money, initially threatening, has almost become a joke.
Novel genre in context
Austen pokes fun at me Collins’ views on the novel Reds the girls a sermon
Family theme
The family is the predominant unit of social life in Pride and Prejudice and forms the emotional center of the novel. Not only does it provide (or fail to provide, as in the case of Lydia) the Bennet daughters with their education and manners, but the social ranking of the family determines how successful they may reasonably expect to be in later life. Austen skillfully reveals how individual character is molded within the family by presenting Jane and Elizabeth as mature, intelligent adults, and Lydia as a hapless fool. The friction between Elizabeth and her mother on the one hand and the sympathy she shares with Mr. Bennet on the other illustrate the emotional spectrum that colors the family’s overall character. The influence of Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle shows how the family works in an extended sense, with the Gardiners acting as substitute parents, providing much needed emotional support at key moments of stress. THEMES THE FAMILY AS A SOCIAL UNIT This theme links to marriage, money, class and pride and gives a useful additional perspective on these central issues. Early nineteenth-century society tended to consider the family as a unit. Snobbish Miss Bingley pours scorn on the fact that Jane and Elizabeth’s uncle ‘lives somewhere near Cheapside’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 8, p. 29). This uncle is gentlemanly Mr Gardiner, whom Darcy likes as soon as they are finally introduced (Vol. 3, Ch. 1, p. 209). Public bad behaviour by any member of a family can damage the others – as Elizabeth finds at the Netherfield ball (Vol. 1, Ch. 18, p. 85). Although Darcy admits that Jane and Elizabeth are not included in his later criticism, the Bennets’ collective ‘want of propriety’ was one of his strongest reasons for wishing to ‘preserve’ Bingley from ‘a most unhappy connection’ (Vol. 2, Ch. 12, p. 164). Private bad behaviour – such as Lydia’s elopement with Wickham – is even worse. Darcy managed to keep his sister’s near-mistake private but Mrs Bennet’s uncontrolled hysterics mean that Lydia’s story spreads round the neighbourhood in hours. Then ‘who, as Lady Catherine herself condescendingly says, will connect themselves with such a family’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 6, p. 244). They would pollute ‘the shades of Pemberley’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 14, p. 296). THEME TRACKER The family as a social unit Vol. 1, Ch. 18, p. 85: Members of the Bennet family disgrace themselves. Vol. 2, Ch. 19, pp. 195–6: Elizabeth pleads with her father. Vol. 3, Ch. 1, 8, p. 318: Happily ever after – ‘the comfort and elegance of their family party at Pemberley.’ « PREVIOUS NEXT » THEMES AIMING HIGH: WRITING ABOUT FAMILIES IN CONTEXT Galusko Sergey/Shutterstock Galusko Sergey/Shutterstock When writing about this theme, you can offer extra insight into what it felt like to live in Jane Austen’s time – for example the lack of constant light and heat in every room forced families to spend much more time together, especially in the evenings. Evidence of this can be seen at Longbourn (Vol. 1, Ch. 14), Netherfield (Vol. 1, Ch. 10–11) and Rosings (Vol. 2, Ch. 6 and Ch. 8). Austen suggests that a selfish or insensitive person, like Mrs Bennet, can be a real burden in such constant proximity. Jane suffers most, as Elizabeth points out: ‘Your attendance upon her, has been too much for you. You do not look well. Oh! That I had been with you’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 5, p. 240). TOP TIP When you are thinking about marriage, family responsibility and the individual, key sections to study are when Elizabeth pleads with her father not to allow Lydia to go to Brighton (Vol. 2, Ch. 18, pp. 190–2) and her thoughts afterwards (Vol. 2, Ch. 19, pp. 195–6). « PREVIOUS NEXT »g One by one all of Elizabeth’s family (apart from herself and Jane) behave in an embarrassing or vulgar manner. This includes Mr Collins, who is excited to discover that Mr Darcy is the nephew of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. The family was a key unit in the social class that Austen portrays in Pride and Prejudice. The Netherfield ball is for the gentry – there’s no question of Mr and Mrs Philips being invited, for instance. Within the strict conventions of this group, people are seen as family members rather than as individuals. The behaviour of each member can affect the reputation of the rest of the family. Personal matters – such as the likelihood of Jane marrying Bingley – should not be discussed in public and Mr Bennet’s sarcastic treatment of his middle daughter, Mary, is also not polite. Mr Collins’s conceited pomposity and Lydia’s violent yawns both reduce the reputation of the Bennet family. This has the potential to ruin Jane and Elizabeth’s chances of happiness however well they behave individually. Check the reaction of Charlotte’s sisters and brothers. ‘The younger girls formed hopes of coming out a year or two earlier than they might otherwise have done; and the boys were relieved of their apprehension of Charlotte’s dying an old maid’ (p. 102). In many families the younger girls were not allowed to attend dances and join adult society until the older ones were married. This was called ‘coming out’. It was also expected that brothers would support their unmarried sisters (as Jane Austen’s brothers did). Chapter 1 vol 1 Mrs Bennet’s brother, Mr Gardiner, comes to stay for Christmas with his wife and children. Mrs Gardiner is a good influence. She warns Elizabeth against Wickham and invites Jane to return to London with them to get away from her mother and Longbourn. Mrs. Gardiner Mrs. Bennet’s sister-in-law. Intelligent and caring, she is the mother that Elizabeth and Jane cannot find in Mrs. Bennet. Mr. Gardiner Mrs. Bennet’s brother and a successful, warm-hearted, cultivated merchant. The Gardiners provide a positive perspective on family life. They are an example of a good marriage and sensitive responsible parenting. To hunsford The change of location brings a change of storyline and moves the plot forward. Insight into the Collins’s home life expands the theme of marriage in order to gain a home and financial security. The letter is as important to Elizabeth’s development as a character as her refusal of his proposal was to Darcy. She becomes ashamed of her overhasty judgments and her prejudices. Wickham’s true nature is revealed and the themes of marriage and money emphasised yet again. The importance of correct social behaviour is mentioned and the question of how far an individual should be judged by the actions of their family. Elizabeth could make trouble for Wickham but he is now part of her family: ‘Come, Mr Wickham, we are brother and sister, you know. Do not let us quarrel about the past’ (p. 271). This shows family as a strong concept and the idea of reconciliation prepares us for the happy ending of the novel too. Elizabeth has been away from her family and forced to look at them in a different light. She even blames her father for failing to control her younger sisters. The narrator, however, allows us to glimpse Mr Bennet’s relief that Elizabeth is home again. There is much more focus on Lydia in this section – her noisiness, public bad behaviour, selfishness and insensitivity. Elizabeth’s new understanding of the collective importance of family encourages her to try to persuade her father to keep Lydia at home. Mr Bennet shows his laziness as a parent – as well as his personal love and respect for Elizabeth. There is a focus on Lydia’s character. Mr and Mrs Gardiner are included as positive representations of marriage and family. The narrator describes the incompatible marriage of Mr and Mrs Bennet, based on physical attraction alone. Elizabeth is shown to be aware of her father’s deficiencies as a parent. Previously his love for her and her respect for his intelligence has persuaded her not to mind too much. However recent events have convinced her that his failure to take responsibility affects all of them. By contrast, the Gardiners are an example of a good marriage. A new, dramatic twist to the plot – events begin to justify Elizabeth’s worries about Lydia. This is Austen’s neat way of bringing together themes of love and marriage and families and behaviour. Elizabeth and Darcy’s romance was going too smoothly. Now there is tension as Darcy is keeping his feelings to himself and events are happening off stage, which Elizabeth doesn’t know about (and neither do we). The weakness of the Longbourn family is highlighted. Family issues remain. Jane and Mrs Bennet react in characteristic ways – Mr Bennet goes further. He truly loves Elizabeth and for once takes her happiness seriously: ‘My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life’ (p. 312).
Theme pride and prejudice
Darcy’s physical response to Elizabeth is forcing him to reconsider his first impressions. She, however, is much slower to think again. Pride and prejudice Darcy and Elizabeth overcome pride and prejudice, learning not to judge people too quickly. Lady Catherine (inflexible) and Mrs Bennet (constantly changeable) cannot learn. True pride involves responsibility (Darcy). Pride is a constant presence in the characters’ attitudes and treatment of each other, coloring their judgments and leading them to make rash mistakes. Pride blinds Elizabeth and Darcy to their true feelings about each other. Darcy’s pride about his social rank makes him look down on anyone not in his immediate circle. Elizabeth, on the other hand, takes so much pride in her ability to judge others that she refuses to revise her opinion even in the face of clearly contradictory evidence. This is why she despises the good-hearted Darcy for so long, but initially admires the lying Wickham. Yet while Pride and Prejudice implies that no one is ever completely free of pride, it makes it clear that with the proper moral upbringing one may overcome it to lead a life of decency and kindness. In the end, the two lovers are able to overcome their pride by helping each other see their respective blind spots. Darcy sheds his snobbery, while Elizabeth learns not to place too much weight on her own judgments. Prejudice in Pride and Prejudice refers to the tendency of the characters to judge one another based on preconceptions, rather than on who they really are and what they actually do. As the book’s title implies, prejudice goes hand in hand with pride, often leading its heroine and hero into making wrong assumptions about motives and behavior. Austen’s gentle way of mocking Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s biases gives the impression that such mistakes could, and indeed do, happen to anyone; that faulting someone else for prejudice is easy while recognizing it in yourself is hard. Prejudice in the novel is presented as a stage in a person’s moral development, something that can be overcome through reason and compassion. Austen only condemns those people who refuse to set aside their prejudices, like the class-obsessed Lady Catherine and the scheming social climber Caroline. Though Pride and Prejudice is a social comedy, it offers a powerful illustration of the damaging effects to people and to society that prejudice can inflict. THEMES PRIDE AND PREJUDICE cynoclub/Shutterstock cynoclub/Shutterstock To trace the significance of the two terms in the title, start at the Meryton Assembly and the conversations afterwards between Bennets and Lucases (Vol. 1, Chs. 3–5). Darcy’s silence prejudices the neighbourhood against him. He offends Elizabeth’s pride by describing her as ‘tolerable’ (p. 8). Charlotte Lucas suggests that Darcy ‘has a right to be proud’ (p. 14). She is referring to a sense of self-esteem and self-confidence, which are good qualities in moderation. Snobbery (Lady Catherine), ‘superciliousness’ (Miss Bingley, Vol. 1, Ch. 6, p. 15) and ‘self-importance’ (Mr Collins, Vol. 1, Ch. 13, p. 52) are aspects of pride which Austen satirises without mercy. The original title of Pride and Prejudice was First Impressions and the story shows how hasty judgement leads to prejudice. Prejudice may be due to judging by appearance as Elizabeth does when she first meets Wickham (Vol. 1, Ch. 15, p. 59). Jane is sensitive and careful whereas Elizabeth is over-confident: “One does not know what to think.” “I beg your pardon; – one knows exactly what to think”’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 17, p. 71). Darcy’s growing attraction forces him to revise his opinion: ‘No sooner had he made it clear […] that she had hardly a good feature in her face, than he began to find that it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 6, p. 17). Elizabeth is much slower and her realisation is painful: ‘She grew absolutely ashamed of herself’ (Vol. 2, Ch. 13, p. 172). Darcy has to learn to know himself better: ‘I was given good principles, but left to follow them in pride and conceit’ (Vol. 3, Ch. 16, p. 305). THEME TRACKER Pride and Prejudice Vol. 1, Ch. 3: Darcy and Elizabeth’s first meeting. Vol. 1, Ch. 5: The Bennets and Lucases discuss different aspects of pride. Vol. 2, Ch. 13: Elizabeth is ashamed of herself. Vol. 3, Ch. 16, p. 306: Darcy admits he has been ‘properly humbled’. « PREVIOUS NEXT » Themes – Pride and prejudice 2 of 2 What is Elizabeth feeling when she begins to read Darcy’s letter? ‘… a strong prejudice against every thing he might say …’ (Vol. 2, Ch. 13, p. 169) What does Charlotte Lucas think of Darcy? ‘… he has a right to be proud .’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 5, p. 14) A bad first impression may lead to prejudice. Elizabeth (the heroine) is clever enough to recognise this but does not necessarily act on it: ‘I could easily forgive his pride if he had not mortified mine!’ (p. 14) Her sister Jane, however, ‘would wish not to be too hasty in censuring any one’ (p. 10). The concept of pride is shown to be complex – it can refer to good self-esteem as well as to arrogance. Different characters have points of view appropriate to them, for example Charlotte focuses on Darcy’s family position. Austen uses the social setting of the ball to show how changeable and how harsh public opinion can be: ‘His character was decided. He was the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world’ (p. 7). It also shows how women were forced to be passive and wait for men to judge their attractiveness. Why is Elizabeth so ready to believe Wickham’s story? Does this suggest her judgement of people is poor, or that Wickham is especially persuasive? SHOW/HIDE ANSWER Elizabeth is so ready to believe Wickham because he reinforces her determination to dislike Darcy and his story seems plausible. Elizabeth is charmed by Wickham and is attracted to him. Thinking about the gap between appearance and reality can lead to a richer understanding of characters, events and style in Pride and Prejudice. Much later in the story Elizabeth contrasts Wickham and Darcy when she is talking to Jane: ‘There was certainly some great mismanagement in the education of those two young men. One has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it’ (Vol. 2, Ch. 17, p. 186). Elizabeth is instantly attracted by Wickham’s good looks even though she knows nothing about him. He makes such a good impression on her that even talking about him is a ‘refreshment’. This is a good word to choose in the context of a ball and shows Jane Austen’s insight into Elizabeth’s infatuation. Unfortunately this favourable first impression has prejudiced her against Darcy. It may be understandable that she doesn’t listen to her friend Charlotte’s materialistic advice to avoid offending a man of Darcy’s ‘consequence’ or to Miss Bingley’s snobbish criticism of Wickham, but when Austen shows Elizabeth failing to listen to Jane, the reader begins to guess that she is making a mistake. Letter from Caroline bing Jane assumes this means that Bingley did not really care for her and struggles to continue to think well of everyone. Elizabeth guesses that his friends have interfered and is angry on Jane’s behalf. Darcys letter is as important to Elizabeth’s development as a character as her refusal of his proposal was to Darcy. She becomes ashamed of her overhasty judgments and her prejudices. Wickham’s true nature is revealed and the themes of marriage and money emphasised yet again. The importance of correct social behaviour is mentioned and the question of how far an individual should be judged by the actions of their family. Elizabeth begins to read ‘With a strong prejudice against every thing he might say’ (p. 169) but Darcy has appealed to her ‘justice’ instead of her ‘feelings’ (p. 162). Her first reading of the letter is emotional but crucially she takes it out and reads it again more carefully and rationally. She ‘commanded herself so far as to examine the meaning of every sentence’ (p. 170 – a good tip!). This time she is not judging on first impressions. She realises how prejudiced she has been. This theme reappears as Elizabeth and Darcy confess their mistakes. Darcy admits being deeply hurt by her justified accusation that he had not behaved in a ‘gentleman-like’ manner (p. 304). He explains how his upbringing had made him proud and selfish even though his parents were good people. He is truly grateful to her for forcing him to change: ‘You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled’ (p. 306). In return she tells him how important his letter was in forcing her to think again and gradually removing ‘all her former prejudices’ (p. 305).
Biography
Jane Austen Jane Austen (1775–1817) was born in into a family of the English country gentry similar to those in her novels, though (unlike the Bennets) they possessed no land. Her father was a clergyman who took his duties more seriously than Mr Collins. He was also a more involved parent than Mr Bennet, acting as Jane’s main teacher. She was very well read and obviously intelligent but, like the Bennet girls, she and her sister Cassandra had no career. Her brothers’ lives were very different and she may have felt frustrated by this. Jane’s days involved visiting, sewing, letter writing and reading. She was once briefly engaged but broke it off as she realised she was not in love; she would have understood Elizabeth Bennet’s and Charlotte Lucas’s situations. Jane always enjoyed writing and read her fiction to her family, however none of her novels were published until the last years of her life. Key quotation Elizabeth rejects Mr Collins’s proposal, saying ‘My feelings in every respect forbid it.’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 19, p. 91) The novel gives full weight to all the practical and economic reasons for marrying without love but a key decision in her own life makes it clear that Jane Austen could not accept these.
Theme - books reading
CONTEXTS WHEEL Understanding contexts can help improve your grade. Click on an image on the left or the right to spin the wheel. Scroll down to an overview of the key context and then read a key quotation linked to it. The author Literary context Historical context Social context Literary context Books and readers Remember that many people in Jane Austen’s time could not read and working people could rarely afford to buy books or subscribe to libraries. Jane therefore knew that most of her readers (her audience) were of a similar or higher social class to herself, so would understand a shared culture and recognise socially acceptable occupations. Her characters are often judged by their attitude to reading. Elizabeth uses reading as a weapon in conversation with Darcy whereas Caroline Bingley pretends to like books to try to impress him. Mary Bennet reads but cannot relate this to life, while Mr Bennet uses his library to hide from his family. The English novel was developing from the eighteenth-century form (e.g. Samuel Richardson’s novels-in-letters) towards the nineteenth-century novel concerned with social realism as well as romance (e.g. Jane Eyre). Pride and Prejudice (published 1813) can be seen as a transitional novel. Key quotation A character’s attitude to reading often sheds light on their personality. When Darcy is tries ‘books’ as a subject of conversation, Elizabeth replies, ‘Books – Oh! no. – I am sure we never read the same, or not with the same feelings.’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 18, p. 77) Here Elizabeth reveals her tendency to over-hasty judgement as well as her playful wish to tease.
Context - historical
CONTEXTS WHEEL Understanding contexts can help improve your grade. Click on an image on the left or the right to spin the wheel. Scroll down to an overview of the key context and then read a key quotation linked to it. The author Literary context Historical context Social context Historical context National life and times Jane Austen was careful to write only about what she had observed herself. For instance England was at war with France for most of the time she was writing Pride and Prejudice yet readers only glimpse the soldiers (officers) when they are at leisure – as the Bennet family would have done. Jane’s precise observation of practical details of daily life, such as the lack of roads, limitations of horse-drawn transport, importance of letters and gossip as the only means of communication, mean that this novel is a very accurate historical portrait of a narrow section of rural life in the early nineteenth century. She probably knew much more about the national situation than she chose to include as two of her brothers were fighting in the Navy and often wrote home about their experiences. Her restriction of her subject matter can thus be seen as a conscious artistic decision. Key quotation Lydia never considers that the scarlet-coated officers may face danger. When the regiment moves to Brighton (closer to the war) she regards it as a glorified summer holiday – ‘… to complete the view, she saw herself sitting beneath a tent, tenderly flirting with at least six officers at once.’ (Vol. 2, Ch. 18, p. 192)
Growth and self development
End of cop 1 These chapters mark a further step on Elizabeth’s journey to a deeper understanding of other people. Previously she assumed that because she and Charlotte were friends they must share similar values. She had not looked beneath the surface, but here she realises that she and Charlotte have quite different ideas and motivations. ‘She grew absolutely ashamed of herself. – Of neither Darcy nor Wickham could she think, without realising that she had been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd’ (p. 172). This is Elizabeth’s moment of truth and she makes no excuses for herself. She is ‘absolutely ashamed’. Her capacity for honesty and her ability to change is what entitles her to be the heroine of this novel. TOP TIP Analyse Elizabeth’s speech beginning ‘How despicably have I acted!’ and ending ‘Till this moment I never knew myself’ (pp. 172–3). Underline the key words that show her change of heart. Notice the extraordinary string of exclamations. This is quite unlike her usual sentence style. She re-reads Darcy’s letter whenever she is alone and thinks about her own behaviour and the faults of her family. Vol 2 Chapters 18–19 focus on some of the worst aspects of life at home with the Bennet family. These chapters, between Elizabeth’s encounters with Darcy in Kent and Derbyshire, serve as a domestic interlude. The fact that the most emotionally significant events take place away from Longbourn emphasises the independence of her inner life. Her eventual move to become mistress of Pemberley reflects how she has outgrown the confines of Longbourn. There is a revealing moment when Mr Bennet says, ‘For what do we live but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?’ (p. 301) This may remind you of the moment when Elizabeth tells Darcy how much she enjoys a joke: ‘Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 11, p. 46). The linking word is ‘divert’. Now, in this awkward conversation, Mr Bennet asks Elizabeth whether she is amused by Mr Collins’s suggestion that Mr Darcy might be attracted to her. She claims she is ‘excessively diverted’ (p. 301) but it is not true. She has discovered that there are more serious reasons for existence than laughing at other people, even Mr Collins. When alone, Elizabeth is overcome with gratitude towards Darcy for loving her well enough to forgive her previous rejection and unjust accusations. TOP TIP Notice that Elizabeth has learned to be much more careful when forming first impressions. She has been told that Georgiana Darcy is ‘exceedingly proud’ but she doesn’t rush to judge her. She looks more carefully and discovers that she is ‘only exceedingly shy’ (p. 213). Austen emphasises the unsatisfactory nature of Lydia’s wedding and arrival at Longbourn by considering it from Jane or Elizabeth’s point of view: ‘Jane more especially, who gave Lydia the feelings that should have attended herself had she been the culprit, was wretched in the thought of what her sister must endure’ (p. 259). This emphasises the comic surprise of Lydia’s arrival: ‘Lydia was Lydia still; untamed, unabashed, wild, noisy and fearless’ (p. 259). She, like Mrs Bennet, is a character who is incapable of development. Others, even her sister Kitty, have the capability to learn and to change. Lydia boasts of her married state, declaring that she now takes precedence over Jane at the table and offering to ‘get husbands’ for her sisters. ‘“I thank you for my share of the favour,” said Elizabeth; “but I do not particularly like your way of getting husbands”’ (p. 261). The final affirmation of romance. Elizabeth, the heroine, has won love, marriage and money by her intelligence, honesty – and attractiveness. Her willingness to admit her mistakes and change has been her most outstanding quality. Darcy, the hero, has also admitted his mistakes and changed. The themes of manners, good class and proper pride (not snobbery) reach a conclusion here. Family issues remain. Jane and Mrs Bennet react in characteristic ways – Mr Bennet goes further. He truly loves Elizabeth and for once takes her happiness seriously: ‘My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life’ (p. 312). There is a revealing moment when Mr Bennet says, ‘For what do we live but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?’ (p. 301) This may remind you of the moment when Elizabeth tells Darcy how much she enjoys a joke: ‘Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can’ (Vol. 1, Ch. 11, p. 46). The linking word is ‘divert’. Now, in this awkward conversation, Mr Bennet asks Elizabeth whether she is amused by Mr Collins’s suggestion that Mr Darcy might be attracted to her. She claims she is ‘excessively diverted’ (p. 301) but it is not true. She has discovered that there are more serious reasons for existence than laughing at other people, even Mr Collins. This theme reappears as Elizabeth and Darcy confess their mistakes. Darcy admits being deeply hurt by her justified accusation that he had not behaved in a ‘gentleman-like’ manner (p. 304). He explains how his upbringing had made him proud and selfish even though his parents were good people. He is truly grateful to her for forcing him to change: ‘You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled’ (p. 306). In return she tells him how important his letter was in forcing her to think again and gradually removing ‘all her former prejudices’ (p. 305).
Friendship
Manners and reputation
