READING AND REFLECTING OF JANE AUSTEN PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

  P R A C T I C U M

  READING AND REFLECTING OF                                       JANE AUSTEN

   PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

  SUBMITTED BY                                                    SUBMITTED TO,

SRUTHI SURESH                                           Dr. VELAYUDHAN NAIR .T

ENGLISH OPTIONAL                       PEET MEMORIAL TRAINING COLLEGE

                                                                               MAVELIKARA

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JANE AUSTEN

Jane austen was born in 1775,she was the sixth child in a family of seven children.jane bagan to write at a young  age.Pride and prejudice,her most popular novels the first to be written,Sense and senisibility was published first , in 1811. Her other four novels ,Mansfield park, Emma , Nothanger Abbey , and persuasion were all published between 1814 and 1818.  Her artistic apprenticeship lasted from her teenage years into her thirties.

Jane Austen is possibly the most well known and widely referred female novelist on earth. Austen’s brilliantly created novels include ‘Sense and Sensibility’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’, ‘Mansfield Park’ and ‘Emma’. Austen was a great writer who ruled the writing world, considered to be man’s territory before she arrived. Jane’s involvement with the family and her family’s support for her writing career made her move forward and find a place in the history of English Literature and mankind in general. Jane found a new way of writing that was equally stylish and realistic. Jane found a great place among fellow writers and critics of her times. In her novels, Jane used various forms of literary styles. Jane’s writing has surpassed the barriers of time and has been accepted by modern day readers and literary circles for excellent comic elements. Jane Austen’s works have been beautifully portrayed through several films, theatre and television adaptations. Due to anonymity used in her writing, Jane got maximum honours and tributes after her death which have flown even to the present times
                                           Austen wrote poems, stories, and comic pieces for the amusement of her family. She compiled several of the pieces she wrote between 1787 and 1793 into three bound notebooks, which scholars now refer to as Austen’s “Juvenalia.” Austen expressed an interest in drama and comedy  she often staged theatrical productions at home with her siblings. As she continued to experiment with writing, Austen became adept at parodying the sentimental and Gothic style of eighteenth-century novels.

 As with many great authors, Austen died before she gained significant public recognition. Although her novels were fashionable with prominent members of British society like Princess Charlotte, the daughter of the Prince Regent, critics largely ignored her work. In the twentieth century, Austen’s novels began to attract attention from literary scholars who conducted serious academic studies on her texts. Over the past several decades, there have been more than 200 literary adaptations of Austen’s novels, as well as numerous film versions.

 A BRIEF SUMMARY OF PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

                                           The news that a wealthy young gentleman named Charles Bingley has rented the manor of Netherfield Park causes a great stir in the nearby village of Longbourn, especially in the Bennet household. The Bennets have five unmarried daughters—from oldest to youngest, Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia—and Mrs. Bennet is desperate to see them all married. After Mr. Bennet pays  a social visit to Mr. Bingley, the Bennets attend a ball at which Mr. Bingley is present. He is taken with Jane and spends much of the evening dancing with her. His close friend, Mr. Darcy, is less pleased with the evening and haughtily refuses to dance with Elizabeth, which makes everyone view him as arrogant and obnoxious.

At social functions over subsequent weeks, however, Mr. Darcy finds himself increasingly attracted to Elizabeth’s charm and intelligence. Jane’s friendship with Mr. Bingley also continues to burgeon, and Jane pays  a visit to the Bingley mansion. On her journey to the house she is caught in a downpour and catches ill, forcing her to stay at Netherfield for several days. In order to tend to Jane, Elizabeth hikes through muddy fields and arrives with a spattered dress, much to the disdain of the snobbish Miss Bingley, Charles Bingley’s sister. Miss Bingley’s spite only increases when she notices that Darcy, whom she is pursuing, pays quite a bit of attention to Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth and Jane return home, they find Mr. Collins visiting their household. Mr. Collins is a young clergyman who stands to inherit Mr. Bennet’s property, which has been “entailed,” meaning that it can only be passed down to male heirs. Mr. Collins is a pompous fool, though he is quite enthralled by the Bennet girls. Shortly after his arrival, he makes a proposal of marriage to Elizabeth. She turns him down, wounding his pride. Meanwhile, the Bennet girls have become friendly with militia officers stationed in a nearby town. Among them is Wickham, a handsome young soldier who is friendly toward Elizabeth and tells her how Darcy cruelly cheated him out of an inheritance.

At the beginning of winter, the Bingleys and Darcy leave Netherfield and return to London, much to Jane’s dismay. A further shock arrives with the news that Mr. Collins has become engaged to Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth’s best friend and the poor daughter of a local knight. Charlotte explains to Elizabeth that she is getting older and needs the match for financial  reasons. Charlotte and Mr. Collins get married and Elizabeth promises to visit them at their new home. As winter progresses, Jane visits the city to see friends (hoping also that she might see Mr. Bingley). However, Miss Bingley visits her and behaves rudely, while Mr. Bingley fails to visit her at all. The marriage prospects for the Bennet girls appear bleak.

That spring, Elizabeth visits Charlotte, who now lives near the home of Mr. Collins’s patron, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who is also Darcy’s aunt. Darcy calls on Lady Catherine and encounters Elizabeth, whose presence leads him to make a number of visits to the Collins’s home, where she is staying. One day, he makes a shocking proposal of marriage, which Elizabeth quickly refuses. She tells Darcy that she considers him arrogant and unpleasant, then scolds him for steering Bingley away from Jane and disinheriting Wickham. Darcy leaves her but shortly thereafter delivers a letter to her. In this letter, he admits that he urged Bingley to distance himself from Jane, but claims he did so only because he thought their romance was not serious. As for Wickham, he informs Elizabeth that the young officer is a liar and that the real cause of their disagreement was Wickham’s attempt to elope with his young sister, Georgiana Darcy.

This letter causes Elizabeth to reevaluate her feelings about Darcy. She returns home and acts coldly toward Wickham. The militia is leaving town, which makes the younger, rather man-crazy Bennet girls distraught. Lydia manages to obtain permission from her father to spend the summer with an old colonel in Brighton, where Wickham’s regiment will be stationed. With the arrival of June, Elizabeth goes on another journey, this time with the Gardiners, who are relatives of the Bennets. The trip takes her to the North and eventually to the neighborhood of Pemberley, Darcy’s estate. She visits Pemberley, after making sure that Darcy is away, and delights in the building and grounds, while hearing from Darcy’s servants that he is a wonderful, generous master. Suddenly, Darcy arrives and behaves cordially toward her. Making no mention of his proposal, he entertains the Gardiners and invites Elizabeth to meet his sister.

Shortly thereafter, however, a letter arrives from home, telling Elizabeth that Lydia has eloped with Wickham and that the couple is nowhere to be found, which suggests that they may be living together out of wedlock. Fearful of the disgrace such a situation would bring on her entire family, Elizabeth hastens home. Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Bennet go off to search for Lydia, but Mr. Bennet eventually returns home empty-handed. Just when all hope seems lost, a letter comes from Mr. Gardiner saying that the couple has been found and that Wickham has agreed to marry Lydia in exchange for an annual income. The Bennets are convinced that Mr. Gardiner has paid off Wickham, but Elizabeth learns that the source of the money, and of her family’s salvation, was none other than Darcy.

Now married, Wickham and Lydia return to Longbourn briefly, where Mr. Bennet treats them coldly. They then depart for Wickham’s new assignment in the North of England. Shortly thereafter, Bingley returns to Netherfield and resumes his courtship of Jane. Darcy goes to stay with him and pays visits to the Bennets but makes no mention of his desire to marry Elizabeth. Bingley, on the other hand, presses his suit and proposes to Jane, to the delight of everyone but Bingley’s haughty sister. While the family celebrates, Lady Catherine de Bourgh pays a visit to Longbourn. She corners Elizabeth and says that she has heard that Darcy, her nephew, is planning to marry her. Since she considers a Bennet an unsuitable match for a Darcy, Lady Catherine demands that Elizabeth promise to refuse him. Elizabeth spiritedly refuses, saying she is not engaged to Darcy, but she will not promise anything against her own happiness. A little later, Elizabeth and Darcy go out walking together and he tells her that his feelings have not altered since the spring. She tenderly accepts his proposal, and both Jane and Elizabeth are married.

REFLECTION OF PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

                                  Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice addresses two major conflicting themes: love and class status. In many ways it is impossible to talk about one without the other as Austin displays how these two themes are so interconnected in Victorian society. The only hope of improving one’s social and economic standing was through marriage. Throughout the novel, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth's love for one another is challenged by the social hierarchy in England at that time. The Bingleys and the Darcys are from wealthy upper class families, viewing those of lower social status as being far inferior. This motif is played out throughout the novel. One such instance is when Mrs. Bennet pays  a visit to the Bingleys and is blatantly ridiculed by Mr. Bingley’s sisters. Due to these conventionally pompous attitudes, Darcy too initially dismisses Elizabeth as too plain and unrefined for a man of his stature. This having been said, Elizabeth is equally guilty of judging Darcy too hastily, and using her initial impression to justify her distain for him. In the end, however, the unlikely pair marry, proving that love is the only force strong enough to break down age-old social prejudices

The protagonist of the novel, is portrayed as an independent and innovative woman of her time. She is the second eldest of the five Bennet sisters and shares a close relationship with her older sister Jane. Favored by her father, Elizabeth is seen as her mother’s least favorite. This comes as no surprise as Mrs. Bennet is extremely superficial and self-absorbed, the polar opposite of Elizabeth. Her younger sisters, Kitty and Lydia, are equally repulsive, shamelessly flirtatious with men of the local military outpost. Though very dedicated to her family, Elizabeth is often humiliated by their personalities. 

A central theme within the novel is Elizabeth’s limitation for marriage resulting from her family’s social status. Elizabeth’s mother throws a fit when her predetermined plans to wealthily wed each of her daughters clashes with Elizabeth’s personal creed to marry for love, regardless of material wealth. One such example is when Elizabeth is proposed to by her imbecilic cousin, Mr. Collins. According to inheritance mandates of nineteenth century England, Mr. Collins is entitled to the family’s entire estate upon Mr. Bennet’s death. Elizabeth, however, does not love him nor ever could. She is often regarded as being too stubborn, socially rebellious, and judgmental, viewing those who do not share her same beliefs concerning marriage in a condescending light. This proves true when Elizabeth’s dear friend, Charlotte Lucas, in turn marries the spurned Mr. Collins solely for financial security. Elizabeth disapproves of her friend’s shallow and conformist decision, causing her to so eagerly court and proceed to marry him. 

Just as she possesses critical opinions about select others, so too do others reciprocate the criticism and judgment for her. When faced with opposition, Elizabeth’s quick and fiery tongue often gets the better of her. A key event in the novel that exemplifies Elizabeth’s spirit transforms her life drastically. While attending a social gathering, Elizabeth is introduced to Fitzwilliam Darcy, a tall, handsome, and wealthy landowner. Their meeting is spiteful and cruel. Mr. Darcy does not hesitate to insult and slight Elizabeth and her family. Somewhat uncharacteristically, Elizabeth’s musters the strength to internalize his words and remain silent; however, Mr. Darcy’s insults give her reason to be prejudiced against him and his seemingly unjustifiable pride. 

The rollercoaster of affairs involving two men in Elizabeth’s life begin partially after her initial acquaintance with Mr. Darcy followed by that with a handsome and charming, yet impoverished soldier named George Wickham. Initially, Wickham captures Elizabeth’s interest, however, he is deceitful about his past, portraying Mr. Darcy as the primary source of his suffering and misery. Elizabeth trusts Wickham’s fabrication completely, only succeeding to fuel Elizabeth’s increasing distain for Mr. Darcy. In addition to Wickham’s malicious tales, Elizabeth discovers that Mr. Darcy is responsible for the cruel end to the romantic relations between her beloved older sister Jane and Mr. Darcy’s good friend, Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth loathes Mr. Darcy as Jane is overcome with depression from the abrupt ending of her relationship with Mr. Bingley. 

The turning point of the novel is marked by Mr. Darcy’s shocking marriage proposal to Elizabeth. Naturally, she is stunned and even appalled at this, considering her preconceptions of his character. Elizabeth proceeds to charge Mr. Darcy with poor manners and ignoble character. Mr. Darcy eventually enables Elizabeth to see his true character as an honorable and respectable gentleman. Ironically, Elizabeth also comes to realize that all the characteristics she erroneously distained in Mr. Darcy truly belong to Mr. Wickham. 

As time goes on, Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet’s relationship only strengthens as they solidify a loving relationship. New obstacles arise between the two proud lovers, though, mainly stemming from social faux pas and class divides only true love can bond. Additionally, a dramatic scandal arises nearly eliminating any possibility of marriage between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth discovers that her impulsive sister Lydia has run away with George Wickham, without any intentions of marrying. Lydia’s actions are certain to bring shame and dishonor to the entire Bennet family, such that no respectable man would be able to consider marrying the remaining sisters thereafter. Mr. Darcy rescues the Bennet family name by providing the financial  means for Lydia and Wickham to marry. It is only due to the audacious personalities of both Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth that the two are able to overcome tribulations caused by nearly every character involved: Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mrs. Bennet, George Wickham, the younger Bennet sisters and Mr. Bingley’s sisters. 

Elizabeth suffers the loss of hope after introspective reflection and painful confrontation of shallow social standards. She is devastated by the possibility that after reconsidering true nobility of Mr. Darcy’s character, she could have lost him forever. It will take redeeming the seemingly irreversible and shocking scandal of Lydia and George Wickham’s elopement for Mr. Darcy to prove his noble, selfless, and considerate character. He saves not only the Bennet family by making Lydia an honorable woman by offering Wickham enough money to entice him to wed the virtually penniless Lydia, despite his own personal grudge against the deceitful Wickham. The restoration of honor to the Bennet family provides for two more important marriages to take place: one between Jane and Mr. Bingley, and the other between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. In the end, Elizabeth has maintained her pride, yet is able to overcome her prejudice against Mr. Darcy, who initially sought to damage this pride upon meeting each other for the first time. Eventually, Elizabeth is forced to reconsider her prejudice attitudes, targeting the superfluous societal values as a whole, instead of the people who live by them. 

As in all of Austen’s novels, individual conflicts are defined and resolved within a rigidly delimited social context, in which relationships are determined by wealth and rank. The oft-quoted opening sentence establishes the societal values that underlie the main conflict: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s opening dialogue concerning the eligible Bingley explores this truth. Devoid of individuality, Mrs. Bennet is nevertheless well attuned to society’s edicts. Mr. Bennet, an individualist to the point of eccentricity, represents neither personal conviction nor social conviction, and he views with equal indifference Bingley’s right to his own reason for settling there and society’s right to see him primarily as a potential husband. Having repudiated society, Mr. Bennet cannot take seriously either the claims of the individual or the social order.

As the central character, Elizabeth, her father’s favorite and her mother’s least favorite child, must come to terms with the conflicting values implicit in her parents’ antithetical characters. She is like her father in her scorn of society’s conventional judgments, but she champions the concept of individual merit independent of money and rank. She is, indeed, prejudiced against the prejudices of society.

As a champion of the individual, Elizabeth prides herself on her discriminating judgment and boasts that she is a student of character. Significantly, it is Darcy who warns her against prejudiced conclusions, reminding her that her experience is quite limited. Darcy is not simply the representative of a society that primarily values wealth and consequence—as Elizabeth initially views him—but also a citizen of a larger society than the village to which Elizabeth has been confined by circumstance. Consequently, it is only when she begins to move into Darcy’s world that she can judge with true discrimination both individual merit and the dictates of the society that she has rejected. Fundamentally honest, she revises her conclusions as new experiences warrant, and in the case of Darcy and Wickham she ends up radically altering her opinion.

More significant than the obviously ironic reversals, however, is the growing revelation of Elizabeth’s unconscious commitment to society. Her original condemnation of Darcy’s pride coincides with the verdict of Meryton society. Moreover, she shares society’s regard for wealth. Even while denying the importance of Wickham’s poverty, she countenances his pursuit of the ugly Miss King’s fortune, discerning her own inconsistency only after she learns of his bad character. Most revealing, when Lydia Bennet runs off with Wickham, Elizabeth instinctively understands the judgment of society when she laments that Wickham would never marry a woman without money

Elizabeth acknowledges a connection between wealth and human values at the crucial moment when she first looks upon Pemberley, the Darcy estate. She is not entirely joking when she tells Jane that her love for Darcy began when she first saw his beautiful estate. Elizabeth’s experiences, especially her discoveries of the well-ordered Pemberley and Darcy’s tactful generosity to Lydia and Wickham, lead her to differentiate between Charlotte’s theory that family and fortune bestow a “right to be proud” and Darcy’s position that the intelligent person does not indulge in false pride. Darcy’s pride is real, but it is regulated by responsibility. Unlike his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who relishes the distinction of rank, he disapproves less of the Bennets’ undistinguished family and fortune than of the lack of propriety displayed by most of the family. Therefore, Elizabeth scarcely overstates her case when, at the end, she assures her father that Darcy has no improper pride.

Elizabeth begins by rejecting the values and restraints of society as they are represented by such people as her mother, the Lucases, Miss Bingley, and Lady Catherine. Instead, she initially upholds the claims of the individual, which are elsewhere represented only by her whimsical father. By the end of the novel, the heart of her conflict appears in the contrast between her father and Darcy. She loves her father and has tried to overlook his lack of decorum in conjugal matters, but she has been forced to see that his freedom is really irresponsibility, the essential cause of Jane’s misery as well as Lydia’s amorality. The implicit comparison between Mr. Bennet’s and Darcy’s approach to matrimony illustrates their different methods of dealing with society’s restraints. Unrestrained by society, having been captivated by the inferior Mrs. Bennet’s youth and beauty, Mr. Bennet consulted only his personal desires and made a disastrous marriage. Darcy, in contrast, defies society only when he has made certain that Elizabeth is a woman worthy of his love and lifetime devotion.

                  The title exemplifies the focus of the novel and defines the themes presented in the novel.Through their experiences of both pride and prejudice.