READING AND REFLECTING ON THE TEXT

 

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE - JANE AUSTEN

About the Author:

Jane Austen (16 December 1775 - 18 July 1817), an English writer who first gave the novel its distinctly modern character through her treatment of ordinary people in everyday life. She published four novels during her lifetime:

Sense and Sensibility (1811)

Pride and Prejudice (1813)

Mansfield Park (1814)

Emma (1815)

Her novels define the era's novel of manners and became timeless classics that remained critical and popular success for over two centuries after her death.

Other novels are Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, Lady Susan. Pride and Prejudice published anonymously in three volumes in 1813. It centres on the turbulent relationship between Elizabeth Bennet, the daughter of a country gentleman and Darcy, a rich aristocratic land owner.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Pride and Prejudice is set in 19th century England. Writer introduces Bennet family, having five different sisters. Mrs. Bennet wanted her daughters to get married to rich families. At a ball, wealthy Charles Bingley began to show affection towards Mrs. Bennet's elder daughter Jane. His close friend Darcy refuses to dance with Elizabeth, which makes everyone view him as an arrogant. Later, Darcy finds himself attracted to Elizabeth's charm.

One day, Jane visits Bingley's mansion and catches ill, forcing her to stay at Netherfield for several days. Elizabeth came to nurse her. When Elizabeth and Jane returned home, they find Mr.Collins in their house. He is a clergy man who inherit Mr. Bennet's property. He is the next male heir. Mr. Collins makes a marriage proposal to Elizabeth, but she rejected. Meanwhile, Bennet girls become friendly with military officers stationed in nearby town. Among them, Wickham, a young handsome soldier talks Elizabeth, how Darcy cruelly cheated him out of an inheritance.

At the Begining of winter, Bingleys and Darcy leaves Netherfield and return to London, Jane became upset. Further shock arrives with the news that Mr. Collins become engaged to Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth's best friend. Charlotte accepted Collin's proposal for financial reasons. When they got married, Elizabeth visited them at their new home. Jane visits the city to see her friends hoping that she might see Bingley. But she couldn't meet him.

Elizabeth visits Charlotte who lives near the home of Collin's patron, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who is Darcy's aunt. Darcy approaches Lady Catherine and encounters Elizabeth. One day, he makes a shocking proposal of marriage, but Elizabeth quickly refused. She tells Darcy that she considers him as an arrogant and scolds him for taking Bingley away from Jane and disinheriting Wickham. Later, Darcy delivers a letter to her. He admits that he urged Bingley to distance himself from Jane, but he claims that he did because he thought their romance wasn't serious. He confronts Wickham as a liar and the real reason is that he attempted to elope with his young sister, Georgiana Darcy.

This letter causes Elizabeth to reevaluate her feelings about Darcy. Elizabeth goes on another journey with Gardiners, who are the relatives of Bennets, eventually, to the neighbourhood of Pemberley, Darcy's estate. She visits Pemberely, after making sure that Darcy is away. Suddenly Darcy arrives without mentioning of his proposal, he entertains Gardiners and invites Elizabeth to meet his sister. Soon, a letter arrives from her home informing that Lydia, her younger sister has eloped with Wickham. Elizabeth hastens to home. Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Bennet go off to search for Lydia. When they lost hope, a letter comes from Mr. Gardiner and the letter says that the couple has been found and Wickhan agreed to marry Lydia in exchange of annual income. Bennets thought that Mr. Gardiner has paid off Wickham, but Elizabeth learns that the source of the money was Darcy.

Bingley returns to Netherfield and began to meet Jane and soon he proposes Jane. Lady Catherine de Bough corners Elizabeth and demands that Elizabeth should promise to refuse Darcy. She said that she will not promise anything against her own happiness. A little later, Elizabeth and Darcy goes out walking together and tells her that his feelings have not altered. She tenderly accepts his proposal and both Jane and Elizabeth are married to Bingley and Darcy.

Character Sketch

ELIZABETH BENNET

The second daughter in the Bennet family and the most intelligent and quick-witted. Her honesty, virtue and lively wit enable her to rise above the nonsense and bad behaviour that pervade her class bound society. Pride and Prejudice shows how she overcome all obstacles including her own personal failings, to find romantic happiness. As she gradually comes to recognise the nobility of Darcy's character, she realises the error of her initial prejudice against him.

DARCY

The son of a wealthy family and the master of the great estate of Pemberely. The narrator relates Elizabeth's point of view of events more often than Darcy's so, Elizabeth often seems a more sympathetic figure. Darcy is her ideal match. Intelligent and forthright, he has a tendency to judge too hastily and harshly and his high birth and wealth make him overly proud. When he proposes to her, she rejects him and that builds a kind of humility in him. His continued affection to Elizabeth leads him to rescue Lydia. Darcy proves himself worthy of Elizabeth and she ends up repenting her harsh judgement of him.

JANE BENNET AND CHARLES BINGLEY

A potential couple. Elizabeth's elder sister and Darcy's wealthy best friend Bingley and Jane. They are so similar in nature. Jane's gentle spirit serves as a foil for her sister's nature, while Bingley's eager friendliness contrasts with Darcy's stiff pride. Jane and Bingley exhibit to the reader true love unhampered by either pride or prejudice, through their simple goodness. They also demonstrate that such a love is mildly dull.

RELEVANCE OF THE NOVEL

The segregation of the society into the wealthy, the better educated individuals and the poor class is still relevant. In the novel, Bingley's sister looks down on the Bennets as people with vulgar manners and lower social standing. Likewise, in today's society, people with less salaries and poor education are mocked by the upper class and the wealthy girls tend to think of poor girls to be less pretty.

Another issue taken up in this book is that the economic dependence of a woman in a society on a good husband to attain respect. This has changed in some parts of the world. But in some places, woman are still considered to be objects of no economical importance and burdens to be married off as soon as possible. Woman marrying for love and adoration and not for social standing, economic depends is highly practised in today's world and very favourable.

Pride and Prejudice, a novel of 480 pages is the most inspired novel I have ever read in my life. The characters are like wispy shadows of something that could be interesting. This is a lovely novel. It is beautifully written and it is filled with characters who feel full and different from one another.