Pride And Prejudice Essay

Pride and Prejudice

The novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was originally titled First Impressions. This is significant because it reflects the values and attitudes of 19th century England, and portrays the main themes of the novel. It is set in England during the 1800's and Austen focuses on a society whose opinions are based on first impressions. This is achieved through cultural context, characterisation, narratorial commentary, and methods/techniques.

During the 19th Century, first impressions were very important. The reader is presented with Meryton, a highly structured class society which judges people on superficial qualities, such as physical appearance, social status, clothes, possessions, behaviour, dialogue. The...show more content...

Although the Bennetts are 'upper/middle class', there are divisions between each class, so they are looked upon as at the 'lower' end of the scale. It is Darcy's pride that forces him to believe he is better than others, mainly because of the amount of money he has. Mr Darcy feels as if he can be rude to anyone he likes, because the society of Meryton is 'socially and financially lower' then himself.

After seeing Jane together with Mr Bingley at the dinner party, Darcy's first impressions (which allow him to think that he has the right to interfere in their relationship) force him into believing that Jane (coming from a family less wealthy then his own) is only after Mr Bingley for security, and financial stability. Instead of realising the love they have towards each other, Darcy allows his pride to blind him of the truth and foolishly assume that only a lady of equal status (as his) is worthy of Bingley's love. Mr Wickham is another example of first impressions based on superficial qualities. His first impressions are very favourable and he is 'socially accepted' into the Meryton circle. "But the attention of every young lady was soon caught by a young man, whom they had never seen before, of most gentlemanlike appearance, walking with an officer, on the other side of the way."

(Page 62)

His charming personality, and impressive first impressions soon gathered the acceptance and approval of everyone in the community. Ironically, his

In Pride and prejudice I have came to the conclusion that there are many characters and all play a very good role. Here is a brief down low on what Ive collected. First starting with The Bennet's consisting of Mr and Mrs Bennet and their five daughters Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia. Mr. And Mrs. Bennett, This husband and wife duo are a humorous couple due to Mrs Bennet's simplicity coupled by Mr Bennet's dry humor and wit. Mrs Bennet is a simply easy woman who dedicates her attention to guarantee that her daughters are married and busies herself in idle gossip. She suffers from her "poor nerves" which are inflamed by almost any situation which isn 't to her liking, much to the humor of Mr Bennet. Lydia is the...show more content...

Now, like I said before they have 5 daughters here let 's start with Jane the beauty of the family. Jane is the eldest of the Bennet daughters and has a close relationship to Elizabeth. Through their relationship we learn a lot about Jane's character, who is sensible, calm and good. She always thinks the best of people and situations, sometimes much to her discredit like when she refused to believe that Wickham could be anything but good, an opinion which is severely disappointed through the course of the novel. However, her ability to not always believe what is said about people also shows a good sense of judgment when she has faith in Darcy's character when under attack by Wickham's accusations which he divulges to Elizabeth. Lizzy's comment to Jane when talking to her about her first impressions of Mr Darcy describes Jane's character accurately – "You never see fault in anybody. All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes. I never heard you speak ill of a human being in my life." From early in the novel, Jane and Mr Bingley develop a romantic connection that takes the course of the entire novel to result in marriage. Although she is a likable character, through her reactions to their relationship makes the reader feel slightly distant towards her when we see how she is so unable to express anger and negativity as this makes her slightly unnatural and naive when she decides

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Pride and Prejudice In Pride and Prejudice Austen offers up commentary on a variety of themes– prejudice, family, marriage, class, and so on. Of all the themes, perhaps none is better developed than that of Pride. Pride and Prejudice is regarded as a brilliant piece of social commentary, offering a vivid peek into the British Regency life in 1813. The social milieu of Austen's Regency England was particularly stratified, and class divisions were rooted in family connections and wealth. In her work, Austen is often critical of the assumptions, pride, and prejudices of upper–class England. Austen often satirizes England's prideful individuals; the England she depicts is one in which social mobility is limited, and class–consciousness and...show more content... He reflects later on why he was that way: "I was spoiled by my parents, who though good themselves . . . allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing . . . to think meanly of all the rest of the world." In the end, Darcy and Elizabeth's later realization of a mutual love infers that with the proper moral upbringing one may overcome pride to lead a life of decency and kindness. The subsequent 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 and pride. After all, it is the anxieties about social connections, or the desire for better, more priding social relationships, that seem to be interfering with the workings of love. Furthermore, not only does Austen's novel display an ambiguity about emotion as a result of pride, but also exhibits an appreciation for wealth and pride, which is characterized by Darcy. In its awareness of the conditions of modernity and city life and the consequences for family structure and individual characters, the novel prefigures much Victorian literature as does the authors' use of such elements as many formal social gatherings and rather flawed, prideful characters. The theme of pride is developed by the class consciousness of the characters throughout Pride and Prejudice. Darcy's

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