Feminist Undertones in Pride and Prejudice - 2078 Words

FEMINIST UNDERTONES IN ‘PRIDE AND PREJUDICE’ Introduction Jane Austen authored the novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ in 1813, a period in the social history of England that saw most women as best equipped for the private and domestic realm. An ideal woman was the picture of chastity, innocence and compliancy. Even women authors in this period were expected to adhere to genres that were considered to be solely their domain- the refined arts, household management, love, courtship, family life and fidelity in the face of temptation. Although ‘Pride and Prejudice’ was primarily a romance between two free-thinking individuals, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, it has grave feminist†¦show more content†¦Virginia Woolf once said, â€Å"Austen’s characters are so rounded and substantial that people treat them as if they are ‘living people’.† The heroines in the novels had enough agency to exercise their will. They overcame obstacles very modernisitically. In the novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’, the social world of Elizabeth, is scrupulously described, but within these limitations, the heroine as well as the hero, Mr. Darcy are allowed to achieve self expression. Love and marriage for them signify the control of egoism and misperception and the regenerative merging of the self with the ongoing community. With their earnest tone, clear narrative line, contemporary settings, drama and pathos, Jane Austen’s writings become a persuasive communicator of significant beliefs and values. Elizabeth Bennet is a vivacious young woman who, inspite of living in a society that curtailed the thoughts and actions of the fairer sex, lived freely and almost on her own terms. Her opinions of people and situations are rational and her sense of judgement is almost always sound. She possesses not only intelligence but is also sharp and has a great presence of mind. She reads books, plays the piano and loves walking in the outdoors, an act deeply condemned by Mrs Bennet as well as the Bingley sisters as not ladylike. However these attributes endear her even more to Mr. Darcy. Rachel Trickett, in her essayShow MoreRelatedPride And Prejudice By Jane Austen933 Words   |  4 PagesJane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was first published in 1813(Gary vii) a time when women had â€Å"few legal and economic rights or even receiving little respect, women can be seen as oppressed victims of a patriarchal society, subordinate first to their fathers and, then, to their husbands who had, of course, been selected by their fathers† (Swords, 76-82). At first glance one might think that Pride and Prejudice reinforces sexist stereotypes, however upon further examination of Jane Austen and herRead MorePride and Prejudice by Jane Austen2186 Words   |  9 PagesIn Jane Austen’s â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† the story of two unlikely lovers unfolds. Elizabeth Bennett, the second eldest of five sisters, unfortunately has a mother who wants her to marry rich. When Elizabeth first encounters Fitzwilliam Darcy they mutually dislike each other. The two characters undergo conflicts that revolve around each other. As the story progresses Mr. Darcy finds a likeness for Elizabeth that she does not return. After Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, that she rejects, he clearsRead MoreHow it Feels to be Colored Me by Hurston and Hughes’ The Negro Mother1229 Words   |  5 PagesStates. Due to financial difficulties Hughes was primarily raised by his grandmother while his mother sought work to provide for their family. After graduating high school Hughes attended Columbia University until leaving in 1922 due to racial prejudice. Throughout most of the 1920’s Hughes traveled around the world, working various odd jobs to support himself, and working on his writing until enrolling at Lincoln University where he obtained his degree in 1929. After Hughes graduated from LincolnRead MoreEffects Of Stigma On African Americans2054 Words   |  9 Pagesless emotion-laden responses than might a parent. This prospective relationship s tands in sharp contrast with the alternative popular image of childless women as predominantly negative and characterized as reprimanding, pitying, and threatening undertones, either pitying or reprimanding. Without doubt, the image of the avuncular savvy auntie stands in marked contrast with the aged spinster whose familial relationship in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was so troubling. As Fischer