Pride and Prejudice Research Paper
Amber Kakish
Professor Davis
English 1A
12 December 2011
A Progressive Work in a Conservative Time Pride and Prejudice, a Jane Austen novel, is one of the most classical pieces of literature in history. It has been evaluated and critiqued a countless number of times, and has been adapted into several films. It can be argued that there is a lot to be retained by readers from this literary work, an important message that can be passed down from generation to generation. During Jane Austen’s time, in the early 1800’s, women were around to be married off, bear children, and cater to their man. Men were meant to work and instruct their women, and the more money you had, the more respected you were. A woman’s goal in life was to marry higher than her class, and social status was everything. History often has a way of repeating itself, whether that history is bad or good, and Austen was not oblivious to this fact. She created a novel to portray the ways of her time, and to appropriately criticize her era where criticism was due. Austen’s Pride and Prejudice effectively opposes the conservative views of her time through her diction and plot throughout the novel in order to inform readers of the idiocy of acting in a non-progressive manner.
The point of view in Pride and Prejudice is free indirect discourse; the story is told through Elizabeth, but not in first person. As a result, the events in the novel lack much drama or emotion. According to María Rosa Menocal on JSTOR, “The atmosphere is intellectual and cold, and there is not much detail or warmth throughout the novel.” The darkness and bland mood that results from Austen’s use of free indirect discourse can be a representation of Austen’s negative opinion towards what is going on in the novel. Austen obviously disagrees with the conservative values of her era, and finds it repulsive to look for marriage or any kind of fulfillment based on money or social class. The actions and events in the novel derive from
Professor Davis
English 1A
12 December 2011
A Progressive Work in a Conservative Time Pride and Prejudice, a Jane Austen novel, is one of the most classical pieces of literature in history. It has been evaluated and critiqued a countless number of times, and has been adapted into several films. It can be argued that there is a lot to be retained by readers from this literary work, an important message that can be passed down from generation to generation. During Jane Austen’s time, in the early 1800’s, women were around to be married off, bear children, and cater to their man. Men were meant to work and instruct their women, and the more money you had, the more respected you were. A woman’s goal in life was to marry higher than her class, and social status was everything. History often has a way of repeating itself, whether that history is bad or good, and Austen was not oblivious to this fact. She created a novel to portray the ways of her time, and to appropriately criticize her era where criticism was due. Austen’s Pride and Prejudice effectively opposes the conservative views of her time through her diction and plot throughout the novel in order to inform readers of the idiocy of acting in a non-progressive manner.
The point of view in Pride and Prejudice is free indirect discourse; the story is told through Elizabeth, but not in first person. As a result, the events in the novel lack much drama or emotion. According to María Rosa Menocal on JSTOR, “The atmosphere is intellectual and cold, and there is not much detail or warmth throughout the novel.” The darkness and bland mood that results from Austen’s use of free indirect discourse can be a representation of Austen’s negative opinion towards what is going on in the novel. Austen obviously disagrees with the conservative values of her era, and finds it repulsive to look for marriage or any kind of fulfillment based on money or social class. The actions and events in the novel derive from
Cited: Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Ed. Donald Gray. 3rd Ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2001 Ed. Donald Gray. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2001. 319-326. Print. Cohen, Paula. “Jane Austen 's Rejection of Rousseau: A Novelistic and Feminist Initiation.” Papers on Language and Literature 30.3 (1994): 215-219 Francis, Diana. “Man vs. Woman Characters.” Novels for Students. Ed. Thompson Gale. New York: Thomas Register, 1997 Ed. Donald Gray. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2001. 348-355. Print. Literature Network, The. The Literature Network. TLN, 2011. Web. 7 Dec. 2011. Menocal, María Rosa Hispanic Review of Literature 53.1 (1985): 61-69. JSTOR. Web. 11 Dec. 2011.