Sometimes at the moment of reading a novel, we can feel that the author reflects our own feelings; in fact, we can easily imagine our own life printed in the book. It is the case of Jane Austen's novels, in which she presents us human relationships through either a very natural or critical view: showing its virtues and defects.
One of her most distinguished novels is Pride and Prejudice. In this novel Jane Austen's critic eye portrayed the English countryside society of the late 18th century. Mainly, the story is centered in one family, the Bennets. They lived in Longbourn very near Netherfield Park where a "single man of large fortune" arrived. This young bachelor called Charles Bingley is a "good-looking and gentlemanlike"; he arrived with his two sisters, the husband of the eldest one, and his best friend, Mr. Darcy, an intelligent, wealthy and reserved man. After their arrival, their new neighbors invited them to a ball at the Assembly Rooms.
During the ball Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley immediately like each other; in contrast Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet reject each other, in fact when Charles tell Darcy that Elizabeth was "very pretty and agreeable", he answered coldly "she is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me." Nevertheless, both the Bingleys and the Bennets established a close relationship, as Charles and Jane were visibly attracted. Charles' sisters liked Jane but considered Elizabeth very proud and impertinent; they considered Mrs. Bennet and her youngest daughters tedious as well as with no manners.
On the other hand, Mr. Darcy started to develop some interest towards Elizabeth, but she still had her prejudice against him which was increased by Mr. Wickham, a handsome young officer, who told Elizabeth that he was the son of a trusted steward of Darcy's father, and Darcy, envious of his father's feelings towards Wickham, didn't fulfill his father's wish.
Due to the Bennets had a small fortune and no male heir, the fortune will be inherited by Mr. Bennet's cousin, William Collins who arrived at Longbourn state .The arrival of Collins had just one goal: to persuade one of the daughters to marry him. First he chose Jane, but, according to Mrs. Bennet, she was "likely to be very soon engaged," so he changed from Jane to Elizabeth, who rejected his proposal right away. Finally, he proposed to Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth's best friend, and she accepted resigned.
Elizabeth Bennet holds a few secrets from her family. While she is visiting the Collins’, Mr. Darcy enters the room Elizabeth is all alone in and abruptly declares his love for her. She politely declines his proposal for marriage, which turns into an angry accusation
Jane Bennet most exemplifies the traits and fits the mould of an ideal eighteenth-century Englishwoman, by which she ultimately finds her happiness. Amiable women of this time possessed “improved understanding and gentle manners…[and a] good sense”. Vapidity and moroseness were “deadweights [of] every kind…” on the social scene, and should be replaced with joy and sprightly conversation as “female conversation in its best form” was charming and alluring (Fordyce 396-397). Other than being the “most beautiful creature [Mr. Bingley] ever beheld”, Jane is kind and good-natured (Austen 50). She desires to see the best in others, shown when she stays neutral about Wickham and Mr. Darcy’s feud and suggesting that it must have been a misunderstanding with neither one being at fault. Upon meeting Mr. Bingley, Jane holds his attention throu...
Mr. Collins who is a cousin to Mr. Bennet, reforms him of his intent to visit. However, Collins may possibly inherit Longbourn because Mr. Bennet didn’t have a son. "Mr. Collins was not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society" (Austen
In the book the Bennet sisters are still unmarried and their mother is wanting them to get married as soon as possible.When a bachelor from London comes to Longbourn the Bennet sisters get excited to get to meet him at the ball. At the ball he is taken by Jane Bennet, the eldest of the five sisters. Mr.Darcy is Mr.Bingley’s friend and he isn’t taken by anyone, which makes everyone think of him as arrogant. But in a course of time he finds himself attracted to Elizabeth Bennet, the second eldest of the sister, because of her charm and intelligence. Jane’s and Mr.Bingley’s relationship continued and on her way to visit him she gets sick and Elizabeth walks all the way to the Bingley’s house to take care for her
As a retaliation Elizabeth stuns Darcy by refusing his proposal very harshly stating "I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry." This shows the extent of her prejudice against Darcy as she says that even from the beginning she disliked him. She condemns him for his arrogant manner in which he proposed his actions to separate Jane and Bingley and his actions of unfairness on Wickham. He accepts these accusations without apology, even with contempt. However, he flinches when she accuses him of not behaving like a gentleman and when Elizabeth finishes her denunciation of him, Darcy angrily departs.
Darcy alienated himself from the others at first because of his intense pride. His prejudice against the Bennets because of their poverty was also something that he would have to overcome. For Elizabeth, her prejudice. against Darcy came from his snobbery. It caused her to not see his feelings for her and believe whatever Wickman said.
Lady Catherine received a letter in which speculation that Mr. Darcy may soon become engaged to Miss Elizabeth Bennet was written. Enraged at this prospect, the Lady stormed over to the Longbourn estate to make her sentiments known.
There is much to enjoy and critique about the 2005 cinematic adaption of Austen's, Pride and Prejudice. Despite some slight historical inaccurate the film serves to present a fairly accurate description of life in the 18th century for a well to do young woman on the cusp of adulthood. When comparing this specific cinematic portrayal of Pride and Prejudice to what we currently know about the British Empire at the time we can see certain similarities in the position of women in society and in the home as told through the perspective of young Elizabeth Bennet. This perspective is limited in the sense that Elizabeth is middle class and has a greater access to resources than the majority of people during this time which is evidenced by the film's
The Game of Love Pride and Prejudice, adapted from Jane Austen’s book, takes place in the early 19th century as the play follows the life of the Bennets and four sisters’ quest of finding the perfect husband. This adaptation incorporates some modern culture and adds a comedic twist to the original plot making it playful and seemingly filled with never-ending obnoxious sounds. The set at the WaterTower Theater puts viewers in the middle of the action and has furniture with wheels making it easy to transition from scene to scene. The costume designs are very clever as actors can easily change out of them making it possible for actors to take on multiple roles with men taking on women's roles. Pride and Prejudice has many parts that will make
At the time, Mr. Collins was a very rich man and was well supported by his patroness, Lady Catherine. Not only that but he was also the heir to the Bennet house. If Elizabeth were to except his proposal, the house would stay in the Bennet family and she would be married to a wealthy man - something which Mrs. Bennet always dreams of. But she chooses to decline the proposal because she wants to marry for love - something that hardly any women at the time thought about.
Darcy’s, Mr. Wickham is received well by Elizabeth when they first encounter one another. Wickham seems to embody what any and every eligible young woman should desire in a partner, except for wealth. “Mr. Wickham…was happy to say he had accepted a commission in their corps. This was exactly as it should be; for the young man wanted only regimentals to make him completely charming. His appearance was greatly in his favour; he had all the best parts of beauty, a fine countenance, a good figure, and very pleasing address. The introduction was followed up on his side by a happy readiness of conversation – a readiness at the same perfectly correct and unassuming…” (Austen 49). Mr. Wickham shows traits that make him appear to be a good, well-mannered man. He exudes a confidence and likability that allows him to be met with positive impressions and left with an affirmative encounter.
The story of Pride and Prejudice starts with a ball, this is the first time that Elizabeth and Jane met Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley . While Jane and Mr. Bingley immediately began to take a liking to each other, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy certainly did not enjoy each others company, as upon their first meeting, Mr. Darcy had gravely insulted her with comments about her looks and also by not asking her to dance. Over the course of the next few meetings, Elizabeth,s hatred of Mr. Darcy grew until she could not see past her hatred of Darcy to any of his good qualities or his personality. A few weeks after these happening Jane Caught a sickness from riding to Mr. Bingley 's estate in the rain. There She stayed for weeks with poor health. Elizabeth came to stay with her during this time to bring her comfort.while staying with Jane at Mr. Bingley 's, Elizabeth spent more time with Mr. Darcy and the rest of the inhabitants at the house. During the time Elizabeth was there, Mr. Darcy was slowly growing fond of Elizabeth 's good humor and charm, even though her opinion was not changed and she still thought of him in disgust. Upon returning home, Jane and Elizabeth discover that their cousin,Mr. Collins, who is the potential heir
Many people read Jane Austen’s fiction novels and only see her writing as cliché and old fashioned. But her stories have a classic, undying theme to them. Stories that are still relatable to readers today. In the last 10 years Austen’s books have been made into a number of television adaptations. Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Mansfield Park. Not only do we see Austen’s story lines through her books and the movies, but many modern authors and movie directors use Austen as an inspiration when writing their books and movie scripts. Austen’s stories capture the heart of many people, but she also captures the heart of women today. Women who strive to abolish the social discrimination against themselves. It is a debatable
The main protagonist of the story, Elizabeth Bennet (nicknamed both Lizzy and Eliza), is the second daughter in the Bennet family. Second only to her elder sister in beauty, Elizabeth’s figure is said to be “light and pleasing,” with “dark eyes,” and “intelligent…expression” (24). At 20 years old, she is still creating her place in society. Known for her wit and playful nature, “Elizabeth is the soul of Pride and Prejudice, [she] reveals in her own person the very title qualities that she spots so easily” (“Pride and Prejudice”) in others. Her insightfulness often leads her to jump to conclusions and think herself above social demand. These tendencies lead her to be prejudice towards others; this is an essential characteristic of her role
While this is going on, Mr. Darcy realizes he has feelings for Elizabeth and proposes to her, this is the climax of the novel. She is astonished by his actions, and turns him flat. She explains that she feels he is arrogant, and feels he stood in the way of Jane and Mr. Bingley marrying, and also feels he is a cruel man, especially in his treating of Mr. Wickham, she is expressing her prejudice towards him. He leaves and they part very angry with each other. Mr. Darcy then writes Elizabeth a letter, explaining his feelings, defending his actions, and revealing the true nature of Mr. Wickham.