Pride and Prejudice Marxist

802 Words2 Pages

In the 19th century, reputation was everything; whether it had to do with marriage, money accounts or just how they acted in public. Mostly in Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, she focuses on social class, marriage and how each character acts in public. The book takes place in the 19th century England, everyone is dressed up, and making sure they always look good in public. They dress, talk and act the way that society tells them; if they miss a step, then their whole family and them will always be a disgrace. Pride and Prejudice mostly reflects Marxist, it deals with social class, social class problems, and whose story is mostly told throughout the novel.
Class structure between each social class was a very important key factor in the 19th century. People wouldn’t just go off and marry someone who was a class below them, it just didn’t happen. They would gladly marry someone who is either their same social class or someone who didn’t mind marrying someone a social class below themselves. If society for Jane Austen is not conflicting to individuals as collected of them, it could be justified in turning such ingrained association on their heads (Sherry 612). Austen puts in her novel that society is extremely important, every character gets put in their place to make sure that they are doing everything they need to do correctly. Society tells people how they need to live their lives, Austen makes that clear in Pride and Prejudice, and one wrong move could send their families down in disgrace forever. “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men” (Austen 8). Darcy is talking about Elizabeth to Bingley, but Elizabeth i...

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..., it was a reoccurring event. That main thing about the story is first impressions. Just like what happened with Elizabeth and Darcy, they didn’t have a good first impression, but in the end they ended up falling for one another. Pride and Prejudice shows how social class, social problems and someone’s point of view of the story can change one simple thing.

Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Bantam Bell, 1981. Print.
Mckean, Richard. “Pride and Prejudice: Thought, Character, Argument, and Plot.” Chicago
Journals 5.3 (1979): 511-27. JSTOR. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
Morgan, Susan. Intelligence in 'Pride and Prejudice'. Vol. 73. 54-68: The University of Chicago
Press, 1975. 54-68. JSTOR. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
Sherry, James “Pride and Prejudice: The Limits of Society” Studies in English Literature 19.4
(1979): 609-22. JSTOR. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.

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