Literature of the Romantic

 

Class Assignment 

Question -A

Analyse the Pride and prejudice by Jane Austen.

About Jane Austen:

Jane Austen was an English novelist, born on 16 December 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire. She was the daughter of a clergyman and grew up in a large, educated family. From an early age, she loved reading and writing. Her novels, published anonymously during her lifetime, focus on love, marriage, family, and society, often with sharp irony and wit. Her most famous works include Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1815), Northanger Abbey (1817), and Persuasion (1817).Austen’s writing is admired for its realistic characters, moral depth, and social criticism, especially of women’s limited choices in the 19th century. She never married and lived a quiet life with her family. Jane Austen died on 18 July 1817 at the age of 41.

Analyse:

Pride and Prejudice, first published in 1813, is Jane Austen’s most famous novel. It blends romance, social commentary, and satire to portray life among the English gentry at the turn of the 19th century. The story revolves around Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, whose relationship develops through a journey of misunderstanding, self-discovery, and eventual mutual respect.

The plot of Pride and Prejudice follows a linear, chronological structure. Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist, and the major conflict revolves around her struggle to find a compatible husband despite the obstacles presented by both social conventions and her own lack of self-awareness. She encounters a number of antagonists who create obstacles between her and a happy marriage. These antagonists can be classified into two groups. The first are the characters who threaten Elizabeth's future happiness by trying to persuade her to marry the wrong man. They include Mrs. Bennet (who does not understand the kind of marriage her daughter wants and thinks Elizabeth should lower her standards) and Mr. Collins (who tries to convince Elizabeth to accept a marriage that would never satisfy her). The second group of antagonists are the characters who try to prevent Elizabeth's marriage to Darcy, notably Miss Bingley and Lady Catherine de Bourgh. There are times when Elizabeth functions as her own antagonist. Her stubbornness and inability to understand that Darcy would be a good match for her move her further away from her goal of happiness, rather than toward it.

The main plot of Elizabeth's path to marriage intersects closely with subplots focused on the love lives of other female characters. The plot structure is also shaped by its division into volumes. Pride and Prejudice was initially published in three volumes. In the first volume, the initial events of the plot focus on Jane's attraction to Bingley, with Elizabeth's interactions with Darcy and his gradual attraction to her functioning as secondary incidents. The major conflict in this first section of the novel centers on whether Jane and Bingley will be able to marry, since Darcy and Bingley's sisters seem determined to keep them apart. Another conflict arises when Mr. Collins begins pursuing Elizabeth, and she is forced to reject him. These two initial conflicts are given some resolution at the end of the first volume, when Mr.Collins finally accepts defeat and marries Charlotte Lucas, and the Bingley family leaves Netherfield to return to London. This moment in the plot marks a low point, as it appears as though neither Bennet sister has much chance of getting married and that most people marry for money and status.

The plot rises again with a new focus on the possibility of a match between Elizabeth and Darcy. Elizabeth's visit to Charlotte and Mr. Collins creates a new opportunity for her to interact with Mr. Darcy, leading him to propose to her. This proposal occurs approximately in the middle of the story and represents the climax of the attraction Darcy has been trying to resist ever since he first met Elizabeth. Her rejection of his proposal parallels her previous rejection of Mr. Collins.

At this point, Elizabeth believes that Darcy is a bad person, and she will not accept a marriage to a man she does not love, no matter what he might offer her. However, the plotline of Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship increases in intensity after she rejects him. The rejected proposal leads him to reveal new information that makes her question her perception of him. The unfolding plot of growing affection between Darcy and Elizabeth is interrupted by a new conflict: Lydia's elopement. This conflict dominates the novel's plot until its resolution.

Once Lydia's plotline is resolved with her respectable marriage, the focus shifts to a return to Jane's storyline. Reunited with Bingley, she quickly becomes engaged, resolving the conflict that has been ongoing since the novel's start. All that remains is a final conflict to be overcome in the form of Lady de Bourgh's attempt to prevent Elizabeth from marrying Darcy. The earlier plot events where Elizabeth stood her ground have prepared her for this moment, and she refuses to back down. With the characters having finally overcome all the obstacles in their way, the novel's climax takes place when Darcy proposes a second time and Elizabeth accepts him. The climax is followed by some brief falling action, including the preparations for the marriage and the projected futures for all three couples.

Pride and Prejudice was influential in demonstrating that everyday events and domestic struggles presented in a realistic way can be as interesting as more sensational stories. Readers experience the events of the plot in the same way the characters do, without any special narrative techniques. This choice of plot structure helps to make the events of the novel relatable. The novel closes with a classic comedic ending in which three of the Bennet sisters are married and the virtuous characters (Jane, Elizabeth, Bingley, and Darcy) are rewarded with prosperity and happiness, while the foolish or wicked characters (Lydia and Wickham) face a more turbulent existence.

Home Assignment 

Question -B

Themes of Pride and Prejudice 

a) Pride and Prejudice:  

The central theme is reflected in the title itself. Darcy’s pride in his social rank and Elizabeth’s prejudice against him cloud their judgment. Austen shows how pride and prejudice must be overcome to achieve true understanding and love.

b) Marriage:

Marriage is the novel’s main concern, but not merely as a romantic ideal. It is shown as an economic and social necessity, particularly for women. The Bennet sisters’ marriages demonstrate different models: Charlotte Lucas & Mr. Collins → marriage of convenience.Lydia & Wickham → reckless, passion-based marriage.Jane & Bingley / Elizabeth & Darcy → ideal unions based on respect, love, and equality.

c) Class and Social Mobility:

Class divisions are sharply drawn. Darcy initially looks down on the Bennets due to their lower social connections.Austen critiques rigid class prejudices while still recognizing the power of wealth and status in shaping relationships.

d) Individual vs. Society:

Elizabeth challenges societal expectations of women by refusing advantageous proposals (Mr. Collins, initially Darcy) until she finds love and respect. The novel suggests that individual happiness must be balanced with societal norms.

E) Reputation: 

Pride and Prejudice depicts a society in which a woman's reputation is of the utmost importance. A woman is expected to behave in certain ways. Stepping outside the social norms makes her vulnerable to ostracism. This theme appears in the novel, when Elizabeth walks to Netherfield and arrives with muddy skirts, to the shock of the reputation-conscious Miss Bingley and her friends. At other points, the ill-mannered, ridiculous behavior of Mrs. Bennet gives her a bad reputation with the more refined (and snobbish) Darcys and Bingley.

Austen pokes gentle fun at the snobs in these examples, but later in the novel, when Lydia elopes with Wickham and lives with him out of wedlock, the author treats reputation as a very serious matter. By becoming Wickham's lover without benefit of marriage, Lydia clearly places herself outside the social pale, and her disgrace threatens the entire Bennet family. The fact that Lydia's judgment, however terrible, would likely have condemned the other Bennet sisters to marriageless lives seems grossly unfair. Why should Elizabeth's reputation suffer along with Lydia's? Darcy's intervention on the Bennets' behalf thus becomes all the more generous, but some readers might resent that such an intervention was necessary at all. If Darcy's money had failed to convince Wickham to marry Lydia, would Darcy have still married Elizabeth? Does his transcendence of prejudice extend that far? The happy ending of Pride and Prejudice is certainly emotionally satisfying, but in many ways it leaves the theme of reputation, and the importance placed on reputation, unexplored. One can ask of Pride and Prejudice, to what extent does it critique social structures, and to what extent does it simply accept their inevitability?

F) Gender:

Gender is a key theme in Pride and Prejudice. The story takes place at a time when gender roles were quite rigid, and men and women had a very different set of options and influences. Marriage is a pressing question for female characters like Charlotte Lucas and the Bennet sisters because marriage is the only way women can achieve economic stability and autonomy. As upper-class women, they would not have been able to work to earn a living, or live independently. Marriage offered one of the only ways to move beyond their birth families. However, a woman's marriageability relied on an impeccable reputation for chastity, and for women like Georgiana Darcy or Lydia Bennet, a reckless decision to trust the wrong man could permanently ruin their future prospects. Lydia's elopement causes Lizzy to exclaim with horror that "she is lost forever." If Lydia is living with Wickham without being married to him, her reputation will be destroyed.

Essay

Question -C 

Characters of Pride and Prejudice 

Elizabeth Bennet :

The novel's protagonist. The second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Elizabeth is the most intelligent and sensible of the five Bennet sisters. She is well read and quick-witted, with a tongue that occasionally proves too sharp for her own good. Her realization of Darcy's essential goodness eventually triumphs over her initial prejudice against him.

Fitzwilliam Darcy :

A wealthy gentleman, the master of Pemberley, and the nephew of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Though Darcy is intelligent and honest, his excess of pride causes him to look down on his social inferiors. Over the course of the novel, he tempers his class-consciousness and learns to admire and love Elizabeth for her strong character.

Jane Bennet :

The eldest and most beautiful Bennet sister. Jane is more reserved and gentler than Elizabeth. The easy pleasantness with which she and Bingley interact contrasts starkly with the mutual distaste that marks the encounters between Elizabeth and Darcy.

Charles bingley:

Darcy's considerably wealthy best friend. Bingley's purchase of Netherfield, an estate near the Bennets, serves as the impetus for the novel. He is a genial, well-intentioned gentleman, whose easygoing nature contrasts with Darcy's initially discourteous demeanor. He is blissfully uncaring about class differences.

Mr. Bennet :

The patriarch of the Bennet family, a gentleman of modest income with five unmarried daughters. Mr. Bennet has a sarcastic, cynical sense of humor that he uses to purposefully irritate his wife. Though he loves his daughters (Elizabeth in particular), he often fails as a parent, preferring to withdraw from the never-ending marriage concerns of the women around him rather than offer help.

Mrs. Bennet :

Mr. Bennet's wife, a foolish, noisy woman whose only goal in life is to see her daughters married. Because of her low breeding and often unbecoming behavior, Mrs. Bennet often repels the very suitors whom she tries to attract for her daughters.

Lydia Bennet :

The youngest Bennet sister, she is gossipy. immature, and self-involved. Unlike Elizabeth, Lydia flings herself headlong into romance and ends up running off with Wickham.

Charlotte Lucas :

Elizabeth's dear friend. Pragmatic where Elizabeth is romantic, and also six years older than Elizabeth, Charlotte does not view love as the most vital component of a marriage. She is more interested in having a comfortable home. Thus, when Mr. Collins proposes, she accepts.

George Wickham :

A handsome, fortune-hunting militia officer. Wickham's good looks and charm attract Elizabeth initially, but Darcy's revelation about Wickham's disreputable past clues her in to his true nature and simultaneously draws her closer to Darcy.

Mr. Collins :

A pompous, generally idiotic clergyman who stands to inherit Mr. Bennet's property. Mr. Collins's own social status is nothing to brag about, but he takes great pains to let everyone and anyone know that Lady Catherine de Bourgh serves as his patroness. He is the worst combination of snobbish and obsequious.

Lady Catherine de Bourgh :

A rich, bossy noblewoman; Mr. Collins's patron and Darcy's aunt. Lady Catherine epitomizes class snobbery, especially in her attempts to order the middle-class Elizabeth away from her well-bred nephew.

Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner :

Mrs. Bennet's brother and his wife. The Gardiners, caring, nurturing, and full of common sense, often prove to be better parents to the Bennet daughters than Mr. Bennet and his wife.

Georgiana Darcy :

Darcy's sister. She is immensely pretty and just as shy. She has great skill at playing the pianoforte.

Mary Bennet :

The middle Bennet sister, bookish and pedantic.

Catherine Bennet :

The fourth Bennet sister. Like Lydia, she is girlishly enthralled with the soldiers.

Reference:

https://study.com/learn/lesson/characters-pride-and-prejudice-analysis-significance.html

https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/pride/characters/

https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/pride/themes/

https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/pride/themes/