Pride And Prejudice By Jane Austen

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was first published in 1813(Gary vii) a time when women had “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 her heroine Elizabeth it is clear that Pride and Prejudice in fact erodes the sexist stereotypes of women.

The bicycle, the tin can, the steam locomotive, exercise, and the Bennet sisters; all of these were creations that came from Regency England. All of these things have had a lasting effect on modern day society. While the Bennet sisters seem the least important, the story of their lives provides modern society with insight into how the upper class in Regency England lived. The Bennet sisters themselves are an eclectic group of girls; each one has her own distinct personality. In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, the minor characters: Mary, Lydia, and Kitty, serve as literary foils to glorify the good traits of the major characters: Jane and Lizzy.

In Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet, the mother of the protagonist, Elizabeth, is generally portrayed as a buffoon who is an adversary for he daughter that is trying to force her into a marriage she does not want. One may wonder how she can be justified in any way, considering that she is known to embarrass her family members and behave idiotically. However, in the time period they live in, a marriage is necessary for all of the family to avoid a terrible fate. Mrs. Bennet, while often behaving improperly, does try to do the best for her daughters based on the world she lives in.

Elizabeth’s strength, independence, and her intense willpower to assure that her marriage is coordinated only by love demonstrate the feminist portrayal of Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s desire for

Mrs. Bennet’s desperation is especially noticeable when Elizabeth, the protagonist, is given the opportunity to marry Mr. Collins, a distant cousin and a wealthy land owner. After learning of Elizabeth’s refusal to marry Collins, she implores Mr. Bennet to force Elizabeth to change her mind. In her final efforts to convince Elizabeth, Mrs. Bennet addresses,

Her moments are usually in relation to denying other men of her presence or hand in marriage. Wylie makes the great point that, “Mrs. Bennet has no shame that her daughters have flouted the legal and moral imperatives of the patriarchy”, which still gives Mrs. Bennet the upper hand in the feminist quota. Because although Elizabeth puts on a great show she still does not deserve as much recognition as her mother

Throughout Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice , there are many references to the unusual character of Elizabeth Bennet ; she is seen to be an atypical female during those times. Wit , bravery , independence , and feminist views all describe a most extraordinary model for women.

“But Mrs Bennet’s obsession with marrying off her daughters at all costs stems from real practical parental concern—if they do not marry, they may starve, especially given that Mr Bennet himself has made no provision for his daughters' futures but seems instead to be in a form of denial—he retreats to his library” (Jones). Readers sympathize with Mrs. Bennet’s aggravating personality when they realize her actions stem from a place of worry for her daughetrs’ future. Since Mrs. Bennet is a woman, she can provide no other form of security but marriage for her daughters. Mrs. Bennet’s actions also originate from a deeply personal part of her life- her marriage. Compared to other men during this time period, Mr. Bennet has done little to give his daughters a financially sound future and sees the search for a husband as silly and dismisses it. Mrs. Bennet has no other way to support her daughters, causing her to obsess over the idea and constantly push her daughters to act proper in order to get a husband. “Mrs. Bennet makes herself ridiculous in her attempts to be overly feminine; she fancies herself a victim of others’ cruelty, constantly complaining that no one regards her ‘nerves’. She has little respect for decorum…her marriage, built on physical attraction, is now a loveless union” (Guggenheim). Mrs. Bennet’s desperation to find her daughters’ spouses can be attributed to the unaffectionate

She is also very smart in trying to marry off all of her daughters as soon as possible. The key reason was that women at this time depended on the men in their life to survive, it may have been their father or their husband but they relied heavily on the males in their lives. Because Mrs. Bennet and her daughters were so heavily reliant on Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Bennet was completely justified in trying to have her daughters married off to the richest and most socially advanced bachelors. She was also very aware of a women's role in society and knew that marriage was what society had in stall for them.

The book Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen is about Elizabeth Bennet and her family dealing with different issues. A few of the many problems they come upon are Money, Manners and Marriage.As the book progresses Elizabeth Bennet learns not to judge a book by it’s cover and shows how she's different from many of characters and which characteristics that sets her apart from everyone else to be the main character. Elizabeth stands out in many ways and shows how her process of thinking comes upon.She is different from the rest of the character because of her qualities that stick out from the rest. She is the complete opposite as her sister Jane, because unlike Jane she doesn’t like to live in a fantasy world. Elizabeth Bennet is an

situation is best summed up in the book by Jane Austen as we are given

Greenfield, Susan C. "THE ABSENT-MINDED HEROINE: OR, ELIZABETH BENNET HAS ……A THOUGHT." Eighteenth - Century Studies, vol. 39, no. 3, 2006, pp. 337-350,419-420, ……Arts & Humanities Database, …….http://nclive.org/cgibin/nclsm?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/198642629?account…….id=13217.

One of the most obvious attitudes that is shown throughout the book is Mrs Bennet's expectations. Her main aim is to get her daughters married to men with fortune. I think her reason for this is because as Mr and Mrs Bennet do not have any sons, their estate will not be entailed onto the daughters, and so Mrs Bennet wants to secure them a good future. She is arranging their marriages to pick someone suitable for them and also she may want them married to rich men for the society aspect. It would make them look higher class and would gain respect, as at that time people with more money were treated better.

Happy for all her maternal feelings was the day on which Mrs. Bennet got rid of her two most deserving daughters. With what delighted pride she afterwards visited Mrs. Bingley and talked of Mrs. Darcy may be guessed. ( Austen 393).

“Mrs.Bennet cries out to her husband “Ah! You do not know what I suffer” (5). These words seem to emanate from the imaginary sufferings of an over-privileged female, and our sympathies go out to out her much beleaguered mate rather than to the complainant” (Wylie, 1). Austen portrays Mrs.Bennet her as a selfish and greedy character as she tries to find five wealthy men to marry her daughters. Mrs.Bennet only believes that Elizabeth can only truly be happy if she is married, that is why she is so upset when Elizabeth turns down Mr.Collins proposal.