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Pride and Prejudice Review (Characters, Themes, Devices)
Pride and Prejudice Review
Characters
Jane Bingley-Oldest Bennet daughter, prettiest, amiable, always looks for the best in people, everybody views her as being agreeable and suited for marriage
Elizabeth Darcy-Second oldest Bennet daughter, most intelligent, Mr. Bennet's favorite, not afraid to speak her mind/voice her opinions, quick to jump to conclusions about people (like Mr. Darcy)
Mary Bennet-third oldest Bennet daughter, anti-social, not a fan of balls/social events, musician, enjoys reading and has deep thoughts
Mr. Bennet-very sarcastic, intelligent, not compatible for Mrs. Bennet, loves Lizzy, always wants the best for Lizzy, able to see straight and not be blinded by the obsession with marriage in his household
Mrs. Bennet-obsessed with marriage, does not like/understand sarcasm, dense, self-absorbed, gossiper, represents the common obsession with marriage
Mr. Darcy-prideful, begins as being prejudiced, handsome, tall, noble man, wealthy, represents social expectations of the time for higher class
Mr. Collins-admires Lady Catherine greatly, cousin of Bennet family, overpraising, annoying, represents the "need" or "obligation" for marriage
Charlotte Lucas-Elizabeth's best friend, marries Mr. Collins, feels obligated to marry in order to feel relieved and comfortable, thinks marriage is more just ceremonial than romantic, illustrates the obligation of marriage and how necessary it was for women of the time
Mrs. Gardiner-Bennet's aunt, brings Lizzy to Pemberly (reunites her with Darcy), likes Darcy, remains connected to Lizzy
Lady Catherine de Bourgh-thinks she is superior to others, Mr. Collins' patroness, Darcy's aunt, feels it necessary to discuss her wealth and superiority, always advises Lizzy and others of what they should be doing, represents the women of higher social class and the different expectations/lifestyles they have
Colonel Fitzwilliam-Mr. Darcy's cousin, amiable man, likes Lizzy, represents social obligations of the time as youngest son (must marry somebody of high social status and wealth)
Lydia Bennet/Wickham-youngest Bennet daughter, obsessed with soldiers and marriage, most like Mrs. Bennet, flirty, happy, self-absorbed, runs away with Wickham
Themes
Social Expectations
Social Classes-wealthy people were expected to marry other wealthy people from higher classes, strong distinctions between social classes during this time, marrying down was frowned upon
Impact on Marriages-marriage was expected, women and men marrying others from lower social classes with little fortune was frowned upon, uncommon for wealthy to marry people of lesser fortune, made marriage more about wealth and name vs. affection and happiness
Marriage
Proposals-women were expected to always accept, some proposals (like Mr. Darcy's) were heartfelt and sincere, while others (like Mr. Collin's) were rude/conceited; Austen uses Darcy to further express the idea that proposals and marriage should be out of love
Specific relationships/marriages:
Darcy and Elizabeth represent Austen's views on marriage:
-out of love and affection
-regardless of wealth/income
-makes both happy
Mr. Collins and Charlotte go against Austen's views:
-marry out of necessity and obligation
-social pressure
-not for happiness
-no love or affection
-not a true match
Role of Women
Success-Successful women were seen as the women who married wealthy men; Austen criticizes this and proves that successful women are women who are smart and marry out of love instead of obligation
Education-physical appearance is seen as more important than intellect during this time period, women of higher social class were expected to be more educated; Austen shows that education and intellect are truly more important than physical characteristics and should be the real cause of attraction
Marriage-all women are expected to marry, different characters are used to portray the "necessity" for marriage during this time period; Austen criticizes the obsession with marriage and demonstrates through her writing that marriage should only be for love and not out of obligation or for wealth
Devices
Satire
First line of novel uses exaggeration to play with idea of marriage as a necessity and that ALL rich men MUST be in want of a wife
Sarcasm through the character Mr. Bennet; he constantly makes fun of Mrs. Bennet and her obsession with marriage/social pressures
Satire is used to criticize the obsession with marriage throughout the novel
Irony
The idea that Mr. Collins believes he has a perfect marriage and is married to the perfect person; he was going to marry Lizzy just days prior to proposing to Charlotte and Charlotte does not even like him
Mrs. Bennet ridiculing Mrs. Long for being a selfish and hypocritical women, even though she is the exact same
Dramatic irony- All of the readers know that Mr. Darcy is in love with Elizabeth and admires her greatly, but she is shocked when he proposes to her; the same goes for Mr. Collins' proposal