Pride and Prejudice
PLOT
THEMES
LOVE (marriage)
CLASS (status and wealth)
DECENCY AND PROPRIETY (REPUTATION)
FAMILY
security and independence (Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins)
physical infatuation (Mr and Mrs Bennet)
love that defies class boundaries and social prejudices (Elizabeth and Darcy), sincere feelings
love and prudence (Jane and Mr Bingley)
SELF-KNOWLEDGE = love and mutual understanding between Darcy and Elizabeth come at the end of a long process of INTROSPECTION that leads to SELF-AWARENESS
the two characters can be considered ROUND CHARACTERS because of their capacity for self-knowledge and from learning from experience , while the other protagonists' distinctive traits remain unvaried.
The lines of class are strictly drawn. While the Bennets, who are middle class, may socialize with the upper-class Bingleys and Darcys, they are clearly their social inferiors and are treated as such.
Through the Darcy-Elizabeth and Bingley-Jane marriages, Austen shows the power of love and happiness to overcome class boundaries and prejudices, thereby implying that such prejudices are hollow, unfeeling, and unproductive. Of course, this whole discussion of class must be made with the understanding that Austen herself is often criticized as being a classist: she doesn’t really represent anyone from the lower classes; those servants she does portray are generally happy with their lot. Austen does criticize class structure, but only a limited slice of that structure.
All of the characters operate within networks of family connections that shape their decisions and perspectives. For the female characters in particular, the influence and behavior of their family members is a significant factor in their lives
SETTING
PLACE : Longbourn, a small country village in Hertfordshire, 50 miles from London
TIME: some point in the very late 1700s-early 1800s. The exact dates are unclear, but we know the action takes place some time during the Napoleonic Wars (1797-1815) because Austen references soldiers and regiments.
GENRE
NOVEL OF MANNERS
STYLE
linear , chronological structure
omniscient 3rd person narrator
extensive use of dialogue
irony
epistolary technique
tone: often critical and biting
There are three main areas where the critical tone of the novel is made very clear: the representation of foolish characters, the attitude toward pretensions about social class, and the critiques of gender roles.
the critical tone mocks characters, it also highlights social injustices. The novel implies that characters who have more money or higher social status are not inherently better or smarter, and Austen directs a very critical tone toward the characters who fixate on social status.
the novel’s tone can be quite sharp when discussing the ways in which women’s lives were limited during the story’s time period. Because marriage was usually the only way a woman could obtain economic stability, there was often pressure for a woman to simply accept the first financially stable suitor who offered to marry her
CHARACTERS
free indirect speech