Favorite Spotlight: Pride And Prejudice, by Jane Austen

Well, it's been a while since I've put a spotlight on a favorite book of mine.  Might as well do one now on one of my all-time favorite classics!

Pride And Prejudice
By Jane Austen

Genre: Classic Literature, Romance

Words To Describe This Book: Witty, romantic, satirical, feminist, informative, thought-provoking

My battered old copy

I've read this book several times now and I never get tired of it.  I first read this as part of a British Literature class back in college (probably in 2008?); it was a great, informative class overall, but this was the book that stuck with me for years after.

I can't remember the name of the professor who taught the class (I only remember she was pregnant and looked ready to give birth at any second when the semester was over), but it's thanks to her that I have an excellent edition of this book: she had us purchase The Longman Cultural Edition, which not only has excellent explanatory footnotes, but also contains a great introduction, and plenty of extremely useful background information in the Appendix.  I have a suspicion that I would not have appreciated this story quite so much if I didn't have this particular edition to help explain the cultural and historical aspects of this story.

Historical Context

Personally, when it comes to classics, I feel that you need the extra background information.  After

The Author

all, the book was written in a different time period; the culture, politics, and targeted audience were all different back then.  In Austen's time, for example, women were essentially considered to be of inferior intelligence to men; many were still of the opinion that women were supposed to be completely driven by their need to make babies and become mothers.

In this society during the Georgian/Regency period, women were essentially the property of men and were thoroughly financially dependent on their husbands and male relations; the men were the ones who owned property, controlled the money, and took over the wife's dowry when they became wed.  This was why unmarried ladies were so focused on finding the optimal man to wed; it was either get married, or else depend on your father or brothers for financial aid.  Or worse, become part of the poor working class where you make barely anything doing such work as child-rearing, cleaning, sewing, or being a companion for a wealthier woman.

Finding a husband was a bit like trying to get accepted into college or find a job today; you wanted to get the best possible offer by a man who could either maintain or improve your financial and social standing.  Women needed to learn various talents in order to "build up their resume" and make themselves look like a suitable candidate for marriage.  Men of the middle and upper classes sought ladies who would be a social asset to them; they needed an obedient women who would do well in societal functions in addition to being able to properly manage a household and raise children.  So, women learned basic things such as reading, writing, arithmetic, sewing and languages, but also learned extras such as needlework, painting, and music that they could display at social gatherings.  Marriage wasn't about finding love; it was a market created by a male-dominated society.

Book Analysis (Warning!  Contains Spoilers)

Austen knew all about the marriage market, of course, but she certainly didn't like it.  In fact, this whole novel is a social criticism on seeking marriage during the late 18th/early 19th centuries.  Throughout this story she pokes fun at the need for women to be "accomplished" in order to find a decent husband, and condemns the idea of marrying someone simply based on their social position or financial status.

Austen does this by providing the reader with different married couples to look at and analyze.  In Pride And Prejudice we witness the marriage of four different women; one was the example of the ideal marriage expectation, another was the actual reality.  The third was the example of the worst marriage you could get yourself into, and finally, there was Jane Austen's idea of a good and healthy marriage.

Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley (the expectation): You find a handsome, wealthy man who is extremely sweet and kind, that you can be faithful to and love.  Your social standing goes up and you have more money, and therefore can relax and not worry about anything.

Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins (the reality): You have to settle for what you can get.  A women is foolish if she doesn't jump on the first proposal she receives because it could be the only one.  You're expected to be obedient and subservient to your husband, whether you really love him or not.

Lydia Bennet and Mr. Wickham (the worst situation): You have to marry someone to prevent a scandal and family exile.  The guy won't be faithful to you and won't provide for you; instead you'll end up poor and destitute thanks to his recklessness

Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy (the best situation): You find someone who actually loves you for you, and not for your accomplishments and social standing.  You are able to refuse a proposal because you don't love the man who asked, and you can choose to marry for love rather than societal gain (the money was just an added bonus, a way for people of that time to view Mr. Darcy as an ideal suitor)

What About The Rest Of The Book (Plot, Characters, Etc.)? 

The social critique on the marriage market isn't the main reason I love this book so much.  The plot is very well paced and keeps you riveted, despite the fact that it's only about women seeking husbands.  I will say again, my Longman Cultural Edition copy was incredibly useful in helping me see how satirical some of the characters were, and how monumental some of the revelations were.

The pompous Mr. Collins

Thanks to the footnotes I was really able to appreciate what Jane Austen did character-wise.  She
created some really ridiculous ones.  Mrs. Bennet is one such character; she is a silly and shallow person whose only concern is that her daughters all get married.  Mr. Collins is another such character.  He's an idiot who thinks a little too highly of his position, and is too easily amenable to the opinions of a more affluent person.  His monologues, as well as the letters he wrote, make you want to drop your jaw in disbelief and wonder "what made him think that that was not an insulting thing to say?!"  I admit, I love reading the scenes with Mr. Collins, because he's just so ridiculous in his pomposity.

Lydia is a third character that was extremely well done; she is a warning to others as to what happens if you don't properly educate your daughters.  Lydia is a wild, foolish young girl whose ignorance made it too easy for Mr. Wickham to take advantage of her.  I can't confirm that this is true, but someone mentioned that Lydia was allowing Mr. Wickham (and maybe others) to touch her inappropriately by cutting a slit in her skirt for easier access (this tear in the dress is mentioned in her letter that she left behind when she ran away).

The scandal behind her running away with a man is also a huge event in the book; it was the most exciting part of the whole story.  The timing was perfect; because you already felt so invested in the Bennet's hopes that the daughters would all successfully marry, it made Lydia's foolish actions all the more devastating.
Running away with a man without getting married first was literally one of the worst things a woman could do to her family in that day and age.  Nowadays, it would be upsetting but not nearly as scandalous, just viewed as foolish.  But back then, it was the type of thing that would ruin a whole family's reputation and social standing, and make every member of that family a social outcast.

Think of this scandal in this modern context:

The Bennets are a small but well-run business with a good social reputation and with several outposts in various locations.  But they're struggling to make a profit so they're trying to make partnerships with other, more successful companies so as to reach many more customers and thus improve their finances.
Lydia is one of the higher-ups in this business and she teams up with an outsider (Mr. Wickham) to con a huge number of clients, and run off with the cash (Once they were far enough away, Mr. Wickham was going to take all the money and leave Lydia in the dust somewhere).
Lydia actions not only ruin the finances of the Bennet business when they were already struggling, but they will also taint the reputation of the business when it all becomes public knowledge, to the point where no one will want to buy their product or partner with them, and they will have to shut down the business.  So, either the Bennets have to publicly denounce a family member/company manager, or they have to declare bankruptcy.  Either way, they're ruined.
Mr. Darcy ends up becoming a huge lifesaver by secretly swooping in and coming to the rescue with his cash to appease the angry clients before they go public (and stopping Mr. Wickham from running away with the money).

You Should Really Read This Book

Seriously, what Jane Austen did with this novel astounds me.  It is a feminist novel without being so over-the-top that the people of her day and age would denounce it outright.  It subtly criticizes the society of the Regency period, and shows that women are more intelligent and deserving of respect than men think.  Mrs. Bennet was an example of what men of that time period expected women to be; unintelligent and silly, and best left to the task of making children.  Elizabeth Bennet was an example of what women are, or at least could be if given the chance: smart, with the ability to make their own decisions for what's best for them.

This novel isn't just a romantic story about finding suitable men to marry; it's a story that encourages you to think about how you view women and how outrageous it is to force women to marry so that they can have a comfortable life.  It's brilliantly done because it's so subtle, hidden in satire and dramatic twists and turns.  And all this was done by a woman author who wrote her books anonymously and received very little credit for it in her lifetime (she never married, by the way).

Based on my notes and highlights,
you can see how much I like this book!

Seriously, I have huge respect for Jane Austen and what she did with this book.  She might not have fought the oppression of women directly, but she helped plant the seed that would eventually grow into the Suffrage Movement and the acquisition of equal rights for women.

Okay, so clearly you can see why I love this book so much.  It's an excellent story, with an excellent message, and characters that you want to either root for, or laugh at.  This classic has withstood the test of time for very good reason and I hope that there are many others out there who appreciate and love this book as much as I do.  And once again, I really do recommend the Longman Cultural Edition of this book; it really did help me to understand this book in a modern context, and thus make it a more enjoyable read.

If you haven't read this yet, you really should.  If you're a high school student being forced to read this book, I'm sorry but I agree with your teacher-- you must read this book.  So grab a copy and read it now!

Happy reading everyone!
-Lisa The Dancing Bookworm