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This Blog is an Assignment of paper no.: 103 Literature of the Romantics . In this assignment I am discuss with the title significance of "Pride and Prejudice ".
Personal Information
Name:- Mansi B. Gujadiya
Roll Number:-14
Enrollment Number:-4069206420220013
Batch:-M.A SEM -1 ( 2022-23 )
Email ID:- mansigajjar10131@gmail.com
Paper Number:-103
Paper Code:-22394
Paper Name:- Literature of the Romantics
Submitted to:- English department MKBU
Topic:-Title significance of "Pride and Prejudice"
Question:-Title significance of "Pride and Prejudice"
About Author
Biography
Jane Austen is one of the most read writers in England. She was born on the 17th of December in 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire, in a large family with six brothers and one sister, which formed part of the Landed Gentry (well-born and well-bred people of high social class in England). Jane went on with her education by herself by reading books which her father, who supported her a lot, gave her from his large library.
Her family produced plays and Jane Austen took part in these. Most of them were comedies which gave Jane the opportunity to develop her comic and satirical senses. During her lifetime she was not famous because she wanted to keep anonymity. So, instead of writing her name on the books, she just put "by a lady". It is only in the 19th century that she got famous when her nephew wrote A memoir of Jane Austen. This book even included some of her writings that were never published before.
She never got married, although she was once proposed to and she never had any children. During the year of 1816, Jane Austen’s health became worse and she died in July in 1817 at the age of 41 years old. But the exact reasons of her death remain vague, some say it was Addison syndrome, other say Hodgkin’s disease, there are several hypotheses. The famous English author is buried in the North aisle of Winchester Cathedral.
Main works
Sense and Sensibility (1811)
Pride and Prejudice (1813)
Mansfield Park (1814)
The Three Sisters(1792)
Love and Friendship (1790)
Historical context
(1) Class division
At the beginning of nineteenth century, the position in the social ladder depends on the title and the incomes. Georgian society can be divided in three categories: At the top of the social ladder, we find the landed gentry, the aristocratic families who own title, including also knights, baronets, basically those who have the biggest fortunes. The major part of Austen’s characters are from this social class. They are those who lead the country. After that, there is the middle class, or also called the bourgeoisie: the merchants and the clergy. And then at last the poorest, the villagers, but Austen doesn’t mention it a lot in work.
(2)Woman condition
Jane Austen denounced the woman condition that was not ideal, she was mostly perceived as an object by the society. She didn’t have any juridical status. Before getting married, she depended on her father, and after, on her husband. Indeed, they couldn’t inherit their husband or their father. Only a male could and thus sometimes women were left out in the street with nothing to live. But in those times, a woman had to be accomplished e.g., to be able to play the piano, to sing, to dance, to paint, to sew, to speak several languages, in order to find a good husband. Besides, few jobs existed for women, only teacher or governess, it was then impossible to acquire financial independence. Most of Jane Austen’s heroines claimed another place for women in the society.
Her style
Jane Austen writing tends to be witty and romantic. She wrote about her world and the things that she knew best. Her intricate detail outlines human behavior precisely and accurately. Her humor is enjoyable as some of her characters make big pompous displays and occasionally make fools of themselves. She portrays life as it truly is and that is even accurate in modern ways today. Her writing style was elegant and satirical. Jane's work marked the transition in English literature from neo-classicism to romanticism.
Writing Style
Austen's writing style is a mix of neoclassicism and romanticism. Neoclassicism encourages reason and restraint in writing. It is logical and follows a structured form. Romanticism encourages passion and imagination in writing. It is emotional and follows a flowing form. Mixing these two styles may seem impossible, but layering neoclassicism and romanticism together was one of Austen's strong talents.
Austen used her sharp and sarcastic wit in all of her writing. She could come up with a powerful and dramatic scene on one page and lead it into a biting and satirical scene on the next page. Her high intelligence and impressive education allowed her to slip deep and meaningful insights into her words, regardless if the topic was romance or politics.
Scenery
Austen never focused on scenery or stage setting in her novels. She laid out the basics and allowed the resulting dialogue to explain the details in a natural manner. This technique was rather rare for Austen's time. Most of her contemporary authors could include chapters of text just to describe a stone bridge. The lack of indulgent details displays the basic neoclassic style Austen preferred to follow when it came to descriptive passages.
Characters
Austen may have used neoclassicism as her primary writing style, but she added a romantic touch when it came to her characters. Austen's dialogue can range from sharp and witty to poetic and emotional. Her characters' words and actions build up slowly to create a vivid picture of each person. She focuses heavily on the art of conversation and allows it to display the growth and development of the main characters.
Discuss Significance of the title Pride and Prejudice.
The title of any book or piece of literary work usually conveys the idea of the main theme of the work.One can easily understand what the author will dwell upon in the literary work from the title. JaneAusten employs the style of pairing two slightly contrasted “ethical” terms to serve as the title of hernovel Pride and Prejudice.
For the novel, Jane Austen first selected the title First Impressions. But when he revised it, she gave the current title. This style of “ethical” title was commonly associated with„conduct‟ fiction, the books were designed to illustrate in their stories and commentary the correct wayfor young women to behave in the situations. They were likely to encounter in polite mi polite middleclass society- how a young lady should composed herself at dance how she should deal politely get firmly with a young man who is presenting her, how she should deal who insults her; how she shouldrefuse an offer of marriage how she should behave towards an older woman of superior rank.
And these precisely are the situations that Elizabeth Bennet has to cope with and obviously the question of her conduct is on these occasions is paramount in Pride and Prejudice.
This title Pride and Prejudice is so appropriate that it hardly requires any arguments to justify. It indicates what the novel is written about. To show its significance we must go through the novel with a critical attitude and then we can explain why she has renamed her novel as Pride and Prejudice.
It is not a novel of stormy passions and high tragedy of emotional life. Needless to add, Jane Austen has never claimed that she is a psychological novelist. Her primary concern is to represent the comedy of domestic life and the personal relation that exists between man and man, man and woman, husband and wife and at least between the classes of the society.
In this connection, she has delineated the characters in their interactions when they move and live in the society.Against the morality of “conduct fiction” Jane Austen sets her own individual mode of anti-conductfiction.
In the novel as a whole, the anti-contained within the exploration of the terms “Pride and Prejudice”. Sometimes the terms are discussed and analysed directly, as they are when Elizabeth and Darcy examine themselves and scrutinize their past feeling and behaviour.
More generally they force of the terms is illustrated dramatically in the scheme of characterisation, which extends outwards from the hero and heroine, showing the depth and complexity of human that can stand behind nature that can stand behind terms so decrepitly simple.
In Darcy ‘Pride’ is both positive and Negative; both a proper,justified pride in the history of his family and an offence, Elizabeth’s ‘Prejudice’ is the negative aspect of something positive, her spirit and high intelligence. She confesses this to Jane.
The words ‘Pride’ and ‘Prejudice’ are very significant in the characterization of the novel. The hero and heroine of the novel embody these traits of human character. When Mr. Darcy was first introduced in the novel, he was declared to be, “The proudest, most disagreeable man in the world.” All his actionsm ay be traced to pride.
Wickham explains this pride to Elizabeth Bennet as ‘filial pride’. As he belongs to the upper middle class of the society, he bears this pride of being superior to others. This cult of pride he inherited from his father is now dead.
This pride is also in the character of his sister, Georgiana, and Wickham calls it “brotherly pride.” He ironically tells that pride has often been his best friend.
Darcy admits it and says that his pride consists in his being ‘selfish’ and ‘overbearing’. He makes a confession to Elizabeth when he contemplates over his past actions that his father had a role in making him proud.
In spite of being taught good principle, he was allowed and even encouraged by his father to be ‘selfish’ and ‘overbearing’ to think meanly of all the rest of the world and at least to wish to think meanly of their sense and worth when compared to his own going to propose to Elizabeth, he was not orgetful of his pride.
He spoke of tenderness and pride with equal balance. Even his pride makes him blind to the faults of the members of his own class.Darcy’s pride makes him turn down the proposal of dancing with Elizabeth made by Bingley.
In a humiliating tone, he says, “She is not handsome enough to tempt me,” This wounds her sentiment and makes her prejudiced against Darcy.
To Charlotte, she reveals that she has resolved to hate him onward.This prejudice of Elizabeth against Darcy further depends on when he makes a confession of his implacability at Nether field- “I cannot forget the follies and vices of others as soon as I ought, nor their offenses against myself. My good opinion once lost is lost forever.”
Darcy is not only proud but also prejudiced against all who are not at par with him in richness and social position. His social superiority, refinement, and wealth lead to this general prejudice.
That is why, he is as Elizabeth has made it clear later on, prejudiced against Wickham, Jane and in general against anything that does not fit into his social world.
On the other hand, Elizabeth has her pride. Her pride consists of being perceptive and refined. At the same time, she is prejudiced against Darcy. But her prejudice does not stem from any moral purpose but from her hurt-pride. It was her personal pride when Charlotte says that Darcy has a right to be proud,Elizabeth does not protest but says, “I could easily forgive his pride if he had not mortified mine.” So,she is both proud and prejudiced.
However, Pride and Prejudice is not a “conduct Fiction” and so there is no “how” in Jane Austen, no directive about right and wrong ways to behave. Judgments of Elizabeth do not arise from rules of propriety but from her behaviour as a unique individual in circumstances which are particular to her. Her “Prejudice” was originally fired by her hurt “Pride” at the Meryton Ball, by Darcy‟s insulting proposal of marriage( at Hunsford) and by slanders spread by Wickham.
But in course of time, they sacrifice their Pride and Prejudice as they become convinced of the hollowness of these vain sentiments. The vulgarity of Darcy’s aunt shocked him and taught him that refinement is not the monopoly of the elite.
This new vision of him led him to play a vital role in the Lydia-Wickham episode. Besides, Elizabeth’s refusal to marry him opened his eyes that social superiority was not everything in life. Thus there is a new-awakening in his heart and he shacks off his pride and prejudice completely.
Elizabeth too gets a new understanding. The letter of Darcy helps her give up her pride and prejudice. Now she is ashamed to think how she has been ‘blind, partial, prejudiced and absurd’. This new awakening of herself prompted her to reassess Darcy and recognized his talent and good disposition.
She even considered that Darcy would most suit her. So long, pride and prejudice blinded them and now these verities have disappeared. Time is now ripe for them to get married. In Charlotte, Lucas, there is also the sinking of self-pride for the sake of marriage to a man (Mr.Collins) whose own self-pride is lost.
In Mr. Bennet self-pride is embittered, turned to malice, elated into a power of isolation and affected indifferences.Pride and prejudice were not in the characters of the hero and the heroine only. Gilbert Ryle says,“Every character of the novel exhibits too much or too little pride of a bad or silly sort or pride of a good sort, sham pride or genuine pride and so forth.” Mr. Bennet has genuine pride.
He hates the despicable.But his pride is inverted and unexecuted. He voices his just contempt in witty words but he does nothing to prevent or repair what he condemns. Mr. Bingley has no special pride but his sisters are proud in the sense of being vain.
In this way, almost all the characters have more or less of pride and prejudice.The “Pride” and “Prejudice” analyses can be carried out rewardingly in all the characters but it is a novel’s title.narrow and static line of analyses and Jane Austen’s statement through the novel is that characters of human complexity cannot be understood or explains by this kind of labeling.
In effect, the novel rejects such fixed terms of classification and judgment and requires us to adopt the flexible and dynamic values of judgment formed in the novels structured of dramatic irony. Within that context, the terms “pride”and “ Prejudice” have a place, however not the leading role that they are assigned ironically, in the novel’s title.
Conclusion
The title “Pride and Prejudice” shows real controversy between two persons, therefore, it has much significance. It is revealed at the end of the novel that there was nothing between them except pride and prejudice. In short, the novel discusses two human traits in detail, therefore, we can say that Jane Austen was not in hurry in choosing the title “Pride and Prejudice” for her novel. Though the title “First Impression” also suits yet “Pride and Prejudice” is attractive because it has much significance and it elucidates the whole story.
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