A Personal Response of Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice (Clara Ling Boon Ing)

At the beginning of Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice, the reader eventually reaches
a conclusion concerning the universal idea of love explored in this novel: It is a truth
universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want
of a wife !p"#$" %his reali&ation is the product of the interrelated aspects of the historical and
cultural context during the period in which the novel was written" %he shaping of a set of
rules presented in society eventually causes the people to 'udge about the appropriate way to
act in society and around other people" %he discussion below includes a reader response
reading and a depiction of irony of the text which marks the hypocrisy and conventions of the
society, the individual characters as well as the culture of the people"
(ne crucial idea presented in Pride and Prejudice is the obvious separation of the
social classes in the culture of the people during Austens times" %his whole idea of social
class dictates and manipulates the entire behaviour, personality, character as well as actions of
the characters in the novel" %hese social norms erase individual identity as the independence
of choice in life"It is in the social order that a woman that is to be married and is of the right
age to marry must find the best, the most genteel husband to marry otherwise she will be
doomed to be stuck in her low class forever" )arriage is perceived by women as a form of
social mobility" *hen )r" +ollins proposes to +harlotte, ,li&abeths closest friend, she
accepts it without murmuring as +harlottes family members were -relieved from their
apprehension of +harlottes dying an old maid !p" ##.$" +harlotte herself did not even
consider twice about her marriage to )r" +ollins though he seemed like an absurd man
because -marriage had always been her ob'ect/ it was the only honourable provision for
well0educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness-
!p"##1$" In this case, +harlotte is portrayed as a woman of a low status without hope in
having a bright future and thus, she does not have any other option except to accept )r"
+ollins proposal in order to secure her future"
In this novel, )r" 2ingley and Janes relationship also depicts that social norms and
conventions essentially restricts oneself from fulfilling their own desires and identity" )rs"
2ennett, of course feeling lucky, pushes Jane to marry )r" 2ingley because of his status and
wealth however, +aroline, )r" 2ingleys sister opposes this marriage because Jane is not
from a high status" 3rom here, it is concluded that in the society of that era, marriage circles
around financial matters, not only as a depiction of a secure future, but also of status and
rank" 4ue to this, )r" 2ingley and Jane almost ended up not marrying" 5eeing this, )rs"
2ennett eventually responses in a peculiar behaviour, pressuring and nagging Jane about )r"
2ingleys distance with her: 6an hour seldom passed in which she did not talk of 2ingley,
express her impatience for his arrival, or even re7uire Jane to confess that if he did not come
back, she should think herself very ill used" It needed all Jane8s steady mildness to bear these
attacks with tolerable tran7uility6 !p" 19$" )rs" 2ennet, being the typical sane mother of that
era, so called longed to see her Jane living a good life after marriage, according to how
society defines good"
%he idea of pre'udice is also very much depicted in this novel in relation to the way
and how people behave may cause someone else to leave a first impression on another"
5omehow, the idea of first impression can also be related to the cultural context and social
behaviour of the characters in the novel" 3or example, )r" 4arcy does not even care to dance
with any single lady in the ball" According to :inion !#1;<,p" =<$, it is customary and proper
that a gentleman should dance when at the balls and should there is a lady in need of a
partner" >owever, )r" 4arcy broke conventions and he did not dance with any lady at the ball
except )rs" >urst and )iss 2ingley, causing him to leave a very bad first impression as -
the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world !p"1$" >ere, the reader is able to depict the
view that social laws eventually shape the way people think about oneself" (n the contrary,
)r" 4arcys act of breaking the rule is accepted 'ust because he is of a high status and he does
not have to worry about anything" >is power and future is secured because of his status"
In relation to this, the reader should also consider ,li&abeth 2ennets character"
%hough there is a clear understanding that Austens society lived in a set of rules which
controlled, governed and manipulated the way people lived, there is still a group of people
who chose to disobey these sets of cultural rules" (ne obvious example from the novel is
,li&abeth 2ennet herself" In the novel, ,li&abeth is mocked by her mother but her
rebelliousness and uni7ue nature is being liked by her father" It is depicted that in the end, her
sense of pride and genuine, straightforward nature eventually rewarded her to be the
happiest and the most content" ,li&abeth knew )r" +ollins is not her type, though she is of
the right age to marry, she is fearless and bold to re'ect his proposal by saying -I am not
one of those young ladies who are so daring as to risk their happiness on the chance of being
asked a second time !p" #?<$" >er act of doing so is as if she is re'ecting the norms of the
society, thinking about her own happiness without caring about what people think about her"
(f course, this was indeed a wise choice to make" ,li&abeth was not pressured to marry like
the other women" 5he stood for what she wanted herself by re'ecting and refusing to
compromise to norms" At the ball, when )r" 4arcy insulted ,li&abeth by saying 5he is
tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me, and I am in no humour present to give
conse7uence to young ladies who are slighted by other men !p"#?$, ,li&abeths reaction by
making fun and telling stories with great spirit !p"#?$ of )r" 4arcy in front of her friends is
a form of defense mechanism she built to defend her own pride"
(ne obvious element found in the novel is Jane Austens use of irony to expose the
hypocrisy and foolishness of the society she lived in" @otice how the statement-a single
man and -be in want of a wife !p"#$ contributes to the irony in this novel" %his statement
thoroughly gives the idea to the reader that a man who is not married must find a good wife
otherwise he will end up in unhappiness while a woman who does not find a good husband
will lose her security" As the novel is introduced by a talk between )rs" and )r" 2ennet )y
dear )r" 2ennet,8 said his lady to him one day, 8have you heard that @etherfield is let at lastA
!p"#$ it explains to the reader that the only thing )rs, 2ennet is concerned about in her life is
to marry her daughters" )r" 2ennet, otherwise reacted in an ironic and sarcastic manner by
ignoring her, asserting to the reader that he is annoyed by his wifes obsession with marrying
their daughters"
Apart from this, the characters in Pride and Prejudice somehow tell the idea about
how foolish people can really be" )r" +ollins ridiculous speech and absurdity somehow
gives the idea to the reader about the foolishness and silliness of society" (n the other hand,
+aroline 2ingley, who is thought to be more well0mannered, shows not much difference from
)rs" 2ennet" 2oth characters seem to portray foolishness and silliness in their acts" +aroline
thoroughly flirts around with )r" 4arcy without considering how annoying it can be and
when she -tried to provoke 4arcy into disliking her guest !,li&abeth$, by talking of their
supposed marriage, and planning his happiness in such and alliance !p" =.$ she is somehow
not behaving how she should behave as a woman from the upper class, pro'ecting her
selfishness and foolishness by doing so as )r" 4arcy, in irritation, replies >ave you anything
else to propose for my domestic felicityA !p"=.$" Apart from this, )rs" 2ennet keeps going
around the ball promoting her daughters without reali&ing how embarrassing it can be" %his
eventually leads to the presupposition that the silliness and hypocrisy of the characters
somehow causes each of them to forgo and forget who they really are in society"
In conclusion, it is thorough that the idea of love in the society back then is very much
connected to the way society 'udges and perceives one another" %he conventions of the
society, the individual characters as well as the culture of the people will shape the identity of
the particular individual" %he way the people lived in that particular society somehow reflects
the foolishness, hypocrisy, sarcasm, selfishness and individuality" Jane Austen perhaps was
'ust trying to make fun of the society she lived in, hoping that perhaps sometimes one does
not have to follow strict and self0invented rules presented in the society" Pride and Prejudice
somehow seems to connote the idea that one can actually choose to break free from whatever
that seems genteel to find his or her own happiness"
Individual Response (Nur Farah Nadia binti Meor Razman)
As a reader, I am more interested in what effects this novel has on me and how it
comes to the point that affected me" !4obie, B??1$ :ersonally, when I read Jane Austens
Pride and Prejudice, I feel that there is so much trouble a woman has to endure with limited
power to do anything" Civing the ultimate authority to the reader in interpreting a text as
mentioned by most of the reader0response critics !4obie, B??1$, I could not help but relate it
to myself by putting myself in the shoes of the women back in the eighteenth century,
however, that does not mean only women in that era have issues"
3irst, looking at the protagonist, ,li&abeth, both of us being a second daughter of the
family, I know how it feels to be her, in other words, we are the second choice in almost
everything" ,li&abeth is intelligent and full of pride/ she knows how to make her own
decisions know what is right and wrong" >er intelligence comes from her reading and that is
how she is able to perceive the world differently compared to her other siblings" I think she is
a very powerful character, despite the fact that her mother shows more affection towards her
older sister, Jane" 5he does not let her mother brings her down even though her mother never
hesitated in being harsh on her" 5he always dares to speak her mind/ she ob'ects everything
that she feels not right about herself like how she re'ected )r" +ollinss proposal" 5he had to
be mean to )r" +ollins 'ust because she wants the best for herself"
)rs" 2ennet was not being considerable at all, she insisted ,li&abeth to marry )r"
+ollins despite ,li&abeths refusal" (n top of that, I like how ,li&abeth lives her life, she is so
lively and she always knows what she is doing" 5he taught me a lot of things and one thing
that I have learned from her character is never let anyone pull you down even though the
whole world is against you" %he will to fight and change is the most important of all, without
it, your life will remain the same" It is the persons own responsibility to decide whats best
for him or herself" :laying Dinnocent would not get you anywhere but learning to stand up
for yourself is the key to a better life" 5he is undoubtedly strong because she does not give
room to anyone to play around with her feelings and pride, not even )r" 4arcy"
It was the norm of the society to have balls and parties as a mean to Dsell oneself
especially the women" I dont favor the idea of this because it seems like womens only
concern was to attract mens attention while those men were hunting for their Dprey" I mock
the idea that this class of people was actually spending their time throwing useless balls as
often as they could for a ridiculous purpose" I also personally do not like the idea or should I
say the attribute given to a gentleman because I feel like they have done nothing but
wondering around and showing off what they have without even having to work for anything"
If I were living in that era, I would be as feminist as Jane Austen to 'ust ridicule the societys
norms"
2asically, Pride and Prejudice is a romantic love novel, everyone seems to agree on
that but when I read it, the romantic sense did not capture my attention at all" I was more
affected by the ridiculousness of the society and most importantly, the convention of the
patriarchal system" %he gap between the different classes was something that needed to be
fixed" All man are born e7ual and naked so I do not see the point of the convention on how
people were distinguished to different classes based on Dluck" It is a different thing if they
really work for it but what they did was ma'orly exploiting other peoples hard work for their
own benefit"
Individual Response (Wang Shuai)
In many ways, according to Jane Austens biography, the kind of community
portrayed in the novel resembles that one of her own, for example, the customs, social norms
and the ways the characters and their houses interact with one another" )aybe that is why the
narrative is almost always revealed through the descriptions of common events like dinner
parties and balls, which could not be more familiar and comfortable for her to write about"
,ven though the story develops around the love story between ,li&abeth and )r" 4arcy,
Austens classic work is much more than that, as it reflects many aspects of the cultural and
social context of the late #.
th
century ,ngland" 3or me as a reader, the very first sentences are
the best and most powerful part of the entire book" %hey do not only brilliantly summari&e
the story but also point out the most satirical issue concerned by the author: peoples way of
life is a product of their society, and men and women are both defined and confined by the
society" *ith such interesting opening statement, :ride and :re'udice was like a powerful
time machine that drew me back in time and made me want to explore and experience the
kind of life 2ritish people had back in the old days"
In order to better understand these social issues appeared in the novel, I felt that it was
necessary to use an appropriate literary theory to analy&e characters and the way they interact
with one another, therefore, after much discussion with other group members, I decided to go
with )arxist criticism as Earl )arxs )arxism is not only widely studied around the world
but also regarded as one of the most popular theories in analy&ing the causes, states, effects
and results of social and economic in'ustice"
In agreement with the analysis section of this report and also with many suggestions
from other group members, I believe that I have effectively analy&ed the characters and their
actions by using )arxist criticism and proven that Jane Austen was indeed a )arxist for the
way she portrayed the in'ustice and the class oppression and conflicts within the society very
much aligned with )arxs theory with came out decades later"
Individual Response (Ratna Juanita R)
In my opinion, Jane Austen has been constructed her plot in :ride and :re'udice in authentic
way and masterful" 5he creates two proposals with certain conflicts and emotions which
express readers intention to follow the story until the end" Although the main goal of the plot
is ,li&abeth and 4arcys marriage, but Austen successfully makes a twist when ,li&abeth
re'ects his first proposal" I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last
man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry" It shows ,li&abeths strong
principle about love and respect as a foundation of marriage" In traditional romantic comedy,
the lovers will build understanding in the beginning of the story and start a crisis through the
novel" 2ut in this novel, understanding comes after the first proposal occurred"
As a whole, I agree with Anderson !B?#?: <;B0<;<$ who points out that all parts of
:ride and :re'udice are devoted to the intensification of a romantic plot" In the process of
composing a plot, a novelist combines certain incidents, character, thought and language to
create a dramatic sub'ect in the novel" A reader can figure out ,li&abeths character from her
father before her appearances" According to him, ,li&abeth has something which is more
7uickness than her sisters" >er strong characters put her position is almost e7ual to the
narrator as well as her superiority above other female characters"
%he two main characters, ,li&abeth and 4arcy, face difficulties and challenges in their
life as well as their relationship" %hen, because of the reader follows the story through
,li&abeth and 4arcys changing awareness about each other, I believe that the plot itself
makes their romance becomes more complicated" As a reader, I feel pleasure with their
mutual attraction and excitedly follow each step of their actions that makes them closer after
first has been separated" In this novel, Austen seems to acknowledge that 4arcy and ,li&abeth
are meant to be together" Although they are completely different in their characters, status,
and background, those differences create more tension and charm into the drama of her novel"
Individual Response (Pauline Genevieve CIoco MArtin)
)any scholars and other writes have analysed, criticised, complimented and
interpreted Jane Austens novels but *"3" :ollocks and Anne %hackeray Fitchies are what I
really agree with" *"3" :ollock in his comment from 3rasers )aga&ine on January, #.G?,
complimented Austens works to have a uniform 7uality" >e also stated that Het a volume be
opened at any place: there is the same good ,nglish, the same refined style, the same
simplicity and truth" I agree with him because I did not encounter much difficulty
understanding :ride and :re'udice" %he plot is very smooth0sailing and kept me on my toes"
It is one of the very few classics that I actually en'oyed reading" %he simplicity and the true to
the world facts of the story pulled me in to reading" Inlike other classics that simply bores
me because of the rigid environment of the story" At the same time, :ride and :re'udice does
not step away into exaggeration and unnaturalness" Austens novel is all about ordinary things
in the ,nglish societys everyday life but the way she constructed the plot and
characterisation makes :ride and :re'udice a delightful novel to read"
Hike *"3" :ollock, Anne %hackeray compliments Jane Austens writing style" 5he
stated in the +ornhill )aga&ine on August, #.;# that >er machinery is simple but complete/
events group themselves so vividly and naturally in her mind that" Another comment of hers
that I really like and agree is that 5ome books and people are delightful, we can scarce tell
why/ they are not so clever as others that weary and fatigue us" It is a certain effort to read a
story, however touching, that is disconnected and badly related" As I said earlier :ride and
:re'udices language is simple and smooth that makes such a laborious task reading delightful
to the readers" Jane Austen describes the early #.??s 7uite clear" >er imagery is something
that helped me understand the situation the characters are experiencing" >er plot makes it
hard for me to put down the book because beyond its simplicity is a complex story that is
easy to read hence the reason its now on the achievement list of the limited classics I have
read"