J ANE A USTEN, P RIDE AND P REJUDICE, AND OTHER THEMATIC CONCERNS.

JANE AUSTEN, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, AND OTHER THEMATIC CONCERNS

JANE AUSTEN – THE BIOGRAPHY Austen was born December 16, 1775 in

Steventon, near Hampshire (England). She was the seventh of eight children. Her father was a revered and member of the

clergy. Austen was formally educated until the age

of ten, but then was educated at home by her parents (who just so happened to be well-read and encourage her writing).

Her closest sibling was her sister Cassandra, with whom she wrote and performed plays.

Austen wrote her first novel when she was fourteen.

JANE AUSTEN – THE BIOGRAPHY In 1801, the Austen family moved to the

bustling town of Bath. This town, mixed with her country

upbringing, flesh out many of the characters and scenarios in her numerous novels.

In 1805, Austen’s father passed away, putting the wife (also named Cassandra) and the two girls into financial trouble.

They eventually relied on the charity of the sons/brothers for their subsistence.

After traveling and living with relatives for nearly three years, the Austen women settled in Southamtpon.

JANE AUSTEN – THE BIOGRAPHY

The last years of Austen’s life were quietly spent writing.

She died an untimely death at age 41 from Addison’s disease, or a lymphoma like disease of the kidneys.

She is buried at Winchester Cathedral. She was never married. Her life is often described as “untroubled,”

apart from minor financial struggles (and she nearly died at age 9 while at boarding school from a viral infection).

JANE AUSTEN – THE BIOGRAPHY

Austen was once engaged to a man named Harrison Bigg-Wither.

He was pleasant and Oxford educated, and yet she turned him down (even though it would have given her financial security and moved her up in social class).

Even though marriage for “romantic” purposes was becoming more of a viable option, people were baffled when she said “no thanks”.

Austen had a mixed attitude toward marriage and motherhood.

OTHER NOTABLES

All of Austen’s work was published anonymously.

Though the market was full of female authors at the time, for some reason she stayed behind the scenes.

Her most famous novels are re-workings of her early attempts.

Sense and Sensibility is a reworking of “Elinor and Marianne” and Pride and Prejudice is a reworking of a shorter novella called “First Impressions”.

In the 1990’s three of Austen’s novels were made into either movies or TV series.

IN HISTORY In 1775, the year Austen is born, the

American Revolution begins. In 1789, the French Revolution begins. 1793: King Louis XVI is executed (a few

months later Marie-Antoinette was also). 1793: The Reign of Terror begins. 1811: George III is replaced by King George

IV (formerly the Prince of Wales, a morally corrupt leader).

1813: Pride and Prejudice is published. 1815: Battle of Waterloo ends engagement

with France.

WHAT IS A “NOVEL OF MANNERS” A novel that describes in detail the customs,

behaviors, habits, and expectations of a certain social group at a specific time and place. Usually these conventions shape the behavior of the main characters, and sometimes even stifle or repress them

“A novel dominated by social customs, manners, conventions, and habits of a definite social class. In the true novel of manners, the mores of a specific group, described in detail and with great accuracy, become powerful controls over characters. The novel of manners is often, although by no means always, satiric.”

CONTENT “Austen wrote of her immediate experience:

the microcosm of the country gentry and its class-conscious insularity.”

Austen in known for “her ability to create singular characters who linger in one’s imagination, her unparalleled sense of irony and wit, her brilliant dialogue, and her carefully woven plots.”

Austen is writing about a world where there is social, moral, and economic stability.

There is a great deal of formal civility between her characters, as well as sexual restraint, and prescribed manners.

CONTENT The content of Austen’s novels is usually set

in the idyllic country landscape – away from conflict, war, and industrial turmoil.

Hence, many modern readers are drawn to Austen.

One of the major motifs in Austen’s work is that of personal fulfillment vs. adherence to social code.

Austen is a shrewd observer of human interaction and motivation.

Though she traveled little, she did deeply understand the professional and the member of the gentry.

CONTENT

You will never see anyone working in an Austen novel…only talking about working.

Think of this like a soap opera. The wars with the Americas,

France/Napoleon, etc. never really make it into the narrative, which is ironic, seeing as she had two brothers serving in the armed forces.

If anything, these military men only surface as cute or alluring distractions for women.

CONTENT

Austen loves to talk about the gap between the working professional and the “gentry” who are the wealthy who do, well, nothing.

She often makes fun of their laziness and snobbish behavior.

Her novels are usually based on the “marriage plot”.

“A typical feature of the comic novel is that powerful social distinctions upheld in everyday life tend to be suspended in a effort to further the plot.”

CONTENT

Quote continued – “Within the safe space of the novel, such comic upheavals create exciting possibilities for minor social transgressions; at the same time, the [novels’ conclusions], the existing order becomes reaffirmed.”

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Obviously “pride” and “prejudice” are two of the main themes in the novel.

One can debate whether or not these are “good” or “bad” things for people to possess or use.

It was originally called “First Impressions,” meaning one’s first impressions of others should always be managed with caution and only solidified after careful reflection.

Austen introduces also a corrupt underside to the lazy behavior of the gentry. (luxury and indolence)

SUMMARY

http://www.wikisummaries.org/Pride_and_Prejudice (SPOILER ALERT)

This link has a full plot summary, chapter summaries and a list of characters. Do not abuse it, but consult it for help.

The novel is about the Bennet family and the (hopeful) marriage of their five daughters to men of wealth.

THINGS TO CONSIDER The options of female characters. The values of professionals and the values of

the gentry. (SOCIAL CLASS) The absence of work. Personal satisfaction vs. obligation to family

and society. Personal judgment and self-centeredness. Social rules and manners. This is NOT realism. Inwardness vs. Sociability Being a rebel. Marriages of love vs. Marriages of

Oppurtunity

FAMOUS WORKS

Pride and Prejudice Sense and Sensibility Emma Persuasion (Posthumous Release) Northanger Abbey (Posthumous Release) Mansfield Park Sandition (Unfinished)

ME JANE.

COOL SOURCE

http://www.jasa.net.au/jabiog.htm on Austen http://www.victorianweb.org/history/hist7.htm

l On the French Revoltuion