On Marriage in Pride and Prejudice.docx

1、On Marriage in Pride and PrejudiceOn Marriages in Pride and Prejudice.IntroductionJane Austen, a peerless and important writer in the history of English literature, combined the tradition of realism of 18th century together with the upsurge of the realistic novel of the 19th century. She was born at

2、 Steventon on December 16, 1775, the youngest of seven children. Although her life was quite and uneventful, it supplied her with material for half a dozen novels as perfect of their kind as any in the language. While the troop of Napoleon was crossing all over the European continent, we can hardly

3、feel any flatus of the war in Austens novels, but see a group of middle-class who were chatting and laughing idly. “Miss Austen never attempts to describe a scene or a class of society with which she was not herself thoroughly acquired. The conversations of ladies with ladies, or of ladies and gentl

4、emen together, are given, but no instance occurs of a scene in which men only are present. The uniform quality of her work is one most remarkable point to be observed in it. Let a volume be opened at any place: there is the same good English, the same refined style, the same simplicity and truth. Th

5、ere is never any deviation into the unnatural or exaggerated; and how worthy of all love and respect is the finely disciplined genius which rejects the forcible but transient modes of stimulating interest which can so easily be employed when desired, and which knows how to trust to be never-falling

6、principles of human nature! ” (1) And her work was praised as a broad canvas in a narrow casement.Pride and Prejudice, published in 1813, is Jane Austens earliest work, its very popular and has been read widely all over the world for nearly two hundred years. Austen began writing the novel in 1796 a

7、t the age of twenty-one, under the title First Impression. The original version of the novel was in the form of the exchange of letters. By describing different marriages in Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen expressed her view that the different ways in which the young ladies treated their marriages

8、reflect their attitudes towards love. It mainly delineates four marriages: Elizabeth- Darcy, Jane- Bingley, Charlotte- Collins and Lydia- Wickhame. The core plot is the love and marriage between Elizabeth and Darcy. In Pride and Prejudice, we can always see country squires leisurely life with calls,

9、 walks, picnics, conversations, parties, balls and marriages. And Austen filled her work with thoughts of marriage and her understanding of a successful marriage. She thought the marriage only for possession and social status is senseless, but also foolish to ignore those elements. Therefore, she wa

10、s against the fortune-oriented marriage and on the other hand, she also disapproved to take marriage as a playgame. She emphasized on the importance of an ideal marriage and considered love as the foundation of an ideal marriage. .Four Marriages in Pride and PrejudiceMr. and Mrs. Bennet have five da

11、ughters, living at Longbourn. Mr. Bennets property consists almost entirely in an estate of two thousand pounds a year, which, unfortunately for his daughters, is entailed by Collins. That means there will be no other guarantee for their daughters future lives, but their respective marriages. Theref

12、ore, it is no wonder that Mrs. Bennet takes Mr. Bingley as “the rightful property” for their daughters when she hears about that he has one hundred thousand pounds property, though she has not even seen him. May be in her eyes, Bingley is like large fortune rather than a man. That is the beginning o

13、f the novel.As the second daughter of the Longborn Bennets, Elizabeth is an intelligent and sensible girl who is also self-dignified and prone to hasty judgements. She values ones character but not the property and status and never trade self-esteem and money with love. Darcy, a good man of integrit

14、y with proud appearance, is the owner of Pemberley. Hes invited by his friend Bingley to the ball in Netherfield, and “soon draw the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome feature, noble mien.”(2) He is always being pride to the others, and not easy to get along with. “He was at th

15、e same time haughty, reserved, and fastidious, and his manners, though well bred were not inviting.”(3) Elizabeth shows herself when she meets Darcy; she never feels self- contempt for her lower status. It was just her intelligence and disposition that attracts Darcy. At the same time, Elizabeths si

16、ster Jane and the young gentleman Bingley s love is also on its way. Bingley is a cordial and simple young man. We can find that he is agreeable both in appearance and character. In the first ball at Netherfield, we could make acquaintance of his personality through his behavior. “ Mr. Bingley had s

17、oon made himself acquainted with all the principal people in the room, he was lively and unreserved, danced every dance, was angry that the ball closed so early, and talked of giving one himself at Netherfield. Such amiable qualities must speak for themselves.”(4) Jane is a kind and mild girl with i

18、ntroverted disposition. They love with each other at their first sight, and seem to be engaged. But actually there are great difficulties in front of them; the most fundamental ones are their disparate status and property. Although Bingley himself does not take the “background” so seriously, his rel

19、atives and friends all greatly rejects such a marriage, and his sister and Darcy stop Bingley in London. What causes Darcy to do so is out of “pride and prejudice”. Darcy sees that Jane likes Bingley, but he doesnt believe her to be in love, and therefore liable to be injured except in a worldly sen

20、se by Bingleys withdrawal. We can see this point from his letter to Elizabeth: “Her (Jane) look and manners were open, cheerful and engaging as ever, but without any symptom of peculiar regard, and I remained convinced from the evening, that though she received his attentions with pleasure, she did

21、not invite them by any participation of sentiment.”(5) And he believes “however amiable her temper, her heart was not likely to be easily touched.”(6) While Darcy learns Janes true love and all misunderstandings are clarified, Bingley comes back to Jane at Darcys assistance. All by their efforts, th

22、e marriage which defeats social prejudice at last comes to be successful. “Elizabeth really believed all his (Bingleys) expectations of felicity to be rationally founded, because they had for basis the excellent understanding, and super-excellent disposition of Jane, and a general similarity of feel

23、ing and taste between her and himself.”(7)Then I will introduce the other two marriages, Charlotte- Collins and Lydia- Wickhame. Their marriages are vibrant contrast to Elizabeth- Darcys. Collins is a vulgar, pompous and rapacious man who is subservient to his parsoness and always arrogant before hi

24、s inferiors. He is Elizabeths cousin and would inherit the estate of Longbourn, the proprety of Mr. Bennet upon his death. He intends to get married merely because it was the particular recommendation of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. “Having now a goof house and very sufficient income, he intended to ma

25、rry; and in seeking reconciliation with the Longbourn family he had a wife in view, as he meant to choose one of the daughters, if he found them as handsome and amiable as they were represented by common report. This was his plan of amends-of atonement-for inheriting their fathers estate; and he tho

26、ught it an excellent one, full of eligibility and suitableness, and excessively generous and disinterested on his own part.”(8) Mr. Collins is not a sensible man, the respect which he feels for Lady Catherines high rank, and his veneration for her as his patroness, mingling with a very good opinion

27、of himself, of his authority as a clergyman, and his right as a rector, makes him altogether a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-important and humility. Marriage to Collins is only “a right thing for every clergyman in easy circumstances” (9) and “it is the particular advice and recommendati

28、on of the very noble lady.”(10) We can see it in his swift change in his choice of choosing a wife. His marriage with Charlotte bases on sole and naked money- transaction. Facing such a person, Charlotte doesnt refuse him, but makes him to propose to her in a days time. Elizabeth is astonished and s

29、orry for her best friend. She believes that such a marriage could not bring happiness for Charlotte. But in Charlottes eyes, “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other, or ever so similar beforehand, it doesnt advanc

30、e their felicity in the least. They always contrive to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life.”(11) It reflects her idea of marriage that she accepts Collins

31、solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment. To her, marriage is neither a new starting to begin with her husband nor the result of love, but a transaction. And its easy for us to imagine what their marriage and life will turn out to be in the future. The delineation of Lydia a

32、nd Wickhame shows us a sex- oriented marriage. Wickhame first appears us a very charming fellow. But indeed he is a dissolute and cunning villain who is changeable in his love and crazy about money. At first, he cheats Darcys sister to elope with him in order to get money. And when he meets Elizabet

33、h, his constant attention makes her feel sure that she is in love with him. But Elizabeth is not wealthy enough which caused the transfer of his love from poor Elizabeth to wealth Miss. King. Miss. King then refuses him and at time she is in debt. In order to flee his creditors, he leaves and elopes with Lydia. Lydia is a vacant- mind