Element of Fiction in Pride and Prejudice

8/11/2019 Element of Fiction in Pride and Prejudice

1/35


2/35


3/35


4/35

The novel is set in the 19the century, principally in Longbourn, the Hertfordshire country town that is a mile fromMeryton and twenty-four miles from London. t is a well-ordered, provincial town, filled with landed gentry and

oblivious to the sweeping changes occurring outside the fringes of its narrow, circumscribed vision.

CHARACTERSMajor Characters

Mrs. Bennet -The match-ma!ing mother of five daughters. The wife of Mr. "ennet and #a woman of mean

understanding, little information, and uncertain temper,# who embarrasses her older daughters with her lac! of

class and entertains her husband with her ignorance.

Mr. Bennet -$ country gentleman, who is the sometimes irresponsible father of five daughters and the husband of

Mrs. "ennet. He is fond of boo!s and can be witty and amusing.

Jane Bennet -The eldest daughter of the "ennets who is pretty, shy, calm, gentle and good-natured% she falls in

love with and marries Mr. "ingley.

Elizabeth Bennet (Lizzy) -The second daughter of the "ennets who is lively, intelligent, witty and sensible% she at

first strongly disli!es Mr. &arcy and then falls in love with him.

Marry Bennet -The third daughter, who is pedantic, tasteless, plain, vain, silly, and affected.

Catherine Bennet (Kitty) -The fourth daughter, who is almost a non-entity in the novel e'cept for chasing soldiers.

Lydia Bennet -The youngest daughter who is silly, thoughtless, stupid, unprincipled, flirtatious, loudmouthed and

scatter brained% not surprisingly, she is Mrs. "ennet(s favorite daughter. )he elopes with

George Wickham -$ handsome, militia officer

e!. Mr. Collins -Mr. "ennet(s cousin who is to inherit Mr. "ennet(s property. He is a pompous, undignified

mi'ture of servility and self-importance.

Charles Bingley -$ wealthy country gentleman who is !ind and charming. He falls in love with and marries *ane

"ennett and is &arcy(s best friend.

"itz#illiam $arcy -The wealthy, best friend of +harles "ingley who at first is proud, rude, and unpleasant% afterfalling in love with liabeth, he is shown to be discreet, shrewd, generous, and magnanimous% in the end, he wins

liabeth(s love.

Minor Characters

Georgiana $arcy -The younger sister of itwilliam &arcy who is shy, reserved, and warm-hearted.

Mrs. eynolds -The trusted house!eeper of Mr. &arcy. Colonel "itz#illiam -The cousin of Mr. &arcy

who is handsome and well-mannered.


5/35


6/35

Lady Catherine de Bo%rgh


7/35

-


8/35

Mr. &arcy


9/35

(


10/35

s aunt who is arrogant, over-bearing, domineering, interfering,


11/35

vulgar and affected% she cannot tolerate any opposition.&nn de Bo%rgh -Lady +atherine(s daughter who is sic!lyand coddled by her mother and who has no mind of her own.

Mrs. Jenkinson -$nn de "ourgh(s teacher. Caroline Bingley -Mr. "ingley(s unmarried sister, who is snobbish,

conceited, scheming and /ealous.Mrs. '%rst -"ingley(s married sister who lives a lay, purposeless life. Mr.

'%rst -"ingley(s brother-in-law, who is lay and purposeless, li!e his wife. George Wickham -$ seemingly

charming man with attractive manners, who is really selfish, unprincipled,

e'travagant and prone to gambling% he is the villain of the novel, who elopes with Lydia "ennet ir William and

Lady L%cas -0eighbors and friends of the "ennet family and parents of +harlotte. Charlotte L%cas -The eldest

daughter in the Lucas family who is plain, practical, intelligent and absolutely

unromantic% she is a very close friend of liabeth.

Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner -Mrs. "ennet(s brother and his wife who are sensible and refined% Mrs. ardiner is a

confidante of *ane and liabeth "ennet.Mrs. hili*s -Mrs. "ennet(s sister, who is as vulgar and ridiculous as her

sister% her husband is an attorney.Mary King -$n ac2uaintance of the "ennet family.

CONFLICT

+here are t#o ma,or con-licts in the no!el #hich de!elo* the *lot.

The first pot centers aro!n" Mrs# $ennet%s "esperate atte&pts to fin" s!ita'e h!s'an"s for her&arriagea'e "a!ghters#

(rotagonist -The 3rotagonist is Mrs. "ennet, whose 4business of life( is to get her daughters married. To this end,

she is assiduously devoted throughout the novel. )he presses her husband to develop an ac2uaintance with Mr.

"ingley 5a promising catch6% she encourages the sic! *ane to prolong her stay at 0etherfield% she is an'ious that

liabeth should consent to Mr. +ollins( proposal and is crestfallen when she does not% she promotes the flippancy

of Lydia and 7itty and their red-coat chasing.

Antagonist -Mrs. "ennet(s antagonist is the problem she encounters in getting her daughters married, especially the

eldest two. "ingley(s abrupt departure from 0etherfield interrupts her plans. This and liabeth(s denial to marry

the odious Mr. +ollins seems to thwart her matrimonial scheme of things. Lydia(s elopement and the conse2uent

stigma also stri!es at the heart of her scheme% ironically, she does not comprehend its fatality.

Ci&a) -The clima' of this plot is the engagement of liabeth to &arcy. Lydia has already eloped with 8ic!ham,

and *ane has accepted "ingley(s proposal. $ll three of her eldest daughters are to be married.

O!tco&e -The outcome of the conflict is a happy one. Mrs. "ennet(s match-ma!ing problems are solved, for her

eligible daughters are either engaged or married at the point of clima'.


12/35


13/35

The secon" pot re*o*es aro!n" +arc, tr,ing to in Ei.a'eth


14/35

%


15/35

s o*e#


16/35

(rotagonist -itwilliam &arcy, a handsome and proud aristocrat, falls in love with liabeth. He is attracted by

her fine eyes, elegant figure, buoyancy of spirit, 2uic! wit, and intelligence.

Antagonist -&arcy(s antagonist is the various 4obstacles( he has to overcome in order to win the love of liabeth,

including her vulgar and indiscreet mother, 8ic!ham(s false accounts of him, and liabeth(s own pre/udice

against him. liabeth finds him e'ceedingly proud and at first strongly disli!es him.

Ci&a) -$ high point in the rising action is Lydia(s elopement, for it threatens to thwart the relationship between

&arcy and liabeth% but, on the contrary, it gives &arcy an opportunity to prove his love for liabeth by using his

influence to get 8ic!ham to marry Lydia. n turn, liabeth realies the true worth of &arcy. 8hen &arcy proposes

to her a second time, he has lost his pride and she has given up her pre/udice. The clima' occurs when she eagerly

accepts his proposal.

O!tco&e -This plot ends in comedy for &arcy accomplishes his goal, winning the love of liabeth and her hand

in marriage.

(LOT/S,nopsis0Pride and Prejudice is the story of Mr. and Mrs. "ennet and their five unmarried daughters. They live in the estate

of Longbourn in Hertfordshire, a rural district about thirty miles from London. The family is not rich. Their

property is 4entailed( to pass to the nearest male heir in the family, in this case to Mr. +ollins. The main concern of

Mrs. "ennet(s life is to see that all her daughters are married, preferably to men with large fortunes. )he sees an

opportunity for her eldest daughter *ane when Mr. +harles "ingley, a wealthy gentlemen from the city, occupies the

nearby estate of 0etherfield 3ar!. n her e'citement, she urges her husband to visit Mr. "ingley on the very first

day of his arrival, before any of the other neighbors. Mr. "ennet complies to his wife(s re2uest and visits Mr.

"ingley, but withholds information about his visit from the family.

$t the ne't social gathering in Meryton, "ingley brings along his two sisters, +aroline "ingley and Louisa Hurst.

"ut more importantly, he brings his closest friend, Mr. itwilliam &arcy. "ingley, who is charming and social, is

immediately attracted to the modest and gentle *ane "ennet. &arcy, in contrast to "ingley, is proud, rude, anddisagreeable. 8hen "ingley suggests that &arcy dance with liabeth "ennet, he refuses and negatively comments

on her loo!s. liabeth overhears the comment and develops a strong pre/udice against &arcy. $t the ne't ball in

0etherfield, &arcy feels an attraction for liabeth and as!s her for a dance. )he refuses to dance with him, thereby

avenging the earlier insults.

*ane and "ingley continue to be attracted to one another. +aroline "ingley invites *ane to 0etherfield for a visit.

8hile at 0etherfield, *ane falls ill and liabeth comes to loo! after her sister. 8hile at 0etherfield, liabeth is

forced to confront &arcy. )he approaches him with wit and sarcasm. )ince &arcy has !nown only flattery from

others, he is charmed by liabeth(s fran!ness. &uring her short stay at 0etherfield, liabeth realies +aroline is

very contemptuous of her family, its social status, and Mrs. "ennet(s vulgarity. liabeth concludes that +aroline(s

friendship and cordiality towards *ane is only a pretense.

The male relative to whom the Longbourn estate is 4entailed( is ev. 8illiam +ollins of Hunsfort. Mr. +ollins pays

a visit to Longbourn with the intention of proposing marriage to one of the "ennet daughters. His pompousmanners and his bloated rhetoric disgust everyone, e'cept Mrs. "ennet, who loo!s upon him as a prospective son-

in-law. +ollins is attracted to *ane, but Mrs. "ennet informs him that she is about to be engaged. He then turns hisattention to liabeth and ma!es a ridiculous proposal of marriage to her. 8hen liabeth re/ects him, he proposes

to her friend +harlotte Lucas, who, to everyone(s shoc!, accepts him. Mrs. "ennet is distressed by liabeth(s

re/ection of Mr. +ollins because it is the one opportunity she has of


17/35


18/35

!eeping the Longbourn estate in the family.


19/35

"ingley and his companions soon depart for London. "oth "ingley and +aroline write to *ane to say that they have

closed 0etherfield and have no plans of returning to it in the near future. *ane is very disappointed. $s *ane feels

frustration over "ingley, liabeth finds a new attraction. )he meets Mr. 8ic!ham and is foolishly and

magnetically drawn to him. They have a friendly conversation in which she reveals her disli!e of &arcy. Ta!ing

advantage of this information, 8ic!ham concocts a story and tells liabeth that he has been cheated by &arcy.

liabeth ta!es pity on him and almost falls in love. Mrs. ardiner, however, warns liabeth about 8ic!ham, who

soon marries Miss 7ing.

$t the invitation of the ardiners, *ane goes to London for some rest and change of air. )he hopes that she sees

"ingley, even accidentally. *ane ma!es many attempts to get in touch with him, but +aroline does not even inform

her brother about *ane(s presence in London. *ane is heart bro!en, but grows to accept her re/ection.

liabeth goes to Hunsford to visit Mr. +ollins and his new wife +harlotte, who is liabeth(s dear friend. &uring

liabeth(s stay in Hunsford, &arcy happens to visit his aunt, who also lives there, and attempts to build a

relationship with liabeth. To her surprise, &arcy proposes marriage to her in a language so arrogant that

liabeth turns him down indignantly. )he as!s him how he dares to propose to her after separating *ane and

"ingley, who were in love with each other, and after victimiing 8ic!ham. )he ends her tirade by saying that shewould not marry him even if he were the last man on the earth. &arcy is upset and leaves in a huff. The ne't

morning he meets liabeth when she goes out for a wal! and hands her a long letter that answers all her

accusations. He e'plains to her that he did not believe that *ane was really in love with "ingley. He also tells her

the truth about 8ic!ham. liabeth is shoc!ed by his answers.

There is also another shoc! awaiting her. Her youngest sister Lydia has been invited to "righton by a young

officer(s wife. Lydia is very e'cited about the trip% but liabeth !nows how stupid, scatter brained, and flirtatious

Lydia is. )he tries to persuade her father not to allow Lydia to go to "righton. Her father, however, dismisses

liabeth(s fears.

Mr. and Mrs. ardiner plan a tour of the La!e &istrict and ta!e liabeth with them. $t the last minute, however,

the tour is cut short and the ardiners decide to restrict their trip to &erbyshire, where &arcy has his vast estate in3emberley. liabeth ma!es sure that &arcy is away on business and then agrees to visit 3emberley, out of sheer

curiosity. 3emberley is one of the most beautiful places she has ever visited, and &arcy(s elegant tastes are evident

everywhere. To top it all, Ms. eynolds, the house!eeper who has !nown &arcy since his childhood, spea!s very

highly of him, saying he is /ust and fair. liabeth cannot believe that she has made such a mista!e in /udging his

character. $s liabeth is loo!ing over 3emberley(s lovely grounds, &arcy himself appears, returning a day before

he is e'pected. He loo!s surprised to see liabeth, and she is intensely embarrassed. He is polite to her and the

ardiners, and liabeth notices that there is no trace of pride in him.

The following day, "ingley calls on liabeth, and his an'ious in2uiries about *ane indicate that he is still in love

with her. &arcy and his beautiful sister, eorgiana, also call on liabeth at the inn to invite her and the ardinersto dinner. liabeth accepts the dinner invitation. &uring the dinner, +aroline tries her best to destroy the friendly

relationship between &arcy and liabeth by running down liabeth(s family, but she does not succeed. &arcy is

fond of liabeth.

0ews comes that Lydia has eloped with 8ic!ham, so liabeth leaves &erbyshire with the ardiners to returnhome. $ll attempts at tracing the runaway couple have failed. &arcy, touched by liabeth(s distress over Lydia,

see!s to find her and catches up with the couple in London. &arcy convinces 8ic!ham to marry


20/35


21/35

Lydia, gives him ten thousand pounds, pays up his debts, and persuades him to settle in the 0orth of London.&arcy then re2uests that the ardiners not reveal his help to the "ennet family. liabeth, however, finds out the

truth about &arcy


22/35

(


23/35

s assistance. )he is impressed with his !indness.


24/35

"ingley ma!es an unannounced reappearance at 0etherfield 3ar!, and renews his courtship of *ane. They are soon

engaged. Lady +atherine also arrives unannounced and acts very haughty towards the "ennet family. )he threatens

liabeth with dire conse2uences if she marries &arcy, but liabeth refuses to promise that she will not accept a

proposal from &arcy. $ few days later, &arcy comes to visit and ma!es a second proposal of marriage to liabeth.

This time she accepts wholeheartedly. He than!s liabeth for teaching him the lesson of humility.

The two couples, *ane and "ingley and liabeth and &arcy, are married on the same morning. Mrs. "ennet is

over/oyed at having three of her daughters married, two of them to very rich young men. $fter a year(s stay at

0etherfield 3ar!, "ingley purchases an estate in &erbyshire. His mother-in-law(s tiresome company and her vulgar

behavior are too much even for his calm temperament. The novel finally ends on a note of reconciliation with all of

the characters trying to forgive and forget past insults.

THEMES

Major The&es

The pivotal theme is that marriage is important to individuals and society. Throughout the novel, the author

describes the various types of marriages and reasons behind them. Marriage out of economic compulsions can be

seen in +harlotte(s marriage to +ollins. Marriage due to sensual pleasure can be seen in Lydia(s marriage. The

marriage of *ane and liabeth are the outcome of true love between well-matched persons.

$nother ma/or theme is that pride and pre/udice both stand in the way of relationships, as embodied in the persons

of &arcy and liabeth respectively. 3ride narrows the vision of a person and causes one to underestimate other

mortals. 3re/udice blinds the vision and leads to false perceptions about others. &arcy(s pride and liabeth(s

pre/udice come in the way of understanding each other and !eep them apart. :nly when &arcy becomes more

humble and liabeth becomes more accepting can they relate to one another and find happiness together.

Minor The&es

$ minor theme found in the novel is appearance versus reality, with $usten stressing that a person cannot be

/udged by his;her outer being. &uring the course of the boo!, several characters are not properly /udged, for good

conduct does not necessarily mean good character, /ust as a pretty face does not indicate a pure soul.

$nother theme stressed by the author is that in order to display good sense, a vitally important characteristic, a

person must possess intelligence, sensitivity, and responsibility. ach of the ma/or characters in the novel is /udged

against these three important criteria.

MOO+The mood throughout the novel is formal and realistic to its nineteenth century setting. ven though it is a novel

about love and marriage, it is not romantic and emotional, but realistic and practical.

$ACK1RO2N+ INFORMATION

*ane $usten was born in 1


25/35


26/35

closeness to her sister +assandra. $lthough she attended boarding school for a short while, she

was mostly educated at home. "oth she and +assandra were attractive and attended country

parties% neither of them married, although *ane had several proposals. Much of *ane


27/35

(


28/35

s life is captured in the letters that she wrote to her sister, but +assandra cut out any references

there might have been about *ane


29/35

(


30/35

s intimate, private life and her innermost thoughts. n spite of the missing information, the

letters retain flashes of sharp wit and occasional coarseness.


31/35

*ane began to write at a young age. Pride and Prejudice, her most popular novel, was the first to be written,

although not the first published. )he wrote on it for several years and finally completed it as First Impressions in

111. Her other four novels,Mansfield Park,

Emma, Northanger Abbey, andPersuasion were all published between 1>1@ and 1>1>. )he also wrote si' minor

wor!s and one unfinished novel. "ecause she wanted to avoid attention, most of her wor! was not published under

her name.

8hen Mr. $usten retired in 1>A1, the family moved to "ath, where they lived until Mr. $usten(s death. The family

then moved to )outhampton in 1>AB, to +hawton in 1>A9, and then again to Hampshire. $ few days before her

sudden death in 1>1


32/35


33/35

classes. n most cases, it was thought to be a waste of time to educate girls. ich and noble families 5li!e that ofLady +atherine de "ourgh6 engaged governesses for educating their daughters or sent them away to boarding

school, but most women were self-educated at home.


34/35

Traveling in *ane $usten(s time was accomplished in horse-drawn carriages, and a family(s social status was

determined by its !ind of carriage. "ecause carriages were slow, travel was limited. +ommunication of mail and

news was also slow, and there were no daily newspapers. $s a result, the outside world does not play a part in

$usten(s novels. nstead, she turns her attention in entirety to the things she !newD family and values.

THE LITERARY $ACK1RO2N+

*ane $usten(sPride and Prejudice appeared on the nglish literary scene in 1>1?. The author had wor!ed on its

realistic style and content for more than fifteen years, for she was a perfectionist in her approach to writing. Her

first novel was unli!e any of the hundreds of others written at the time, which were mainly omantic 5filled with

emotion and passionate6 or othic 5filled with horror6. $usten was the first novelist to portray realistic characters

by using the direct method of telling a story in which dialogue and comment ta!e an important place. )he used the

method to dissect the hypocrisy of individuals and the society in which they played their games of love and

courtship.

rom the beginning, $usten(s literature centered on character studies, where a person(s common sense 5or lac! ofit6 was developed in detail. The chosen setting was always limited to a small social group of the upper classes and

composed of a few families. amily life was always central to her wor!s. Her novels also portrayed traditional

values and a belief in rationality, responsibility, and restraint. "ut she often viewed the human condition, with its

many wea!nesses, through humor, irony, and sarcasm, with her undesirable characters portrayed as ignorant, proud,

or silly human beings, not evil villains.

Chapter S2MMARIES 3ITH NOTES

Chapter 4

S!&&ar,

The novel opens with an ironic statement about marriage, which is the a'is around which the world of LongbournturnsD #t is a truth universally ac!nowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a

wife#. 3resently everyone in Longbourn, Hertfordshire, is e'cited about the fact that Mr. "ingley, an unmarried,

rich young man, is to settle at 0etherfield 3ar!, a fine estate nearby. Mrs. "ennet(s e'citement is e'traordinary, for

she has five daughters that she wants to have married, especially the older ones. Her mind is fired with matrimonial

speculations, and she tries to persuade her husband to pay a visit to Mr. "ingley as soon as he arrives. Mr. "ennet

po!es fun at his wife(s impetuosity and /o!es that he will give the newcomer a carte blanche so that he can marry

any one of their daughters, including the little Liy. Mrs. "ennet is nettled and accuses her husband of having no

compassion for her poor nerves.

Notes

The first sentence of this chapter is one of the famous ones in nglish literature because of its masterful irony, its

humorous tone, and its foreshadowing of the entire novel. t would appear from the formal opening words, #it is atruth universally ac!nowledged#, that the novel is going to dedicate itself to lofty ideals. The second half of the

sentence, however, reveals that the #universal truth# is nothing more than a social truth, which ironically is not a

truth at all, but a misrepresentation of social facts. $ man with a fortune does not need a wife nearly so much as a

woman, who has no means of outside support in the 19th

century, is greatly in need of a wealthy husband. Theentire novel is really an e'planation of how women and men pursue each other prior to marriage.


35/35

t is apparent from this chapter that the novel is to center on character development and relationship and to

investigate with great detail the behavior and manners of the landed middle-class society of 19th

century ngland.

The family is the heart of the middle-class, and its preservation is vital. Marriage, the !ey sub/ect matter of the

boo!, is e'tremely important in order to continue the family and to supply stability and economic well-being for

the women of the time.

$t the beginning of the chapter, Mrs. "ennet is, as usual, displaying her stupidity and vulgarity. Her husband

mercilessly moc!s her silliness. t is obvious that Mrs. "ennet is a woman with little understanding and uncertain

temperament, while her husband is shown to be serious, sarcastic, and cynical. He laughs at her total preoccupation

with finding suitable husbands for her five daughters. *ane and liabeth, the two eldest daughters, are

embarrassed by their mother(s lac! of class and blush every time she opens her mouth. Mrs. "ennet does, however,

provide some entertainment to her lay and heartless husband.

Chapter 5

S!&&ar,

Mr. "ennet is one of the first callers on Mr. "ingley, and he withholds this information merely to ve' his wife. )till

in the dar! about her husband(s visit, Mrs. "ennet seems ludicrously desperate to have her husband call on the new

neighbor, and her husband(s incessant tal! about Mr. "ingley seems to rub salt over her wounds. $s Mrs. "ennet

grows more impatient and irritated with her husband, he casually informs his wife and daughters about his visit.They are all astonished at his promptness, and Mrs. "ennet is full of praise for him. )he remar!s that he is an

#e'cellent father.# Mr. "ennet, disgusted with his wife(s outburst, leaves the room to ta!e refuge in his study.

Notes

The second chapter is filled with unimportant events, but through them the author shows how important Mr.

"ingley(s arrival is to the country village. veryone seems to be e'cited that a man of means is to live amongst

them. The "ennets are particularly e'cited. Mr. "ennet is one of the first persons to visit "ingley at 0etherfield

3ar!, but he chooses to !eep his visit a secret from his family. Mrs. "ennet, unaware of the visit, grows impatient

and irritated with her husband for not greeting the eligible newcomer. Mrs. "ennet also reveals her preference for

Lydia, her youngest daughter who is vain and stupid, and for Mary, the third daughter who pretends to be scholarly

and reflective and is actually pompous and silly.

Chapter 6

S!&&ar,

Mrs. "ennet and her daughters try hard to gain a satisfactory description of Mr. "ingley from Mr. "ennet, but they

fail. ortunately, Lady Lucas supplies them with a description, which is a very promising one.

Mr. "ingley returns Mr. "ennet(s visit and is entertained in the library. He is a bit disappointed because he does not

see any of the young ladies, but the girls manage to catch a glimpse of him from the vantage point of an upper

window. 8hen Mr. "ennet visits "ingley(s house again to invite him to dinner, "ingley must refuse the invitation,

for he will be in London to ma!e plans for the ball to be held in Meryton.

The "ennet girls finally meet "ingley at the Meryton ball. "ingley is accompanied by his two sisters, +aroline

"ingley and Mrs. Hurst, and by his best friend Mr. &arcy. Mr. "ingley is a handsome man with a pleasant

disposition. His sisters are lovely women with 4an air of decided fashion(. Mr. &arcy, however, is the most

attractive of all. He has a stately posture and e'2uisite features% above all, he is said to have an income of tenthousand pounds a year. Enfortunately, he has a cold, reserved manner. 8hen "ingley suggests that he dance with

liabeth, he replies that #she is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.# liabeth overhears the remar!and feels somewhat slighted% but since she has a lively, playful

Date post:	02-Jun-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	shazura75
View:	213 times
Download:	0 times

Element of Fiction in Pride and Prejudice

Documents