Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

Regency Period The Regency period in the United Kingdom is the period between 1811 and 1820, when King George III was deemed unfit to rule and his son, later George IV, was instated to be his proxy as Prince Regent. The term is often expanded to apply to the years between 1795 and 1837, a time characterised by distinctive fashions, politics and culture, architecture, and literature.

Regency Period Middle class gained social status; known as landed gentry gained profits from the Industrial Revolution and expanding colonial system The newly wealthy desired to align themselves with England’s landed aristocracy; they purchased estates and country homes to rival aristocratic mansions

Regency Period Regency social manners were all politeness and gentility: There was protocol for every social interaction; down to the way a woman holds her fan to indicate her interest in a gentleman. The social hierarchy was the core of everything, and everyone knew their place, whether they agreed with it or not.  Women largely did not inherit wealth, nor were they openly allowed to find their own means; so marriage was one of the few options she had to secure a comfortable future.  A marriage based on love was rarely an option for a Regency woman, income was the first consideration.  It is probably why this period yielded some of the best literary romance available today.

Austen’s Novels Privileged circle of England’s landed gentry and aristocracy Upper class was old hereditary aristocracy and the new landed gentry who came into money through commercial enterprise and ascended from the middle class Upper class did not work and frequently employed farmers to work their land Upper class controlled England’s politics

Austen’s House Chawton The house where Jane Austen lived and wrote most of her novels; a pleasant seventeenth century house in the pretty village of Chawton in Hampshire not far from her birthplace of Steventon.

Mr. Darcy Darcy is representative of hereditary aristocracy Wealthy landowner who does not have to work for a living Employs workers to farm his land, surrounding families depend on his patronage

Bingley Bingley represents the new landed gentry Bingley’s father acquired wealth through trade, gave up his business, and moved his family to the country He and his sisters are now considered upper class Bingley and his sister Caroline s portrayed in the 1995 and 2005 films

The Bennets The Bennets own land, but they are a middle-class family Longbourn House in Hertfordshire – 2,000 per year Must work to cultivate land Few servants and limited financial resources

Women, Patriarchy and Property Rights Women had few legal rights Depend on men for protection and survival Women could not own property (they were considered property) Depended on fathers to “give them away” to a lucrative marriage At death, property went to another male heir Finding a husband was a necessity not a social preoccupation

Women, Patriarchy and Property Rights “Entailment” determined how property would be passed through several generations within a family; usually closest male relative Lady Catherine DeBourgh, patroness of Rosings Park, is a rare example of an independent woman who inherits the estate of her father.

Theme of Social Class and Lack of Mobility Conflict that arises when members of middle class, such as Bennets, mingle socially with members of the upper classes, represented by Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. Austen was critical of the social barrier between middle and upper class (while remaining silent about members of lower class) Elizabeth Bennet breaks class barrier

Theme of Marriage and Family Future of Bennet’s daughters depends on successful union with suitable husbands Women often forced into marital unions purely out of financial necessity New ideal of marriage and partnership based on mutual respect and love Expectation of social network above individual desire for privacy Family’s reputation was tied to reputation of each individual member

Theme of Propriety, Social Decorum, and Reputation Person’s value depends on respect of friends and neighbors Woman who engaged in inappropriate behavior with a man prior to marriage was morally corrupt. No virtue = social outcast Elizabeth values personal worth and individual character over reputation and status Standards of proper social etiquette

First Impressions Original title of P & P Premature preconceptions complicate the relationships between characters Both characters must set aside their pride and prejudice and form an opinion based on respect and cordial friendship Error in judgment with Wickham who creates a bad image of Darcy Must look beneath the surface of a person’s character

Satire Humor or with in order to criticize or ridicule a particular person or group Disguise criticism of an intended target by clothing it in humorous language, funny characterizations, and sarcasm Austen satirizes Mrs. Bennet and her need to marry her daughters; also Mr. Collins’ high opinion of himself which often makes him the laughingstock of society

Free Indirect Discourse Narrative style known as “free indirect discourse” Third-person perspective to convey ideas and thoughts from point of view of a particular character usually the heroine. Hard to determine objectivity of ideas Precursor of “stream of consciousness”

Comedy of Manners Uses elements of Satire to ridicule or expose behaviors, manners, flaws, and morals of members of the middle or upper classes. Incorporate love affairs, witty and comical exchanges between characters, and the humorous revelation of societal scandals and intrigues Witty banter between characters