Pride And Prejudice, The Novel of Manners By Katrina, Karen, Birttany and Max

Novel Of Manners ‘Novel of Manners’ is a literary genre in which a work of fiction deals with the values, customs, and morals of a complex civilization. Society is the main theme, so the characters are measured by how they fit into this social world. Alike to many of Jane Austen’s novels, Pride and Prejudice deals with the themes and ideas associated with a Novel of Manners. The plot of Pride and prejudice revolves around the domestic affairs of a country gentry family of 19 th century England.

Qualities of a Victorian Lady: "A lady should be quiet in her manners, natural and unassuming in her language, careful to wound no one’s feelings, but giving generously and freely from the treasures of her pure mind to her friends. Scorning no one openly, she should feel gentle pity for the unfortunate, the inferior and the ignorant, at the same time carrying herself with an innocence and single heartedness which disarms ill nature, and wins respect and love from all." (Victorian Station)------

The Role of Manners in Pride and Prejudice Austen's Pride and Prejudice is customerily known as a novel of manners. The story portrays life of the gentility in a small, rural society. Austen reveals the delicate and complex nature of a society based on a system of manners. In such a society, the well-being of everyone depends on people maintaining their proper places and behaving according to a strict code of manners. For the Bennet sisters, their chances of marriage depreciates with every show of impropriety.

Specific Examples "Oh, certainly. No woman can be really esteemed accomplished who does not also possess a certain something in her air, in her manner of walking, in the tone of her voice, her address and expressions." (Pride and Prejudice, pg 32 chapter 8) -This illustrates how a Victorian woman was expected to be publicly presentable and polite at all times. How a woman behaved in front of a group of people was how she was judged. When the Bennet family are in public, the lively behaviour of the 3 youngest girls is considered very strange and is talked over by several people and is considered a great impropriety since girls are not supposed to participate in these kind of activities until they reach a certain age.

When Elizabeth travels to Netherfield Park by herself to see an ill Jane, Caroline Bingley and her sisters are extremely shocked to find her dress seeped in mud and her face flushed from exercise. This was perceived as very unusual for it was considered very odd for a women to travel by herself. This discusses how ladies were perceived and judged by their appearance and conduct by others. It also addresses the importance of social etiquette and points out the independence of Austen's high spirited heroin Elizabeth Bennet.