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As an attempt to contribute to gaining more insights into the fiction Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, this research aims to investigate the image of English women at the turn of 19th century depicted in the fiction. Specifically, the study focuses on the low status of women in marriage, inheritance and education. In addition, the reaction of those women, both supporters and opponents, was also meticulously analyzed. Beside the disapproval to prejudice at that time on feminine rights, Jane Austen successfully built her admirable image of women – Elizabeth Bennet. Indeed, the novel Pride and Prejudice helps the novelist express her criticism of social conventions against women at the turn of 19th century.
ABSTRACT As an attempt to contribute to gaining more insights into the fiction Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, this research aims to investigate the image of English women at the turn of 19 th century depicted in the fiction. Specifically, the study focuses on the low status of women in marriage, inheritance and education. In addition, the reaction of those women, both supporters and opponents, was also meticulously analyzed. Beside the disapproval to prejudice at that time on feminine rights, Jane Austen successfully built her admirable image of women – Elizabeth Bennet. Indeed, the novel Pride and Prejudice helps the novelist express her criticism of social conventions against women at the turn of 19 th century. ii iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv 1. The rationale for the study 1 2. Aims of the study 1 3. Scope of the study 2 4. Methodology 2 Chapter 1: Literature review 3 1.1. The definition of fiction 3 1.2. The elements of fiction 3 1.2.1 Plot 3 1.2.2. Character 4 1.2.3. Setting 4 1.2.4. Theme 5 1.3. The connection between literature and life 5 Chapter 2: An overview of the novel “Pride and prejudice” 10 2.1. An overview of English literature in Jane Austen’s time 10 2.1.1. Social setting 10 2.1.2 Literature movements 11 2.2. The biography of Jane Austen 12 2.2.1. Jane Austen’s life 12 2.2.2. Jane Austen’s career 12 2.3. The summary of “Pride and Prejudice” 13 iv Chapter 3: English women at the turn of the 19th century as depicted in “Pride and Prejudice” 16 3.1. The women’s status shown in the novel: low status 16 3.1.1. Low status in marriage 16 3.1.2. Low status in inheritance 25 3.1.3. Low status in education 27 3.2. The women’s reaction towards social prejudice 30 3.2.1. Women’s surrender 31 3.2.2. Women’s striving 35 3.3. Elizabeth Bennet – Admirable image of women by Jane Austen 38 3.3.1. Elizabeth Bennet – an intelligent woman 39 3.3.2. Elizabeth Bennet – A strong characteristic 41 1. Conclusion 43 2. Limitation of the study 44 3. Suggestions for further research 44 Reference 45 v Part 1: Introduction 1. The rationale for the study The more mature I get, the more I realize that time goes by so fast. It seems to me that many great things pass by quickly and wait for no one. As George R.R. Martin (cited in Franich 2011) said “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one”, I can acquire more knowledge on the outside world from books. On these days, only when preparing for the graduation paper do I have chance to enjoy the novels which used to be my habit. The name “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen immediately sprang to my mind. Not only is this novel sweet but it is also well – reflected on English society at the turn of the 19 th century. This masterpiece mentions a wide range of life aspects in England at the turn of the 19 th century, from pride and prejudice to lifestyle and convention, from the value of money to the story of courtship and marriage. Under the ironic pen of Jane Austen, the lively images of English women are also clearly shown. She offers a startlingly complete continuum of women's characters, “with Lydia and Mrs. Bennet on one side as the least responsible and capable, and with Lady de Bourgh on the other as the most powerful and controlling” (Pride and Prejudice theme of women and femininity, 2012). This range is much wider and more diverse than the range of male characters. Hence, this inspirational novel has caught my attention to the status of women in early nineteenth- century England. In attempt to study deeper on female identities, I quickly decided to choose the novel “Pride and Prejudice” and the above topic for my thesis. 2. Aims of the study The thesis aims to study deeper the topic of the English women in the late 18 th and early 19 th century by analyzing two main issues that the status of women and their responses to their own status. In addition, the thesis focuses on Jane Austen’s viewpoint on the ideal image of women. The researcher hopes to contribute to the 1 study of English literature as well as express the admiration for the talented writer Jane Austen. 3. Scope of the study The thesis only deals with a small aspect of the novel “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, that is, English women at the turn of the 19 th century. Hence, it will not cover other significant values of the novel. Besides, a brief analysis of Jane Austen’s viewpoint on the ideal image of women is also included in the last section of chapter 3. 4. Methodology The method of analysis which is attached to this graduation paper consists of searching for materials, analyzing, giving judgments and drawing some conclusions. 2 Part 2: Content Chapter 1: Literature review 1.1. The definition of fiction Fiction is one genre of literature, written in prose, which can be considered as the product of imagination by which the author depicts the picture of society and the problems of human life through characters and events. Fiction can be defined as a piece of writing in prose in which the writer creates believable characters and events. Even though the fiction is born from the imagination of the author, its unreal characters and events do not cause a strange sense for readers. In contrast, readers find the familiarity in daily life through the fiction. Characters are put in particular situations to express the same kinds of feelings and emotions of a normal person. Readers follow and enjoy the sequence of events that characters relate in. In other words, readers experience the same feelings of characters. In this term, the fiction manages to entertain the audience. The writer opens a door to a new world of wonders and complexities for readers to discover. However, entertainment is not the only target of fiction. The authors, through fictions, share their own opinions and attitudes towards the vivid world. From the viewpoint of one artist, readers also have different look into the life. It is admitted that reading fiction brings the inspirations to the audience. In the light of understanding and investigating the fiction, it is interesting to discover and enjoy many aspects of life. Fictions add colors to the soul and spirits of people who love reading. 1.2. The elements of fiction 1.2.1 Plot As one element of fiction, plot helps make the work appealing and real to the audience. Plot is a sequence of main events which closely relate to each other. Fiction is created by imagination so the plot can be diversified with the creativity of the writer. 3 Not only can the writer make up the plot from the cycle of daily life but also imagine unreal world with fictional features. Although the plot can be real or unreal, the events must be neatly connected. One event must be the result of the previous event and, at the same time, the cause of another. The events make the fiction coherent and exciting to the readers. A plot can contain several factors: the beginning, conflict (problem’s arising), rising action (premises for the climax), climax (often the most appealing part of the fiction), falling action (the outcome of the climax) and conclusion. 1.2.2. Character Character is considered as the most important element in the fiction. Characters take part in the plot, express the feelings and emotions, and take actions. They have the emotions and thoughts including happiness, sorrow, despair, hope, etc. To evaluate the character, the readers need to deeply expose them through their appearance, thoughts and actions. Though the characters can be people or animals, even aliens or man-like robots, they represent the messages and ideas that the author hopes to share with the readers. The various kinds of characters play different roles in the plot as well as in the fiction. Particularly, each character is usually the symbol of certain type of people in the society. There are four types of characters in the fiction: main character, minor character, round character, and static character. 1.2.3. Setting Another important element of fiction is setting. The location and the time in which the story of fiction takes place form the setting of the fiction. Both general and specific settings, including chronological setting and physical setting exist in the fiction. Thanks to the setting, it is easier for readers to imagine the atmosphere consisting of social milieu, culture, historical period, geography, etc. that characters belong to. 4 1.2.4. Theme Theme can be defined as the point of the fiction. The author hopes to share a message or lesson through the theme. It can be related to life, society, relationship, etc. However, the author does not directly express the theme. The readers need to analyze deeply the work to comprehend the theme. And when the readers catch the theme, the writer is successful in conveying the message. Normally, there can be more than one theme in one fiction. In addition, depending on the views of readers, each theme can be understood in many various ways. 1.3. The connection between literature and life Warner (2010) points out that: There is an intimate connection between literature and life. It is, in fact, life which is the subject matter of literature. Life provides the raw material on which literature imposes an artistic form. Literature, as we defined in the previous section, is the communication of the writer’s experience of life. But this connection between literature and life is not so simple as it seems. This problem has been discussed by some of the greatest literary critics of the world, and their conclusions have been sometimes contradictory. Plato, the great Greek philosopher, was the first to give a serious thought to this problem—the relation of literature to life. In his discussions he referred mainly to poetry, but what he said about poetry can be equally applied to literature as a whole. He regarded poetry as a mere ‘imitation’ of life, and thus he condemned the poets. His opposition to poetry was based on his theory of knowledge. According to him, true reality consists in the ideas of things, of which individual objects are but reflections or imitations. For example, when we say a black dog, a good dog, a lame dog etc., we are comparing the dog which we actually see with the ideal dog, our idea of the dog, which is the true, unchanging reality, while the dogs which we name as black, good, lame etc. are mere reflections and imitations of that reality. Thus the poet, who imitates those objects which are themselves imitations of reality, is obviously 5 producing something, which is still further removed from ultimate reality. Plato developed this argument first with reference to the painter. Painting is an imitation of a specific object or group of objects, and if it is nothing but that, if reality lies not in apprehending reality, the painter is not doing anything particularly valuable. Just as the painter only imitates what he sees and does not know how to make or to use what he sees (he could paint a bed, but not make it), so the poet imitates reality without necessarily understanding it. Poetry or literature as a whole is an imitation of imitation and thus twice removed from truth. There is an obvious error in Plato’s reasoning. Being too much of a philosopher and moralist, he could not see clearly the relation between literature and life. He is right when he says that the poet produces something which is less than reality it purports to represent, but he does not perceive that he also creates something more than reality. This error was corrected by Plato’s pupil, Aristotle. In Poetics he undertook to examine the nature and qualities of imaginative literature with a view to demonstrating that it is true, and not false as Plato had shown it. He agreed with Plato that poetry is an imitation of reality, but according to him, this imitation is the objective representation of life in literature or, in other words, the imaginative reconstruction of life. Poetry is thus not connected with the outside world in the simple and direct fashion supposed by Plato. The poet first derives an inspiration from the world by the power of his imagination; the art of poetry then imitates this imaginative inspiration in language. The art of poetry or literature as a whole exists to give shape and substance to a certain kind of imaginative impulse; the existence of the art implies the existence of the impulse. Now it is just possible to imagine life exactly as it is; but the exciting thing is to imagine life as it might be, and it is then that imagination becomes an impulse capable of inspiring poetry. This is true even in the case of what we call realism in literature; it is true even when the life imagined was originally an actuality of some highly exciting nature in itself. Imagination may no more than concentrate the actuality, by dropping out all its insignificant passages. But that will be 6 [...]... and Austen' s fiction in general has been complicated and revised by recent critics, all of whom see unruly and even subversive energies at play in her work, inspired by the sentimental tradition 2.2 The biography of Jane Austen 2.2.1 Jane Austen s life Jane Austen was born on 16 December, 1775 near Basingstoke, in Hampshire, England She was the seventh child of eight children of Reverend George Austen. .. and until 1809, the Austens moved back to their beloved Hampshire countryside Her house was small but comfortable, and most importantly, it provided the settled home which Jane Austen needed in order to write Jane Austen contracted addisons disease, a tubercular disease of the kidneys By May 1817, she was so ill and needed treating in Winchester Tragically, there was no cure and Jane Austen died in her... 1817 She was buried in Winchester Cathedral 2.2.2 Jane Austen s career Jane Austen was a major English novelist, whose interesting fictions mark the transition in English literature from 18th century neo-classicism to 19th century romanticism 12 At the age of 14, she wrote poems, stories, and other very amusing juvenilia In her early twenties, Jane Austen completed fictions that were later re-worked... their invitation Mrs Bennet was quite disconcerted” (Austen, 10) Then another occasion, as Jane was invited to Netherfield, Mrs Bennet planned to force Jane to go on horseback It seemed likely to rain, and her daughter must stay all night at Netherfield Mrs Bennet did that with the aim of creating more private time for Jane and Mr Bingley Finally, Jane was therefore obliged to go on horseback, and her... scheme” (Austen, 104) Along with the increase of her age, Charlotte was well aware that her opportunities of getting married were decreasing Therefore, “without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her objects” (Austen, 105) Just only with Charlotte’s intention, her strong desire for a financial marriage was clearly expressed under the mighty pen of Jane Austen Charlotte’s... something or other about it” (Austen, 55) She could not understand “How anyone could have the conscience to entail away an estate from one’s own daughters” (Austen, 114) While Jane and Elizabeth were talking about Charlotte’s engagement with Collins, Jane also mentioned the reason that Charlotte “is one of a large family; that as fortune, it is a most eligible match” (Austen, 116) Small fortune was... Hampshire, England She was the seventh child of eight children of Reverend George Austen Jane Austen was educated mainly at home and never lived apart from her family Different from most girls at that time, she was fortunate to achieve good education, which was the basement for her future career As a young woman, Jane Austen usually attended balls in many houses of the neighborhood She loved the country... all their dependent concerns” (Austen, 183) “The house, furniture, neighborhood, and roads, were all to her taste” (Austen, 124) Even if she could not get the direct joy from her husband, she could find pleasure from his own property She could be said to know exactly how to adjust her requirement for satisfaction in marriage Building the character Charlotte Lucas, Jane Austen is expected to share her... movements, gestures and attitudes As a result, Jane Austen was strongly influenced by social background, which could be clearly seen on her works including the novel Pride and Prejudice 2.1.2 Literature movements Abbey ( 1997) points out that: The Romanticism era or movement was basically a rebellion of the typical or mainstream idea of literature This was a very strong movement; it was accepted and practiced... unfair for women Hiding all under the story was the sharing of Jane Austen Not only did she sympathize with English women at that time, but she throughout the course of 26 the fiction also, at times, criticized the social aspects Women could not take chances to get equal rights in inheriting 3.1.3 Low status in education Under the pen of Jane Austen, the low status in education of female was clearly shown . English literature in Jane Austen s time 10 2.1.1. Social setting 10 2.1.2 Literature movements 11 2.2. The biography of Jane Austen 12 2.2.1. Jane Austen s life 12 2.2.2. Jane Austen s career 12 2.3 of Jane Austen 2.2.1. Jane Austen s life Jane Austen was born on 16 December, 1775 near Basingstoke, in Hampshire, England. She was the seventh child of eight children of Reverend George Austen. . write. Jane Austen contracted addisons disease, a tubercular disease of the kidneys. By May 1817, she was so ill and needed treating in Winchester. Tragically, there was no cure and Jane Austen