Resumo de Pride And Prejudice

Pride and prejudice, Jane Austen?s second published work (1813), would have to be seen as an early nineteenth century novel which witnessed a considerable change in the literary and ideological ethos of England. The 19th century writers focused on the isolated and introspective individual, whereas the 18th century authors had by and large examined human beings in their social context. Jane Austen?s writings seem to bridge the gap between the two eras. The novel perpetrates the same and can be seen in a way the protagonist of this novel, Elizabeth Bennet, is placed within a distinctive social setting ? a highly stratified English society in the late eighteenth century ? but is also faced with choices that are primarily personal.

The novel is divided into three volumes. In the first volume, the characters are introduced and individualized and the setting is confined to Longbourn and its immediate neighborhood. The Bennet family, consists of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, with their daughters - pretty and sweet tempered Jane, sensitive and intelligent Elizabeth, bookish Mary and frivolous and empty headed Lydia and Kitty. Since marriage is the factor that keeps the novel going, there is an expectation that Bingley is going to propose to Jane, which does not really materialize till the end of the novel; Elizabeth is a spirited woman who can think for herself. She is independent, gifted with a robust constitution and is unaffected and intelligent. She thinks nothing of walking down three miles through muddy roads and muddied socks to see her sick sister. Elizabeth is seen in relation to three men ? Darcy, whom she immediately takes a dislike to since she finds him haughty and too class-conscious, Mr. Wickham, whom she befriends immediately, and Mr. Collins, the heir to the Bennet property, whom she finds pompous and silly, but who affects her directly by his proposal of marriage which she refuses. This refusal is unfortunately taken as a feminine strategy to enhance her value. Conforming with the social norms where the woman has only the power to refuse but not to select, either in the choice of her life partner or the dance, Elizabeth is forced to accept the first two dances with Mr. Collins at the Netherfield ball, otherwise she will not be able to dance with anyone later. The first volume ends on an unhappy note for Elizabeth. The Netherfield ball is a humiliating experience for her. Bingleys shifting to London saddens her on her sister?s account. She feels betrayed by the news that Charlotte is engaged to Mr. Collins

The second volume entails a lot of movement and change of locale. First Jane goes to London to stay with Gardiners, then Elizabeth visits the Collins at Hunsford. There she is proposed by Darcy, who is visiting his aunt, the hostile Lady Catherine. The second volume shows Elizabeth as an individual with private world of thoughts and perceptions. After her six weeks stay at Hunsford, she returns home via London accompanied by Jane. Soon after, Elizabeth travels to Derbyshire with the Gardiners and the volume ends when they are about to visit the Pemberley, Darcy?s estate in Derbyshire.

The third volume begins with Elizabeth?s visit to Pemberley. In keeping with the women centric novels of the time, the story takes a predictable turn as Elizabeth revises her opinion of Darcy after she sees him and hears about him in the context of his estate and community. His essentially good side came to the fore and he seemed more humane, and not at all the arrogant and haughty man she knew. He proposes to Elizabeth for the second time and is accepted. Lydia elopes with Wickham. Wickham?s deception and dishonesty is exposed. All the loose ends are tied up in the last chapter and the novel ends in a happy but predictable note.

Marriage or the possibility of marriage is the central theme of the novel. The theme can be seen as the interplay between the individual female character, Elizabeth in this case, and the social rrole into which the community forces her. Though upholding the existing social norm, her radicalism is apparent within the context of Elizabeth?s behavior which goes against all norms set down by the then society.

The language used in the narrative as well as the way the sentences are formed and words chosen in a dialogue reveal a lot about the personalities of the characters in this novel. For example, Mr. Collins whose speeches, loaded with clichés and irrelevant pompousness, portray the vacuousness of the man himself. When he proposes to Elizabeth, the reasons for his wanting to marry are arranged in the order to offend any girl: first, he thinks every clergyman must marry; second, marriage might make him happy; third, his patroness wants him to marry; and lastly, he has fallen violently in love with Elizabeth. Mrs. Bennet has a formless and frothy language devoid of clearly thought out ideas or logic, and is in direct contrast to her husband?s cryptic and ironic statements with carefully chosen diction. Elizabeth is not unduly loquacious but is witty without being cynical. Her words are phrased so as to be effective and witty. Darcy is a careful user of words which contain dry wit lacking in spontaneity and sparkle.

Pride and Prejudice is without a doubt one of the best classic romance of all times.

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