One of my favorite books of all time is Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I read it for the first time in high school as summer reading when I was abroad. I was lost without English language books at my beck and call, and Austen’s words were such a comfort I read them twice in as many weeks. Since that summer, I’ve read Pride and Prejudice many more times; each time I find more to like about the book and more to question. Aside from the fact that P and P is a great novel, rendered fantastically, it gives us the so-called ultimate female protagonist in Elizabeth Bennet. The novel’s opening line notoriety is up there with “Call me Ishmael” and the subtle parody, mocking, and dialogue make this book singularly great- and these elements get better with each re-read.
My favorite part of the book is when Darcy proposes to Elizabeth for the first time- I smile for the rest of the book after that, while I’m reading. The way Austen was able to mix romance with character growth makes the book almost real, and we watch Lizzy become more mature, re-evaluate her opinions and eventually change her mind. It is a classic coming of age story, only rarer than most in canonical literature because it is female driven and written. There are many passages which indicate what a big deal it is to change your mind about someone once you’ve already made it up and what that action says about you. This kind of self-evaluation seems to be equated with growing up. I think Austen’s image of maturity is more nuanced than say, Salinger’s, in this way.
But, one thing I’ve taken issue with the last few times I read P and P is the way Darcy is an erstwhile secret hero while all Lizzy does to gain confidence is differ from other women. He is active and she is passive. In her natural environment, she is admired by few. For example, Elizabeth is deemed worthwhile to her mother only when she snags Darcy/Mr Collins, she is hated by the Miss Bingleys for her “impudence,” by Lady DeBourgh for not being her definition of “accomplished,” and she is spurned by Darcy at first for being too plain. She is simply smart, funny and loyal. It is strange to me that she is redeemed from her prejudice, which was a reaction to Darcy’s impudence, through admitting he isn’t as bad as she thought he was. This isn’t an accomplishment in any sense, especially since her introspection and soul searching have an agent- Darcy’s actions and his letter.
Meanwhile, Darcy saves her and her family from ignominy, becoming a hero in the process, and readers and characters alike ignore his previous rudeness and fawn over him, especially me, because he is rich, handsome, and he is one of three people who appreciate Lizzy for her true attributes. One can see Elizabeth’s worth in her father’s and eventually, Darcy’s eyes. Do these relationships reinforce the fact that she exists to please men? I don’t know.
I try not to dwell on the feminist implications in Pride and Prejudice, because I love it so much. Austen’s language, plot, and characters make the novel all that it is, and my examining it for the sexism of its time doesn’t change that. The deeper social and gender analyses are a part of what I love about Pride and Prejudice- every time you read it you find more to love and more to feel a little awkward about.
1 note |#