“. . . the death of your daughter would have been a blessing . . .” (286)

The Bennet family is concerned that Lydia has run off with Wickham not only because of his reputation, but also because of what a relationship out of wedlock could do to their daughter’s as well as their own. In Austen’s time, as Mary says on page 280, “the loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable, that one false step involves her in endless ruin.” Now that Lydia has publicly been in a relationship with the man, she has no option but to marry him so as to avoid the social consequences. This is significant because, even though she had an independent moment in running away with him, she is now forced into marriage. Were she to not marry him, death may have been favorable to her future prospects as “damaged goods” – goods that another man was unlikely to marry.

“From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. - Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never

Mr. Bennet defies convention by telling Elizabeth that he agrees with her and does not want her to marry her distant cousin, despite the fact that he would provide her with security in the future. In Austen’s time, women were generally expected to seize any such chance that came their way – and if they were unwilling, usually they were forced into it. As half of an unhappy couple, Mr. Bennet wants to avoid this situation for his strong-willed daughter. Because he wants her to be happy, he supports her unwillingness to enter into such a union. This is significant because of how far from normal it was at the time. Mr. Bennet respects his daughter’s opinions (she is clearly his favorite because she is so different from her man-obsessed mother and sisters) and therefore he supports her decision to not marry by in fact refusing to allow her to do so. Because of the patriarchal system at the time, her father’s refusal closes the door to the possibility of a union even if Elizabeth were willing.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” (5)

Austen lays out a thesis statement of sorts in the opening line of Pride and Prejudice. The idea that a man must want a wife is one that is supported with examples and proven throughout the novel – just as the thesis statement of an essay must be proven before its conclusion. In this case, the thesis is proven through the Bennet sisters’ search for husbands. This is significant because of how universal the truth is: the girls are all very different, as are their future husbands, but yet the idea of wanting to marry is one that they all share.

Social Classes

If it weren’t for social classes, the central drama of Austen’s novel would not be possible because they all center on these distinctions. For example, the Bennets are decidedly middle class, something of which they are frequently reminded by the upper class Bingleys. Even Mr. Collins – a man of the cloth to whom classes should have no meaning (because religion teaches that God loves the poor and the rich alike) – is obsessed with social status. This is shown with his singular focus on Lady Catherine and pleasing her. Without classes, there would have been no reason for anyone to object to the union between Darcy and Elizabeth, because he would not be “above her.”

“. . . his debts of honor . . .” (287)

Debts of honor are those an individual owes to his peers, like those incurred while gambling. They are considered something more serious than debts owed to a bank or store owner because there is generally no legal backing to force the debtor to pay up – payment depends on his dependability and morality to do what is right. The fact that Mr. Wickham has such “formidable” debts of honor shows that not only is he irresponsible by excessively gambling, but also that he is of questionable character if he is making no efforts to repay these debts. Austen uses this fact to imply that welcoming Wickham into the family does not bode well for the Bennets, who he is likely to leach of off in a similar manner.

Source:

"Debt of Honour - Definition of Debt of Honour by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. Web. 19 Mar. 2010. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/debt+of+honour.

“Had Elizabeth’s opinion been all drawn from her own family, she could not have formed a very pleasing picture of conjugal felicity or domestic comfo

Through this quote, Austen shows just how much of an outsider Elizabeth is in her own family. While her sisters are weak, docile women looking for men to provide for them, Elizabeth is strong-willed enough to look search for happiness and love – even after growing up in a home where that is clearly not seen as the point of marriage.

“. . . knighthood by an address to the king during his mayoralty. . .” (19)

Because he is the mayor, Mr. Lucas has had the opportunity to be knighted, becoming Sir Lucas while his wife assumes the title of Lady Lucas. However, in Jane Austen’s time, a knight does not pass on his title to his heirs. Even though Lady Lucas and Lady Catherine have the same title of lady, the latter is still superior to the former because her title is inherited. This is more prestigious and further exaggerates the myriad social distinctions of life at that time.

Source:

“Susannah Carleton - Ranks, Titles, and Forms of Address." Susannah Carleton, Regency Author. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www.susannahcarleton.com/rankstitlesaddress.html.

Travel

Austen sets most of the novel inside, making trips even more significant. Each journey acts as a turning point for Elizabeth as the change in location also triggers a change in her life. The first time this happens, Mr. Darcy proposes for the first time. The second time, she realizes that she is in love with him. The final time, she realizes how he feels about her and finally accepts his proposal. Without a change in scenery and location, it is entirely plausible that no change would occur for either of the two protagonists. With a change in location, the characters have a chance to change themselves as the monotony is broken.

First Impressions

First impressions play an important role throughout Austen’s novel, almost keeping Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy apart. Elizabeth first sees him as arrogant, while he dismisses her immediately because she is not up to his definition of beauty. Eventually, they both realize their mistakes but the interim is filled with confusion based on these false pretenses. This serves as a warning to not judge people quickly, because they are not always as they appear – a very novel concept in a time when appearances were everything.

Feminism

It is possible to argue that Pride and Prejudice is anti-feminist. Women are portrayed as hysterical figures without an original thought and the single-minded pursuit of a wealthy husband (Mrs. Bennet being a prime example of this). However, in Austen’s depiction of Elizabeth as a strong willed, intelligent, independent woman to whom good things eventually arrive, the novel takes on a feminist tone. Through Elizabeth, the point is made that women do not have to be meek creatures in order to attract a man – one of the few measures of success for women at the time.

Obsession with Class

In Jane Austen’s time, social classes in England and Europe as a whole were not as blurred as they were in America. Yes, it was possible for members of the lower class to socialize with members of a higher class – like the Bennets and Mr. Collins socializing with the Bingleys, Mr. Darcy, and Lady Catherine de Bourgh – but they are repeatedly treated as inferiors and there was little room for movement on the social ladder. It was exceedingly important for members of the middle class to appear as though they are wealthier, as is shown by the Bennet family seemingly living beyond their means. The Bennets are risking becoming paupers because they are ashamed of their middle-class standing and wish to appear as members of the upper-class that they are not a part of.

“. . . the piano-forte was opened . . .” (58)

The piano-forte is a precursor to the modern-day piano and was at the height of its popularity during Austen’s time. It was primarily am instrument played by women and the better a woman’s skill at the piano-forte, the more “accomplished” she was perceived as. Elizabeth is not a skilled musician, which results in her not being seen to be as desirable as other women because she seems to be unsuccessful. This is significant because Elizabeth is skilled at things that most women would never attempt – such as intelligent, opinionated conversation – but yet in the patriarchal society she lives in, she is looked down on for her lack of prowess in a traditional woman’s task.

Source:

"History of the Piano - Old Antique Pianos." Piano Tuners, Piano Teachers, History Music British Parts Entertainers Tuning on the UK Piano Page. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www.uk piano.org/history/history.html.

Picture Credits:

Pianoforte. Digital image. Eventi Trentino. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www.eventitrentino.it/UploadImgs/258_Foto_209_20__20Pianoforte_20Cristofori_20del_20172 _20del_20Museo_20S_20M_20Roma.jpg.

“Till this moment, I never knew myself.” (205)

Suddenly, Elizabeth recognizes that she has allowed her pride and prejudice (hence the name of the novel!) to stand in the way of her happiness. This is something that frequently occurs in tragic stories: the protagonist realizes the error of his or her ways - but such a revelation comes too late, when the situation cannot be mended. Luckily for Elizabeth, she sees her shortcomings early enough to try to right the situation. Austen uses this statement to mark the exact moment when the drastic shift occurs.

“ . . entailed, in default of heirs male, on a distant relation . . .” (29)

Entailment is placing restrictions on an inheritance – in this case, restricting the inheritance of the manor to a male heir, thus making the Bennet daughters ineligible. Frequently in Austen’s time, estates that were entailed were to be handed down the male line, although it was possible to entail them to females. Because they have no brother to inherit the estate, it is likely that upon the death of their father they will be left poor and destitute when it exchanges hands. This entailment explains the fervor in the Bennet household around finding husbands for all five girls; the family wants to ensure that Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia will all be taken care of and able to live in the manner to which they are accustomed.

Source:

"Entailment - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus -Merriam-Webster Online. Web. 13 Mar. 2010. http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/entailment.

“. . . she was gone off to Scotland!” (265)

Couples who wanted to marry during Austen’s time were subject to the Marriage Act of 1753 – a strict set of rules set up in hopes of preventing the moral decline of the institution of marriage. In order to skirt the rules that required the waiting period (so that banns could be read) and parental consent for those under 21, many young couples simply crossed the border to Scotland for their wedding. The fact that Lydia feels that it is necessary to go to Scotland for her wedding shows that she knows that her parents will not approve of her union to Mr. Wickham - especially in light of their relationship out of wedlock in a time when such a situation caused scandal and shame for more than just the individuals involved but for their families as well.

Source:

"Marriage Act of 1753." Humboldt State University. Web. 13 Mar. 2010. http://www.humboldt.edu/~jbd2/Eng350/Marriage%20Act%20of%201753.htm.

“I have been used to consider poetry as the food of love.” (45)

This is an allusion to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and the phrase “If music be the food of love, play on.” This reference is significant because Twelfth Night is a play about outward appearances– despite the fact that Viola is a woman, she is still seen as a man because Duke only notices that she is disguised as one. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen shows Elizabeth as falling into this same trap: she can only see that Darcy seems to be uncaring on the outside, not that he is truly benevolent on the inside.

Source:

“Twelfth Night: Or, What You Will." Google Books. Web. 13 Mar. 2010. http://books.google.com/books?id=mNweaGcPNlQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=twelfth+night& ource=bl&ots=vriZjlyIgh&sig=i9UYQihvdDkXPeMOJXiIeZ4c1h4&hl=en&ei=urybS OLIMH98AaW9Z2UDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CCkQ6AEwCQ#v=o epage&q=&f=false.