Synopsis of Pride and Prejudice

Discuss about the Human Growth & Lifespan Development.

Analyzing a book requires a thorough understanding of the text and a critical approach towards it so that all the merits and demerits come up equally (Stead, 2013). The chosen book for the assignment is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Jane Austen is well known for beautifully engraving social realties into her texts and presenting the subject alongside a well carved storyline (Fergus & Wood, 2016). It is one of the most successful novels in English Literature and its various layers and underlying concepts will be discussed further in the assignment. It is evaluated that each chapter in the book has many ideas that are reflection of the author’s literary prowess. The novel’s relevance to the culture of Singapore will be pointed out before the conclusion section of the assignment.

Summary of the book

Pride and Prejudice is a novel of the Regency period, which recounts a tale of a family of seven that consists of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and five daughters of them. The novel is targeted for a specific age group, mainly the youths, but the way it is written has made it a favorite for all ages alike and there remains no selected age group. The period mentioned in the novel is around the Napoleonic Wars (1810-1820). During this period, Women in the society had a low status unless they were married off to well being men (Melman, 2016). The story revolves around the constant persuasion of Mrs. Bennet to her daughters to get married off to wealthy men. She wanted her daughters to get married to rich men from the neighboring area rather than waiting and marrying a man for love. However, Elizabeth and Jane were successful to stick to the idea of love marriage and it is seen that they get married to men whom they love despite all their socio-economical drawbacks (Austen, 2016). The novel is entirely based on Elizabeth and Jane’s journey for love and the problems they faced due to their societal constraints. Elizabeth and Jane find love but without losing out on their dignity. They fulfill their desire and marry for love rather than fortune. The character of Mr. Bennet and his contrasts with the character of Mrs. Bennet add the hint of comedy in the novel and allows for the mockery of the aristocratic society and its typical characteristics.

Narrative Style and Characterization

Special features

The narrator point of view is one of the most special features of the text by Jane Austen. The narrator tells the story in such a way as if it stays with Elizabeth. However, occasionally it provides the readers with some information which Elizabeth herself is not aware of. This lends an edge to the story as it focuses on the various dimensions in the plot and adds to the elements of the story rather than just the emotions. Such a narrative style allows the reader to know of the contrasting thoughts of each of the important characters in the story and get a perspective of most of the characters (Morini, 2016). At times, the narrative sways in such a way that it feels like the narrator’s concerns and opinions are voiced but if re read, it is found that the lines mentioned are views of the character concerned. Such tactic in narrative is referred to as the indirect discourse and adds to the distinctive narrative style, which Austen has used in the book.

Strategic Manipulation

Throughout the book, there have been many instances where we find the use of Strategic manipulation by characters of Austen. With the use of strategic manipulation, Austen makes sure that some of her characters indulge themselves into such situations that will have predetermined reaction (Chwe, 2014). Such reactions are for the most part deemed beneficial for the character in the future. The manipulation is done in a way that the manipulated character hardly notices the situation and flows along with the plot. The most vital instance of such strategic manipulation was when Mrs. Bennet sent Jane on a horse to the neighboring estate, despite knowing the fact that it may rain and she cannot return. She did it so that Jane can stay at the Bingley’s residence due to the unavoidable circumstance. The target age group of the youths were quick to identify these manipulations used in the story as they could related the characters to those present in their real life. The elders in a family used such strategic manipulation in that period and even in the present days and hence the novel enjoys its relevance in the modern era.

Feminist Literary criticism

The feminist literary criticism goes on to point out the various under representations of females in the literature. When evaluated, Austen is found showing the poor condition of the females in the specified period of Pride and Prejudice. The book has many instances which shows that the society has certain norms that deter the feminist approach and takes away rights from them. The part of the book where it is mentioned that the Bennet property will go to someone else rather than the daughters because it was the rule that the daughters could not have the property to themselves after the demise of their father. This entailment process shows the poor status of the society in that period and the under representation of the females in the society (Park & Rajan, 2015). However, Austen is seen showing such criticism to the feminist approach as she wrote but there are some instances where the novel shows a hint of the feminist attitude. The character of Elizabeth, rejects the idea of marrying for wealth and this is in contrast to the general trend of the society in that period. The character here shows the idea that wealth is not the motive to marry but love certainly is. Such portrayal of the character shows that Austen was a feminist deep down and her novels reflected the society aptly. As the book generated a universal appeal, such theories are yet relevant as people read it to understand the society of that period and many practices mentioned in the book are yet prevalent in the society.

Feminism and Under-Representation of Women

Marxist theory

Austen has pointed out in the novel that the underlying reason for every action is money. The author makes it clear that the girls are being wedded off to wealthy people. Wealth is a big factor for every decision that the characters are taking in the novel (Chang, 2014). Each character takes wealth as the first factor of consideration while taking a decision. This is exactly the Marxist theory and the entire novel is based on its line. Mrs. Bennet wanted all her daughters to get married off to wealthy men and hence it is reflective of the Marxist thought that remains in her mind emphasizing that money is the single most important factor for sustenance of life in the society. For all ages alike in the modern period too, money remains the foremost driving force and it further establishes the fact the Austen is an evergreen author and her texts shall always remain appealing to the readers.

Singapore is a country that has had a history of being a patriarchal society just like that of the novel by Jane Austen. The men dominated the society and there were many unjustified practices against women in the society (Nasir & Turner, 2014). The novel portrayed women being dependent for marriage to lead a happy life. It was the situation in the society of Singapore in the early times. The days have now changed and with the various women rights council, the female population has been empowered. Marriage has not been portrayed as a fairytale affair; rather it has been shown as something that has many layers to it. The population of Singapore is peaceful and believes in love, and hence the relevance of the novel is high as people still regard it as a perfect love story. The fact that the novel shows the difficulties that can pop in an amorous affair, are very much relevant and hence realistic for the people. Such attributes to the novel makes it relevant to the society even after 200 years of its first publication. The notion that Austen amply displays in the entire work is that of marrying for love rather than wealth being a trend of that society. Such an idea was relevant to the population of Singapore previously but now the country has made advancements towards love marriages and various dating prospects are being initiated in the country to encourage the practice of love (Singstat.gov.sg, 2018). Marrying for wealth was a practice that was relevant for Singapore previously but with shifting times, the population is striving towards love and amorous relations. These aspects culturally align the Singapore population with Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Conclusion

The novel, Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen is rightly deemed as the most loved novel by all age groups. The book has many underlying ideas and takes a dig at many social issues of the time with a comical approach. The presentation of the book has been in such a way that the follies of the aristocrats have been brought to light sufficiently and without really hurting any sentiments. Jane Austen is a genius in story-telling and her texts are full with deeper values that cannot be understood with a superficial reading of the text. The reader has to be critical in order to enjoy the text and get an idea of the actions that are being taken up by the various characters in the story. The novel is not just a story but it has established itself as a social document of the past as it righty reflects the reality of the period. 

References

Austen, J. (2016). Pride and Prejudice (International Student Edition)(Norton Critical Editions). WW Norton & Company. ISBN 0393614786, 9780393614787

Chang, H. C. (2014). The Impact of the Feminist Heroine: Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 3(3), 76-82. Retrieved from- https://www.journals.aiac.org.au/index.php/IJALEL/article/download/1053/983

Chiu, C. Y., & Hong, Y. Y. (2013). Social psychology of culture. Psychology Press. ISBN 1317710185, 9781317710189

Chwe, M. S. Y. (2014). Jane Austen, game theorist. Princeton University Press. ISBN 1400851335, 9781400851331

Fergus, J., & Wood, J. L. (2016). Jane Austen: a literary life. Springer. ISBN 1349216658, 9781349216659

Melman, B. (2016). Women’s Orients: English Women and the Middle East, 1718–1918: Sexuality, Religion and Work. Springer. ISBN 1349101575, 9781349101573

Morini, M. (2016). Jane Austen’s narrative techniques: A stylistic and pragmatic analysis. Routledge. ISBN 1317111346, 9781317111344

Nasir, K. M., & Turner, B. S. (2014). The future of Singapore: Population, society and the nature of the state (Vol. 66). Routledge. ISBN 1134740131, 9781134740130

Park, Y. M., & Rajan, R. S. (Eds.). (2015). The Postcolonial Jane Austen. Routledge. ISBN 1134297327, 9781134297320

Singstat.gov.sg. (2018). Statistics Singapore – Statistics on Marriages and Divorces. Singstat.gov.sg. Retrieved 28 February 2018, from https://www.singstat.gov.sg/publications/publications-and-papers/marriages-and-divorces/marriages-and-divorces

Stead, C. K. (2013). Book self: The Reader as writer and the writer as critic. Auckland University Press. ISBN 1869405633, 9781869405632