Discuss the appropriateness of the title ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and Its change from ‘First Impression’. Pride and Prejudice Is a novel about surmounting obstacles and achieving romantic happiness. It was first published as First Impression in the year 1797 and later in 1813 it was revised and republished as Pride and Prejudice. Yet, for Elizabeth and Dairy the protagonist, the challenge lies in the books original title, First Impression.
Dairy the proud, picky noble woman’s nephew must break free from his original dismissal of Elizabeth of not handsome enough to tempt him and his class based prejudices against her lack of wealth and family connections. Meanwhile. Elizabeth needs to free herself from the prejudice that Dairy is arrogant and self-satisfied; as a result she later accepts slanderous accusations against him as true. Perhaps, the change in the title was due to the fact that the novel as a whole deals with the idea of pride and prejudice which is not Just confined to Elizabeth and Dairy but is true for all the characters.
The title is very significant In the development of the text. As the book progresses, the connotation of he tile become more apt, using these three words, Austin has been able to depict the mall components of the novel, such as character description and basic plot summary. The title Pride and Prejudice helps to narrow down the story into two traits. To say that it was Dairy’s pride and Elizabethan prejudice would be absolutely wrong. They both and rest all characters suffer from pride or prejudice or both.
Early in the novel, the character Mary Bennett gives Jane Student’s explanation of pride when she says, “Pride… L’s a very common falling… Human nature Is particularly prone to It, and that there are very few of us who do not cherish a lining of self-complacency on the score of some quality or other. ” What Austin Is saying is that pride is a feeling of self-respect, sometimes reasonable or justified; although pride can be Justified, she gives it an overall negative implication when she refers to it is a “failing’ or fault.
Her definition of pride is displayed constantly throughout the book in the nature of her characters. Mostly by Dairy who shows pride due to his status and possessions. Although, he does that because of his wealth but, he verifies Student’s negative connotation of pride by looking down upon others. Whereas, others characters that show pride are Mr.. Collins, Lady Catherine and Miss Bentley, they too are similarly proud due to their wealth. Fascinatingly, even the Bennett family fits into the Student’s definition of pride.
Elizabeth is proud because she has high levels of respect for herself and her dignity, but her pride becomes negative when due to her self-respect, she starts forming prejudices against others. Lydia took pride in being the first Bennett girl to be married without taking into account the consequences of her marriage or the personality of her husband. Many characters in the novel suffer from prejudice as well. Pride is defined as unfavorable opinion formed without fair reason or sufficient knowledge of a situation.
Elizabeth clearly fits into this definition of this prejudice person. She firstly forms prejudice against Mr.. Dairy in Just her first meeting and later about Hickman who gives hostile account of Dairy which Is easily accepted by her due to her the more strengthened when she comes to know it was Dairy who separated Bentley and her sister. In one of the instances in the novel when Dairy through a letter tries to explain her all that she accuses him of, she is already “persuaded that he could have no explanation to give…. The a strong prejudice against anything he might say. ” Her prejudice against him is so strong that she doesn’t even have an open mind “hen he tries to explain himself. Its not Just Elizabeth who suffers from this malady, the entire Bennett family and the people of Interfiled form an opinion similar to that of Elizabeth regarding Dairy all based upon their first meeting with him. Other characters such as Lady Catherine, Miss Bentley & Dairy are prejudiced against the ordinary and less wealthy people like the Bennett family.
They form opinion about Elizabeth based upon the family she comes from, they assume that like her family embers she is not worthy to be talked to as an equal. Interestingly, the prejudice in the novel is not Just about the character but is also related to the society. It challenges the prejudice in the society in the era of 18th century related to economic stability, class division, marriage etc. The marriage of Mr.. Collins and Charlotte Lucas is one such example which is based on economic stability rather than on love or appearance.
It was a common practice during Student’s time to marry for the purpose of saving oneself from spinsterhood or to gain financial security. Austin n a comic manner has shown like elements of the prejudiced society in the form of this marriage and paternalism as mentioned in the text;”Mr. Bennett property consisted almost entirely in an estate of two thousand a year, which, unfortunately for his daughter, was entailed in default of heirs male, on a distant relation. ” 3.
Mangle in his essay ‘Interrogation of class and gender’ mentions about social prejudice in the society as in the case of Charles Bentley, who due to his growing status in the society should have married a girl with a higher status who could have uplifted him in the society than Jane. The title Pride and Prejudice gives description of a large portion of the characters and an insight into what the novel is about. These two traits create obstacles for the main characters Elizabeth and Dairy by keeping them apart. Dairy’s pride is the first thing that comes between them, leading Elizabeth to form prejudice about him.
He keeps on commenting about Elizabethan lack of wealth and lower status which confirms her prejudice opinion about him. As a result she Judges him inaccurately and builds a wall, blocking out anything that might change her opinion about him. Pride and prejudice might be the season which kept these two characters away but, ironically it is the intertwining and mingling of these two characteristics that make them realize their faults. When Elizabeth rejects Dairy’s first proposal he gets shocked as he did not expect that and as an outcome reexamines himself.
Then after he gets over his pride and changes his Nays for Elizabeth, she finally sees the truth about him. She realizes that he has the right to be proud of his accomplishments and that he was right about the distastefulness of her family. It is then when she acknowledges that her Judgments of Dairy were too hasty and based on insignificant details. After reading the novel Pride and Prejudice, it becomes clear why Jane Austin chose this title. These three words, possibly the most important words of the novel, are responsible for the development of the entire plot.
Using Just these words the basic traits of many of the and/or prejudice either builds up more conflicts between characters or solves existing ones. This title is suitable for the novel because of the way the entire novel character development, conflict, climax, resolution, etc) revolves around these Norms. Questions. Discuss Jane-Bentley courtship. In Jane Student’s novel Pride and Prejudice marriage plays a major role, the novel is a romantic novel and therefore deals with idea of love, romance and marriage.
There are four courtships that take place in the course of the novel, Jane- mingled, Elizabeth-Dairy, Lydia- Hickman and Collins-Charlotte. Whereas, the marriage of Elizabeth and Dairy is of the main focus yet, the prolonged courtship of lane and Bentley is of principal to the plot. Jane and Bentley strangely are kind of similar characters created by Austin, they both can be described as amiable, Cheerful, friendly, good-natured, and always ready to think the best of others; they lack entirely the prickly egotism of Elizabeth and Dairy.
The marriage between Jane Bennett and Charles Bentley is an example of a successful marriage in the book. As expressed by Elizabeth “…. Really believed all his [Bentley] expectations of felicity, to be rationally founded, because they had for basis the excellent understanding, and super-excellent disposition of Jane, and a general similarity of feeling and taste between her and himself. ” Yet, it has a blemish that they both are easily effected by the external forces and are not able to support each other and their love.
As seen in the course of novel both the characters are too gullible and good hearted Inch leads to hampering of their relationship by the other people and their views. Lane Bentley first met at the Moneywort ball and quickly get attracted to one another. Out, due to their nature a concern is developed which first appears by Charlotte Nee she points out as-“….. Though Bentley and Jane meet tolerably often, it is never for many hours together; and as they always see each other in large mixed parties, it s impossible that every moment should be employed in conversing together.
Jane attention. When she is secure of him, there will be leisure for falling in love as much as she chooses. ” The love between Jane and Bentley blossoms further when she visits Interfiled and due to her ill health is compelled to live there. Both Jane and Bentley then come to a point where Jane expects Charles to propose marriage to her. But, the tables turn when Bentley abruptly leaves the country and goes to London. Cane’s spirits are lowered after this incident and she starts losing hope.
Her hopes are further shattered when she receives a letter from Caroline Bentley in Inch she mentions about a hopeful tie between her brother and Georgian Dairy. She losses all hopes after the letter and feels that she is not desirable by the Bentley family and Charles. Although for Elizabeth, she is not very convinced and Niches to know the reason. She comes to know the truth on her visit to London that it Nas Dairy who separated Jane and Bentley and convinced Bentley that Jane did not love him. But, later towards the end, it’s Dairy who reunites them by clearing the countersigning and bringing him back to the Interfiled.
Bentleys return to Interfiled is followed by his visit to Longhouse and asking Cane’s hand for Jane Bentley courtship reveals various factors dominating a marriage. Relationship; B. Mangle in his essay ‘Interrogation of class and gender’ elaborates the idea of social prejudice that requires Bentley to marry a girl with higher status to improve his status in the society. In spite of all these obstacles Jane and Bentley transgress the boundaries set by the society and exhibit true love unhampered by either pride or prejudice.
