zaaaAP Lit Blog 4

If You've Been Missing Jane Austen

Masterpiece Theater on PBS is in the middle of a Jane Austen fest.  Each Sunday night is a different Austen-related film -- many of which are new versions.

What I found somewhat lame, though -- at least when compared with the group in period 4 who created an entire Facebook web of the characters in Pride and Prejudice -- is the part of their companion website devoted to "The Men of Austen."  I'll quote from the press release I just received:

Jane Austen knew that a good man is hard to find.

See how the dashing leading men of Austen rate in a modern-day dating profile on MASTERPIECE's new interactive feature, THE MEN OF AUSTEN, which highlights everything you need to know - from their turn-ons to their fortunes - to make the perfect Austen match.

As you'll see on the site, many of your readers have been voting for Pride and Prejudice's Mr. Darcy as the most eligible of Austen's bachelors. Surely they need to know that MASTERPIECE's The Complete Jane Austen will present Andrew Davies' acclaimed 1995 adaptation, starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, starting Sunday, February 10.

May the best man win.

Elizabeth, Jane, Darcy, Lydia, and Miss Bingley are on FACEBOOK!

Check it out! Friend any of the characters listed above on Facebook and see what they might have been like if they had the chance to have a Facebook proflie! Not really a good thing... only leads to more drama and girl vs girl comments. It is an interesting comparison to our life and the life of the characters in Pride and Prejudice!

Go to www.facebook.com and search for Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Bennet, Lydia Bennet, Will Darcy, or Caroline Bingley! Check out their wall-to-walls and photo comments and more!

Another Theme?

We have discussed several themes that occur within Pride and Prejudice, including the themes of patriarchy and social and economic hierarchy.  Another theme that we have not discussed, however, that I think is important to the story is the theme of reputation.

In the book, a person's reputation is of the utmost importance--but especially for women.  Women are expected to behave in certain ways, and if they do not, it will ruin their "reputation".  [I think that by reputation we mean how people think about others... just to clarify.] A few instances where someone's reputation is lowered or destroyed are: when Elizabeth walks to Netherfield and her clothing is in disarray, the way Mrs. Bennet makes a fool of herself and her family by behaving in a silly way, and (of course) when Lydia runs away with Wickham without marrying him.

The importance of reputation for a woman not only lies in their future (e.g. getting a husband) but also with how people associate the person with the family.  By behaving out of the norm, a woman can get her family in trouble.  This is a sad thing, but it is true for the times (and maybe even today...??) and I think an important theme in the book.

The Movie

So I absolutely love the movie! I think the casting is hilarious. The portrayal of Mr. Collins is superb. He is this tiny little man who says about the most awkward things with a totally straight face. His interactions with Elizabeth are priceless. My favorite part other than when he talks about practice compliments was when they are dancing and he is pretty much like..."I am going to follow you around tonight" hahahah. So funny. I also thought it was so funny when he approached Mrs. Bennet to tell her that he fancied Jane, when he finds out that she is not an option within about 20 seconds he is like....fair enough...I love Elizabeth! haha

I also really really like Darcy. He is awesome in his awkward sneaky way. In every shot of him he seems to be within touching distance of Elizabeth always covered totally in black. When Elizabeth and Darcy are bantering in his library, he does not even break a smile haha its really funny. Or when he sees Wickam for the first time he pretty much scampers away on his horse. I really liked how when Darcy asked Elizabeth to dance she is like well I was trying to loathe him for all eternity, but I guess...

Almost done I promise. I loved Mary. I thought she was hysterical in contradiction with Lydia, Kitty, and Mrs. Bennet. She is like the equivalent of Darcy, always wearing black and SUPER awkward. When she objects to the ball and says conversation would be better and Miss Bingley goes, but...then it wouldn't be a ball. So funny! Ok I'm done, I like the movie...

Unessay...yeah!

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm so happy that we are able to do the 'unessay' project. It seems like it will give us a chance to be interesting and look at PP at different angles. I'm really excited to see what everyone will do with the book because there's so much you can choose from...irony, humor, characters, roles in society, etc. I think that it will turn out better than our motif projects (not only because it's EXTRA hard to write the perfect theme), but it seems like with this book, there are so many layers to it that it will be hard just to settle on one subject/theme without excluding anything major. I can truly say that Austen is a great writer and was really creative for adding 'layers' in the novel.

Yesterday, I was at Slam Team practice and we were talking about how literature can be funny without being 'stand-up comedy' (or without any substance). We discussed how something can make you laugh, but also make you think at the same time and I immediately thought about PP. In what ways does this book have a hidden meaning despite all the humor? Get back at me!

Chick Lit..GOST vs. P&P

Now, when I think of Chick Lit, I think of the novel version of "Mean Girls" or something produced by MTV Books, and obviously neither GOST or P&P are close to either example in language or idea.  However, I think that P&P can be considered more "chick" literature than GOST due to the content, which seemingly fewer males (at least this one) can not relate to very well.  For example, the emphasis placed on the preparation for the dances, who is going to dance with who, and the following gossip about the evening's events just are not important to me.  I am not constantly fretting over whether or not I will make a good enough impression on a girl to entice her to marry me.  Obviously, the emphasis on marriage has changed with the times and our society, but I still feel that the institution of marriage is still more marveled by females than males.  Maybe that's just me though..

The content of GOST on the other hand seems to appeal to both sexes equally.  Both genders have dealt with the confusion of understanding complicated events and ideas as children.  And both genders understand the intense feeling of love, or excitement, in discovering another person as more than a friend.  The issues of societal injustices affect both genders.  GOST, to me at least, is more neutral in the sex of the narration, as P&P has many more examples of "feminine" ideas, such as gossip and concern with physical appearance, and while males undoubtedly also participate in these activities, it seems that the attitudes of the characters in P&P make them much more feminine concerns.

Chiclets, Chick Lit, Both Equally Irrelevant

Why does the question of Chick Lit come up for Pride and Prejudice and not for The God of Small Things?  Both are written by women and arguably from women's perspectives.  The obvious answer is that P&P deals with marriage and balls (the dancing kind) whereas GOST includes molestation, incest, and unjust, corrupt global systems. 

The problem with that answer is that it feminizes marriage and social interaction, and makes the mentioned elements in GOST "serious" and masculine.  This is unfair to both sexes and untrue as well. 

The definition of Chick Lit is that it appeals/ is marketed towards women, and yet it seems like there is a general opinion out there that girls like GOST more than guys.  When you think about it, trying to label a piece of literature Chick Lit is not only extremely difficult, but also useless, because in the end, it tells you nothing about the work. 

P+P vs. 7B47B

Basically, the title was too long to type out. It stands for: Pride and Prejudice versus Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

So I'm in a show right now called Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (for sanity's sake I'll keep referring to it as 7B47B), you might be familiar with the movie. But I was struck by the similarities between that show and Pride and Prejudice today. Here's a quick summary of 7B47B (and yes I am aware of how ridiculous the show is, don't worry):

Oregon, 1860's. A man named Adam goes to town to find a wife. He finds a girl named Milly (who is oddly similar to Elizabeth Bennett in that she is sassy and smart) and he asks her to marry him. so they get married that day and he takes her back to his mountain house. What he didn't tell her was that he had six other brothers she would need to care for. So she gets mad and sticks up for herself. Then 5 minutes later she forgives him. Then the six brothers decide that they too want wives. So they attend a town social dance (like the balls in P+P!), each fall in love with their own girl, who all have distinct characteristics but also just want to get married (again, similar to the girls in P+P). They go back to the mountains and are sad because they miss the girls. So they kidnap them and bring them back to the mountains, and due to an avalanche (you didn't see that one coming) they cannot be brought back or rescued until spring. The girls are mad at the brothers until they realize that they only kidnapped them because they wanted to marry the girls. So the girls end up falling in love with the men who kidnapped them, but Milly and Adam continue to have problems because she is too spunky of a lady to give into everything he says an wants! In the end, everyone gets married, and Milly and Adam renew their vows because "love never goes away" (and they definitely did fall in love with in 5 minutes when he met her and then immediately asked her to marry him).

The basic similarities that I see are about love/marriage and women. There's not really anything about money and pride and prejudice necessarily.

But the women in the play and the book, as I said earlier, essentially want one thing: marriage. They all love to romanticize things and they're very girly and silly. But like Miss Bingley, Jane, and the other Bennett sisters, etc., each bride has their own personal characteristic (which is actually more of the actor's doings, if you watch the movie it won't really appear that way).

Also, while P+P can be argued to be a feminist novel because of Elizabeth's strong character and what not, she still marries Darcy in the end (sorry if i just gave something away for anyone...but lets be honest I'm the only one doing this this late, so probably no one will read it). She still feels bad for prejudging him even though he was a total jerk in the beginning, regardless of anything else he did or did not do in the novel. Milly is similar--she is more trusting than Elizabeth is obviously, because she marries Adam on the spot. But even after all of the terrible stuff he does through out the play, she stays with him in the end. And when it comes to the brides...well they feel in love with the people who kidnapped them! Just the fact the the brothers wanted to marry them was enough for them to say "ok well they I love you." The majority of the girls in P+P seem like they would react similarly in such a situation.

Oh, and they all wear corsets.

Middle School Girls

One of the things I keep thinking about in this book is the similarities between the characters in this book and middle school girls.  Most of the characters in Pride and Prejudice are obsessed with marriage and who is going to marry who, and where, and when.  This is very much like the thoughts and gossip of typical middle school girls.  Yes, I am making a general assumption that most middle school girls are consumed with talking about boys, but it's true!  My little sister is one of those girls.  Obviously, they are not talking about marriage but they are consumed with who they like as well as whom so and so likes.  Mrs. Bennet is extreme when it comes to the gossip of the community and it's hard to point out a specific passage where she is not discussing her daughter's marraige opprotunities but it is what most concerns her at the time.  At the middle school age, girls are not around the lunch table discussing their latest English project, they are simply talking about the cute boy 2 tables over from them.  I might be pushing it by comparing these two sets of people but I think that we should not be so suprised at how much this novel contains the idea of women liking men, as well as men liking women. 

The Male Gaze

Mr. Heidkamp mentioned something in class earlier this week really briefly that I thought I would bring up, just to see what everyone thinks.

He talked about the 'male gaze,' which was a ters that was introduced first in relation to movies, but was then later applied to the perspectives of many different kinds of media. The main idea is that (using movies as an example), women are treated as objects. In other words, the movie is shot from the 'male gaze,' showing men what they want to see. More of women's bodies are highlighted in movies than men's, etc...

I had never really considered this idea, but it is an interesting one. I mean, I think we are all aware that this 'male gaze' is present in certain movies, especially generic Hollywood movies, but I am starting to wonder if it applies more widely than I thought.

It is also interesting to think about this in terms of Pride and Prejudice. The men's views of the women, and their concerns about their impressions for the men, are very prominent in this book. But then again, in class, we talked about whether or not this book could be considered 'chick lit,' that is, written for a female audience.

Any thoughts? I think this is a really interesting topic, and I would like to hear opinions...

Impressions and Prejudice

Appearance and first impressions definitely play a key role in Pride and Prejudice.  When Wickham was first introduced in the novel, he appeared to be a very nice man.  Everyone seemed to trust him and believed what he said about Darcy and the will.  The fact that Elizabeth believed everything Wickham said about Darcy, thus causing her to despise Darcy shows the power of first impressions.She believed Wickham's words so much that when Elizabeth read Darcy's letter,she had to read it over several times before believing it. A passage says

She wished to discredit it entirely, repeatedly exclaiming  "This must be false! This cannot be! This must be the grossest falsehood!"-and when she had gone through the whole letter, though scarcely know any thing of the last page or two, put it hastily away, protesting that she would not regard it, that she would never look in it again (199).

Although Elizabeth ultimately accepts the truth, it takes a lot to persuade her.  I believe this shows the power of prejudice and how difficult it is to change someone's view of someone else. This also seems to be a turning point in the novel, because after the letter, Elizabeth and Darcy are on much better terms with each other.  I haven't finished the book yet, but I think their relationship could be headed somewhere.

Illuminate Foil

First of all, aluminum foil did not fit as a title to my post, but I will illuminate you on a seemingly major foil in the novel.  In this last section of reading, we found out that Lydia fell for Wickham's outer charm while not looking into his inner faults, or at least ignorimg them.  Elizabeth on the other hand has refused wedding propositions from Darcy and Collins while trying not to lead Wickham on.  In this regard, Lydia acts as a foil to Elizabeth's character by showing the gender discrimination while Elizabeth breaks it.  So if you turn to page... wait a second, why am I writing this? We don't have to do an essay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The whole idea of an UnEssay sound great to me.  I need a break from the traditional read a book, interpret it, take quizzes, and write an Essay, then do a motif presentation.  Being able to skip the essay part is a treat.  I feel that it will only take my time away from other, more concerning things and will only bring my grade down (especially an essay for this book).  So, to Bernie, thank you! My mind has suffered enough essay-writing for one semester.

Adjust for Love

The two main characters of the novel, Elizabeth and Darcy, are inflicted with pride and prejudice. However, what separates them from the other foolish as well as sensible characters is their ability and desire to improve themselves, and grow. They develop a greater understanding of themselves and each other by the end of the story, which was necessary for the success of their relationship.

When Elizabeth rejects his proposal is the turning point for Darcy. He proposed in a manner that displayed his pride and self-assurance, as Elizabeth picked up that “he had no doubt of a favourable answer. He spoke of apprehension and anxiety, but his countenance expressed real security.” He insults her family’s low position, says that he held back for so long for this reason. When Elizabeth rejects him, he begins to reconsider his conduct. He writes Elizabeth a letter, uncharacteristic of him, that

Elizabeth also undergoes a transformation, though it occurs later than Darcy’s. Her prejudices against Darcy are prevalent in a large portion of the novel, and the letter sparks a reevaluation of her preconceptions. The two characters have a connection, not quite an amiable one at first. However, as they learn more about each other, they learn how to change. They both recognize their flaws, and attempt to correct them. In doing so, they are finally able to be together.

Some Kind of Wonderful

Here's a tip for all you dear readers out there, if ever you want me to smile, butter me up for something, or just want to make me go into a state of bliss that blinds me to all else you only have to do one thing: ask me to make something creative.

It's true, I am (almost to a fault) drawn to creative projects, it's been that way as long as I could remember.  So when I heard about the UnEssay, I naturally began the gleeful process of brainstorming.  As far as I'm concerned, this is what the motif projects should be, not this cut and dry talk about quotes whilst your peers and Bernie conduct the inquisition, but real creativity--something to make people think and understand what you're thinking.  If you're in fourth period you probably heard me talking quite loudly about how wonderful this or that idea sounded.  So, continuing my spree of glee at hearing of creativity, I have one simple question:

What is your idea for the project?

If you want to be secretive, thats cool, I'm going to be mum on some of the aspects of my own group project, but I will tell you that it is a film about patriarchy, and I am preparing for it by watching Metropolis and Nosferatu.

So, I look forward to hearing everybody's ideas.

the letter

The letter that Darcy wrote to Elizabeth is really stumping me. There are a few points that I still don't quite understand and I would really appreciate is if someone could help me out.

First, Darcy explained that one of the reasons he did not want Bingley and Jane together was because of the way Jane's family behaved. Did this have anything to do with her class in society or lack of money? Another reason Darcy didn't want them together was because he didn't think Jane cared as much for Bingley as he cared for her, which is understandable that he didn't want his friend to get hurt.

The part of the letter about Wickham really confused me. Based on this part of the letter, Elizabeth basically switched her opinions of Darcy and Wickham. I was wondering if someone could explain to me exactly what happened between these two men, besides the fact the Wickham tried to elope with Darcy's sister.

Discussion Quiz

I really enjoyed the monitored discussion that we had in place of a quiz on Wednesday.  It was nice to hear how others have interpreted the book, and the perceptions that were brought to the discussion.  I think we should have more discussions as quizzes because it offers a different insight into the literature that we read.  It also fits more into the title of AP College English, because I'm pretty sure that we won't have quick quizzes after we are assigned reading in college.

Which Darcy is for Real?

While talking in our class discussion on Wednesday, we were trying to decide who the real Darcy is? Is he the Darcy from the beginning who had too much pride to dance with Elizabeth? Or is he the guy who writes a nice apology letter to Elizabeth after insulting her family?

I'm not exactly sure what I believe, I haven't finished the novel yet, but I think that deep down maybe Darcy really is that nice guy we meet later when Elizabeth travels to Pemberly. I find myself wondering if in the beginning he felt as he had to act like he was better than her and her family, for the sake of his reputation. I think after being around Elizabeth for a while he realizes that she wasn't so bad and even a possible wife for him. Then Elizabeth turns him down so he puts up his "tough guy" front again, and starts insulting her family. I think that what is in the letter are his true feelings, and he feels bad for being such a jerk to Elizabeth because he really is a nice guy.

So I guess my question is what's your opinion of Darcy? Is he a good guy or a bad guy?

What do the Guys think?!

I know this might seem a little forward, but in class today I feel that we could have used a little more of the guy's perspective on Pride and Prejudice... I want to know how the love story looks from the guy's perspective? Do you believe that Darcy is a realistic character in the ways he falls in love with Elizabeth? Or do you think Darcy is a male character clearly made up buy a women author? Basically I'm asking if the book seems realistic to you, guys, at all. I'm just wondering and I think it would be really interesting to place the question out there and see if any guy is brave enough to answer it truthfully... Good luck :)

Why Pride and Prejudice doesn't work for me

If there is a criticism I would like put to Pride and Prejudice (and I have many), it is that the story contains innefective perspective shifts. Jane Austen's introduction never really seems to leave the novel. The tone of Elizabeth and the narrator are nearly identical. Austen tries to put her perspective into each character, but only suceeds in domineering most of them with extravagant prejudices. Granted, I think I can appreciate the emotion at the end of the story, but Austen lost me well into the beginning of the novel. Does she want to play the role of social commentator or narrator? In my opinion, she fails when she tries to incorporate both. It is a stretch to say that Austen makes profound observations on the English psuedo-gentry, because we are limited in what we can infer from a single character's limited perspective. And as for Austen's use of irony, I feel that that too is an innefective technique. If the book is timeless, her humor is dated. We had to play role in order to understand what she may have been hinting at; it seems to contribute little to the novel. On the whole, I am not overly impressed with this book.

Appearance Vs. Personality

Appearance is extremely important to the middle and upper classes portrayed in Pride and Prejudice. Whether it is class rank, monetary wealth, neighborhood/home, or physical appearance, the immediate impressions one notices is what matters. Reading about the priorities of the snobbery middle-class lifestyle through a number of situations is discomforting. How can one be judged on something so superficial and not their true character? Although, it is not difficult to find ourselves everyday making first impressions. The difference is that we are aware of these judgements and recognize that there is more to a person than what you see as they pass you in the hallway- well that is the ideal.

It is comforting, on the other hand, to notice a few instances where characters, such as Mr. Darcy, in Pride and Prejudice have made this connection as well. For example, on page 258, Miss Bingley is pointing out an ongoing list of flaws in Elizabeth's appearance to make her less attractive to Mr. Darcy, such as how she is "grown so brown and coarse," when pale is the fashionable skin pigment. At the same time Miss Bingley is hoping to appeal to Mr. Darcy herself. Her plan did not exactly work out because he shoots her opinion/ description of Elizabeth down saying, "I have considered her as one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance" (259). It was a relief to know that not everyone in Pride and Prejudice is so superficial and shallow when describing another's "character" and appearance. Austen is creating characters in which her readers can identify and appreciate- and it only took 250 pages to get there!

Judith Butler and Pride and Prejudice

Whenever Heidkamp talks about how power operates within the patriarchal system in Pride and Prejudice, I'm always reminded of the person I did my junior theme on/learned a lot about through debate, Judith Butler. My understanding of her is pretty basic, but I think it can add a dimension to how we read Pride and Prejudice.

Butler talks about gender and sex as a performance and the product of power relations. The idea of gender as a performance is not anything new to us, but sex? Heidkamp said in class that sex generally refers to some biological characteristic, while gender refers to the social. Butler says that the biological attempts to describe characteristics of sex, which are more often than not inconsistent, necessarily reinforce social gender norms. Biology attempts to construct people who fit into nice categories and describe actions based on them, i.e. being female requires that people act feminine. This categorization is a form of power which tries to make people act in a certain way, contrary to how they might otherwise act, and in accordance to social norms. Patriarchy, therefore, results from descriptions of sex.

And so it follows that SEX is performed, in addition to gender. People "act like they have a y chromosome" whenever they, for example, try and find someone to marry. Biological definitions of sexual behavior necessitates that people act accordingly. In turn, society feels that, due to these biological differences, people need to be treated differently. And this different treatment has at its basis biological, not social, constructions.

The inconsistencies which arise from the natural order are incredibly problematic. Whenever anyone does not act female/aren't feminine, they are denied their sexual identity. Or, for that matter, any identity. The descriptors and norms concerning what it means to fit into a gender are problematic because they make them oppressed by the power inherent in gender. She therefore opposes any attempt to generalize, characterize or describe gender or extensive sexual identities in any way. Now, this might not seem like a very radical position, but think of it as her Undoing Gender (which was, by the way, the title of one of her books).

I don't necessarily think Austen had all this in mind when she wrote Pride and Prejudice. I think that she was instead describing and giving an example of the gender roles of the time, and Butler's criticism instead shows another way of looking at social constructions. And I also think that, since Butler is pretty radical, she might even think that Pride and Prejudice doesn't go far enough. But I'm not sure about that either. I'll have to check it out if there's anything there.

Wow... My Family is Embarrassing

After reading Pride and Predudice I've come to realize how bluntly Darcy insults Elizabeth's family, but how right he is in what he says. He pretty much insults every member of her family, minus Jane. However, most of the criticism is deserved - especially that of Mrs. Bennet. It's true that she is disrespectful and assuming, not to mention extremely irritating.

The younger girls, Kitty, and especially Lydia are too "silly," which ends up being dangerous as we see with Lydia. Even Mr. Bennet is peculiar in his treatment of his daughters' futures.

But then I started realizing, when you look into it, every family is pretty weird. Darcy has an overbearing and arrogant aunt - Lady Catherine, a strange cousin - Mr. Collins, and obsessively clingy relations - Ms. Bingley.

And my family, too, is pretty strange, and yes, irritating. I don't need to go into it, and I won't. Darcy probably should have considered his own family before criticizing Elizabeth's. Not that he's wrong...

The Tyranny of the Male Sex

We've been talking a lot about male dominance in society.  I am currently reading the Cairo trilogy by Mahfouz for my semester research paper for modern middle eastern.  I'm in the middle of the first book, Palace Walk, and I have to say that the control men have is shocking.  It focuses on a particular family, where the husband is practically a tyrant in his family - everyone is terrified of him. 

His wife and daughters are never allowed to leave the house.  Not even to go shopping or to pray at a mosque, even though his wife, Amina, is extremely religious, and dreams of going to pray there.  She is allowed out only a few times a year to visit her mother, and even then, she is escorted by her husband in a carriage, and is too frightened for fear of his wrath to even glance outside!  And as for the daughters, it is a sin if anyone should happen to see their face or body through the window.

As for his previous wife, she was much more stubborn than Amina.  When he would not allow her out, she argued and rebelled.  He ended up constantly beating her, and then decided that he would teach HER a lesson by divorcing her!  He was certain that she would come crawling back to him.  Then, when she didn't, he sent a messenger to tell her that he was willing to have her back.  When she set the condition that he could no longer beat her for going out, he was enraged!  He couldn't believe that she might want this small measure of freedom!    In fact, he thought that she should be grateful for being his wife alone, and allowed to serve him. 

Not One to Point Fingers

Going through the novel, I've been trying to get more out of the book than just a mere plot but more of how the characters interact, why they react in a certain way, and if their reaction is fair based off their circumstances. To put it simply, character analysis. So as much as we are supposed to love Lizzy, she can be a bit brutual. She's constantly pointing out faults in others and not being sympathetic at all to certain people such as Charlotte. Chapter 27 p. 187, when she's going over the plans to see Charlotte at Hunsford she "had not at first thought very seriously of going...the journey would moreover give her a peep at Jane". At first she didn't even want to go but decided more seriously of it because she wanted to see Jane, not her LIFE LONG best friend until of a few weeks past when she married Mr. Collins. I sympathize with Charlotte, she was trapped in an awful situation; marry or be a spinster for life. At age 27 which is considered old for a single women, Charlotte really didn't have much of any option especially since no money passes on to the females. Another instance, Lizzy "could never address her without feeling that all the comfort of intimacy was over, and, though determined not to slacken as a correspondent, it was for the SAKE OF WHAT HAD BEEN RATHER THAN WHAT WAS" (183).

Dang. She's talks of Darcy's coldness and pride yet she cannot even notice her own.

Lizzy can almost be as bad as Lady Catherine! "Sir William Lucas, and his daughter Maria, a good humored girl, but as empty-headed as himself, had nothing to say that could be worth hearing, and were listened to with about as much delight as the rattle of the chaise...He could tell her nothing new of the wonders of his presentation and knighthood; and his civilities were worn out like his information" (188).
Talk about a burn/TREATED Sir William Lucas. He had no new information to impress her with thus she was not interested. How stuck up is that? I can understand lack of good conversation but to compare it to the rattling of the carriage and how that almost delights her more is harsh.

Another "fault" she points out is Jane's unwillingness to quickly jump to the conclusion that people are untrustworthy and can not be depended on. That's not a cynicial view of the world at all. The very person she has promised to "loathe for eternity" has the same characteristics that lie in herself. Darcy has just been exposed to more flaws in humanity through experience and his outer shell thus grown thicker along with his sense of pride.

"There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more I am dissatifised with it..." (173).
If the book had not said this was Lizzy I would have suspected Darcy. She is a thinker, but I believe she has just as much as pride as any other and is not one to make judgements and point fingers.

The Society We Live In

In conjunction with Pride and Prejudice, it makes sense to analyze the society that we live in. On many different levels America is patriarchal. From our basic value system which includes the declaration of independence ("We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all MEN are created equal") to our familial system, in which men hold jobs and women stay home, our country is patriarchal.

In order for women to gain power they must take on aspects that are normally attributed to men. A good example are female CEOs. Only 8 of the top 500 companies have female CEOs.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the subject?

I Hate Jane

I know that Jane is one of the kindest characters in the novel and that readers will just think I'm mean for disliking her.  Yet, regardless of her positive qualities, Jane has the obnoxious tendency to trust every single person she meets.  She trusted Mr. Bingley's sisters who betrayed her.  She put her faith in Mr. Darcy when he was the reason for her breakup with Mr. Bingley.  She consistently thinks that people are much better than they are, and her naivety leads to her unhappiness. She is just too nice and people take advantage of her.  While I am glad that Jane is such an optimistic person, sometimes the glass really is half empty.

Why is Pride and Prejudice So Popular?

On Friday, when we were going through the first 5 minutes of three different movie versions of Pride and Prejudice, I started thinking, "Why is Pride and Prejudice so popular?" I mean, since its publication in 1813, it has not only been adapted into film a countless number of times but also been the basis of many modern romance stories.

Its film and TV serie dates include: 1940, 1980, 1995, 2003, and 2005. Of course, this doesn't include the hundreds of other films, such as Bride and Prejudice, that are similar to the original story. And last year, while I was shelving books at the library, I came across a book titled Pride and Prescience. I guess its author Carrie Bebris decided write a continuation—actually, it’s a mystery. Apparently, Caroline Bingley marries a rich American; their marriage is followed by strange events in which the whole Bingley family seems to be targeted; and the great Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth try and decipher the scheme. Here are a few other Pride and Prejudice continuations:

An Assembly Such As This
An Unequal Marriage: Or, Pride and Prejudice Twenty Years Later
Desire and Duty: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
Letters From Pemberley
Mr. Darcy's Daughters: A Novel
The Bar Sinister, Pride and Prejudice Continues

So, why is this novel so popular? Why has it been adapted to the screen so many times? Why has it been the incorporated into so many romance stories? Why are so many authors eager continue the story? Honestly, I have no clue. If I had to come up with one reason, I’d say that it’s because the novel embodies a variety of universal themes thus making it easy for everyone to relate to. These topics include: pride, prejudice, love and marriage, and socioeconomic status.

But, couldn’t the same be said about other books? So what makes Pride and Prejudice stand above the rest?

Fashionably Proud

Ok, so I'm in the process of writing my quarter paper for Euro, Lord help me, and thought about how it in some ways relates to Pride and Prejudice.

Clothing fashion can be interpreted to understand a certain time period better. For instance, the French Revolution's political chaos was reflected in its popular fashion styles at the time. In this case, England's fashion during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century reflected the patrilineal society.

Pride and Prejudice concentrates on the aristocratic class in England. Since appearances and first impressions are a significant determinant of a class, fashion was very important. It demonstrated how shallow and artificial the higher class was when it came to personal development. Status was determined by wealth, how you acquired that wealth, and...wealth. And that wealth attributed to the clothing styles. God forbid someone earn status with character, personality, or merit.

Popular fashions of the aristocracy during the period of Pride and Prejudice were full dresses for women and sombre suits for men.

Just in case any of you are as intrigued by fashion as me...A typical woman aristocratic was clothed in a petticoat made of an elegant fabric such as satin and structured with whale bones and a full skirt widened with a hoop underskirt (a crinoline). The dresses were of course adorned with various embellishments, such as lace and bows, and the outfit was topped off with expensive jewelry. A typical male aristocrat was dressed in a frock coat over a tight waist-coat, breeches (aka culottes, or ass tight, knee length pants), tights, and buckled shoes.

Emphasis on Marriage

When comparing GOST and Pride & Prejudice, the views on marriage are quite different. In both novels the women are expected to marry and are encouraged to seek marriage by their elders as tradition. Yet,the approach towards receiving a husband varies in both.

In GOST it seems that the women stumble upon a man and marry him. Roy does not include much detail about their feelings towards one another, their family background, or their income.There is not as much detail in the process, such as attending balls, coming over for dinner, and showing affection. The love in GOST seems very bland.

In Pride and Prejudice, finding a husband is a huge process. The potential husband or wife comes for dinner, their income is analyzed, and more. More thought goes into the marriages than in GOST. People in the novel also often show affection towards each other which implies love interest.

Yet, it is clear that Price & Prejudice is a novel focused around a theme of marriage, where GOST circulates around forbidden love and caste systems. Reading such different novels right after each other really allows us to compare the two novels and the authors.

A Bit of a Gender Flop

Although Pride and Prejudice may seem to be a story of romance, irony, and humor, when I looked closer at the individuals themselves, there's A LOT more to understand and learn. Being part of the play it's really easy for me just to sit back and listen to everything or comment here and there because the book is more than familiar to me now. But I've challenged myself to get something out of it. If you're still confused and would like more of a visual to help you along....

COME SEE PRIDE AND PREJUDICE!!
Fri 7th = 7:30
Sat 8th = 7:30
Thur 13th = 4:00
Fri 14th = 7:30
Sat 15th = 7:30

When you look at the characters closer you notice various characteristics about each. Austen makes SO MANY comment about society that still apply today. For instance, when examining Bingley and Lizzy, I noticed that Bingley has very feminie traits, the overly sweet, world is a perfect place, etc and comes out even stronger when put against the cold, manly, stiff Darcy. Although Bingley is teased for having such sensitive tastes they are not used against him. For Lizzy, however, they are. Lizzy, witty and forceful in her opinions, has almost more masculine traits. She speaks her "opinion very decidedly". When put next to her mother or Lydia, two very feminie characters, she sticks out as more masculine. In a way she's almost a female version of Darcy, minus the cold rough edge on first appearances. At the time though, women speaking like this was not appreciated. So when Collins proposes to Lizzy and she straight up tells him no Mrs. Bennett flips out and calls her a "foolish girl" for having treated the situation the way she did.
I think Austen is right about the culture with married women and their children. How would I know? I had a funny experience at the gym once during a school day off, thus the entire class was stay at home moms. I was shocked when I realized it's a culture within itself, BABIES was what much of the conversation consisted of along with children where they're going to college, who they're dating, parties they've went too, etc. And then rereading parts of this book, it's the same! Yes women are always going to be gossipy but it just struck me that Mrs. Bennett character although obnoxious at times, is not far from any real mother.