Essay on "Pride and Prejudice Does Jane Austen"

Essay 4 pages (1424 words) Sources: 2 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Pride and Prejudice

Does Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice reinforce or erode sexist stereotypes of women?

Jane Austen's famous novel Pride and Prejudice deals with personal pride and social prejudice in the society of the time. In this paper the focus of analysis will be on the social prejudice in terms of gender as well as class and status distinctions. Gender stereotypes as a part of the social norms and values of the society form a central aspect of the meaning of this work. The view of women as having an inferior status to men and being dependent on the male world is continually a focus of attention in the novel. This has led to interpretations of the work which tends to critique the novel as consciously or unconsciously upholding sexist norms and attitudes.

However as this analysis will attempt to show, a central facet of this novel is the exposure of these stereotypical gender roles. While cognizance must also be taken of the view that many of the gender roles in the novel might be seen to be prejudicial in a contemporary light, the central thesis of this paper is that the main trajectory of Austen's writing in Pride and Prejudice is to expose and erode sexist stereotypes.

In the novel Austen, though her main characters, in fact interrogates and reveals the false pretences and prejudices of the society and shows that social prejudice on many levels is an illusion and an appearance.

A central feminist critique of Jane Austen's Pride and prejudice is that it patronizes women and reveals a subtle acceptance of the male dominated and male determined world.

Most feminist studies have represented Austen as a conscious or unconscious subversive voicing a woman's frustration at the rigid and sexist social order which enforces women's subservience and dependence, though many feminist critics, as Julia Prewitt Brown notes, are distinctly uncomfortable with what they see as Austen's "cowardly accommodations" with the patriarchal order.

Kubitschek 237)

However, in order to evaluate this view and fully understand the way that Austen addressed the issue of male prejudice and female stereotypes, one must take account of social and psychological sensibility of the time. English culture was strongly divided along class lines, and this division was increased by the extreme differences in gender roles and expectations. Class as a fact that dominated the society is always present in Pride and Prejudice. This aspect is clearly portrayed in the difference between the Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Elisabeth's mother and family. An example from the novel that illustrates the presence of class prejudice can be seen in Lady Catherine de Bourgh's patronizing of the poor. "... whenever any of the Cottagers were disposed to be quarrelsome, discontented or too poor, she sallied forth into the village to settle their differences, silence their complaints, and scold them into harmony and plenty."

Austen 130)

The issue of class is mentioned in order to show the extent to which the position of women way related to and determined by the society - a fact that Austen is at pains to show in this novel. While women had to contend with and live within these rigid class distinctions, they were also prejudiced against in term of sexual roles and stereotypes. Women in the society of the time had very little option but to marry and, in order to overcome the class barriers, they had to marry "well" or into the upper classes. This is shown throughout the novel by the importance that is placed on marriage by the women. In effect this means that women were subject to both the class prejudice as well as to sexual and gender biases and restrictions. The point that is being made is that Jane Austen was aware of this double yoke under which women lived and her novels are an attempt to reveal and expose the situation of women in the society of the time.

In many ways the novel reveals the fact that women had no real independence but were seen as adjuncts to the male. Austen makes this very clear in her characterization of Mrs. Bennet's almost pathetic desire to see her daughters married. Rathrer then this being a "cowardly accommodation" with the patriarchal order, Jane Austen in… READ MORE

How to Reference "Pride and Prejudice Does Jane Austen" Essay in a Bibliography

Related Essays:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Essay

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a book that details the lives of married couples. It is a novel that describes the life and times of people in an… read more

Essay 3 pages (1372 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Family / Dating / Marriage

---

Pride and Prejudice an Analysis Essay

Pride and Prejudice

An Analysis of Mrs. Bennet's Relationship with Her Daughters in Pride and Prejudice

In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet has only one goal in life… read more

Essay 4 pages (1320 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Term Paper

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Elizabeth Bennet is seen as "strong and intelligent, however at the same time, she can be viewed as bewitching. To the reader, it appears… read more

Term Paper 6 pages (1687 words) Sources: 5 Style: MLA Topic: Sociology / Society

---

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin Essay

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, first published in the early 1800s, expresses the author's belief that prejudice is the most fierce enemy in human… read more

Essay 3 pages (936 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Family / Dating / Marriage

---

Jane Austen's Characters Essay

Austen

The Influence of Class and Wealth on Friendship in the Novels of Jane Austen: A Comment on Irony

Jane Austen is the creator of some of the most memorable… read more

Essay 4 pages (1242 words) Sources: 4 Style: APA Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>