THE POSITION OF WOMEN

1. Woman at the End of the 18th century

Upper middle-class women had become essentially objects regarded as expensive
property and beautiful ornaments inn the homes of their husbands.
Joseph Addison expressed the general attitude towards women: ‘I consider woman as a
beautiful romantic animal… the toilet of a woman is her great scene of business and the
principle employment of her life… The family is the proper province for private women to shine
in…’.
Husbands were often found for girls on the principle of frank barter, yet women didn’t
resign it much, since it was regarded as a greater misfortune to remain single.

2. The Emancipation of Women – 1870s onwards

To emancipate – to give s.o. the political or legal rights that they didn’t have before. To
obtain equality.
In the mid-Victorian era there appeared books which attacked the bondage of convention
(обществени условности, практика, обичай) and proclaimed the rights of women to free life.
The nursing profession gave women their 1st chance to prove their independence.
Women’s colleges were also at this time founded at Oxbridge and women’s secondary schools
were much improved. Gradually women were released from economic bondage to their
husbands.
After the disappearance of crinoline and the long sweeping dress, the movements of
women were freed, and they became more athletic and better walkers. They began to take
interest in different sports such as lawn-tennis, cycling, and touring the countryside. The 1 st
women’s clubs were founded.

3. Women Novelists
A number of women novelists appeared such as the realistic and humorous Jane Austen,
the romantic Brontë sisters, the realistic Elizabeth Gaskell and the intellectual and moralizing
George Eliot.
In an age in which the ideal woman was expected to display feminine qualities at the
expense of all others, to be gentle, domestic, tactful, unintellectual, prone to tears and easily
shocked, the women novelists stood for independence and resentment of the conventions that
kept them within the domestic area of life. In order to get published, some of them had to write
under masculine pseudonyms.
Women writers invented a new type of heroine – a high-spirited independent woman who
struggles against conventions, asserts her rights of happiness and true love, freedom of choice in
marriage and greater social and political activities.

JANE AUSTEN (1775 – 1817)

I. Life and Works
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose books, set among the English middle and
upper classes, are notable for their wit, social observation, and insights into the lives of early
19th century women.
Jane Austen was born on 16 December 1775 in a village in Hampshire. She was one of
eight children of a well-off, cultivated clergyman and grew up in a close-knit family. She began
to write as a teenager. In 1801 the family moved to the elegant and fashionable city of Bath.
After the death of Jane's father in 1805 Jane, her sister Cassandra and their mother moved several
times eventually settling in Hampshire again.
Jane's brother Henry helped her negotiate with a publisher and her first novel, Sense and
Sensibility, appeared in 1811. Her next novel Pride and Prejudice, which she described as her
"own darling child" received highly favourable reviews. Mansfield Park was published in 1814,
then Emma in 1816. Emma was dedicated to the prince regent, an admirer of her work. All of
Jane Austen's novels were published anonymously.
Jane Austen wrote of the provincial life she knew (she never went to London) and there
are no peasants and few noblemen among her characters. Her whole life was filled with nothing
more exciting than conversation, or, rather, gossip, and needlework, public and private dance,
reading (often aloud) and occasional visits to the seaside towns.
In 1816, Jane began to suffer from ill-health, probably due to Addison's disease
(хронична надбъбречна недостатъчност, недостиг на определени хормони, съпроводена от
болки в гърба, избледняване на тена, умора и общо неразположение). She travelled to
Winchester to receive treatment and died there on 18 July 1817. Two more novels, Persuasion
and Northanger Abbey were published posthumously, and a final novel was left incomplete.
Jane Austen was never widely popular in her own time, and it was not until the 20th c. that
she became an established favourite and her worshippers called themselves ‘Janeites’.
She had a sense of comedy and wrote ironically amusing sketches of character and
situation.
Although she never married, she did become engaged – for one night. She refused the
proposal the next morning. Her novels had been adapted for TV and movies and have always
been the basis for other romances like ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ (2001), ‘The Jane Austen Book
Club’ and ‘Austenland’ (2013).
She never did an interview, never wrote memoirs and most of the letters she wrote were
burned by her sister in order to protect her privacy, so we know little of her private thoughts and
feelings.
Movies:
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)
Death Comes to Pemberley (2013)
Emma (1972/1996/2009)
Lost in Austen (2008)
Miss Austen Regrets (2008)
Sense and Sensibility (1971/1981/1995/2008)
 Jane Austen in Manhattan (1980)
Persuasion (2007)
Northanger Abbey (1987/2007)
Mansfield Park (1983/1998/2007)
Becoming Jane (2007)
The Real Jane Austen (2002)
A Modern Pride and Prejudice (2011)
Pride and Prejudice (1938/1940/1952/1967/1980/1995/2003)

II. Pride and Prejudice

1. Structure and Subject Matter

a) Exposition – the first 16 chapters

Jane Austen establishes the initial attraction between Bingley and Jane, and the
antagonism between Darcy and Elizabeth, the anxiety over the increasing likelihood that
Charlotte will remain an old maid and with Lydia’s extreme eagerness to enter ‘the husband
hunt’, even though she has 4 older sisters. Furthermore, Elizabeth is strongly attracted to
Wickham, who has a serious grievance (обида, (повод за) оплакване, “болка”, неправда,
несправедливост) against Darcy and Bingley’s relatives who interfere between him and Jane.
Or like who will or won’t marry whom. None of the main characters work, they live on rents and
inheritances; they resent the middle class, who earn money on business, which is characteristic of
the landed aristocracy or gentry (дребно дворянство).
b) Development
Full of complications and reversals. The heroine is the centre of many conflicts: with
Darcy, with Mr. Collins, with Bingley’s sisters, with Lady Catherine de Bourgh, with her own
parents.

c) The Turning Point

The conversation around the piano at Rosings in Chapter 31. Elizabeth is by now
sufficiently attracted to Darcy to try very hard to get to know him better, despite her professed
antagonism. He has the insight to point out that she seems to enjoy professing opinions that are
NOT her own and says ‘We neither of us perform to strangers’. This indicated that an eventual
understanding between them is almost inevitable under the right circumstances – when they
come to know each other well enough.
The climax – Darcy’s first proposal in Chapter 34, which comes at a time when Elizabeth
is still blind to a number of truths about him and lashes out (нападам, критикувам остро) at him
mercilessly.

d) Denouement
It comes after a long period of suspense. The problems of all the major characters are
solved and their futures are disposed of. The happiness of Elizabeth and Darcy, however, will not
remain unclouded. The ‘problem’ characters will remain troublesome, just as they do in real life.
‘Uniting them’ are the last two words of the book, showing how apparently mutually exclusive
qualities can come into unity. Austen makes energy and boundaries unite in fruitful harmony,
without the one being sacrificed to the other.

2. The Importance of the Title

It represents the main theme in the novel. In the very beginning, after one evening of
seeing Darcy, Elizabeth declares: ‘His character was decided. He was the proudest, most
disagreeable man in the world.’ (Chapter 3)
She questions Darcy whether he has never allowed himself ‘to be blinded by prejudice’,
without thinking that she may also be guilty of prejudging.
Opinions are constantly changing as people’s behaviour appears in a different light.
That’s why the original title was First Impressions. Elizabeth’s opinion changes and she comes
‘to wish the former opinions had been more reasonable, her expressions more moderate’.
The ability of language to make ‘black ‘appear ‘white’ and vice versa was a crucial truth
of which Jane Austen was particularly aware. In a society which relied so much on conversation,
it was a constant danger.

3. Style
The early part of the novel is more dramatic than the latter. The combination of the
dramatic, through brilliant dialogues, and the epistolary, through letters, telling the story is
characteristic for the drama. Much of the information is conveyed through letters which change
the perspective: Darcy’s letter is of central importance; the letters of Mr. Collins show his
pomposity and servility; Miss Bingley’s letters show her competitive coldness, and it is the
letters that also show Mr. Darcy’s role in securing the marriage of Lydia and Wickham. There
are more dialogues than descriptions.
Intimate contacts, while not denied, are minimized. Hands may meet, though it is more
likely to be the eyes which meet across a distinct social space. Faces may be turned towards, or
away from other faces, and Elizabeth is prone to a good deal of blushing. In general, we are more
often shown dresses than bodies and public greetings, than private embraces. Emotion is rather
rational or folly (like Lydia’s elopement).
a) Motifs
* courtship – through courtship is achieved the ultimate goal – marriage.
* journeys – most scenes take place indoors, nevertheless, journeys function as catalysts for
change in the novel.
* the Cinderella motif – a virtuous daughter, favoured by her father, succeeds despite foolish
sisters and mother and marries the worthy Darcy to live in his grand estate.
b) Symbols
* Pemberley – Darcy’s estate is at the center of the novel and serves as a geographical symbol of
the man who owns it. Elizabeth is enchanted by its beauty and charm, just as she begins
gradually to be charmed by its owner.

4. Realistic Devices
Since Jane Austen had no familiarity with the conversations men held among themselves,
she never presented a dialogue between 2 men alone in any of her works. There is always a
woman present. The result – realism.
The style is characterized by generalizations and abstractions, balance and antithesis and
few figures of speech. These verbal habits arose out of the pattern of thought. People then
thought far less in physical terms than we do. They dwelled on intellectual, emotional, and moral
states, rather than on physical activity.
The word ‘picture’ occurs frequently in the novel, often in the sense of people ‘picturing’
something to themselves. These pictures then, are mental images, either derived from
impressions or conjured up by imagination. Literal references to pictures: through Darcy’s
portrait in Pemberley Elizabeth starts getting the true character of Mr. Darcy. In answer to Jane’s
questions concerning when Elizabeth first realized she was in love with Darcy, Elizabeth replies:
‘I believe it must date from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley’ (Chapter 43).
The metaphor ‘blind’ describes Elizabeth’s attitude toward Darcy (Chapter 42) and
‘blacken’ describes Meryton’s change of opinion about Wickham: ‘All Meryton seemed striving
to blacken the man who, but three months before, had been almost an angel of light. He was
declared to be in debt to every tradesman in the place, and his intrigues, all honoured with the
title of seduction, had been extended into every tradesman's family.’ (Chapter 48).
5. Main Characters
a) Elizabeth Bennet
Even in her blindest moments, Elizabeth Bennet is an unfailing attractive character. She
is described as a beauty and has especially expressive eyes, but what everybody notices about her
is her spirited wit and her good sense. Mainly because of that good sense, Elizabeth is her
father's favorite child and her mother's least favorite. Her self-assurance comes from a keen
critical mind and is expressed through her quick-witted dialogue.
Elizabeth's sparkling and teasing wit brings on Lady Catherine's disapproval and Darcy's
admiration. She is always interesting to listen to and always ready to laugh at foolishness.
In spite of her mistake in misjudging Wickham and Darcy, and her more blamable fault
of sticking stubbornly to that judgment until forced to see her error, Elizabeth is usually right
about people. For example, she painfully recognizes the inappropriate behavior of most of her
family, and she quickly identifies Mr. Collins as a fool and Lady Catherine as a tyrant. However,
this ability to size people up leads her too far at times. She proceeds from reasonable first
impressions of Darcy and Wickham to definite and wrong conclusions about their characters.
Her confidence in her own discernment — a combination of both pride and prejudice — is what
leads her into her worst errors.

b) Mr. Darcy
Darcy exhibits all the good and bad qualities of the ideal English aristocrat — snobbish
and arrogant, he is also completely honest and sure of himself. Darcy is not actually a titled
nobleman, but he is one of the wealthiest members of the landed gentry — the same legal class
that Elizabeth's much poorer family belongs to. While Darcy's sense of social superiority offends
people, it also promotes some of his better traits.
It is, in fact, his ideal of nobility that makes Darcy truly change in the novel. When
Elizabeth flatly turns down his marriage proposal and tells him that it was ungentlemanly, Darcy
is startled into realizing just how arrogant and assuming he has been. He reflects later on why he
was that way: "I was spoiled by my parents, who though good themselves . . . allowed,
encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing . . . to think meanly of all the rest of
the world." Darcy's humbling makes him more sensitive to what other people feel. In the end, he
is willing to marry into a family with three silly daughters, an embarrassing mother, and
Wickham as a brother-in-law. It may be that he becomes more easygoing about other people's
faults because he is now aware of his own.
The retail price index captures how purchasing power changed from 1810 to 2015,
giving Mr. Darcy an annual income of $986,276 in terms of what he could buy in modern times.
This calculation would place him today in the 99.42 percentile.

c) Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley

The oldest and most beautiful of the Bennet daughters, Jane has a good heart and a gentle
nature. As Elizabeth's confidante, Jane helps to keep her sister's tendency to be judgmental in
check by offering positive interpretations of negative situations. Jane's desire to see only the best
in people becomes rather extreme at times, as in her disbelief that Wickham could be a liar, but
she is not so entrenched in her world view that her opinion cannot be changed.
Although Jane enters into one of the happiest and most successful marriages in the novel,
her relationship with Bingley is a rather static one. Just as she is consistently good and kind, her
feelings and regard for Bingley never falter or change. She feels sorrow when he leaves, of
course, but that does not diminish her love for him. Their relationship, while pleasant, is not
marked by the range of emotions that Elizabeth and Darcy feel for one another. Her marriage,
then, is favorable because she and Bingley married for love and are compatible, but it is not quite
ideal because it lacks the depth found in Elizabeth and Darcy's marriage. They are similar in
nature and behavior. Both are cheerful, friendly, and good-natured, always ready to think the best
of others; they lack entirely the prickly egotism of Elizabeth and Darcy. Jane’s gentle spirit
serves as a foil for her sister’s fiery, contentious nature, while Bingley’s eager friendliness
contrasts with Darcy’s stiff pride. Their principal characteristics are goodwill and compatibility,
and the contrast of their romance with that of Darcy and Elizabeth is remarkable. Jane and
Bingley exhibit to the reader true love unhampered by either pride or prejudice, though in their
simple goodness, they also demonstrate that such a love is mildly dull.

d) Mr. Bennet
Mr. Bennet is one of the least mobile characters in the book. In a novel in which people
are active visiting neighbors or going on trips, Mr. Bennet is rarely seen outside of his library.
His physical retreat from the world signifies his emotional retreat from his family. Although he is
an intelligent man, he is lazy and apathetic and chooses to spend his time ridiculing the
weaknesses of others rather than addressing his own problems. His irresponsibility has placed his
family in the potentially devastating position of being homeless and destitute when he dies. He
recognizes this fact, but does nothing to remedy the situation, transforming him from a character
who is simply amusing into someone whom readers cannot help but feel some degree of
contempt for.

e) Mrs. Bennet
Silly, emotional, and irrational, Mrs. Bennet's behavior does more to harm her daughters'
chances at finding husbands than it does to help. She encourages Kitty and Lydia's bad behavior
and her attempts to push Elizabeth into an unwanted marriage with Mr. Collins show her to be
insensible of her children's aversion to a loveless marriage. Mrs. Bennet is concerned with
security rather than happiness, as demonstrated by her own marriage to a man she cannot
understand and who treats her with no respect.

f) Lydia
Emotional and immature, Lydia is the Bennet daughter who most takes after her mother.
Lydia's misbehavior stems from a lack of parental supervision on the parts of both her mother
and father. Her marriage to Wickham represents a relationship that is based on physical
gratification. Lydia does not think, she simply acts upon her impulses, and that impulsiveness,
combined with negligent parents, leads to her near ruin.

g) Wickham
A charming and well-spoken young man, Wickham uses his charisma to insinuate
himself into the lives of others. His behavior throughout the novel shows him to be a gambler
who has no scruples about running up his debts and then running away. His mercenary nature
regarding women is first noted by Mrs. Gardiner, who comments on his sudden interest in Miss
King. Like Elizabeth, he possesses an ability to read people; however, he uses this knowledge to
his advantage. When he finds that Elizabeth dislikes Darcy, for example, he capitalizes on her
dislike to gain her sympathies.

h) Charlotte Lucas
Although Charlotte's marriage of convenience to Mr. Collins is criticized by Elizabeth,
her situation and marriage is much more realistic than is Elizabeth's for nineteenth-century
Britain. Elizabeth's story is a work of romantic fiction, but Charlotte's is a mirror of reality. Even
though Elizabeth cannot understand Charlotte's reasons for marrying Mr. Collins, she does
respect Charlotte's sound management of her household and her ability to see as little of Mr.
Collins as possible. Whereas Elizabeth's relationship with Darcy was what Austen's female
readers may dream of, Charlotte's marriage to Mr. Collins was the actual life they would most
likely have to face.

i) Catherine (Kitty) Bennet

Has little personality of her own, acts as a shadow to Lydia.
j) Mary Bennet
The 3rd Bennet daughter, the plainest of the 5, Mary tries to make up for her lack of good
looks by cultivating ‘accomplishments’ like singing, playing the piano, and reading widely in
serious books. Useless, comical, she thinks she is a great intellectual. Solemn and pedantic, she
dislikes going out into society. In conversation, she is constantly moralizing or trying to make
profound observations about human nature and life in general.

k) Mr. Collins
A pompous, generally idiotic clergyman who stands to inherit Mr. Bennet’s property. Mr.
Collins’s own social status is nothing to brag about, but he takes great pains to let everyone and
anyone know that Lady Catherine de Bourgh serves as his patroness. He is the worst
combination of snobbish and obsequious (сервилен, раболепен).

l) Miss Bingley
Bingley’s snobbish sister. Miss Bingley bears inordinate disdain for Elizabeth’s middle-
class background. Her vain attempts to garner Darcy’s attention cause Darcy to admire
Elizabeth’s self-possessed character even more. She is haughty, spiteful, jealous, superficial, and
selfish. She has all of Darcy’s prejudice but none of his honour and virtue.

m) Lady Catherine de Bourgh

A rich, bossy noblewoman; Mr. Collins’s patron and Darcy’s aunt. Lady Catherine
epitomizes class snobbery, especially in her attempts to order the middle-class Elizabeth away
from her well-bred nephew.

n) Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner

Mrs. Bennet’s brother and his wife. The Gardiners, caring, nurturing, and full of common
sense, often prove to be better parents to the Bennet daughters than Mr. Bennet and his wife.

o) Georgiana Darcy
Darcy’s sister. She is immensely pretty and just as shy. She has great skill at playing the
pianoforte.
Food for thought:
1. Why does Charlotte marry Mr. Collins?
2. Why does Lydia pursue Wickham?
3. Why is Elizabeth so easily taken in by Wickham?
4. Trace the main steps in the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy
5. Do you blame Mr. bennet for his attitude toward his wife and daughters?
6. Is Mr. bennet a positive or a negative character?
7. Irony and satire in the book
8. The role of the first impressions
9. The importance of the dialogue to character development
10. Why does Elizabeth accept Darcy’s second proposal?
11. The notion of class and hierarchy in the book