Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, and other thematic concerns

1. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, and other thematic concerns

2. Jane Austen – The Biography • Austen was born December 16, 1775 in Steventon, near Hampshire (England). • She was the seventh of eight children. • Her father was a revered and member of the clergy. • Austen was formally educated until the age of ten, but then was educated at home by her parents (who just so happened to be well-read and encourage her writing). • Her closest sibling was her sister Cassandra, with whom she wrote and performed plays. • Austen wrote her first novel when she was fourteen.

3. Jane Austen – The Biography • In 1801, the Austen family moved to the bustling town of Bath. • This town, mixed with her country upbringing, flesh out many of the characters and scenarios in her numerous novels. • In 1805, Austen’s father passed away, putting the wife (also named Cassandra) and the two girls into financial trouble. • They eventually relied on the charity of the sons/brothers for their subsistence. • After traveling and living with relatives for nearly three years, the Austen women settled in Southamtpon.

4. Jane Austen – The Biography • The last years of Austen’s life were quietly spent writing. • She died an untimely death at age 41 from Addison’s disease, or a lymphoma like disease of the kidneys. • She is buried at Winchester Cathedral. • She was never married. • Her life is often described as “untroubled,” apart from minor financial struggles (and she nearly died at age 9 while at boarding school from a viral infection).

5. Jane Austen – The Biography • Austen was once engaged to a man named Harrison Bigg-Wither. • He was pleasant and Oxford educated, and yet she turned him down (even though it would have given her financial security and moved her up in social class). • Even though marriage for “romantic” purposes was becoming more of a viable option, people were baffled when she said “no thanks”. • Austen had a mixed attitude toward marriage and motherhood.

6. Other Notables • All of Austen’s work was published anonymously. • Though the market was full of female authors at the time, for some reason she stayed behind the scenes. • Her most famous novels are re-workings of her early attempts. • Sense and Sensibility is a reworking of “Elinor and Marianne” and Pride and Prejudice is a reworking of a shorter novella called “First Impressions”. • In the 1990’s three of Austen’s novels were made into either movies or TV series.

7. In History • In 1775, the year Austen is born, the American Revolution begins. • In 1789, the French Revolution begins. • 1793: King Louis XVI is executed (a few months later Marie-Antoinette was also). • 1793: The Reign of Terror begins. • 1811: George III is replaced by King George IV (formerly the Prince of Wales, a morally corrupt leader). • 1813: Pride and Prejudice is published. • 1815: Battle of Waterloo ends engagement with France.

8. What is a “Novel of Manners” • A novel that describes in detail the customs, behaviors, habits, and expectations of a certain social group at a specific time and place. Usually these conventions shape the behavior of the main characters, and sometimes even stifle or repress them • “A novel dominated by social customs, manners, conventions, and habits of a definite social class. In the true novel of manners, the mores of a specific group, described in detail and with great accuracy, become powerful controls over characters. The novel of manners is often, although by no means always, satiric.”

9. Content • “Austen wrote of her immediate experience: the microcosm of the country gentry and its class-conscious insularity.” • Austen in known for “her ability to create singular characters who linger in one’s imagination, her unparalleled sense of irony and wit, her brilliant dialogue, and her carefully woven plots.” • Austen is writing about a world where there is social, moral, and economic stability. • There is a great deal of formal civility between her characters, as well as sexual restraint, and prescribed manners.

10. Content • The content of Austen’s novels is usually set in the idyllic country landscape – away from conflict, war, and industrial turmoil. • Hence, many modern readers are drawn to Austen. • One of the major motifs in Austen’s work is that of personal fulfillment vs. adherence to social code. • Austen is a shrewd observer of human interaction and motivation. • Though she traveled little, she did deeply understand the professional and the member of the gentry.

11. Content • You will never see anyone working in an Austen novel…only talking about working. • Think of this like a soap opera. • The wars with the Americas, France/Napoleon, etc. never really make it into the narrative, which is ironic, seeing as she had two brothers serving in the armed forces. • If anything, these military men only surface as cute or alluring distractions for women.

12. Content • Austen loves to talk about the gap between the working professional and the “gentry” who are the wealthy who do, well, nothing. • She often makes fun of their laziness and snobbish behavior. • Her novels are usually based on the “marriage plot”. • “A typical feature of the comic novel is that powerful social distinctions upheld in everyday life tend to be suspended in a effort to further the plot.”

13. Content • Quote continued – “Within the safe space of the novel, such comic upheavals create exciting possibilities for minor social transgressions; at the same time, the [novels’ conclusions], the existing order becomes reaffirmed.”

14. Pride and Prejudice • Obviously “pride” and “prejudice” are two of the main themes in the novel. • One can debate whether or not these are “good” or “bad” things for people to possess or use. • It was originally called “First Impressions,” meaning one’s first impressions of others should always be managed with caution and only solidified after careful reflection. • Austen introduces also a corrupt underside to the lazy behavior of the gentry. (luxury and indolence)

15. Summary • http://www.wikisummaries.org/Pride_and_Prejudice (SPOILER ALERT) • This link has a full plot summary, chapter summaries and a list of characters. Do not abuse it, but consult it for help. • The novel is about the Bennet family and the (hopeful) marriage of their five daughters to men of wealth.

16. Things to Consider • The options of female characters. • The values of professionals and the values of the gentry. (SOCIAL CLASS) • The absence of work. • Personal satisfaction vs. obligation to family and society. • Personal judgment and self-centeredness. • Social rules and manners. • This is NOT realism. • Inwardness vs. Sociability • Being a rebel. • Marriages of love vs. Marriages of Oppurtunity

17. Famous Works • Pride and Prejudice • Sense and Sensibility • Emma • Persuasion (Posthumous Release) • Northanger Abbey (Posthumous Release) • Mansfield Park • Sandition (Unfinished)

18. Me Jane.

19. Cool Source • http://www.jasa.net.au/jabiog.htm on Austen • http://www.victorianweb.org/history/hist7.html On the French Revoltuion