The
Plot:
Pride and
Pejudice is one of the most famous love stories in history and is often
compared to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Jane Austen's second book was
released in 1813 but first drafts were formed in the years from 1796 to 1797
under the title “First Impressions”, however the drafts were rejected by
Austen's publisher. Only after Jane Austen reworked it and changed the title a
publisher was found. Jane Austen's book shows us how false pride and prejudices
can overshadow one's opinion about another, like Elizabeth Bennet's opinion
about Mr. Darcy's true character.
The novel starts
out with the frequently quoted phrase “It is a truth universally acknowledged,
that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
This sentence combined with the following events describes the arrival of young
Mr. Bingley who just rented the beautiful manor of Netherfield Parks.
This news causes
huge commotion in the small village of ongbourn, where the Bennet family is
living. Mrs. Bennet is overjoyed about the fact that a young, wealthy gentleman
who is still in need of a wife is going to live so close to their home. She
already plans a bonding of one of her daughters to Mr. Bingley.
The Bennet women
meet Mr. Bingley at a ball, where the famous couple Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth
Bennet get acquainted. Unfortunately the first meeting could not have been
worse. Mr. Darcy's obnoxious behaviour and comment about Elizabeth's looks
brings Elizabeth to the conclusion that having met Mr. Darcy was a regretful
happening.
However miserable
the meeting of the two went on izzy's sister Jane and Mr. Bingley got easily
infatuated with each other.
One time Jane gets
invited to dinner by Mr. Bingleys sisters who have both come to stay with him
and has to stay at the mansion after Mrs. Bennet forbids her to take the
carriage and has to travel through rainy weather and gets sick.
After convincing
her parents that her sister needs her at Netherfield Parks Elizabeth takes a
trip there. At the manor Elizabeth meets Mr. Dracy again where we can see the
slow transition in Mr. Dracy's behaviour. Elizabeth amazes Mr. Darcy with her
wit and intellect when conversing with Mr. Bingley's sister who tries to
impress Mr. Darcy in hopes to capture his interest.
At home Mr.
Bennet informs the family that a cousin of his, Mr. Collins, plans to visit
them. Mr. Collins is a pastor in search of a wife. The pastor is an annoying
sycophant with an equally nerve-wrecking characteristics. First Mr. Collins
focuses his interest on Jane but after Mrs. Bennet points out that her eldest
daughter may soon be engaged he focuses his attention at Elizabeth.
During a walk the
girls meet Mr. Whickham, a former acquaintance of Mr. Darcy's.
Mr. Whickham
convinces Elizabeth that his misfortune was caused by Mr. Darcy and destroys
the small progress the two of them have made in becoming more respectful of
each other.
The situation
between Elizabeth and Darcy tenses as Elizabeth discovers that Mr. Whickham
does not attend to the ball Mr. Bingley is hosting at Netherfields. The reason
for Mr. Whickham's non-attendance is said to be Mr. Darcy himself.
Following the ball
Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth who is understandably shocked and unwilling.
Elizabeth declines the offer with her mother's heavy disapproval and her
father's equally strong approval to the decision.
Soon after
Elizabeth's rejection she finds that her best friend Charlotte accepts the
engagement to Mr. Collins.
Another incident
that disturbs the family peace is the abrupt departure of Mr. Bingley and his
company. Jane is devastated and Elizabeth tries to convince her mourning sister
that the cause of Mr. Bingley's leaving was his sister's fear of the commitment
he already grew for Jane.
Jane leaves with
her aunt and uncle for ondon to forget about Mr. Bingley and gets convinced
by his unmarried sister that Mr. Bingley has no interest in her at all and
spends all his time with Darcy and his sister.
A little while
later izzy takes a trip to visit Charlotte and Mr. Collins. While staying with
them Elizabeth meets the infamous ady de Bourgh who can be as much of a
nuisance as Mr. Collins.
One day Elizabeth
learns that Mr. Darcy is visiting ady de Bourgh, they come across each other a
few times and Elizabeth spends a lot of time Colonel Fitzwilliam, which seems
to bother Mr. Darcy.
Elizabeth is
immensely surprised to see Mr. Darcy visiting her one day and they seem to make
some progress in their realtionship but after a conversation with he Colonel
izzy is devastated. Mr. Darcy was partly the reason for Mr. Bingley's
departure from Netherfield Parks and therefore indirectly causing Jane's
misery. Hence it's not really surprising that Elizabeth rejects Mr. Darcy's
proposition of matrimony. In fact Mr. Darcy's confession is so poorly said and
done that anyone can understand Elizabeth's enraged reply. In the middle of
their disagreement Elizabeth mentions Mr. Whickham's misery caused by Mr. Darcy
who thus gets irritated as well and leaves.
The next morning
Elizabeth gets a letter from Darcy explaining his relation to Mr. Whickham and
confesses the truth behind the “misery” Mr. Whickham has been under, as well as
his reasons for convincing Mr. Bingley to leave Netherfield Parks.
Some time later
Elizabeth and Jane return home but the family does not stay whole for a long
time because ydia gets invited to move with the regiment to Brighton and soon
after izzy travels alongside her uncle and aunt. On the trip she comes across
Pemberley, Mr. Darcy's mansion. Upon seeing it Elizabeth can imagine being the
manor's landlady. Although the family was not supposed to be at Pemberley
Elizabeth runs into Mr. Darcy, which was an awkward situation it being their
first meeting after the unfortunate happenings last time they met.
However, they
overcome the unsettling atmosphere and Mr. Darcy invites Elizabeth and her
relatives to stay some time longer. Elizabeth gets to meet Mr. Darcy's sister
Georgiana and also Mr. Bingley. Also the relationship between Mr. Darcy and
Elizabeth gets more and more relaxed until Elizabeth receives a letter from
Jane stating that ydia and Mr. Whickham ran away together. The family is in
discomposure and Mr. Bennet left for ondon but returns without remarkable
success. Fortunately soon after the family gets a letter from their uncle
saying that Mr. Whickham agrees to marry ydia at the mere condition of a
yearly income of 100 pounds.
ydia and Mr.
Whickham arrive at ongborn and Elizabeth discovers that Mr. Darcy help to
successfully convince Mr. Whickam to matrimony.
Mr. Bingley and
Mr. Darcy return to Netherfield Parks only a short time later and Mr. Bingley
finally proposes to Jane who gladly accepts the proposal.
Another rather
surprising event is the arrival of ady de Bourgh demanding izzy's promise not
to marry Mr. Darcy. izzy who is rather confused about the demand can not agree
and leaves ady de Bourgh
Characters:
Elizabeth Bennet:
The second oldest
of the Bennet sisters is witty, strong-willed and quite temperamental.
Elizabeth or izzy as she's called by her family and closer friends is a rare
flower in a society based on wealth and beauty. Elizabeth is slightly
pessimistic, some would call it realistic when compared to her older sister
Jane. Her honesty is often cause of great commotion and looked down upon by the
Bingley sisters who act as antagonists in the novel not only to izzy but also
to Jane. During the novel we can see a change within herself caused by a
realization izzy makes. Upon recognising that Mr. Darcy is not the man who she
at first thought she was izzy comprehends the faults she made herself.
Elizabeth let first impressions and prejudices cloud her normally sharp and
bright mind. izzy is extremely independent.
Jane's home in Bath Chawton Estate Jane's England
Austen's biography:
Jane Austen was
born on 16. December 1775 in Steventon (Hampshire) to Reverend George Austen, a pastor, and Cassandra Austen. Austen
shared a unique bond with her sister Cassandra. The children received a home
schooled education by their father, the girls mostly learned about art, music
and embroidery all of which can be found in Austen's books.
At 14 Austen wrote
her first of many short stories, called ove and Friendship and in her early 20
most of her important novels were written though they were edited and published
some time later.
In the year 1795
Austen worked on Elinor and Mariane, a former version of Sense and Sensibility,
in the same year she meets Tom efroy. The next two years are spent for First
Impressions or now known as Pride and Prejudice.
Jane Austen loved
the country side, she loved dancing and had many friends in the neighbour hood,
on account of this it's no surprise that Jane Austen was rather shocked and
disappointed when her father retired from being pastor. He passed on the
parrish to his son James and moved to Bath along with his wife and two of his
daughters, one of which was Jane.
The years in Bath
made Jane miserable, she missed the country side and absolutely loathed the
city. After her father's death the family had financial problems leaving them
to move to Jane's brother Frank and his wife Mary to Southampton in 1805.
During the time in
Bath Jane barely wrote anything and although her mood increased a little bit in
Southampton she didn't write anything at all.
In 1809 Jane's
brother Edward offered to let the women (Jane, her mother and sister) live at
Chawton Estate, the women accepted glad to be back in the beloved Hampshire
again.
The estate gave
Jane the ideal atmosphere to write.
In the time she
lived at Chawton Estate Jane overworked Sense and Sensibility as well as Pride
and Prejudice, also she found a publisher for her books and started writing on
new works rather intensely. 1814 Mansfield Park was published and two years
later Emma was released. Presuasion and Northanger Abbey were issued in 1818.
In the year 1816
Jane began to work on Sanditon but had to stop her work due to her illness,
Austen suffered from the Addison's disease. May 1817 Jane and her sister
Cassandra to Winchester in order to stay close to her doctor but all this could
not help Jane, she died on 18 of July, 1817.
Jane Austen only
got 41 years old.
Comparison of various adaptations (1980, 1995, 2005)
1980:
The BBC version
was a 5 parts series with a whole of 270 minutes. Even though it is as long as
the 1995 adaptation it appears like a bad soap opera. The acting is stiff and
seems plastic, the scenery doesn't occur authentic to the description of the
book. Moreover the dresses and dances do not seem part of the 19th
century. The character's acting is lifeless and does not allow the audience to
empathize with the wonderful world Jane Austen created.
Elizabeth Bennet comes across as a foolish, young girl that acts obstreperous,
stubborn and haughty, furthermore Elizabeth's monologue are unfitting and out
of place.
For most part of the movie Mr. Darcy looks bored and a little bit dumb, he does
not give the impression of being the wealthy and sophisticated man he is
described in the book or strikes one in the 1995 version.
Due to the character's unsatisfying acting the relationship between the couple
also gives of an image of an impassionate school play romance.
1995:
The BBC
adaptation of 1995 seems to be the most exact of all. The actors play
expressively and you can actually feel the love growing between Elisabeth and
Darcy. izzy is the proper, sophisticated young woman I imagined her to be and
Darcy is the self-restrained gentleman who at first appears frosty and
unemotional.
The dialogues
between those two are a pleasure to hear and can bring out one or another
laughter in the audience.
The costumes
were either original 1800s pieces or reproduce. The crew invested a lot of time
researching and studying the life back in the Regency time, therefore this
production is the only one where the dances don't appear ridiculous and
inaccurate.
To sum it up the
1995 production is the most detailed one without loosing its magic. It captures
the attention of the audience and holds it until the movie is over.
2005:
The Hollywood
production lasts approximately 120 minutes and is therefore a lot shorter than
the other two versions. The movie is shot in typical Hollywood style: More
scenes than bearable have been cut and mixed so the story gets a little bit
mixed up, characters, like Mrs. And Mr. Hurst, are skipped. The 120 minutes
give the characters no time to develop right, the love between Elizabeth and
Mr. Darcy is not sparkling and magical-like in the 1995 version. Everything
seems rushed and stressed, the setting, costumes and so on are anything but
authentic. Pemberley seems like a Hollywood star's mansion and definitely not
like it belonged to an highly educated, wealthy man with a big status in
society. Keira Knightley plays Elizabeth Bennet as a sassy and whiny girl with
absolutely no hint of the sophisticated young lady Miss Austen paints. Mr.
Darcy appears to be a love sick man with some major inner issues and not the
conflicted sir, who is torn between his status and the expectations of his
family and the passionate love he feels for an “unfit” woman.
Women's right in Regency times:
Until the end of
the 19th century married women had no right of property, be it that
which they owned at marriage or any which they acquired
after marriage either by inheritance or by their own earnings. In marriage all
property legally belonged to the husband. In those times husband and wife were
seen as one person in law: the legal existence of the woman was suspended and
incorporated into the personality of her husband. A husband could leave
property to his wife in his will (because that would not take effect until
after the marriage was ended by his death), but could not make a legal gift to
her and was responsible for all her debts, whether contracted during the
marriage or before.
egally,
therefore, prior to the Married Women's Property Act 1884 married women were
classed as 'femmes covert' and a woman's personal property was transferred
automatically to her husband on marriage; her real property came under her
husband's control but remained hers for inheritance purposes.
Married women
during their 'coverture' (that is, during the marriage) had no legal
testamentary rights at all in relation to real estate. Any personal property of
a woman which she had before the marriage, or acquired after the marriage,
became her husband's absolutely, and as such, he had the right to leave it by
will. Only with her husband's permission could a wife make a will leaving
personal property - even if it had been hers before her marriage. Moreover, his
consent only applied to a particular will and this consent had to be strictly
proved. His consent could be revoked even after her death. The only exception
to this was her right to make a will leaving her 'paraphernalia' - clothing and
personal ornaments.
A married woman
might make a will if she had an equitable interest such as a trust in her
favour. Harriot Mellons provides us with one of the best examples of this.
Harriot was an actress who married the incredibly wealthy banker, Thomas
Coutts. On his death he left her nearly three quarters of a million pounds. She
put it in trust which meant that on her second marriage to the Duke of St
Albans, she was able to retain control of her property.
Such separate
estate was usually set up by a 'strict' settlement, involving a life estate to
the husband with remainders in tail to each of his male children in order of
seniority with provision for the wife and younger children of the marriage. The
wife's provision comprised 'pin money' (an annual income for personal expenses
during her husband's life) and 'jointure' (provision for her after her husband
died).
In the context
of marriage, a "settlement" is a legal document that usually ensures
that some or all of the property that the wife brings to the marriage
ultimately belongs to her, and will revert to her or her children (though she
does not necessarily have personal control over it during her marriage);
otherwise it would basically belong entirely to her husband. And a settlement
can also specify a guaranteed minimum that the children of the marriage are to
inherit. For instance, using Jane Austen as a guide here in Northanger Abbey,
Henry Tilney can't be entirely disinherited by his father, General Tilney,
because some of his inheritance is guaranteed by the marriage settlement of his
late mother.
Pride and
Prejudice overs us an interesting insight into just how these work. We read
that "Five thousand pounds was settled by marriage articles on Mrs. Bennet
and the children.". A settlement was generally part of an overall
pre-marital financial agreement between the wife or wife's family and the
husband or husband's family. Therefore we read that the negotiations made to
Persuade Wickham to marry ydia guarantee "by settlement, her
[ydia] equal share of the five thousand pounds secured among his children
after the decease of [ Mr. Bennet and his wife,] and, moreover, to enter into
an engagement of allowing her, during his life, one hundred pounds per"
year. In addition, Darcy undertook to pay his debts and purchase an officer's
commission (as an ensign or sub-lieutenant) in the regular army.
Before the 1884
Married Women's Property Act, most women were not allowed to own houses or
gardens. This was the fate of Dorothy Nevill (1826-1913), who was unfortunately
typical of the period. Having been as she said, "compromised in a
Hampshire summerhouse", she was married off to a wealthy cousin, in whose
23-acre Hampshire garden she was able to pursue her horticultural interests.
She built 13 greenhouses, corresponded with leading scientists, including
Darwin, and amassed a vast and important collection of plants, rivalled only by
Kew. When her husband died, however, he left his remaining money in trust to
his chidren, and Nevill was obliged to sell her home, her garden and her
collection.