"If we don't care about the marriages
of the characters, there isn't much else to interest us in Pride and
Prejudice"
EXPLORE THE METHODS WHICH AUSTEN USES TO CREATE INTEREST
IN HER CHARACTERS IN THE FIRST VOLUME OF PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
The
statement says that: "If we don't care about the marriages of the
characters, there isn't much else to interest us in Pride and Prejudice".
It's debateable to whether you should agree or disagree because it's no
fabrication that marriage is a key theme and the main drive in the novel.
However the title itself (Pride and Prejudice) reflects the true meaning of the
novel.
In
the first volume of Pride and Prejudice, Austen creates interest whilst
presenting each of the characters in the novel. What is most interesting about
the presentation of the characters is the fact that many of the key
protagonists are each paired to a character which is contrasting to their
personality- yet remain to be so close in friendship (which is another key
theme in the novel). Two major examples would be Elizabeth and Jane or Mr Darcy
and Charles Bingley ("Between
him and Darcy there was a very steady friendship, in spite of a great
opposition of character"). Mr Bingley is described to have a "pleasant countenance,
and...unaffected manners" whereas Darcy is described to be the "proudest, most
disagreeable man". Austen creates interest by showing the reader
how different these two characters; they have a
close bond. They are very trusting and loyal to each other. Darcy is
a very distinguished, almost father figure type. He is cold and guarded,
whereas Bingley is more naive and susceptible to
persuasion. Darcy's tendency to be standoffish and judgmental, coupled with his
modesty and pride to a fault, lead him to be misjudged as "disagreeable" by many,
when he is, in fact, a responsible and caring man. Bingley has a far greater
reputation among others, but his shyness and dependence on the assurance of
others causes him to abandon the woman he loves- Jane. Most would think that
the different character personalities may cause one to become curious as to how
their friendship works- Austen uses this is create interest. Essentially one
may assume that the reason the characters have such as close bond is due to the
idea that the two gentleman balance each other out. This is similar to Austen's
representation of Jane and Elizabeth's relationship, where similarily Elizabeth
is presented as intelligent and unintentionally proud. Jane is conveyed as a
easygoing and friendly who shows other the beauty from within her:"Jane- one does not often see anybody
better looking". The contrasts allows readers to identify similar
traits among Darcy and Elizabeth and Jane and Bingley- which links to how the
marriages of the characters are the major driving force in the novel.
The opening of Pride and Prejudice introduces the tone of
irony, which Austen uses verbally and structurally. The first sentence in the
novel establishes the tone of irony very clearly: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single
man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife".
Yet again this links to the theme of marriage- which would agree with the
statement. This shows that, from the start, the novel establishes that marriage
is what would be your main interest whilst reading the novel. However the tone
of irony is repeated throughout the novel suggesting that marriage is not all
that may interest readers. Austen uses irony in the structure on several
occasions, for example: "Everyone
knows that a single man is looking for a wife". Austen places her
characters in situations that seem to signify one thing and are later revealed
to signify something else. The use of irony allows words to be expresses to
oppose the literal meaning- suggesting that everyone knows that a single rich
man will be pursued by women who want to be his wife. This would interest the
reader in the sense that it provides challenges to the readers way of
interpretation and thinking. This shows disagreement from the statement,
suggesting that there are other elements that may interest the reader- as
opposes to only marriage.
Another way that Jane Austen creates interest in Pride and
Prejudice is the way she created conflicts between characters, or the way she
created a negative appeal among characters. There's a character in particular
that Austen uses as an object of abhorrence - Mr Darcy. The narrator describes
how Darcy would pay "the
smallest interest". It's obvious to the reader that Austen get's
her moral and philosophical messages across to the reader by using a range of
narrative techniques, which mainly centres the consciousness of Elizabeth (of
whom felt "sufficient" and "amused" about Darcy).
By using narrative techniques the readers have practically been forced to
create certain feelings towards Darcy - which could also be considered to be
preconceptions. This opposes to the meaning of the statement provided with the
question, The technique of influencing
readers what to feel allows readers to let their emotions 'run wild' and
analyse the characters - as opposed to believing that marriage is all that
could influence one from the novel.
It's clear that Austen presents marriage as the key topic to
interest the readers: characters of similar personalities are paired to each
other for matrimony, for instance Jane and Bingley or Darcy and Elizabeth.
However Austen's conveyance of irony in the tone throughout the novel presents interest,
which can also be opposed to marriage as the only interest in the novel,
alongside Austen's presentation of preconceptions on certain characters (such
as Darcy). Jane Austen interests the reader in many ways, and although the
novel represents matrimony often in the novel the idea that "there isn't
much else to interest us in Pride and Prejudice" is incorrect.
Thanks for reading,
Lorr
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