Pride and Prejudice Dramatic Element in "Pride and Prejudice":

The age of Jane Austen was not that of drama. But we find an astounding influence of drama on her novels. Her method of writing is exactly that of a dramatist and we feel that her genius was pre-eminently suited to drama. It is often said that Jane Austen was more a perfect dramatist who never wrote a play. While reading "Pride and Prejudice" we feel that it is constructed on dramatic principles. Baker shows that the action of "Pride and Prejudice" can be divided into five acts of a drama. According to his division, the first act extends over the first eighteen chapters. It introduces major chargers and it is in this act that the conflict between Darcy's pride and Elizabeth’s prejudice starts. Baker observes that the act is expository in nature and the opening scene is similar to the opening scene in a Shakespearean comedy. The second act comprises next eight chapters. This act deals with Collin's proposal to Elizabeth and her temporary interest in Wickham. The third act covers Elizabeth's visit to the Huns ford parsonage. This act presents the climax of the plot as Elizabeth rejects Darcy's first proposal. The fourth act covers Elizabeth’s visit to the Pemberley. Lydia's elopement with Wickham in this act can be described as the final stage of the drama. The entire conflict is resolved with the fifth and final act; with Jane and Elizabeth getting married to Bingley and Darcy. Walton Litz says that the tripartite structure of the novel is similar to the structure of a three-act play, and adds that in many of the passages we are reminded of the novel's affinities with the best eighteenth century drama. While studying the plot more carefully we find that it is well integrated and develops in an organic manner. Moreover, we do not find a strict correspondence between the plot and the characters. The novel has three sub-plots involving Jane and Bingley, Lydia and Wickham, Charlotte and Collins besides the main Elizabeth-Darcy plot. These sub-plots are skillfully inter -linked with the main plot and substantially contribute to its progress. Jane - Bingley plot brings Elizabeth and Darcy together at Netherfield, the Charlotte-Collins plot brings them together at Rosing and leads them to the main climax of the first half of the play. The Lydia-Wickham sub-plot brings out Darcy's heroism and helps to unite them. Moreover, these sub-plots have a thematic significance as they all deal with the theme of love and Marriage, and thus help describing the values Jane Austen considers important to a happy marriage. The plot is properly rounded and we find no loose end left dangling. Moreover, there are no superfluous characters in the plot except Mary and Kitty Dramatic irony is another feature or "Pride and Prejudice". Jane Austen emphasizes the difference between appearance and reality in a dramatic manner. Wickham is graceful to look at and refined in his manners but he turns out to be villainous. Darcy is seemingly rude and ill-mannered, but he later appears as a fine gentleman. The Bingley sisters hate the Bennett’s for their vulgarity but are themselves vulgar. Darcy remarks about Elizabeth that "She is not handsome enough to tempt me and soon after gets captivated by her enormous eyes. Darcy dissuades Bingley from marrying in the Bennet family. Elizabeth declares that she is not the type of girl who will reject the first proposal and accept the second, but this is exactly what she does. The departure of the militia from Meryton was expected to put an end to Lydia's flirtations but it brings out her elopement. Lady Catherine intervenes to stop

the marriage between Elizabeth and Darcy, but in fact helps to expedite it. Jane Austen remains in the background in most part of the "Pride and Prejudice" and lets her characters reveal themselves through short and pithy dialogues. Brower writes," In analyzing the ironies and assumptions, we shall see how intensely dramatic the dialogues are. They are dramatic in the sense of defining characters through the way they speak and are spoken about." Howard S. Babb has shown how Jane Austen plays on the word "Performance” in the early dialogues and brings all the implications of the word together in the great scene at Rosings, where Elizabeth's actual performance at the piano becomes the centre of a dramatic confrontation. Jane Austen rarely gives us a direct comment, description or analysis. We come to know Mr. Collins through his letter before he makes a personal appearance at Long bourn. We see Lady Catherine first through the eyes of Collins, then of Wickham and finally we meet her personally at Rosings. There are scenes in "Pride and Prejudice" where we find a great dramatic vividness and intensity, for example Darcy-Elizabeth repartees at Nether field, the two proposal scenes and the clash between the Lady Catherine and Elizabeth. In such scenes, we find a "master dramatist" in Jane Austen with a natural instinct for climax and anticlimax. Tony Tanner, in his introduction to the Penguin Edition of "Pride and Prejudice" observes that there is an interesting combination of the dramatic and epistolary in "Pride and Prejudice". He says that by combining the dramatic and the epistolary modes, Jane Austen has deftly set before us a basic truth that we are both performing selves and reflecting selves. Dramatic element is more prominent in the first half of the "Pride and Prejudice" and it has certainly been a dramatic performance but in the second half a mixture of narrative summary and scene carries the story towards the conclusion

Written And Composed By:

Prof. A.R. Somroo

M.A. English, M.A. Education

Cell: 03339971417

Pride and Prejudice

Economic Considerations in Jane Austen: She was a Marxist before Marx:

It is usually said that Jane Austin was a Marxist before Marx. Karl Marx (1818-1883) was a German philosopher and socialist of the 19th century who co-authored with Fredrich Engels "The Communist Manifesto" in 1848.Political and economic theories presented by him are given the name of "Marxism”. He worked out a new theory of society. He showed that all social systems are economically motivated. According to him, all the social changes and human activities are guided by the historical forces such as class struggle and economic considerations. Jane Austen had died in 1817 while "The Communist Manifesto” was published 31 years after her death. When we say that Jane Austen is a Marxist before Marx, it means she presented some of Marxist ideas in her novels. For the first time, she has discussed the importance of economic conditions in matters of human life. The novel begins with the sentence “it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife". The phrase "a good fortune" refers to the economic position of a would-be husband. Money is, no doubt, a very important factor in life. Somerset Maugham in his novel "Of Human Bondage" writes: "Money is like a sixth sense without which you can not make a complete use of the other five," A critic W. A. Cralk is of the opinion that according to Jane Austen, marriage is closely bound up with money. Marriage is a social contract and as such it entails social obligations. In the age of Jane Austen, there were no social services, no insurance schemes, no national medical care, no pension schemes for sickness and old age. Large families were appreciated. Divorce was virtually out of question. In such a society a man who marries, commits himself to heavy responsibilities and the woman who marries stakes the rest of her life on the performance of these responsibilities. Adequate income is not merely desirable but it is vital. Hence a very reasonable concern on everyone's part is with the assets of a possible suitor and the fortunes of a possible wife. The topic is so important that it constantly occurs again with its deep moral concern on the events leading to a young woman's marriage. The most explicit discussion on money in matrimony is those in "Pride and prejudice" and in "Persuations”. These two novels depend upon how the character weighs the rival claims of prudence of feelings. In this regard, Leonard Woolf writes: “The social standards are almost those of money and snobbery. It is remarkable to what an extent the plots and characters are dominated by the question of money." Jane Austen's attitude to the antithesis is of a capitalist and pre-eminently of the Victorian rich class. There is hardly a single male character in her novels that does any work. She recognizes as socially possible only the following professions; the army and navy, the church, the law. Of these professions, only the army and navy are usually considered unobjectionable. As a profession, the Navy is regarded by Jane Austen and her characters almost exclusively as a means to obtaining either position or money. Out of the six heroes of her Novels, there are three clergymen, but none of them seems to be working as clergyman. This attitude towards work, profession and trade is characteristic of a landed aristocracy or

gentry. The social standards are almost entirely those of money and snobbery. The axis of the plot in every novel is money and marriage or rank and marriage. The social standard, ideal and duty of a woman are assumed to marry as high or as rich as possible. We know the annual income of the Bennet is two thousand pounds a year that of the Bingley is five thousand pounds and that of Darcy is ten thousand pound. And they are respected and valued according to their income. The novel ends happily because the heroine in spite of the difficulties marries above herself. Jane Austen's famous novel "Pride and Prejudice" has also the same purpose of the importance of economic considerations. As W.A. Carlk says, according to Jane Austen, marriage is bound up with money. So; her novel also begins with the famous sentence: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." But Dorothy, another writer, changes this sentence into a new version "A single woman must be in want of a man with good fortune". So, it is natural that Jane Austen's novel starts with the importance of economy. In the age of Jane Austen, 19th Century, there were no any insurance schemes or banks, or medical privileges or any pension etc, and the people wanted to marry in the high families so that their fortunes may be secured. So men of that age, if married had to have heavy responsibilities as there was no divorce. But women, if they wanted to get married, have to take the home responsibilities the rest of their life. Women had neither liberty, nor any opportunity to earn independently .The only source of having financial comfort for a woman was marriage in a rich family. Good life for them meant marriage in a rich family. So, both the partners were to choose carefully the life partner. In the Novel "Pride and Prejudice" the arrival of Mr. Bingley motivates the action of the novel. As he is a rich man, all the people get ready to marry their daughters to him. Mrs. Bennet is very much eager to see him because she has five daughters who are still unmarried. She says to her husband: "Mrs. Long says that Nether field is taken by a young man of large fortune". She goes on to argue: "Oh! Single, my dear, a Single man, of a large fortune! Four or five thousands a year! What a fine thing for our girls". The whole novel presents the same situations. As the theme of the novel is marriage, most of the marriages are based on economic considerations as Jane-Bingley, Lydia-Wickham. Wickham marries Lydia for financial support and Charlotte also accepts Mr. Collins for his wealth. So, in both of her novels, "Persuations" and "Pride and Prejudice", the characters of Jane Austen are concerned with getting money and noble status. In other novels, too, economic considerations have been given importance. In "Northanger Abbey" Catherine Moorland, the heroine wants to marry Henry Tilney only to get a husband who is able to feed her till death. In “Sense and Sensibility”, Mairaine, the emblem of sensibility, ardently wishes to marry for her economic security. In "Emma", Emma is a self respecting girl; ready to marry Mr. Knightly who does not love her, only because he is able to protect her from her economic dependence on others. To conclude, we may say that Jane Austen is not totally a Marxist in all her ideas. She is a Marxist only to the extent of presenting her heroines hunting their husbands for their economic safety. At the same time, she also gives the idea that though economy is important in life but the marriage should not be based only on material considerations. Love, understanding and respect for each other are equally important. She has pointed out this fact through the relations and marriage of Elizabeth and Darcy.

Pride and Prejudice

Elizabeth-Darcy Relationship: Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" is in fact, the story of Elizabeth-Darcy relationship. Darcy is a young man of impressive personality and large fortune, being the hero and Elizabeth, a beautiful girl, being the heroine. This is the main plot, while others are the sub-plots, contributing in one way or the other to the main. The relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth is that of love but not of the romantic love. It is a matter of the mind and not of heart. "Pride and Prejudice" was originally entitled as "First impressions" but later on when it was revised it was entitled as "Pride and Prejudice". "Pride and Prejudice" is an ordinary story in which the hero and the heroine get prejudiced against each other because of the folly of trusting their first impressions. It is, in fact, a delightful story of shedding off pride by Darcy and prejudice by Elizabeth.lt also enables us to understand each character individually. Darcy and Elizabeth come face to face with each other for the first time, when Darcy with his friend Mr. Bingley attends a local ball. Here Darcy refuses to dance with Elizabeth and makes slighting remarks about her, saying, “She is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me. This is a disheartening response for the young lady and she becomes prejudiced against him and while talking to Charlotte Lucas, she says, “I could easily forgive his pride if he had not mortified me". Mary Lascelles describes Darcy-Elizabeth relationship in the fallowing words. "They are impelled apart until they reach a climax of mutual hostility and there after bend their courses towards mutual understanding and amity." In the common criticism, it is said that Darcy is an embodiment of pride and Elizabeth is that of prejudice. On the very first appearance in the novel, Darcy is declared to be the proudest, most arrogant and disagreeable man in the world. On one occasion, a party held at Sir William Lucas's house, Darcy stands near Elizabeth for some time, listening to her conversation in a way as to show his indifference which she at once realizes. Later on Sir William Lucas tries to force Darcy against his will to dance with Elizabeth and she feels rather churlish to be refused. But when Mrs. Bingley speaks satirically about Elizabeth in his presence, he starts paying compliments to Elizabeth's fine eyes. Elizabeth's way of looking archly is perhaps what sets Darcy smoldering to love her. At a dinner Elizabeth gets a chance of conversation with Mr. Wickham, the lover of her sister Lydia. He tells Elizabeth that Darcy has treated him badly. He says that Darcy's father promised him a certain living in the church, but the younger Darcy refused to let him when it becomes vacant. Elizabeth is greatly angry at such ungracious behaviour and expresses her anger in her conversation with Darcy while showing that her sympathies are with Wickham. Her anger grows in bitterness when she receives news that Darcy is responsible for taking Bingley, who is the lover of her sister Jane, away from Nether field. On the one hand, Elizabeth’s prejudice against Darcy is on the increase while, on the other hand Darcy is continuously smoldering in love for Elizabeth. Finally, he proposes her to marry him. Elizabeth receives this proposal with mixed feelings. Darcy seems surprised when she tells him that she would refuse him in any case. He never expected that a man like him

could be rejected. Assuming Elizabeth will accept, he says that he will be lowering himself by marrying her. Insulted, Elizabeth retorts that she cannot feel grateful, and that she does not want his love. Soon after his departure, Elizabeth is in an exhausted state. Next morning, while Elizabeth is taking a walk to compose her mind on Darcy’s proposal, she meets Darcy who hands her a letter. He admits himself responsible for separating Jane from Bingley, but declares that he used to watch Jane quite closely and he felt she did not appear to be interested in Bingley. About Wickham, he says that he did not give him the liking because he had tried to elope with Georgiana Darcy, his sister, when she was fifteen. At first, Elizabeth is critical of the statement in the letter, but the more deeply she pondered on it the more she realizes that she had been blind, partial, prejudiced and absurd. She, now, learns that she has been quite unjust in her accusations against Darcy. Consequently, she becomes more passionate towards him. Now she does begin love him. Elizabeth’s love for Darcy deepens when she receives the news that Darcy has been present at the wedding and he has provided the money which has enabled Lydia to be married to Wickham. He also searches for and found out where the couple was living. He bribed Wickham to marry her by buying of commission for him in the regular army, and setting a thousand pound on Lydia as dowry. This discovery reveals to her Darcy’s true generosity. Later on when Darcy and Elizabeth are on a walk, she takes the opportunity of thanking him for his kindness in setting Lydia’s affair. She says, “I can no longer help thanking you for your un-exampled kindness to my poor sister.” She also assures him that her feeling towards him have undergone a complete change. They are both very happy and have a long conversation, in which, all misunderstandings are cleared up and then, again Darcy proposes to Elizabeth for marriage and she accepts it happily. At last, Darcy and Elizabeth have made their home at Pemberley, and Darcy remained attached to Elizabeth. Elizabeth does not make any false statement when she says, “It is settled between us already that we are to be the happiest couple in the world.”

Written and Composed by: Prof. A.R. Somroo

M.A. English, M.A. Education Cell Phone: 03339971417

Jane Austin Irony in “Pride and Prejudice":

The basic feature of every irony is a contrast between a reality and an appearance. There may be verbal irony- the contrast between the surface meaning of statement and its real meaning. There may be situational irony- the contrast between the expectation and the fulfillment in a particular situation, or there may be irony of character- the contrast between the appearance and the reality of a particular character. Irony is Jane Austen's forte. It is the very soul of her novels and the most important aspect of her style. It may be seen on every page of the novel. An eminent critic points out that it is never absent for more than a paragraph. She uses it in her characterization to expose her character's misunderstanding of others as well as their own self - deception. Even her dialogues are full of dramatic irony. Sometimes certain words uttered by a particular character and certain situations are full of ironic implications in the light of what happens later in the novel. Ironic Theme of Novel: Like all other novels of Jane Austen the theme of "Pride and Prejudice" also easily lends itself to an ironic interpretation. At the ironic level, pride and prejudice present the contrast between intricacy and simplicity as those terms apply to personality. Darcy and Elizabeth’s intricacy is set against Jane and Bingley's simplicity. The first two have depth, but their depth involves them in the dangers of pride and prejudice. They are also aware of their pride and prejudice as Darcy tells Elizabeth at the end of the novel, "I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, not in principle. As a child, l was taught what was right, but I was not taught to correct my temper. I was given good principles, but left to follow them in pride and conceit. I was spoiled by my parents”. While Jane and Bingley are simple, their simplicity turns out to be a virtue. Both intricacy and simplicity have their virtues, but they have their dangers too. Perhaps one would like to be both intricate and simple at the same time, but the irony is that they are mutually exclusive. Irony in Tone: Jane Austen's ironic tone is established in the very first sentence of the novel: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." The first half of this sentence suggests that some great universal truth is the subject of the novel. There is an ironic deflation in the second half when this truth is found to be concerned with a common social problem of marriage. In the same chapter, summing up Mrs. Bennet character, Jane Austen writes, “The business of her life was to get her daughters married, its solace was visiting and news". Here the ironic implication is that she is not likely to show much discrimination about the young men they choose as their husbands. Another example of this type of irony may be taken from the description of Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst in chapter IV: "They were in fact very fine ladies." Here the ironic implication of the expression "Very fine ladies” becomes clear as we are acquainted with their pride, snobbery, and selfishness. Such an ironic tone pervades the entire novel. A still fine example of this kind of irony may be found in the following words of Mr. Bennet about Mr. Wickham in chapter III. "He is as fine a fellow as ever I saw .....I defy even Sir William Lucas himself to produce a more valuable son - in-law”. In order to relish the irony hidden in these lines, we have only to remind ourselves that the valuable son-in-law of Sir William Lucas is none else but the affected ass Mr. Collins. Irony in situations:

Most of the events and situations in “Pride and Prejudice” have been given an ironic twist. Ironical implication inherent in a statement or a situation may some times be immediately recognized, but more often in Jane Austen, we become aware of them at much later stage. For example, we do not immediately appreciate the irony hidden in Darcy's statement about Elizabeth, "She is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me." We relish the ironic flavour of this statement much later when we reflect that the woman, who was not handsome enough to dance with, was really good enough to marry. Collins proposes to Elizabeth when her heart too full of Wickham. Darcy proposes to her exactly at the moment when she hates him most. Elizabeth tells Mr. Collins that she is not the type of girl who will reject the first proposal and accept the second, but, this is exactly what she does, Lydia's elopement is a disgrace to the family, but it brings Darcy and Elizabeth rather closer. Lady Catherine's intervention to check the marriage between Elizabeth and Darcy helps to expedite it. Irony in Characters: In "Pride and prejudice" irony of character is even more prominent than irony of situation. Is it not ironical that Elizabeth, who prides herself on her perception, and disdains Jane's blindness to the realities is herself quite blinded by her prejudices. Darcy always thought he was such a gentleman, but his proposal to Elizabeth is quite ungentlemanly. Wickham is graceful to look at, but at heart, he is a villain. The Bingley sisters hate the Bennets for their vulgarity, but are themselves vulgar. Jane Austen portrays contradictions inherent in the human nature for the amusement and moral education of her readers. On Lydia's elopement, Mr. Collins writes to Mr. Bennet: "You aught certainly to forgive them as a Christian, but never to admit them in your sight, or allow their names to be mentioned in your hearing." It is left to the reader to reflect upon the deficiencies of Mr. Collin's Christianity. Irony in Dialogues: Jane Austen's irony may be either playful or sharp. Elizabeth is usually playful, but the irony employed by Mr. Bennet is rather sharp. As an example of the use of dramatic irony in dialogues, we may consider Mr. Bennett’s words to Elizabeth after Mr. Bingley's departure from Nether field, "So lizzy, your sister is crossed in love, I find. I congratulate her. Let Wickham be your man. He is a pleasant fellow, and would jilt you creditably." In the words "pleasant fellow" is hidden a dramatic irony for this pleasant fellow will soon bring disgrace to the family. After marriage, Lydia tells Jane in an ironic way, "Ah! Jane, I take your place now and you must go lower, because I am a married woman". Sometimes just a single word adds ironic dimensions to the whole speech. Mr. Collin's and Mary's speeches abound in this kind of irony. Irony as source of Comedy: Irony in Jane Austen's hands is always a mean to rich comedy. She enjoys depicting the incongruities of characters. Mrs. Bennett’s vulgarity drives away the suitors, but only temporarily. Lydia's thoughtlessness threatens irreparable disgrace but her marriage with Wickham does materialize. It is interesting to note that it is the villainous characters, Wickham and Lady Catherine who are responsible for uniting Elizabeth and Darcy. At the elopement of Lydia, Mrs. Bennet is only worried about the bridal dress of Lydia. In her opinion, Wickham can give her everything but not the wedding dress, as she says: “I know he would manage everything but the clothes, the wedding clothes." Irony without bitterness: Jane Austen’s irony is not tinged with any bitterness, nor does it reflect her cynicism. It is not just verbal wit for local entertainment. It provokes some deep thinking over some significant issues of human life. Hence irony in her hands is neither indifferent nor

irresponsible. She criticizes marriages contracted for physical beauty or under economic pressures and emphasizes the importance of love and esteem as the basis of a sound marriage. Her remarks in this aspect are ironic. Money is given more importance than mutual understanding. Charlotte accepts the proposal of Mr. Collins in spite of knowing what kind of man he is. She only wants money and social security· Wickham wants to marry Lydia to get money. Mr. Bennet is fascinated by Mrs. Bennett’s beauty and marries that stupid woman. All the affairs of love and marriage are presented in an ironical tone. Another social standard in the novel which competes with money is snobbery. It is true that this snobbery is a favourable subject of Jane Austen's satire. All the characters are fundamentally snobs with regard to class, and their snobbery is the same as that of Victorian bourgeoisie. Jane Austen's ironic world view is the most important contribution to the English novel. This view lies in the recognition of the tact that is confronted with the choice of two things that are mutually exclusive. The two are equally attractive, equally desirable, but ironically incompatible. She explains the need of self-awareness, she ridicules hypocrisy and pretentiousness. Thus irony in her hands is instrument of a moral vision and not a technique of rejection. So we observe that irony in Jane Austen's hand is a tool with multiple edges, all equally sharp. Irony employed in her novels is not just a technique of using words to provide local entertainment in the form of wit. It becomes a vehicle of her moral vision. Jack Dalglish rightly remarks, "Jane Austen's style and the irony that characterizes it are not detachable aspects of technique, to be savoured for themselves alone."

Written And Composed By:

Prof. A.R. Somroo

M.A. English, M.A. Education

Cell: 03339971417

Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen's Art of Characterization:

In the art of characterization, Jane Austen is compared to Shakespeare. She is endowed with a gift of characterization to the highest extent. She has an extraordinary perspicacious and sensitive understanding. In spite of her moderate learning, and limited canvas, she paints a variety of living characters truthfully, realistically, deeply and clearly. We encounter such characters in our daily life. The range of Jane Austen's characters is rather narrow. She selects her characters from among the landed gentry in the countryside. Sir Walter Scott describes this range: "Jane Austen confines herself chiefly to the middling classes of society, her most distinguished characters do not rise greatly above well-bred gentlemen; and ladies”. She omits the servants, the labourers, even the yeomanry. Servants appear wherever they are needed, but they are usually not heard. Aristocracy also is hardly touched. And if Jane Austen does take an aristocratic character, it is only to satirize him. Lady Catherine de Bourgh in "Pride and Prejudice" is stupid and vulgar. Jane Austen finds herself at home only with the country gentry and their usual domestic involvements. She carefully places her characters, in just the proper situation of their economic, social or intellectual conditions. Highly individualized Characters: In spite of such a limited range to choose from, Jane Austen never repeats her characters. "In her six books, she never repeats a character”, Says Lord David Cecil. The snobbishness of the Rev. Mr. Collins is unlike that of Rev. Mr. Elton. There is all the difference in the world between the vulgarity of Mrs. Bennet and the vulgarity of Mrs. Jennings. In the words of Macaulay: "She has given us a multitude of characters all in a certain sense, commonplace, as much as we meet everyday, yet they, are all as perfectly discriminated from each other as if they were the most eccentric human beings." Touch of Universality: Though these characters are so highly individualized they have also a touch of the universality about them. In fact this is a mark of the greatness of an artist. Great artists always make their characters both individuals and representatives of a certain class. Thus Marianne becomes the representative of all romantic lovers while Wickham represents all pleasant-looking but selfish and unprincipled flirts. Jane Austin has no need to construct her characters, for they are before her only waiting to be written down. The variety of her characters deeply impresses us. Dramatic Presentation of Her Characters: Jane Austen usually presents her characters dramatically through their conversation, their actions, their letters. She makes a very careful use of conversation. Darcy and Wickham, Lydia and Caroline reveal themselves through their actions, while some of them like Collins and Lydia are revealed through their letters. In the first chapter of "Pride and Prejudice" the poor understanding of Mrs. Bennet and the sarcastic humour of Mr. Bennet have already been revealed in their dialogues before the novelist makes a direct comment about them. Similarly before she herself tells that Mr. Collins is not a sensible man, we have already become aware of the fact from his letters. Though Jane Austen does not conceive her characters in pairs, her characters are revealed through comparison and contrast with others. Lady Catherine and Mrs. Bennet balance each other in their vulgarity. Wickham

serves a contrast to Darcy while Bingley is a foil to him. Different virtues of Elizabeth's character are brought into prominence as she is compared and contrasted with Jane and Caroline. Owing to her dramatic presentation, she is often compared with Shakespeare. Like Shakespeare, she knows all about the creatures of her observation and imagination. Her portraiture of human nature is, as immortal as Shakespeare's. Realistic Presentation of Characters: Jane Austen is a great realist in art. Her characters are not creatures of any Utopia. They are of flesh and blood, fully alive. Jane Austen studies her characters sympathetically but objectively. As regards their appearance, she treats them quite generally. She tries to penetrate to the very essence of their being. Her characters impress us as real men and women since they are drawn to perfection. They are neither embodiments of virtue nor villainy, but real human beings compounded of traits both pleasant and disgusting. Elizabeth is really perceptive but her perception is sullied by her initial prejudice. On the other hand, Wickham has so much charm about him that it is rather difficult to detest him. Jane Austen often mingles knavishness with folly, thus making even villainous characters a source of rich comedy. None of her character belongs to Royalty as she had no experience of such characters. Central Female Character: In every novel of Jane Austen, there is always one female character placed at the centre, who seems to represent the novelist herself and who is an anxious spectator and judge of all that is going around her. In "Pride and Prejudice" Elizabeth is such a character who rises much above all other characters with whom she comes in contact with. She has the capacity of judging the characters sharply. Elizabeth is also the most favourite character of Jane Austen herself, As she says about it "l must confess that l think as delightful creature as ever appeared in print, and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least l do not know." The study of characterization in Jane Austin also reveals that her heroines are not as simple as they look. It is also unfair to suggest that Jane Austen failed in her portraiture of men. They are however, less complete than her woman .She presents men in a women world, such as they appear to women. This is also a fact that there is something in every man that no woman ever sees. There is always a woman present and the scene is described from the woman's point of view. But in spite of all this, her men are not an artistic failure. Commonplace but Interesting: In Jane Austen's hands, even the familiar and commonplace characters became highly interesting. A character in her hand that is a flat, intolerable piece of impertinent dullness becomes a never flagging chapter of realities. Thus touched by the magic hands of Jane Austin's art, even the fool and bore of real life become amusing figures. It is also noteworthy that she does not exaggerate, but simply expresses their follies which are natural to them. Mr. Collin is not very funny character but becomes a rich source of mirth and entertainment and the beauty is that these characters amuse us more third or fourth time we read about them than they do the first time. Minor-Characters: There are some major characters in which she is more interested, but she also does not neglect the minor one. Her minor characters also play an important role: they may act for a short time, but what ever they do and say, contributes to the development of narration. Jane Austen‘s minor figures are flat. They do not grow, they do not surprise. They are fully

developed when we first meet the. Then, as the action progresses and we observe them indifferent situations, our first impressions of them get confirmed. We know Mrs. Bennet to be stupid and vulgar right from the first scene. Her reaction to Lydia's elopement and to the many other affairs, confirms her stupidity and vulgarity. This is true of almost all of her minor figures. But, whether, minor or major figures, all characters created by Jane Austen may be described as round in as much as they are all three dimensional. E.M. Foster remarks, "All her characters are round or capable of rotundity----they have all their proper places and all their several stations with great credit to themselves, and much satisfaction to the reader." In short Jane Austen displayed an acute insight while portraying her characters. In spite of her limited range her intricate, wicked humorous and colourless characters play a unique and individual role in her novels .These characters can be seen all around us Jane Austen's art of characterization makes these characters quite living because of which her good and kind characters become lovable to us, while the vulgar and wicked characters become hateful to us. That is why; Jane Austen still lives in her characters.

Written and Composed by: Prof. A.R. Somroo

M.A. English, M.A. Education Cell Phone: 03339971417

LIMITED RANGE OF JANE AUSTEN: An oft-repeated objection against Jane Austen's Novels is that the range of life that she portrays in her novels is very limited .She selects her characters among landed gentry in the country side and confines her creative activity, and depicts her personal experiences on a narrow canvass. She omits the lower classes, servants and labourers as Sir Walter Scott accurately observes: "Jane Austen confines herself chiefly to the middling classes of the society and her more distinguished characters never rise greatly above the well-bred gentlemen and ladies." She hardly touches the aristocracy and if she does so, it is only to satirize it as Lady Catherine de Borough is shown as arrogant, stupid and vulgar in "Pride & Prejudice". Jane Austen's period was an age of American War of independence, of French Revolution, and of Napoleonic Wars but we find no reference in her to these political and tumultuous events. In all her novels, her usual theme is love and marriage. There are beautiful girls as well as their mother and aunts who are always contriving how to trap eligible bachelors to get their daughters married to them. But Jane Austen's answer is very revealing. In her novels religion does not find much place and her characters are not capable of any deep spiritual and theological speculations. Jane Austen is a great delineator of social manners but she abstains from the spiritual and metaphysical issues. David Cecil rightly point out;"She studies men is relation with each other not in relation to God. Jane Austen takes her characters from very ordinary life and small areas. The gentlemen and ladies have no towering and soaring ambitions. In her novels, there are not greater villains, no greater saints, no eccentric characters, no cynics, and no passionate people. In her world, there are no startling events, no adventures, and no mysteries. Characters have the very even tenor of life, spending time in balls, dinners, walks, playing cards and visiting friends. A study of her most famous novel "Pride and Prejudice" will confirm these observations. The only one difference seems in her novels is that she never repeats a character as Lord David Cecil points out: "The Snobbishness of Mr. Collins is unlike Mr. Elton." Although, irony is the very soul of Jane Austen's novels yet she does not deal with the tragic, the passionate, and the widely humorous. She uses irony to shake her major figures, but to reveal self deception and the hypocrisy, absurdity and insanity of her minor figures. Moreover, her irony is almost comical. As Darcy's statement about Elizabeth shows, "She is tolerable, not handsome enough to tempt me". She writes as a woman and on the themes of interest to women. In her novels, men do not appear except in the company of women, for example in "Pride and Prejudice" there is no obscenity and vulgarity which is capable of corrupting a maid's innocent heart. In her novels the action is always unfolded from her heroines' point of view and masculine characters are weaker and every thing is looked at through Elizabeth's eyes. So, Jane Austen represents a feminization of English novel. Jane Austen's limited range has a scathing criticism from many writers and critics. Edward Fitzgerald says, "She never goes out of the parlour". H.W. Garrod complains of the monotonous uniformity of her materials. Charlotte Bronte chides her lack of passions, "She upsets her readers by nothing of vehement and disturbs by nothing of profound."

Wordsworth admits that in her novels there is an admirable relation of life but the pervading light of imagination is weak. Walter Scott comments: "In her novels the themes are not often elegant and grand but they are finished up to nature with precision which delights readers." But to all these objections about the limited range of her novels, Jane Austen's reply is: "I must keep to my own style and go on in my own way." In spite of Jane Austen's narrow range, she may be defended. Although she works on a narrow range yet she tries to penetrate into the very essence of things that is why in Jane Austen's hand even the familiar and commonplace characters become highly interesting. And the beauty is that they amuse us more the third and fourth time we read about them than they do the first time. David Cecil defends her by saying that an artist must write in view of his first hand experience. His view is, “Jane Austen obeys the first ruler of all imaginative compositions that she stays within the range of her imaginative inspiration. A work of art is born of the union of the artist's experience and his imagination." So in this sense, her limited range is not a defect but a quality, the proof of her honesty that she wrote what she herself knew. Praising her fidelity to artistic demands, David Cecil writes: “She is one of the few women novelists who have accepted the limitations of their sex. She never describes a scene in which no woman is present; her heroes are shown to us, fragmentarily, and with character and motives in part unexplained as they appear to the girls...She exclude from her books all aspects of life that cannot pass through the crucible of her imagination so that every inch of her book is vital". Referring to her limited range, Chapman has observed: “The common opinion that Jane Austen never raised her eyes from the village scene and was indifferent to national affairs, is a wholly unwarrantable inference from the artistic economy of her novels". To conclude, we may say that the limits she imposed on herself were of her, own choice. To quote Sheila Kay Smith:" Jane Austen deliberately confines herself within the boundaries of a woman's world, which in her eyes was a very small world indeed". However, it is agreed on all hands that in spite of her narrow range and trivial material her achievements are not insignificant.

Written and Composed by: Prof. A.R. Somroo

M.A. English, M.A. Education Cell Phone: 03339971417

Plot Construction in "Pride and Prejudice"

Plot means the organization of events in a narrative or play. As stated by Aristotle a plot has a beginning, middle and an end, and it is so constructed that no incident can be displaced or omitted without destroying the unity of the whole. Characters move from incident to incident and the action reaches a climax in a unified plot. In the light of this definition, the simplicity and symmetry of the plot of "Pride and Prejudice" deserves appreciation. The interdependence of the main plot and the sub-plots is complete. The interplay between characters and events is held in perfect organic unity. Elizabeth -- Darcy marriage constitutes the main plot of the novel. The initial impulse towards misunderstanding comes from rudeness on the part of Darcy. At the Meryton assembly, Darcy makes a slighting remark about Elizabeth: "She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me". Elizabeth overhears the remark and gets so prejudiced against him that she willfully begins to hate him. There is evidence that Darcy, captivated by Elizabeth's light and pleasing figure, sheds his initial pride but Elizabeth’s prejudice against him gets steadily deepened. Thus, when Darcy proposes to Elizabeth and gets promptly rejected, the two are pulled apart. Darcy's letter begins the process of self awareness and mutual understanding. Elizabeth who has always prided herself on her perception now feels ashamed of having been blind and prejudiced. Darcy who had always considered himself a fine gentleman is suddenly made to realize that his ungracious proposal to Elizabeth has been most ungentle. His pride is properly humbled. The two have taken a definite step towards maturity. Elizabeth's visit to Pemberley brings them still closer. When the two of them meet, they see each other, for the first time, in favourable circumstances. The two come steadily together only to be parted again, though temporarily by Lydia' disgraceful elopement. The Darcy-Elizabeth relationship progresses in such a way that their marriage could be the only logical conclusion of their earlier misunderstanding. In addition to the main Darcy-Elizabeth plot, the novel has three sub-plots evolving: Jane and Bingley; Lydia and Wickham; Charlotte and Collins. They are skillfully interlinked with the main plot and substantially contribute to its progress. It is to Mr. Bingley that Darcy owes his presence at the Nether field. The growing Jane-Bingley affair brings Elizabeth also there to be placed in such close proximity. Darcy gradually falls in love with her. Lydia-Wickham affair is still more relevant. Darcy had slighted Elizabeth; Wickham flatters her. Thus Wickham works to deepen her prejudice against him. Later, however, when his duplicity is exposed, she gains a better perspective of Darcy's character. Darcy accepts the Lydia-Wickham elopement as an opportunity to act heroically and to show his love for Elizabeth. Thus it ultimately proves the means of uniting them. Just as the Jane-Bingley plot brings Elizabeth and Darcy together at Nether field, the Charlotte-Collins plot brings them together at Rosings and leads them to the main climax of the first half of the novel. The plot of "Pride and Prejudice" is highly symmetrical. There are a number of events occurring at various points of the novel that balance each other and add to the symmetry of the plot. There are two arrivals of Bingley and Darcy at Nether field Park. The first inspires optimism but ends in a fiasco; the second comes off in gloom but brings fulfillment There are two surprise marriages: Charlotte gets married to Collins near the beginning; Lydia is

married to Wickham near the end. Balanced events like these help Jane Austen to achieve quite a symmetrical plot. An important quality of good plot is that it reveals perfect correspondence between characters and action. In "Pride and Prejudice" the action proceeds mainly from the behaviour of the various characters. Elizabeth’s prejudice against Darcy is mainly the result of her confidence in her own perception. The plot of the "Pride and Prejudice" is constructed on dramatic principles. People turn out to be other than what they appear. Situations produce effects contrary to those expected. Darcy at first appears ill-mannered and he turns out to be a thoughtful truly considerate character. Elisabeth tells Collins that she would never refuse a first proposal and accept a second, but this is what she does not. Darcy declares that he does not easily change his views about anyone, yet he promptly reverses his opinion of Elizabeth. These dramatic turns are very significant. Jake Dalglish comments: "Such ironic reversals of fortune and expectation are characteristic of Jane Austen's plots." Love and marriage happens to be the main themes of "Pride and Prejudice" and this is common to the main plot as well as the three sub-plots. Charlotte-Collins marriage is based on economics. Their married life painfully lacks love and devotion. Lydia- Wickham marriage, like that of Mr. Bennet, is based on physical charm. Love vanishes from their life as it had vanished from the life of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Jane and Bingley love each other sincerely but their marriage, in the absence of strength from intellectual understanding and maturity, appears to be rather fragile. Marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth that is based on such just and durable values as emotional compatibility and intellectual understanding has the moral balance of combining power. These four marriages give the plot a fine thematic unity apart from helping to project Jane Austen's moral vision. So, the plot of "Pride and Prejudice" is coherent and well-integrated.-The inter-linking of the main plot and the sub- plots is almost perfect. There is not much variety in the plots of Jane Austen but their construction is so perfect and symmetrical. To quote Cross, "No novelist since Fielding had been a master of structure.

Written And Composed By:

Prof. A.R. Somroo

M.A. English, M.A. Education

Cell: 03339971417

The Theme of "Pride and Prejudice"

"Pride and Prejudice" is the best loved novel 0f Jane Austen, and is considered among the first ten greatest novels of the world. According to Mrs. Kennedy: "We are told that it was extensively polished, corrected and revised between 1796 and 1813, when it was published, Jane Austen takes love and marriage as the central theme of her novels. In fact, she considered love and marriage to be the fundamental problem of human life, as she begins her famous novel "Pride and Prejudice" with the following remarks:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." Kean Seymour says that Jane Austen's heroines "had to fall in love and find their happiness not alone in marriage but in the best kind of marriage." Many of Jane Austen’s readers found her novels unreadable because they deal with a high emotional theme in a very cold manner. Jane Austen was distrustful of emotional love and viewed it as a disturbing factor in human life.

The theme of love and marriage happens to be one of the major themes in "Pride and Prejudice" through five marriages, four new one and one old. Jane Austen tries to define good reasons for marriage and bad reasons as well. Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins, Lydia and Wickham, Jane and Bingley and Elizabeth and Darcy are the four newly Weds; the Old marriage to be discussed is that of Mrs. and Mr. Bennet.

“Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are poles apart in their natural dispositions. Mr. Bennet is sharp and witty while Mrs. Bennet is vulgar and indiscreet. When the story begins, they have been married for twenty three years. Together they constitute a very ill-matched couple. The gulf between the two has gradually widened and now it is beyond abridgement. Mr. Bennet grows to be an odd mixture of quick and partly sarcastic humour. Mrs. Bennet is a woman of mean understanding and little information. When she insists that Mr. Bennet should go and meet Mr. BingIey in connection with the marriage of their girls, he sarcastically and humorously says : “ As you are as handsome as any one of them, Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party." The disadvantage of such an unsuitable marriage affects badly their three daughters except Elizabeth and Jane. Elizabeth and Jane become what they are almost in spite of their parents. But other three girls definitely have the disastrous effects of having an indifferent father and a stupid mother.

Charlotte and Mr. Collins are first to get married in the course of the novel. Mr. Collins is a foolish man as he proposes to Elizabeth setting out in detail his reasons for marriage; "My reasons for marrying are first that l think it a right thing for every clergy man in easy circumstances --- secondly, that l am convinced it will add very greatly to my happiness; and thirdly, that it is the particular advice and recommendation of the very noble lady Catherine. When Elizabeth refuses the proposal, Mr. Collins shifts to Charlotte as he had shifted earlier from Jane to Elizabeth. Charlotte is herself eager to accept his proposal as she belongs to a poor family and wishes to have a rich husband. So, she sets out to meet him accidentally in the love saying; "l am not romantic--l never was; I ask only a comfortable home." It is an example of bad marriage because it is based on economic considerations not on mutual

understanding .The next to be married are Wickham and Lydia. They elope before they finally get married and their marriage is a very complex affair. Lydia is captivated by the external glamour of Wickham's personality, thinking that he was an army officer. Wickham is persuaded by Mr. Darcy to marry Lydia: he pays off his debt; gets a commission for him in the army and fixes one thousand pound yearly for Lydia. Unable to resist the temptation of immediate financial relief, he gets ready to enter into marriage bond with Lydia. Their marriage is bound to fail.

Jane and Bingley are of course sincerely in love with each other: both of them are sweet and gentle. There is every likelihood that they will lead a happy married life however even their marriage is fragile. In spite of being so deeply involved with Jane. Bingley does not take any initiative; he only allows himself to be directed by Darcy and at his advice gets ready to marry Jane. Elizabeth marries last and marries most desirably. Elizabeth Darcy marriage constitutes the main plot of the novel. Usually it is believed that in "Pride and Prejudice" Darcy represents "pride" while Elizabeth represents "Prejudice". But the things are not as that. Both, Darcy and Elizabeth are proud as well as prejudiced. Darcy is proud of his personality, education, social position and financial condition; he is prejudiced against rural people whom he meets in the beginning of the novel. Elizabeth is proud of her perception, her superior personality, the sharpness of her intellect and when Darcy hurts her pride, she immediately gets prejudiced against him. The initial impulse towards misunderstanding comes from a piece of rudeness on the part of Darcy. At the Maryton assembly Darcy makes slighting remarks about Elizabeth: "she is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me". Elizabeth overhears the remark and gets also prejudiced against him that she decides willfully to hate him. There is evidence that Darcy; captivated by Elizabeth's light and pleasing figure sheds his initial prejudice but Elizabeth's prejudice against him gets steadily deepened. Thus When Darcy proposes to Elizabeth and gets rejected, the two are farthest apart. Darcy's letter begins the process of self-awareness and mutual understanding. She realizes that she has been quite unjust in her accusations against Darcy. Darcy again proposes to Elizabeth for marriage and she accepts it happily. Elizabeth does not make false statement when she says even though half-mockingly:"It is settled between us already that we are to be the happiest couple in the world. Jane Austen's preoccupation with love and marriage has misled many critics to dismiss her novels as stories of mere "Husband hunts". These critics however, miss the real significance of her novels. Jane Austen is concerned with the problem of achieving a perfect marriage because marriage is the chief factor among the personal relations through which the individual develops his personality. With the practical and unromantic attitudes, she has presented a lofty conception of love and marriage which was closely linked with her idea of stability.

Written And Composed By: Prof. A.R. Somroo

M.A. English, M.A. Education

Cell: 03339971417