During the summers before 11th and 12th grades, I had to read numerous books and keep a reflective journal focused on my readings. Some of these journal entries are provided below.
Style [entry dated June 27, 1997]
The style of Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice is so much easier to read than the style of Thomas Hardy. In Austen’s style, the facts are laid out, nothing exceedingly flashy is revealed, and the point made by the author is taken home by the reader.
Take, for example, the fact that nearly a dozen characters are introduced to the story in the first chapter. For many authors, this occurrence would lead to confusion and disarray. However, Austen, in her plain style, allows the characters to come and go freely, and as a result the reader is intrigued to find out more about these characters by reading on to the next chapter. In The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy, the characters would have been described down to the most minute detail, immediately creating a lack of yearning for knowledge.
Because of the ease in understanding the plot, I think that the novel Pride and Prejudice will be a more enjoyable read than The Mayor of Casterbridge. Understanding a book is the first step to enjoying it.
Content [entry dated June 25, 1997]
Why is Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice held in such high regard? It certainly is not because of the content of the novel. In the age of the "Generation X" crowd where people are knocking down social constraints and disregarding the rigid rules of society, it would seem to me that the content of the novel (that is, almost three hundred pages of mindless dribble about who is getting married to whom) would become more worthless with each passing second. However, this mindless dribble is the exact thing that we as the younger generation need.
"History is more or less bunk. It’s tradition. We don’t want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker’s damn is the history we make today." Henry Ford, quoted in the Chicago Tribune, uttered the sentiments of many of today’s youth long before they lived. However, history is not bunk. In the famous words of George Santa-Yana, "Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it." Indeed we do not want to repeat the past but rather build upon it.
In closing, learning from the past is essential to achieving advancement in society. Novels such as Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice are key examples of how one can take an account of the past and learn from it.
Elizabeth Bennet [entry dated August 27, 1997]
Elizabeth Bennet, the central character in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, is a riveting character because she behaves like a regular, common person. She is a witty and often jaded observer of her environment. She, like everyone, experiences extremes: she is wise enough to decline a marriage offer from a man she finds execrable (Darcy) but foolish enough to be temporarily courted by a rascal (Mr. Wickham).
Although she places little worth in the customs of the world around her (a world where accomplishment for a woman is marrying well), she is finally reduced to adhering to those customs. Whatever Elizabeth feels, she feels it strongly; in response to Darcy’s proposal for marriage, she replies, "Do not consider me now as an elegant female intending to plague you, but as a rational creature speaking the truth from her heart."
The true beauty of Elizabeth Bennet is the duality of her character. She is at the same time cynical and idealistic, but that is not a contradiction. That simply means that she is real. Indeed, that is one of the strengths of Jane Austen: her ability to make her characters real to the reader. That is why I respect her novel as a work of art.
Analysis [entry dated August 27, 1997]
"[Jane Austen’s novels] all center around a young heroine and end in a happy marriage. The plots depend little on coincidence or exciting events. Instead, the author shows how much meaning and drama can result from misunderstood feelings, the neglect of social obligations, and ordinary human weaknesses." [Taken from "Jane Austen," The World Book Encyclopedia, page 896.]
Obviously, the young heroine in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice is Elizabeth Bennet. And, true to form, the novel ends in a happy marriage between Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy.
There are few events that could be considered exciting in the plot of the novel. The stationing of the army at Meryton is probably the most exciting thing that occurs. Much the opposite of Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge, there are no coincidences or chance happenings. Everything is quite plausible. Indeed that is one of the redeeming qualities of the novel: everything could feasibly happen.
Thus the only thing left to contribute to the drama of the novel is the "misunderstood feelings, the neglect of social obligations, and ordinary human weaknesses" (Watt 896). As for misunderstood feelings, prime examples are the misunderstood romantic feelings between Darcy and Elizabeth. The entire novel traces their romantic escapades led astray because of their miscommunication—his pride felt toward himself and her prejudice felt toward those who are proud.
As for the neglect of social obligations, that can be realized when the reader looks at Lydia’s running off with Wickham. The shadow that her actions cast not only upon her but also upon the rest of her family is also a cause for conflict. From Volume III, Chapter IV: "[Elizabeth’s] power was sinking; everything must sink under such a proof of family weakness, such an assurance of the deepest disgrace."
And this is where the last component of the drama comes into play: ordinary human weakness. Lydia’s own weakness is perhaps excusable in today’s society. Many would say, "But Lydia is the youngest daughter! She was overpowered by a devilish and !!!!! man. Give her a break! Surely her mother raised her right. Lydia must have known that what she was to do is wrong; she must have been forced into it." But this is the point Austen is trying to make about the society and the times: an individual weakness can affect the entire family.
Certainly in retrospect I can see why Pride and Prejudice is considered a classic. The utilization of the Bennet family as a microcosm for the times is an excellent artistic tack to bring across the point that at that time day-to-day, ordinary life did not fester on huge climatic events but rather on small, anti-climatic, ordinary passages of life.
Pride [entry dated August 27, 1997]
In the novel Pride and Prejudice, Fitzwilliam Darcy stands out as the character to which pride is most important. From the beginning of the book, Darcy’s attitude is apparent; when Mr. Bingley encouraged Darcy to dance in the third chapter of the book, Darcy responded in an arrogant and conceited manner:
"I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner. At such an assembly as this it would be insupportable. Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with."
Although the author stops short of coming right out and describing Darcy to the reader in a less than favorable tone, the author implies that Darcy is a man of pride. However, the author goes one step farther at the end of chapter four: ". . . Darcy was clever. He was at the same time haughty, reserved, and fastidious, and his manners, though well bred, were not inviting. . . . Darcy was continually giving offense." Here words describing Darcy’s pride leap off the page. Later in the book, Wickhan notes, "His pride never deserts him."
However, Darcy must swallow his pride in order to make himself acceptable to Elizabeth. When she turns down his marriage proposal, Darcy is shocked into realizing how arrogant and prideful he had been. Darcy eats a large piece of humble pie, and as a result he is more sensitive to the feelings of others around him. At the end of the book he is ready to become part of a family who is disgraced and to accept Wickham as an in-law. By becoming aware of his own faults, he is more tolerant of others shortcomings.
Prejudice [entry dated August 28, 1997]
In the novel Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet is the character whose judgment is clouded by prejudice. In order to marry happily at the end of the book, Elizabeth must abandon her prejudice toward Fitzwilliam Darcy and take a closer look at the man inside.
Elizabeth is the intelligent and good-looking oldest daughter of Mr. Bennet. She is a witty and sensible woman who is considered a bit outspoken. Elizabeth is the spirited heroine of the story.
Elizabeth’s prejudicial tendencies are alluded to early in the story. In chapter eleven, Darcy comments to Elizabeth that her natural defect is "willfully to misunderstand" everybody. As a result of her prejudice, Elizabeth believes Wickham’s version of Darcy’s behavior toward him provided in chapter sixteen.
In chapter thirty-six Elizabeth slowly comes to a self-realization of her prejudice. Darcy gives her a letter he wrote more from injured pride than to renew his marriage proposal. Starting off, Elizabeth is characterized by the author as still prejudiced: "With a strong prejudice against everything he might say, she began his account of what had happened at Netherfield. . . . [H]is style was not penitent, but haughty. It was all pride and insolence."
However, she quickly realizes that Darcy’s account of the events is true. He is not writing from pride; he is writing to tell the truth. Elizabeth thus revises her feelings towards Darcy: "She read . . . a relation of events which, if true, must overthrow every cherished opinion of his worth . . . . [E]very line proved more clearly that the affair, which she had believed it impossible that any contrivance could so represent as to render Mr. Darcy’s conduct in it less than infamous, was capable of a turn which must make him entirely blameless throughout the whole."
Then Elizabeth pauses to reflect on the prejudice that had built up inside of her. It is at this time that she abandons her prejudice and for the first time inspects Darcy clearly: "'How despicably have I acted!' she cried; 'I, who have prided myself on my discernment! I, who have valued myself on my abilities! . . . Had I been in love, I could not have been more wretchedly blind. But vanity, not love, has been my folly. . . . Till this moment I never knew myself.'"
In the end, Darcy has given up his pride, causing Elizabeth to give up her prejudice. When these two events occur, both see the other in a new light and they are pleased with what they see. The marriage is soon to follow.