Compare and contrast Mary Scott and Jane Austen's Portrayal of Women love and Maairage in Language and Pride and Prejudice

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        Jack Sims 11K

COMPARE AND CONTRAST MARY SCOTT AND JANE AUSTEN’S PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN LOVE AND MARRIAGE IN ‘LANGUAGE’ AND ‘PRIDE AND PREJUDICE’

‘Language” and “Pride and Prejudice” are both stories about love, marriage and women. ‘Language’ is a late 1900’s story about a suburban woman lifestyle and obsessions with grammar and routine. This story goes on to tell us about her shambled marriage which started off well, but I the end we find out her husband is having an affair because he is bored and unfulfilled by her antics. She is called Rita, her husbands is called Tom. ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is an early 1800’s novel; it is about the life of a genteel family called the Bennets. It is a social comedy with satisfying love stories about the Bennet sisters, and in particular, its enchanting and spirited heroine, Lizzie.

The main plot is the courtship between Mr. Darcy and Lizzie Bennet. The sub-plots include many stories about love and anguish for the other sisters. This story is set on the foundation of marriage and the love of women in that period of time. This is what makes both stories similar, they are both about love and marriage in their own era. They are different in that the roles and expectations of women are completely contrary to each other. I will answer the title question of comparing and contrasting the two stories, by discussing the role of women in both stories, the importance of money, the meaning of marriage, the attitude of romantic love and sex, and finally, the author’s views on love and marriage and how they reveal them in the novels.

The purpose of women in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ was fundamentally to become married “to a young single man of vast fortune” and live happily with him on his estate. Marriage was all that women were after. Marriage could mean financial support and an estate of vast proportions, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife”. If this were not the case, then they would have to look for work. Education in the 19th century was a completely different affair for women, compared to education for women in the 1980’s. Education for women in the 19th Century was focused mainly on how to become a good home keeper. This involved many key skills such as needlework, embroidery, dancing, socialising skills and how to speak a language. They would also be taught how to instruct the maids and kitchen staff. They were not taught how to think for themselves. The education for men at that time was completely different. They were taught how to be excellent businessmen. They were taught economics, accounts, maths, science etc. In stark contrast, they were taught to have individual minds and independent people, so they could go out into the world and earn their living. Relationships at this time, I think, must have been quite boring seeing as every girl was of the same mind and had the same concepts as every other girl. To agree with the husband and do everything she is expected to, no excitement and the same routine everyday.

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Education for men and women in the 1980’s was the same. This allowed many people to grow up to be individuals and independent thinkers. This level of education changed the career expectations and opportunities for women. In ‘Pride and Prejudice’, if a women didn’t marry a man of wealth then they would have to rely on their skills from their education. This would give them only a few career prospects. These would involve needlework, embroidery, dancing and possibly childcare. Hardly anything to build a successful career or life on. Hence why marriage was such an important factor at that ...

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