In what ways and to what ends does the romance genre draw on the conventions and expectations of the fairy tale? Discuss with reference to Pride and Prejudice.

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In what ways and to what ends does the romance genre draw on the conventions and expectations of the fairy tale? Discuss with reference to Pride and Prejudice.

Up until more recent times women have occupied a suppressed place in the hierarchical structure of society. As a reaction to the values of and their position in a capitalist society which is intrinsically individualistic, Romantic writing has grown to become mainly dominated by female writers. These writers have purged to find an escape from their position in a world obsessed by material wealth and social status.

The protagonist in Romantic writing and fairy tales is usually involved in a quest. The goal he or she aims for is usually opposed by other forces. The overcoming of his own pride is an obstacle for Mr. Darcy to overcome in Pride and prejudice. The opposing forces can often be enemies of the romantic ideals. One example of this in Pride and prejudice is the unsuccessful endeavours of Miss. Bingley to attract Mr. Darcy because it opposes the romantic ideal of a kind of love which is impervious to wealth and status. The opening words of the novel express the attitude that ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.’  It is presumed that, in the name of his, and his families, own material interest he must find a wife. It could be seen that this view sees the wife as the last possession to acquire when all else material is already securely invested. This seems to be the beliefs of the imprudent Mrs. Bennet and the general society exposed in the author’s writing. In a sense, it is this attitude which is acknowledged universally, that is to say by society as a whole, which the story questions and explores. This view of women is what the Romantic writers of Jane Austen’s time were opposed to. It is the reason for their domination of this genre of writing.

Romantic writing and particularly fairy tales have been used to teach children the value of good morals and to inspire their imagination in a positive way. The ideas of innocence, purity and even naivety are associated with these two types of writing. The perfect characters in fairy tales like the noble and handsome Prince Charming in ‘Cinderella’, or the wicked witch in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ are stock characters, they are not portrayed as realistic people; they represent certain abstract forces such as good or evil. They are unlike characters in Realist writing which the reader can relate to as having sin as well as virtue inherent in human nature. However, in Austen’s novel she does include realist views on love such as the marriage between Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins. Charlotte says to Elizabeth that

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I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collin’s character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state. 

Austen tells us Elizabeth is shocked that Charlotte Lucas ‘would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage.’ The words ‘better feeling’ seem to suggest an instinctive feeling of something morally ‘right’ and it is because Elizabeth is shocked that her friend has placed material wealth above these feelings. It is ...

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