With particular reference to the novel opening, how does Jane Austen present the role of women in pride and prejudice?

Pride and prejudice was first published in 1893, this was a time when it just became acceptable for women to write and publish books.

Pride and prejudice was set in the early 19th century in rural England. Pride and Prejudice is the story of Mr and Mrs Bennet, their five daughters, and the various romantic adventures at their Hertfordshire residence of Longbourn.

I feel that Jane Austen successfully portrays the Age of Reason through her characters in Pride and Prejudice. I think this was the main purpose Jane Austen wrote this novel was to criticise society and the role of women in the 19th century.

Jane Austen’s novel surrounds the lives of middle class woman at the time; the female characters are often associated with marriage and money.

Firstly the views of marriage and social class in the society of 19th century England were very different from views in modern society of today. In 19th century England there were two main concerns about marriage, to marry for wealth and stability.

In the novel, Jane Austin stressed that marriage was not an act of love for most people in that age but and merely an act of survival, high ranking, and a place in society. Strong evidence which very well exemplify the general feelings against marriage for the period is the marriage of Charlotte Lucas to Mr. Collins. As she quoted:” I am not romantic you know. I never was’’ yet she still agrees to marry Mr Collins. Charlotte is the main representative of a typical predictable woman who seeks fortune over love. Jane Austen uses Charlotte’s character to pass judgment on women.

Such concern with marriage also represented the social inferiority of women and the clear distinction between male and female roles in the society. No professions were open for women of the genteel classes, so independence on the woman's hand almost never occurred. The only profession available was that of being a housewife, Therefore women had to marry their life into money, happiness and a secured future.

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Jane Austen also personifies this trait of pride in several minor characters. Lady Catherine is one of the main offenders, her airs; arrogance and pride are fuelled by other characters like Mr. Collins who is there to satire proud people and their followers. Lady Catherine's bullies Elizabeth in an effort to dissuade her from marrying Darcy as she argues "are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted?" This is an act of extreme arrogance as a result believing that she is more important and should be respect and honour her.

Jane Austen throughout the novel is very critical of conventional women; she created characters that lack intelligence and are narrow minded like charlotte who is willing to marry a man who she knows will never make her happy but he will financially secure her future. Also Mrs Bennet is a character who lacks

Common sense and basically represents women at the time. Mrs Bennet is always looking to judge other people ‘’did you ever meet such a proud, disagreeable man? ’’Mrs Bennet’s main ambition in life is to marry all her daughters off to wealthy men.

Right through the novel Jane Austen emphasises on how women were desperate to get married. Jane Austen is the opposite of stereotype she proves this by writing a novel which challenges the thoughts of the shallow and superficial public.

Women at the time of Jane Austen had little to do; there wasn’t much a woman could do but gossip. Gossip plays a big role in pride and prejudice, because through gossip people could identify with social rankings. Mrs Bennet is a good example of a typical woman who gossips. Mrs Bennet’s superficial personality

Mothers had to give away their child to the wealthiest man known, Jane Austen makes it clear that she disagrees with this and thinks it’s pathetic by creating characters like Lady Catherine and Charlotte and Mrs Bennet.

Because of the law of entailment created marriage became a mockery of love rather than a declaration of commitment.

One of the best things Jane Austen does in the novel is constructs a contrast of characters with Elizabeth and Mrs Bennet. Although Elizabeth is Mrs Bennet’s daughter they are very dissimilar. Mrs Bennet is shallow, silly, and artificial whereas Elizabeth is intelligent, open-minded and aware. Elizabeth is very different to other women she goes against everything women stand for at the time of Jane Austen. Her personality is one of a strong independent woman who uses her intelligence. Elizabeth has a very well-built relationship with her father, they are similar in they way the present themselves. She refuses to go against her fathers wishes and takes advice from him. Elizabeth can always hold her own in conversations she shows this when she refuses to marry Mr Collins and when Darcy confronts her with his feelings.

This makes the novel more interesting as Elizabeth turns down numerous proposals to men in possession of a large fortune. When Mr Collins proposes to Elizabeth, Jane Austen basically ridicules the character of Mr Collins but at the same time makes a point.

Mr Collins proposal is exaggerated by Jane Austen but still is an effective part of the play; Jane Austen shows she is a very intellectual writer by using humour in a crucial time in the novel, a time where a character is supposed to be taken seriously. In pride and prejudice there are many examples of proud and prejudice characters. Mr. Darcy, the leading male character in the novel, possesses an ancient family name, magnificent estate, and a sizable fortune which may seem to contribute to his pride.

Darcy’s character is very arrogant and he seems to always find the worst of people, he is also very opinionated. Darcy is very proud man who seems to look down on other people but also has another side to him; Elizabeth prejudges him on first meeting basis so there is a mixture of the two between various characters. Elizabeth's character represents values and attitudes of the 19th century. Throughout the novel her character develops, as she changes from disliking Mr Darcy to falling in love with him.

’’ It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a large fortune must be in want of a wife’’. This quote sums up Jane Austen’s thoughts towards marriage. Through the words of her novel Austen evidently criticises women in the 19th century I feel Jane Austen is a very brave novelist who confronted very controversial issues. Jane Austen presents woman as they are, she wrote the truth about how women were seen as weak and how the male population dominated everything. At the time image and social class was everything, and Jane Austen emphasises on this the whole time. Austen indicates through characters and literary devices how she disagrees with society. Austen mocks aristocracy through the presentation of Lady Catherine de burgh; she exaggerates her character to the full extent. Her arrogance is highlighted by the way she addresses other people.

Jane Austen created effective characters like Elizabeth and Lady Catherine, they are crucial to the play as they both symbolize different types of woman.

By Hannah Ali