Hints - umbrella topics? (could fit wit all three topics) narrow thesis, look at notes/feedback about previous essays
Gender Roles
- What women have to know in their class of society - quote about piano playing, writing, art etc ("I'm surprise you know one girl so accomplished"
- Does Lizzy live up to her gender role? She declines two marriage proposals
- Lizzy has never seen an "accomplished woman" (Regency era)
- Lady C - "fathers have no concern about daughters" - gender roles on both sides
- Parents - gender roles
- Mr. Bennet - does go to see the Bingleys
- He teases his wife
- Is he the man of the house
- Didn't assume the traditional role of a father
- "the business of [Mrs. Bennet's] life was to get her daughters married"
- Women had one way to have status and a decent life (couldn't be educated or get a job)
- Women based upon looks [only?]
- "tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me"
- Marriage is about ECONOMICS [women as a commodity]
- Does DARCY fit in with gender roles? - cold,
- Mrs. Bennet found him to be ungentleman-like
- Mr. Bingley is a foil for Darcy
- Jane Austen uses a foil for almost all of her characters!
- Men had responsibilities too - legal obligation [Mr. Bennet entailed his estate thinking that he would have sons - he failed the family - as much as we might like him]
- What are the pressures on men?
- Is Bingley the ideal 19th century man
- Bingley makes everyone happy
- Darcy - has good family values [treats his "peasants" well - maid speaks highly of him, cares about Georgiana - had to take on the guardianship role]
- Collins fits into his role in society - his gender role fits - [but he's odious]
- Darcy - going against the wishes of his family and his own better judgment
- [does any of this apply to today - can you make any comparisons - does Austen make any statements about our society?]
- Charlotte - don't marry for love "happiness in marriage is a matter of chance"
- Jane - surprised
- Lizzy wants to marry for love - says it
- Marrying for love is considered irresponsible - must put family's fortune first
- Wickham, Colonel Fitzwilliam - Lizzy does discount them (so fits into gender roles that way
- Marrying for social status
- Austen - presents being an individual as a good thing
- Stepping outside of gender norms = Lizzy and Darcy = good
- Charlotte conforms = marrying Collins
- Charlotte seems fine being married to Collins - he has his own room - goes for a walk, she's safe and comfortable
- Collins is a personification of the expectations of the time
- Lady Catherine - does she circumvent the gender roles? - unmarried, huge estate, people listen to her and respect her - she's a widow [what does money do?]
- She wants people to conform to gender roles at that time for her own benefit
- She's help up as the pinnacle [Austen's satire - the worst have the most status - even by 19th century standards] - she hasn't even any of the talents of an accomplished woman! [what's Austen saying?]
- LYDIA - tarnishes her family's reputation [CANNOT sleep with someone outside of marriage]
- None of the sisters would have been able to marry if Lydia ran off without getting married
- MARY - not talented, not pretty - but does not bring dishonour on her family
- WICKHAM - does he go outside of his gender roles - what would be the effect of a woman doing all these things - runs away with girls, drinks, gambles, takes advantage of people - Lydia gets all the blame - purity is everything.
Social Class
- LIZZY - how she has to interact with society - marriage expectations impact her
- A lot is expected of her - she has less money and status than the Bingleys - she needs to compensate for her lack of status
- Middle ground - what can bring them up (what does Lizzy have?)
- 339 "he's a gentleman, but I am a gentleman's daughter" - they have status but lack of wealth
- DARCY - his social class restricts his actions as well (he's not supposed to marry Lizzy) - [against his wished]
- Makes him snobby - evolves as he sees "lower status people have value
- People with social class don't necessarily have class [Austen's point]
- Lady Catherine thinks she's a prime example "she likes to have the distinction of class preserved"
- "If I had ever learned, I would have been a great proficient"
- Everyone complicitly agrees that Lady C deserves her status
- WICKHAM - leeches his social class from the Darcys (his father was a groom) - he's charming - he tries to woo everyone (and is successful)
- He doesn't want to work for anything
- MRS BENNET - social class drives her [husband made the mistake with the entailment of the estate = bitter] - wants to "upgrade" - Jane must marry Bingley
- When Mr Bennet dies - she needs to be taken care of
- Social class is not only about wealth - how people are perceived - "everyone in town thought he was the worst person in the world" - interestingly the same is not said of Lady Catherine
- "very fine ladies… proud and conceited" - "entitled to think well of themselves and meanly of others" - the Bingley sisters
- Better social class - but still go to the same balls [this is in the country though - if this were in London - city house - they can be quite separate - Jane doesn't run into the Bingleys in London]
- What part is social class the most prominent? Lady Catherine - second volume shows the difference in class and status
- [character motivations are controlled by social class]
- Mrs. Bennet - "certainly, my dear,… we dine with four and twenty" - she's proud of her class
- [they have a nice estate - history of the family PRIMOGENITRE - because the Bennets have no sons - all is lost - finances have gone off - they have status in name but not in money]
- Lady Catherine - marriage expectations - wanted her daughter to marry her daughter - Rosings and Pemberly would be combined!
- How does the social class affect their expectations? Lady Catherine expects the respect "quite astonished to not receive an answer….impertinence" - she has done nothing to earn this
- [PRIDE]
- Lady Catherine finds her social class boring
- [does social class restrict people?]
- DARCY - [limited by his social class]
- Mr. Bennet
- How does Jane exhibit the ideal example of the 19th C woman? - she is able to marry suitably - above her "rank" - good qualities
- Jane is pretty (the most attractive Bennet girl - suitable demur - good quality for a 19th C woman to contrast with Lizzy]
- Plays her part - goes to Netherfield in the rain without the proper carriage
Social rules / Expectations
- How does Charlotte's behaviour best represent her social expectations - marries for the right reasons "happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance"
- "it is better to know as little as possible about the person" (Chapter 6)
- "I've never been a romantic"
- Charlotte can't be choosy - [doesn't even care that Collins asked two of her friends first]
- Her social norms were not followed in that she is 27 before she is married
- [pragmatic]
- Charlotte understands her society "his pride does not bother me….he has the right to be proud"(18) - 19th century thinking = pride is acceptable if people have status
- "in 9 cases out of 10 a woman had better show more affection than she feels"
- Narrow line for going too far (Lydia)
- [most things Charlotte says represents 19th century thinking - Lizzy contravenes these rules]
- [joy vs. contentedness]
- To what extent does LIZZY conform - she does end up marrying, but she walks to Netherfield, doesn't want to marry for money, talks back and faces up to Lady Catherine)
- "I who have prided myself...vanity...pride...prejudice" - end of Volume 2
- Lizzy gets the letter from Darcy - she has an EPIPHANY
- Fight the power and not go for the rich guy - thought she was so smart in having an opinion
- She judged him because of his wealth
- How does marriage play into what everyone expects - (first quote) - social rules - men are expected to do one thing and women something else
- Men - should not marry below them [but accomplished and good looking women can make up for that - even today! - think women's jobs vs. women's looks - which is more important for which men?]
- Marry rich - moving up
- Lizzy disregards the system (no one knows she rejects Darcy)
- Men are expected to marry up
- Wickham has to marry up - that's why he needs to marry Miss King
- p. 301 Lydia "I go above you because I am married" - she both exemplifies the social rules while she breaks them - she disgraces her entire family [her parents just let her]
- "the death of your daughter would have been a blessing" (Collins)
- Lydia is safely married - saves the family and rescued her reputation
- [think about the different marriages - who will be happiest? - Mr. Bennet is worried and has a heart to heart with Lizzy - he couldn't bear it if she married the wrong man]
- p. 103 - quote
- "I'm not one of those ladies who would risk her happiness...I am the last woman…." Collins expects Lizzy is playing coy because he thinks that's the way ladies are [almost like no means yes - earlier manifestation of this idea]
- Collins can't fathom the idea of someone challenging society's norms [but he's also gormless]
- Thesis statement
- Lizzy conform or not conform
- P & P - social norms and gender expectations
- "Lady Catherine seemed quite astonished at not receiving a direct answer"
- Later on: Lizzy's response "so far we are equal"
- Mr. Bennet does not conform to society's rules - he hampers Lizzy's conformity - (she has an unhappy choice to make)
In the end Mr. Bennet did not hinder Lizzy in the end - but in reality she would have either had to accept Collins' proposal or remain a maid (not a pragmatic decision by Lizzy) [idealistic, fantasy ending - but makes the point - Austen shows people who don't conform to that society winning - would not have made the same point if Lizzy rebels and then fails - what would that say - Austen did not have the leeway to challenge the rules and then have it end realistically]
- Lydia should not have been "out" in society - she is only 15 when she is "out"
- Lady Catherine "all five sisters out? All five sisters out and the older ones are not married?"
- Mrs. Bennet - follows her expectations except she was not to have all five daughters out - reflects badly on the Bennets - hampers - more competitin
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