傲慢與偏見中真愛的探討TrueLoveRevealedinPrideandPrejudice英文論文

1、. . . . 關(guān)于之真愛的探討Austens apparent reticence in matters of contemporary politics has often provoked comment from critics. For most of her adult life, Britain was at war with France and experiencing casualties on an unprecedented scale. Her brothers, Frank and Charles, served in the Royal Navy, in care

2、ers that brought not only wealth and honour, but also constant danger. It is evident from comments in Austens surviving letters that she was far from ignorant of the international conflict; many readers have therefore pondered over the relative absence of reference to current affairs in her fiction.

3、 The question is particularly acute in Pride and Prejudice, at once the most military and the most witty and effervescent of all the novels. Here the militia are embodied in force, and yet the regiment billeted at meryton seems designed to provide dancing partners for the local community, rather tha

4、n protection against a foreign foe. It is hard to imagine Mr Wickham, Chamberlayne or Denny engaged in action other than in the ballroom or at the card table. When seen in the light of contemporary history, however, the anxiety generated by the militia takes on further dimensions. By 1813, when Prid

5、e and Prejudice was published, the British army was twenty times larger than it had been at the outbreak of the war. When the character of Mrs Bennet had been sketched out in the 1790s, her ambition of getting her daughters married off had probably seemed a relatively straightforward device to a you

6、ng writer nurtured on eighteenth-century drama and comic novels. 15 years later, British women had endured the deep distresses brought on by prolonged hostilities- fear of food shortages, terror at the thought of military invasion, and, worst of all, the experience of losing sons, husbands, fathers,

7、 brothers, and friends in the conflict. The sensitivity of Mrs Bennets nerves begings to seem more comprehensible when the collective anxiety to which she has been subjected for so many years is taken into account, while her matrimonial obsessions acquire an altogether darker tone. As the death toll

8、 rose in successive campaigns against France, the numbers of eligible Englishmen were inevitably declining. If the political economist, the Revd Thomas Malthus, articulated widespread anxieties about the British population exceeding the nations agricultural output, Mrs Bennet expresses a peculiarly

9、feminie nightmare relating to the increasingly inadequate supply of husbands.Jane Austen was a major English novelist, whose brilliantly witty, elegantly structured satirical fiction marks the transition in English literature from 18th century neo-classicism to 19th century romanticism. Jane Austen

10、was born on 16 December, 1775, at the rectory in the village of Steventon, near Basingstoke, in Hampshire. The seventh of eight children of the Reverend George Austen and his wife, Cassandra, she was educated mainly at home and never lived apart from her family. She had a happy childhood amongst all

11、 her brothers and the other boys who lodged with the family and whom Mr Austen tutored. From her older sister, Cassandra, she was inseparable. To amuse themselves, the children wrote and performed plays and charades, and even as a little girl Jane was encouraged to write. The reading that she did of

12、 the books in her fathers extensive library provided material for the short satirical sketches she wrote as a girl. At the age of 14 she wrote her first novel, Love and Freindship (sic) and then A History of England by a partial, prejudiced and ignorant Historian, together with other very amusing ju

13、venilia. In her early twenties Jane Austen wrote the novels that were later to be re-worked and published as Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey. She also began a novel called The Watsons which was never completed. As a young woman Jane enjoyed dancing (an activity which

14、features frequently in her novels) and she attended balls in many of the great houses of the neighbourhood. She loved the country, enjoyed long country walks, and had many Hampshire friends. It therefore came as a considerable shock when her parents suddenly announced in 1801 that the family would b

15、e moving away to Bath. Mr Austen gave the Steventon living to his son James and retired to Bath with his wife and two daughters. The next four years were difficult ones for Jane Austen. She disliked the confines of a busy town and missed her Steventon life. After her fathers death in 1805, his widow

16、 and daughters also suffered financial difficulties and were forced to rely on the charity of the Austen sons. It was also at this time that, while on holiday in the West country, Jane fell in love, and when the young man died, she was deeply upset. Later she accepted a proposal of marriage from Har

17、ris Bigg-Wither, a wealthy landowner and brother to some of her closest friends, but she changed her mind the next morning and was greatly upset by the whole episode. After the death of Mr Austen, the Austen ladies moved to Southampton to share the home of Janes naval brother Frank and his wife Mary

18、. There were occasional visits to London, where Jane stayed with her favourite brother Henry, at that time a prosperous banker, and where she enjoyed visits to the theatre and art exhibitions. However, she wrote little in Bath and nothing at all in Southampton. Then, in July, 1809, on her brother Ed

19、ward offering his mother and sisters a permanent home on his Chawton estate, the Austen ladies moved back to their beloved Hampshire countryside. It was a small but comfortable house, with a pretty garden, and most importantly it provided the settled home which Jane Austen needed in order to write.

20、In the seven and a half years that she lived in this house, she revised Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice and published them ( in 1811 and 1813) and then embarked on a period of intense productivity. Mansfield Park came out in 1814, followed by Emma in 1816 and she completed Persuasion (

21、which was published together with Northanger Abbey in 1818, the year after her death). None of the books published in her life-time had her name on them they were described as being written By a Lady. In the winter of 1816 she started Sanditon, but illness prevented its completion. Jane Austen had c

22、ontracted Addisons Disease, a tubercular disease of the kidneys (see Jane Austens Illness by Sir Zachary Cope, British Medical Journal, 18 July 1964 and Australian Addisons Disease Assoc.). No longer able to walk far, she used to drive out in a little donkey carriage which can still be seen at the J

23、ane Austen Museum at Chawton. By May 1817 she was so ill that she and Cassandra, to be near Janes physician, rented rooms in Winchester. Tragically, there was then no cure and Jane Austen died in her sisters arms in the early hours of 18 July, 1817. She was 41 years old. She is buried in Winchester

24、Cathedral.Pride and Prejudice Pride and prejudice are displayed in every character pertaining to the novel in some form or another. It is pride of those of a higher economic status which genuinely withholds prominent relationships of those who are of lower economic status. Darcys pride causes him to

25、 look down on those who are in a lower social class, due to his mentality that he supersedes those who are not within his social circle. Given that Elizabeth Bennet is of a lower class than Darcy, this places immediate restrictions to their relationship. Elizabeth also displays significant pride. Th

26、ough not influenced by economic status, Elizabeth is most proud of her ability of perception: although it is her ill perception which causes her to misjudge Darcy and also Wickham. When Elizabeth hears of Wickhams accusations of Darcy, she trusts the negative perception of him, and mistakenly views

27、Darcys confidence as conceit. Prejudice also corresponds with character pride. Prejudiced judgments are woven within society in the novel, especially pertaining to reputation, economic status, and womens inferiority to men. Immediate prejudiced judgments are consistently being developed for all char

28、acters; the wealthy are snobbish, the not-so-wealthy are impolite, the eldest daughter will be the first to marry, and unmarried women-over-thirty will never marry. However these judgments are not always negative. If one family member is seen to have good standing with wealthy society, the rest of t

29、he family also acquires this image. Unfortunately on the contrary, if one family member demonstrates societal deviance, as Lydia Bennet did with Wickham, the whole family is perceived to hold the same negative reputation. Many prejudiced judgments are due to a characters pride, or their pride causes

30、 social prejudice. Critic A. Walton Litz describes the relation of pride and prejudice for the characters of Elizabeth and Darcy, stating in Pride and Prejudice one cannot equate Darcy with Pride, and Elizabeth with Prejudice; Darcys pride of place if founded on social prejudice, while Elizabeths in

31、itial prejudice against him is rooted in pride of her own quick perceptions. Quote found online and taken from .gradesaver./classicnotes/titles/pride/themes.html Class Associated with pride and prejudice is class. The high-class society maintains a very proper and restricted way of life, while the m

32、iddle-class is viewed clearly as inferior. Since the Bingleys and Darcys are wealthy, they are assumed to be snobbish, and withhold the highest expectations, as these are the prejudice judgments of the high class. However, since the Bennet family is more middle-class, the higher class views some of

33、Mrs. Bennets behaviors as uncivilized and rude. Luckily, both Elizabeth and Darcy are able to oversee personal pride of these judgments to develop a loving relationship. The status of class is deeply shown through the characters of Mr. Collins, whose exaggerated yet sycophantic behavior towards Lady

34、 Catherine could easily and quickly annoy the reader. Mr. Collins is definitely the character with the most extreme case of classism. Although the characters of Miss Bingly and Miss Hurst also portray hierarchical social prejudice attitudes, since neither woman wishes to associate with any person co

35、nsidered to be a lower stature. Along the same beliefs, Mr. Darcy believes in the hierarchy of class as well; however, he luckily is able to overcome these beliefs, at least to an extent, once he meets Elizabeth. The middle and high classes within society are portrayed with an extreme, clear-cut vie

36、w in the novel. From the beginning of the novel, it is evident that class will play a significant role, blatantly through character economic status as well as through symbolism. For example, the novel opens with the gossip of a new, single, wealthy young man who has recently moved into Netherfield P

37、ark, an estate known amongst the town from the previous wealthy families who have lived there before. Extending this example, Mrs. Bennet wishes one of her daughters to marry this young man, not because she has met the man before, but because she wishes her daughters to marry into wealth. Using the

38、relationship of Darcy and Elizabeth, Austen makes the point that love, strength, and happiness are more powerful than differences among individual lifestyles. Family Austen demonstrates the significant impact a family has on an individuals life mainly through the example of the Bennet family. Since

39、family is responsible for educating and teaching morals to the children in the family, the five daughters in the Bennet family face a very difficult upbringing, especially given the ignorance and idiocy of Mrs. Bennet, and adding the sarcasm and immediate feelings of irritation with Mr. Bennet, who

40、seems to find great satisfaction in belittling his wife. Considering their parents have not provided the girls with much education and morals, it is lucky for Jane and Elizabeth that Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner take a toll in providing the two girls with education and guidance. Had the Gardiners not provi

41、ded them with studies and personal values, the girls would have faced more difficulty in the future. For example, Lydia, who has not been as fortunate in receiving extra guidance, makes a decision which greatly affects her social status and the status of the family, as well as the familys overall re

42、putation within the town. Attempting to help, Elizabeth advises to her father to prohibit Lydia from going to Brighton, however her father did not follow her advise and allowed Lydia to go, since it would be easier than having to listen to Lydia complain. Unfortunately, this led to Lydias elopement

43、with Wickham, and the whole family would have to pay the price. Gender Gender plays a contributing factor to the novel on various levels, the most obvious being the differences in privileges and expectations between men and women. Austen set the time of the novel to take place during the 19c, when t

44、he men had greater power and contribution to society as a whole, and the women were viewed more as reserved, gossipy, and highly held by reputation. Given that there were very few schools during this time, and only the wealthy could afford to attend school, the few schools there were did not permit

45、women to attend; therefore women were expected appear and behave with a certain manner, and easily became a social outcast if any societal deviance was displayed: just as Lydia displayed deviance during her elopement with Wickham, and Elizabeth displayed with her consistent bold, quick-wit. The nove

46、l clearly brings in the aspect of the gender differences in both bold and subtle aspects. On the bold side, during Austens time, a mans primary role is to be the provider: work, propose an engagement for a wife, earn the familys only income, make final decisions, physically and fiscally support and

47、protect the family, and provide a home, food, and clothing. On the other hand, women were to tend to the children, cook the meals, do the shopping and sewing, and uphold the daily routines for the family, primarily tending to the husbands needs. However, it is Austens clever use of subtle gender dif

48、ferences which tend to go unnoticed. For example, the novel mentions a few cases when characters are traveling. During this time period, it was unacceptable for women, or a woman, to travel alone. It is very subtle instances such as this which help the time period of Austens work come alive. Marriag

49、e Marriage is apparent from the first sentence in the novel when Austen writes, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Generated from societal tradition, women of these times did not work. They were to marry at a young a

50、ge, spend time to plan the wedding, and then move from their parents home to their husbands, so that they could run a household and raise a family. On the contrary, if a woman did not marry, she would live at home with her parents and they would provide for her until they no longer could, leaving on

51、ly then a brother or uncle to provide for her. Examining Mrs. Bennets marriage with Mr. Bennet, the couple models an unjust marriage for their daughters. While the two may love each other, Mr. Bennets apparent disparage towards his wife, even though Mrs. Bennet is too ignorant and/or uneducated to s

52、ee it, leads their daughters voiding the option of marrying for love. Austen ties marriage to several different characters throughout the novel, with each character containing separate intentions. Mrs. Bennet express her cultured, determined and desirous intentions for her five daughters to marry, a

53、spiring each is cared for in a financially stable home for the future; sadly, Mrs. Bennet does not care if her daughters are in love with their husbands, so long as their life together is financially well-off. While Mrs. Bennet strives for social acceptance, Lydia Bennet almost deteriorated the Benn

54、et familys societal reputation from becoming Wickhams lover out of wedlock. Having entirely different marriage intentions, Charlotte Lucas beliefs represent the common-societal woman; Charlotte marries because of her fear of aging. Since she is older than most typical unmarried women of this time, s

55、he readily accepts Mr. Collins marriage proposal, even though she knows she does not love him, but hopes to learn to love him in the future. When Elizabeth hears the news of Charlottes engagement, she does not understand Charlottes acceptance, leaving Charlotte to explain her fear of never receiving

56、 another marriage proposal in the future. As a headstrong feminist, Elizabeth then clarifies that her marriage intentions comprise of marrying for nothing other than only true love. Pemberley Darcys estate, Pemberley, is significant to the novel in a literal and figurative sense. Literally, Elizabet

57、h visits the house at the point in their relationship where she is just beginning to find a fondness in Darcy. At the very beginning of her arrival, Austen expresses Elizabeths feelings of excitement of being “the mistress of Pemberley.” Once she visits the estate, the beauty and essence of the prop

58、erty and house begin to win her over, as does Darcy. Figuratively, the novel represents its owner as well as Elizabeths feelings for him. When the novel states that they enter in at one of its “l(fā)owest points,” Austen is referring to Elizabeths first impression of Darcy, which was not a positive one.

59、 However, then the novel begins to explain Elizabeths thoughts of the half a mile ride up to the estate, admiring every glimpse along the way. Furthermore, Austens passage describing as they first approached the house explains her every thought and feeling of Darcy. “It was a large, handsome, stone building, standin