SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE ON WOMEN’S POSITION IN PRIDE & PREJUDICE
NOVEL BY JANE AUSTEN : A SOCIAL CRITICISM
Presented as Requirement
for Seminar Examination
Alicia Febyola Panjaitan
19091102049
SAM RATULANGI UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF HUMANITY
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
2023
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
First of all, as people who have faith, the writer would express her deepest praise
and gratitude to The Almighty God for all His grace and accompaniment to finish this
research successfully. This research design entitled “Social Perspective on Women’s
Position in Pride & Prejudice Novel by Jane Austen : A Social Criticism”. It is written
to be presented as a requirement for the seminar examination.
The next thing is, the writer would like to earnestly acknowledge the sincere
efforts and valuable time given by Mrs. Stephanie J. Sigarlaki, S.S, M.Hum as the
material supervisor for guides and her valuable guidance and feedback has helped the
writer in completing this project. Another gratitude delivered to Dr. Garryn C. Ranuntu,
S.Pd, M.Hum as technical supervisor for guides, which corrected and support the writer
to finish this research.
Over and above, the writer would also express her gratitude to all of people
around her, that had been helping her in the process of making this research, the writer
would not be able to complete this research without any helps from them. Any attempt
at any level can not be satisfactorily completed without the support and guidance of
writer’s parents and friends. It means a lot to the writer. Furthermore, the writer knows
this research is far from the perfection, be based on that, any comments, criticisms and
suggestions will be kindly accepted and appreciated.
Manado, March 2023
A. F. P
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENT .....................................................................................................ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. iii
I. Title ............................................................................................................................ 1
II. Background Of Study ................................................................................................. 1
III. Statement Of Problem ................................................................................................ 3
IV. Objective Of Research ............................................................................................... 3
V. Significance Of Research ........................................................................................... 4
VI. A Brief Study Of Related Literature .......................................................................... 4
VII. Theoritical Framework ............................................................................................. 10
VIII. Methodology ............................................................................................................. 11
IX. Working Schedule .................................................................................................... 12
X. An Outline Of Intended Skripsi ............................................................................... 12
REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 14
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I.
TITLE
The title of this research is “Social Perspective on Women’s Position in Pride &
Prejudice Novel by Jane Austen : A Social Criticism”.
II. BACKGROUND OF STUDY
According to Tylor (1871), culture is a complex whole that includes knowledge,
beliefs, arts, morals, science, customs, and other abilities and habits acquired by humans
as members of society. Culture distinguishes one group of people from another, to make
an essential feature that makes diverse. Furthermore, the way things have changed over
time has undoubtedly had an impact on how people behave in that era. Linking this
thing to this research, it produces a difference in every piece of literature that is created
at every specific era and time.
As a matter of fact, literature is a way for people to express themselves via the use
of language, whether in spoken or written form. Literature is one, as art and humanity
are one; and in this conception lies the future of historical literary studies. Literature is a
social institution, using as its medium language, a social creation. Such traditional
literary devices as symbolism and meter are social in their very nature. They are
conventions and norms which could have arisen only in society, Wellek and Warren
(1949). It can be separated into fictitious experiences, beliefs, or ideas as well as
beautifully presented reflections of reality. Literature is a body of written works, has
four major genres, that consist of poetry, drama, fiction and creative nonfiction. In
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addition to this, literature has two aims that consist of educating and entertaining.
Nonetheless, the writer of this study taking a specific focus to novel.
Rostamaji and Priantoro (2015) state that novel is a literary work that has two
elements, namely: intrinsic and extrinsic which are both interrelated because they
influence each other. The writer took Pride and Prejudice Novel by Jane Austen as an
object for this study. This novel has a genre of fiction, classic regency novel and
romance novel. Moreover, this novel exemplifies the situation of that era back then.
Talks about the social problems than contain and excoriate the society. Pride and
Prejudice is a story about contentious relationship between Fitzwilliam Darcy, a wealthy
aristocratic landowner, and Elizabeth Benneth, the daughter of a country gentleman. To
fall in love and marry, they have to conquer the eponymous sins of pride and prejudice.
Social perspective can caused by sort of factor, the consequences of those
perspective can have a hereditary impact. More than that, it could become a stigma in
the society itself. Due to that reason, every problem that happened in the society need a
criticism to develop even to change it, for the better. According to Abar (1997), social
criticism is a sort of communication that exists in society and functions as a check on
how a social system or social activity is being conducted. Damono (1979) argues that
social criticism in literary works no longer only concerns the relationship between the
poor and the rich, poverty and luxury. In consequence, what and how the society’s
perspective on women’s position in this novel.
The reason why the writer chose this topic is because the writer took the subject
English Prose Studies on the second semester. The writer of this study found there are
social perspectives that can be criticize in the Pride and Prejudice Novel with the
theories that related from English Prose Studies class. Furthermore, in the hope through
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this research, readers can learn about past cultures’ opinions on women and how they
affected them, as well as how they evolved and were compared to present societies.
Correspondingly, the writer loves the idea of how Jane Austen criticized the society at
that time, through Elizabeth Benneth’s character, which stand as an independent woman
that can stand by her own foot, without any dependence of men. Differently from the
rest women in that novel, that think marriage is more like a business deal. It was all
about the benefit of marriage itself. Another reason to mention, the writer thinks it
would be astounding to have a comparison of social problems nowadays and social
problems that contains on that novel back then.
III. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
In conducting the research, research problems are formulated as guidance. The
research problems are:
1. What are society's perspectives on women’s position in Pride and Prejudice?
2. How does the society's perspectives on women’s position give impact on life in
Pride and Prejudice novel?
3.
How the author's social criticism about the perspective of society at that time
through the character of Elizabeth Benneth?
IV. OBJECTIVE OF RESEARCH
In conducting the research, the objective of reserach are:
1. To identify and analyze society's perspective on women’s position in Pride and
Prejudice, specifically from the society view.
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2. To identify and analyze the impact of society's perspective on women’s position in
every side of life back then in the era of Pride and Prejudice deeper.
3. To identify and analyze author's social criticism about the perspective of society at
that time through the character of Elizabeth Benneth.
V. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESEARCH
The significance of this research are as follows:
1.
Theoretically, this research is envisioned to give a helping hand for those who
needed the reference that related to the implementation of objective theory. Readers
can use this research to examine the content of literary works without taking into
account the author’s background, the writing history, or anything else not directly
related to the text being considered.
2.
Practically, this research is envisioned to be a guidance and can provide
advantageous data for the readers that studying English literature. This research
hand over an understanding of social problems and its collision in life, especially in
literature through literary work like this itself. As far as its concerned, readers can
have more understanding about the social problems that was happened in Pride and
Prejudice Novel.
VI. A BRIEF STUDY OF RELATED LITERATURE
To execute the research, the researcher uses several studies in the same object and
subject term of this research. However it would not be so close but it still relates to each
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other as well. By using these studies as an object of this study it definitely helps the
researcher to get deeper comprehension on this topic, together with the process of
making the paper properly and usefully. Which are:
1.
Social Conflict in a Collection of Short Stories Mata Yang Enak Dipandang by
Ahmad Tohari (Study of Literature Sociology) by Oktavia and Asri (2021). This
research is a qualitative research using descriptive method. Moreover, the study
used in this research is the study of the sociology of literature. Lastly, the result to
this study is the character have to leave by not giving more intention to it or just
accept whatever happens in the stories, since thay have nothing to do, nor power,
even ability to solve the problem by themselves.
2.
The Analysis of Social Criticism in Millay’s Poem Epitaph For the Race Of Man by
Umboh et al (2022). The researchers of this study use descriptive qualitative
research methods. In this research, researcher uses qualitative descriptive method
with Sociological approach. The purpose of this study is to describe the social
criticism in the poem Epitaph for the Race of Man by Edna St. Vincent Millay, and
based on anything that had been analysed. Moreover, the result of this study is the
researcher find out expression of Millay’s emotions and feelings for what he was
experiencing at that time.
3.
An Analysis on the Plot of Jane Austens Novel “Pride And Prejudice” by Arbain
(2016). Furthermore, this study is using qualitative approach that focused on
content analysis, this study presents three kinds of findings. According to Arbain
(2016), the result or conclusion is the plot of this novel has been nicely developed,
presented and arranged in chronological order.
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4.
A Feminist Analysis of Jane Eyre & Pride and Prejudice by Lu and Zhao (2015).
Linking things from the researcher of this research, the conclusion is due to the
time and environment Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë lived in are different, there
are differences of character traits between Elizabeth and Jane Eyre. But both of
them advocated that women should have both physical and spiritual independence,
not catering men’s taste and severing as an appendage.
5.
Social Criticism in the FSTVLT Song Literature Sociology Study by Wasik and
Liliani (2018). The aim of this study is to analyse songs by FSTVLT group band by
using the qualitative descriptive method, and the technique that used in this
research is a close-observation method. This research discussed about aspects that
contains in the song about the social criticism itself. Moreover, the results of this is
known that FSTVLT songs contain aspects of social criticism. In what follows, this
group song’s carried a social theme and can be dissected using the perspective of
literary sociology.
6. Two Lovers in an Austenian Novel of Manners: The Impact of Social Status in Pride
and Prejudice by Hashemipour (2019). This research is using the qualitative
descriptive method. This research result’s is this novel stand against the stigma of
marriage back then. Moreover, describing Elizabeth struggles to her own goal and
dream if marriage is more than the social status and wealth were.
7.
The Impact of Patriarchy on the Suppression of Women's Characters of Alice
Walker's Novels in the Perspective of Marxist Feminism by Seshagiri and
Ravichand (2022). This research has aim to examine the impact of patriarchy on the
suppression of women’s characters by taking Marxist feminism as a background.
Also using the qualitative research method in it. To the result, women need to be
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out of intervention from any other men to make their own decisions, to stand alone
by their own feet as an independent women.
8.
Women’s Struggle to Achieve Their Gender Equality in Pride and Prejudice and
Jurnal Ph.D Mama: A Comparative Study by Rorintulus et al (2022). In this
research the researcher used qualitative research method. This research compared
two novels that talked about women’s struggle with the limitedness of women
which created by the society. There is no equality and how the society was always
looking down on women with dreams and goals. Furthermore, the result of this
comparative study is helping people out to realize the importance of gender equality
on that time and so on.
9.
Image of Women in Novels by Okky Madasary by Setiawan and Efendi (2020).
This research is descriptive qualitative research using the feminist literary criticism
approach and this research use the descriptive qualitative method. To the result,
women reputed as a weak and submissive to men. Landing on these fact, that is
why women are exploited and subject to sexual harassment. These had been
awakened in the society, it made women seems to be in the second-class human
beings.
10. Portrait of Women in Victorian Novels by Moghari (2020). The writer of this study
use the theory of feminism. And so on, this study is talking about the
representations of women under three categories: representation of women as angel
in the house, representation of women as fallen, and representation of women as
mad. The result is society at that time was male-dominated, women are ruled by
men and they were submissive as well.
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Through some researches, the writer point out the similarities and the
differences. The similarity is about the same object as well, the social criticism. Same
term but they delivered it through various ways. Furthermore, the specific differences
are: in Oktavia and Asri (2021) study, they analyzed social conflicts that experienced by
the characters based on problems related to economic factors as the main problem. And
the next, in Umboh et al (2022) study, they analyzed and criticized about many social
problems through the poem Epitaph for the Race of Man by Edna St. Vincent Millay.
Then in Arbain (2016) study, he analyzed the plot or chronological events that has cause
and effect of the relationship among them on the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane
Austen. Another review of related literature, in Lu and Zhao (2015) study, they
analyzed about the comparison of feminism that contain both in Pride and Prejudice &
Jane Eyre.
The next study is from Wasik and Liliani (2018), they analyzed about aspects
that contains in the song about the social criticism in FSTVLT songs. Meanwhile, the
writer of this study focuses on the spesific problem about how society take a look in
women in Pride & Prejudice era. In another research, by Hashemipour (2019) explains
about how big the differences of social status affects thing on that era, in this case about
marriage, society thinks it would be unfair marrying woman whose not in the same
social class as you. It has the red lines with this study how society think women should
not be able to marry men that wealthier than them, but on the other side, women were
always expected to marry rich men to be stable financially. Another study that relates is
study by Rorintulus et al (2022), that talks about the importance of gender equality, and
how people should appreciate all genders, especially women. The last two studies are
also in lines and related are Image and Potrait of Women, that showed how submissive
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women were and easily ruled by men, furthermore the society made that stigma as it is
back then.
VII. THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK
Basically in the theory of Swingewood and Laurenson (1972), there are three
concepts of the relation of society to literary works.
1.
Literature as a reflection of the times.
2.
Literature is seen from the production process of its authorship.
3.
Literature in relation to history.
Departing from the concept of Swingewood and Laurenson (1972), this analysis
aims to find out the social situation of society in Pride and Prejudice novel. In this study
the writer is using the first and the third perspective/concept of this theory. These
concepts will be applied in conjunction with another to evaluate whether a piece of
literature accurately reflects the social climate of a culture at that time and how it related
to the history when the novel was written. The writer is taking a look to this theory
while making this study based on fact that this theory is in accordance with the problem
of this study. Through the novel of Jane Austen the, writer linked the social problems,
specifically, the social perspective with the literary work, the writer applied this theory
in order to reflects the social climate of culture and society’s condition at that time for
the final result of this study.
The first part is literature as a reflection of the times, according to Wellek and
Warren (1949), literature "imitates" "life" and "life" is, in large measure, a social reality,
even though the natural world and the inner or subjective world of the individual have
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also been objects of literary "imitation". Which means by examine the novel carefully,
the writer will find the image and ideas of the time that the novel had written as an
imitation of how society at that time. The writer of this study using this to help her
perceive her understanding about society at the time together with linking this concept
with this research as well. The next is literature in relation to history. Wellek and
Warren (1949) stated the distinction between a view of literature as a simultaneous
order and a view of literature which sees it primarily as a series of works arranged in a
chronological order and as integral parts of the historical process. Literary work can be
a critic which was made deliberately in that time or before the time, to criticize certain
things that did not align with the mindset of the author of the literary work itself.
Pride and Prejudice was written during the Georgian era (1714–1837) into which
Jane Austen was born into. It was a period of transition along with Britain’s constant
warfare abroad. It was the beginning of the Industrial Revolution that saw the shift in
arts and letters to an era of romance. Also, it is the period in which the first whispers of
feminist and abolitionist concerns were heard in Western Europe. Jane Austen
completed the original manuscript of Pride and Prejudice, titled First Impressions,
between 1796 and 1797, but it was published only in January 1813. Linking with the
problem in this study, it reflects about how society at that era made their perspective on
women.
According to Swingewood and Laurenson (1972), the great authors do not
simplified the social universe into broad descriptions, but rather their duty to critique
and create their own destiny in discovering social meaning and value of literary work.
In this research the writer focuses on how society made their perspective on women,
and this caused some impacts of it in every side of life at that time in the novel.
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According to Swingewood and Laurenson (1972), literary work can be used as a
reflection of the social phenomenon on society back then. Moreover, he also said that it
does not just stop at being the reflection of society and its history, more than that, the
writer should be able to articulating the values of the literary work. Due to that, the
writer will examine the society’s perspective on women through the information that
contain on the novel, and found out the perspective of society as well as exploring and
find the satisfactory understanding of the values that contained by using the sociology
of literature theory.
VIII. METHODOLOGY
In this research, the writer will use a descriptive qualitative research method.
Descriptive research refers to the methods that describe the characteristics of the
variables under study. This methodology focuses on answering questions relating to
“what” than the “why” of the research subject. The primary focus of descriptive
research is to simply describe the nature of the demographics under study instead of
focusing on the “why”. The research will be done in the following steps :
1.
Preparation
First of all, the researcher prepared things by reads the Novel Pride and
Prejudice a few times to get a better understanding of the whole story and find the
clear purposes of this study. Second, the writer started to seek information that
contains example of social perspective on women’s position in Pride and Prejudice
through the novel. And went to the library of Sam Ratulangi University to looking
for skripsi with anything related that have been done before.
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2.
Data Collection
In the next step, the first thing that researcher did was collect the data by
pointed out the dialogues, action and ideas about social perspective on women in
the Pride and Prejudice Novel. The researchers searched for data that is in
accordance with this research. After that, to make it more clarify and easier to
analyze, the researcher made it to table and categorized things that linking to the
problem of this research. Furthermore, the writer underlining and highliting the data
and classified those data based on the theory.
3.
Data Analysis
The researcher did the analysis data in order to make everything sure and
original. Last but not least, the research make sure of the data's authenticity. The
writer analyzed this study by provide the explanations through the data that had
been collected before. In analyzing data, the writer used qualitative method and the
theory of Alan Swingewood. Over and above, the writer analyze the social
perspective on women’s postion and its collision through every events in the novel.
IX. WORKING SCHEDULE
The working schedule of this research consists of four steps:
1.
Preparation takes about one week.
2.
Data collection takes about one week.
3.
Data analysis takes about one week.
4.
Writing down the draft takes about two weeks.
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X. AN OUTLINE OF INTENDED SKRIPSI
Chapter I : INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
1.2 Statement of Problem
1.3 Objective of Research
1.4 Significance of Research
1.5 A Brief Study of Related Literature
1.6 Theoretical Framework
1.7 Methodology
Chapter II : Classification, identification and analysis of Society's Perspective on
Women’s Position in Pride & Prejudice Novel.
Chapter III : Identification and analysis toward the Impact of Society's Perspective on
Women’s Position in Every Side of Life in The Era of Pride & Prejudice
Novel.
Chapter IV : Conclusion and Suggestion.
References
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REFERENCES
Abar, A. Z. (1997). Kritik Sosial, Pers, dan Politik Indonesia. Journal UII: UNISIA.
Arbain (2016). An Analysis on The Plot of Jane Austens Novel Pride And Prejudice.
Indonesia: Universitas Widya Gama Mahakam.
Austen, J. (2019). Pride and Prejudice, (Wordsworth ed). Indonesia: Collector’s
Edition.
Damono, S. D. (1979). Sosiologi sastra: Sebuah Pengantar Ringkas. Jakarta: Penelitian
dan Pengembangan Bahasa Depdikbud.
Eprint UMS. Landasan Teori Paragraf. Journal UMS.
Hashemipour, S. (2019). Two Lovers in an Austenian Novel of Manners: The Impact of
Social Status in Pride and Prejudice. Turkey: Girne American University.
Kristen, P. K. (2016) Perilaku Narsis Sophie dalam Novel The School of Good and Evil
Karya Soman Chainani: Sebuah Analisis Karakter, Skripsi. Indonesia: Faculty of
Humanities, Universitas Sam Ratulangi.
Lu, L. & Zhao, Y. (2015). A Feminist Analysis of Jane Eyre & Pride and Prejudice.
China: School of Translation Studies, Jinan University. Moghari, S. (2020).
Portrait of Women in Victorian Novels. Iran: Semnan University.
Oktavia, R. & Asri, Y. (2021). Social Conflict in a Collection of Short Stories Mata
Yang Enak Dipandang by Ahmad Tohari (Study of Literature Sociology).
Indonesia: Indonesian Language Department, Universitas Negeri Padang.
Pride and Prejudice Historical Context (2023). Bookanalysis.com.
Rorintulus, O. A. et al. (2022). Women’s Struggle to Achieve Their Gender Equality in
Pride and Prejudice and Jurnal Ph.D Mama: A Comparative Study. Tondano:
Manado State University.
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Seshagiri, H. & Ravichand, M. (2022). The Impact of Patriarchy on the Suppression of
Women's Characters of Alice Walker's Novels in the Perspective of Marxist
Feminism. Tirupathi: Sri Vidyanikethan Engineering College.
Setiawan, H. & Efendi, A. (2020). Image of Women in Novels by Okky Madasary.
Indonesia: Yogyakarta State University.
Swingewood, A & Laurenson, D. (1972). The Sociology of Literature. Paladine.
Tylor, E. B. (1871). Primitive Culture. Open Library.org.
Umboh, V. F. et al. (2022) The Analysis of Social Criticism in Millay’s Poem Epitaph
for The Race of Man. KOMPETENSI : Jurnal Ilmiah Bahasa dan Seni, 2(2).
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Wasik, A. H. & Liliani, E. (2018). Social Criticism in the FSTVLT Song Literature
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