Jane Austen
(1775-1817)
Life
Works
Analyzing
Pride and Prejudice
Life
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sense and Sensibility (1811)
Pride and Prejudice(1813)
Mansfield Park (1814)
Emma(1815)
Northanger Abbey (1818)
Persuasion (1818)
The Artistic Features
1. The style :
In style , she is a neoclassicism advocator , upholding
those traditional ideas of order,reason , proportion and
gracefulness in novel writing .
2. The subject matter :
 Austen's main literary concern is about human beings in
their personal relationships .
 Austen shows a human being not at moment of crisis ,
but in the most trivial incidents of everyday life.
 As a novelist Jane Austen writes within a very narrow
sphere . She focuses on middle-class provincial life with
humor、 wit 、 observant narrative touch and
understanding.
3. The theme :
Jane Austen is particularly preoccupied with the
relationship between men and women in love . The most
urgent preoccupation of her young, well-bred heroines is
courtship, and finally marriage.
On the setting of her works
“3 or 4 families in a Country
village is the very thing to
work on ”
“the little bit (two inches wide)
of ivory on which I work with
so fine a brush as produces
little effect after much
labour”
Sir Walter Scott on Jane Austen:
That young lady has a talent for describing the
involvements and feelings and characters of
ordinary life which is to me the most
wonderful I ever met with. The big bow-wow
strain I can do myself like any now going;
but the exquisite touch, which renders
ordinary commonplace things and
characters interesting, from the truth of the
description and the sentiment, is denied to
me.
—From "The Journal of Sir Walter Scott," March, 1826.
•
Emma was written
in comic tone and
told the story of
Emma Woodhouse,
who finds her
destiny in
marriage. During
the story Emma, a
snobbish young
woman, develops
into someone
capable of feeling
and love.
• Emma was written in comic tone. It told the story of Emma
Woodhouse, who finds her destiny in marriage. Emma is a
wealthy, pretty, self-satisfied young woman. She is left alone
with her hypochondriac father. Her governess, Miss Taylor,
marries a neighbor, Mr. Weston. Emma has too much time and
she spends it choosing proper partners for her friends and
neighbors - blind to her own feelings. She makes a protégée of
Harriet Smith, an illegitimate girl of no social status and tries to
manipulate a marriage between Harriet and Mr. Elton, a young
clergyman, who has set his sight on Emma. Emma has feelings
about Mr. Weston's son. When Harriet becomes interested in
George Knightley, a neighboring squire who has been her
friend, Emma starts to understand her own limitations. He has
been her moral adviser, and secretly loves her. Finally Emma
finds her destiny in marriage with him. Harriet, who is left to
decide for herself, marries Robert Martin, a young farmer.
Major Elements of Analyzing Fiction
Major Elements of Analyzing Fiction
Plot
Characters
Style
Form and Structure
Setting
Point of view
Theme
Motifs
• A plot is a causal sequence
of events, the "why" for the
things that happen in the
story. The plot draws the
reader into the character's
lives and helps the reader
understand the choices that
the characters make.
?
• Plot
“a young couple
destined to be
married have to
overcome the
barriers of pride
on the part of the
hero and prejudice
on the part of the
heroine”
•Chapter 6: Sir William Lucas:
“Mr. Darcy, you must allow me to
present this young lady to you as a
very desirable partner.”
 “Which do you mean?” and turning
round, he looked for a moment at
Elizabeth, till catching her eye, he
withdrew his own and coldly said, “She is
tolerable; but not handsome enough to
tempt me; and I am in no humour at
present to give consequence to young
ladies who are slighted by other men. You
had better return to your partner and
enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your
time with me.”
• Chapter 3:
Darcy on Elizabeth:
“She is tolerable,
but not handsome
enough to tempt
me.”
Explanation
• These words describe Darcy’s reaction at the Meryton ball
in Chapter 3 to Bingley’s suggestion that he dance with
Elizabeth. Darcy, who sees the people of Meryton as his
social inferiors, haughtily refuses to condescend to
dancing with someone “not handsome enough” for him.
Moreover, he does so within Elizabeth’s hearing, thereby
establishing a reputation among the entire community for
pride and bad manners. His sense of social superiority,
artfully exposed in this passing comment, later proves his
chief difficulty in admitting his love for Elizabeth. The
rudeness with which Darcy treats Elizabeth creates a
negative impression of him in her mind, one that will
linger for nearly half of the novel, until the underlying
nobility of his character is gradually revealed to her.
 They gradually ascended for half a mile, and then found
themselves at the top of a considerable eminence, where
the wood ceased, and the eye was instantly caught by
Pemberley House, situated on the opposite side of a valley,
into which the road with some abruptness wound. It was a
large, handsome, stone building, standing well on rising
ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills;—and
in front, a stream of some natural importance was swelled
into greater, but without any artificial appearance. Its banks
were neither formal, nor falsely adorned. Elizabeth was
delighted. She had never seen a place where nature had
done more, or where natural beauty had been so little
counteracted by an awkward taste. They were all of them
warm in her admiration; and at that moment she felt that to
be mistress of Pemberley might be something!
• These lines open Chapter 43 and provide Elizabeth’s
introduction to Darcy’s grand estate at Pemberley. Her visit to
Darcy’s home, which occupies a central place in the narrative,
operates as a catalyst for her growing attraction toward its 催化
owner. In her conversations with the housekeeper, Mrs. 剂
Reynolds, Elizabeth hears testimonials of Darcy’s wonderful
generosity and his kindness as a master; when she encounters
Darcy himself, while walking through Pemberley’s grounds,
he seems altogether changed and his previous arrogance has
diminished remarkably. This initial description of the building
and grounds at Pemberley serves as a symbol of Darcy’s
character. The “stream of some natural importance . . .
swelled into greater” reminds the reader of his pride, but the
fact that it lacks “any artificial appearance” indicates his basic
honesty, as does the fact that the stream is neither “formal, nor
falsely adorned.” Elizabeth’s delight, and her sudden
epiphany about the pleasure that being mistress of Pemberley
(对事物
真意的)
must hold, prefigure her later joy in Darcy’s continued
领悟。
预 devotion.
示，
预
兆。
Analysis of
Major Characters
The Bennet Family
Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet
Chapter One
• Chapter 20:
Mrs. Bennet
Mr. Bennet’s wife, a
foolish, noisy woman whose
only goal in life is to see her
daughters married. Because
of her low breeding and
often unbecoming behavior,
Mrs. Bennet often repels the
very suitors whom she tries
to attract for her daughters.
•Chapter 13:Mrs.
Bennet: “Why Jane -you never dropt a word
of this, you sly thing!”
Mr. Bennet
- The patriarch of the Bennet family, a
gentleman of modest income with five
unmarried daughters. Mr. Bennet has a
sarcastic, cynical sense of humor that he
uses to purposefully irritate his wife.
Though he loves his daughters (Elizabeth
in particular), he often fails as a parent,
preferring to withdraw from the neverending marriage concerns of the women
around him rather than offer help.
The first sentence of
Pride and Prejudice
• IT is a truth universally acknowledged, that a
single man in possession of a good fortune
must be in want of a wife.
• It stands as one of the most famous first lines
in literature. In this statement, Jane has cleverly
done three things:
1. Plot
• She has declared that the main subject of the novel will be
courtship and marriage and offers a miniature sketch of the
entire plot which concerns itself with the pursuit of “single
men in possession of a good fortune” by various female
characters. The preoccupation with socially advantageous
marriage in nineteenth-century English society manifests
itself here, for in claiming that a single man “must be in
want of a wife,” the narrator reveals that the reverse is also
true: a single woman, whose socially prescribed options
are quite limited, is in (perhaps desperate) want of a
husband.
2. Tone
She has established the humorous tone of
the novel by taking a simple subject to
elaborate and to speak intelligently of.
3. Pride and Prejudice and 18th
century
It also defines Jane’s book as a piece of literature
that connects itself to the 18th century period.
Pride and Prejudice is 18th century because of the
emphasis on man in his social environment rather
than in his individual conditions. The use of satire
and wit, a common form of 18th century literature,
also contributes to label the book as 18th century.
Jane Bennet
• The eldest and most
beautiful Bennet sister.
Jane is more reserved and
gentler than Elizabeth. The
easy pleasantness with
which she and Bingley
interact contrasts starkly
with the mutual distaste
that marks the encounters
between Elizabeth and
Darcy.
Elizabeth Bennet
The novel’s protagonist. The
second daughter of Mr. Bennet,
Elizabeth is the most intelligent and
sensible of the five Bennet sisters.
She is well read and quick-witted,
with a tongue that occasionally
proves too sharp for her own good.
Her realization of Darcy’s essential
goodness eventually triumphs over
her initial prejudice against him.
Elizabeth Bennet.
Mary Bennet
The middle Bennet sister, bookish and
pedantic迂腐.
Catherine Bennet
The fourth Bennet
sister. She is, like
Lydia, girlishly
enthralled with the
soldiers.
被迷惑
Lydia Bennet
- The youngest Bennet
sister, who is devoted to a
life of dancing, fashions,
gossips and flirting,
immature and selfinvolved. Unlike
Elizabeth, Lydia flings
herself headlong into
romance and ends up
running off with
Wickham.
Charles Bingley
Darcy’s considerably wealthy best
friend. Bingley’s purchase of
Netherfield, an estate near the
Bennets, serves as the impetus for
the novel. He is a genial, wellintentioned gentleman, whose
easygoing nature contrasts with
Darcy’s initially discourteous 不恭
的，不礼貌的demeanor举止，行为. He is
blissfully uncaring about class
differences.
Fitzwilliam Darcy
A wealthy gentleman, the
master of Pemberley, and
the nephew of Lady
Catherine de Bourgh.
Though Darcy is intelligent
and honest, his excess of
pride causes him to look
down on his social inferiors.
Over the course of the novel,
he tempers his classconsciousness and learns to
admire and love Elizabeth for
her strong character.
George Wickham
A handsome, fortunehunting militia officer.
Wickham’s good looks and
charm attract Elizabeth
initially, but Darcy’s
revelation about Wickham’s
disreputable past clues her
in to his true nature and
simultaneously draws her
closer to Darcy.
Mr. Collins
A pompous, generally idiotic
clergyman who stands to
inherit Mr. Bennet’s property.
Mr. Collins’s own social status
is nothing to brag about, but he
takes great pains to let
everyone and anyone know
that Lady Catherine de Bourgh
serves as his patroness. He is
the worst combination of
snobbish and obsequious 逢迎
的，谄媚的.
Lady
Catherine de Bourgh
A rich, bossy noblewoman;
Mr. Collins’s patroness
and Darcy’s aunt. Lady
Catherine epitomizes代表
class snobbery, especially
in her attempts to order
the middle-class
Elizabeth away from her
well-bred nephew.
Charlotte Lucas
Elizabeth’s dear friend.
Pragmatic and six years
older than Elizabeth,
Charlotte does not view love
as the most vital component
of a marriage. She is more
interested in having a
comfortable home. Thus,
when Mr. Collins proposes,
she accepts.
Miss Bingley
• Charles Bingley’s
snobbish sister. Miss
Bingley bears
inordinate disdain
for Elizabeth’s
middle-class
background. Her
vain attempts to
garner Darcy’s
attention cause
Darcy to admire
Elizabeth’s selfpossessed character
even more.
?
• Style is usually defined by
the writer’s choice of words,
figures of speech, devices,
and the shaping of the
sentences and paragraphs.
?
read
Chapter One
• Jane Austen's graceful, economical narrative style
was unique in her time. It was an era in literature
given to flowery wordiness and emotional excess.
Pride and Prejudice is told in a readable prose
without a single superfluous word, and it
frequently breaks into dialogue so lively and so
revealing of characters that entire scenes have
been lifted bodily from the novel and reproduced
1.清澈的，透明
in dramatized versions for stage and screen. 的。2.清楚的；
明白的。
Austen's style is so deceptively lucid that we can
hardly believe she submitted her writing to so
much polishing and revision. In Jane Austen’s own
words, it is “light and bright, and sparkling” .
FORM AND STRUCTURE
•
•
Like her writing style, the structure of Jane
Austen's novel is deceptively simple. She appears to
be telling a straightforward story, character by
character and happening by happening, exactly as it
occurred in chronological sequence. We can in fact
read the novel that way. But on closer look we find
that Pride and Prejudice is not merely a record of
events. Instead, it is an interweaving of plot and
subplots, an intricate pattern with various threads.
• The main plot follows the far from smooth
course of the romance between Elizabeth
and Darcy and the conflict of his pride and
her prejudice. Their feelings, born of first
impressions, are not the only obstacles
between them. Three subplots complicate
their relationship.
•
•
The first is Bingley's attraction to Jane
Bennet and Darcy's intervention to save his
friend from what he sees as an undesirable
marriage. The second is Wickham's
involvement with the Darcy family, and his
ability to charm Elizabeth and deepen her
prejudice against Darcy. The third is
Charlotte Lucas' marriage to Mr. Collins,
which throws Elizabeth and Darcy together
and sharpens their differences.
• Elizabeth ends up rejecting Darcy in what we
come to see as the first dramatic climax of the
story. The Wickham subplot brings on the second
dramatic climax: his elopement with Lydia and the
scandal and probable ruin of the entire Bennet
family.
•
Austen maintains an air of suspense to the very
end. She also keeps her three subplots alive with a
novelist's juggling skill. In the end, all three
subplots contribute to the resolution of the
principal plot, and the hero and heroine come
together in happiness at last.
Setting?
• Writers describe the world
they know. Sights, sounds,
colors, and textures are all
vividly painted in words as an
artist paints images on canvas.
A writer imagines a story to be
happening in a place that is
rooted in his or her mind. The
location of a story's actions,
along with the time in which it
occurs, is the setting.
Setting
• There are few descriptions of the
setting in Pride and Prejudice. The
main actions of the novel are the
interactions between opinions,
ideas, and attitudes, which weaves
and advances the plot of the novel.
• setting (time) · Some point during
the Napoleonic Wars (1797-1815)
• setting (place) · Longbourn, in
rural England
Point of View?
• In fiction, who tells the
story and how it is told are
critical issues for an
author to decide. The tone
and feel of the story, and
even its meaning, can
change radically
depending on who is
telling the story.
The point of view in Pride and
Prejudice is limited omniscient;
the story is primarily told from
Elizabeth Bennet’s point of
view, but not in the first person.
(Austen writes in the thirdperson limited point of view, in
which the "narrator tells the
story in the third person but
confines narration to what is
experienced, thought, and felt
by a single character through a
•She [Elizabeth] perceived her
single consciousness." )
sister and Bingley standing
together.
弱点,
小缺
点。
• Whatever the approach whether through
Elizabeth's mind or through the voice of a
narrator, the point of view is always and
unmistakably Jane Austen's. It is always her
sharply critical eye which observes and
subtly comments on her society's follies and
foibles, making us laugh but also making us
aware. When we finish her book we know
very well the defects she saw in the people
of her world, but we also know how much
she enjoyed her life among them, faults and
all.
愚
笨，
愚
蠢。
Theme?
Themes are the fundamental and
often universal ideas explored in a
literary work.
1. Love
2. Class-consciousness
Love
• Pride and Prejudice contains one of the
most cherished love stories in English
literature: the courtship between Darcy and
Elizabeth. As in any good love story, the
lovers must elude and overcome numerous
stumbling blocks, beginning with the
tensions caused by the lovers’ own personal
qualities.
Elizabeth’s pride makes her misjudge Darcy
on the basis of a poor first impression,
while Darcy’s prejudice against Elizabeth’s
poor social standing blinds him, for a time,
to her many virtues.
Austen, meanwhile, poses countless smaller
obstacles to the realization of the love
between Elizabeth and Darcy, including
Lady Catherine’s attempt to control her
nephew, Miss Bingley’s snobbery, Mrs.
Bennet’s idiocy, and Wickham’s deceit.
Darcy and Elizabeth’s realization of a mutual
and tender love seems to imply that Austen
views love as a force separate from society
and one that can conquer even the most
difficult of circumstances.
1.白痴。2.
极端愚蠢的
言行。
Class consciousness
• The lines of class are strictly drawn. While
the Bennets, who are middle class, may
socialize with the upper-class Bingleys and
Darcys, they are clearly their social inferiors
and are treated as such.
• Austen satirizes this kind of classconsciousness, particularly in the character
of Mr. Collins, who spends most of his time
toadying巴结，讨好 to his upper-class patron,
Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
Though an extreme example, he is not the
only one to hold such views. His
conception of the importance of class is
shared, among others, by Mr. Darcy, who
believes in the dignity of his lineage家系;
Miss Bingley, who dislikes anyone not as
socially accepted as she is; and Wickham,
who will do anything he can to get
enough money to raise himself into a
higher station.
Through the Darcy-Elizabeth and Bingley-Jane
marriages, Austen shows the power of love and
happiness to overcome class boundaries and
prejudices, thereby implying that such prejudices
are hollow, unfeeling, and unproductive.
Of course, this whole discussion of class must be
made with the understanding that Austen herself is
often criticized as being a classist: she doesn’t
really represent anyone from the lower classes;
those servants she does portray are generally
happy with their lot. Austen does criticize class
structure but only a limited slice of that structure.
Some Motifs on P & P
Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or
literary devices that can help to develop and
inform the text’s major themes.
• 1. Women’s Education
•
2. Status of Women
• 3. Inheritance
Women’s Education
In Jane Austen’s day, it was
preferred that women receive
a practical training on
“accomplishments” of
“music-drawing-dancing” for
their domestic role. In those
days before sewing machines,
a relatively large amount of
girls’ and women’s time was
spent on sewing needlework,
While engaging in light
conversation, or listening to
a novel being read. The
purpose of such
accomplishments was often
only to attract a husband, so
that these skills then tended
to neglected after marriage.
Status of Women
In Jane Austen’s time, there was no real way for young
women of the “genteel” classes to strike out on their
own or be independent. Few occupations were open to
them -- and those few (such as being a governess, i.e. a
live-in teacher for the daughters or young children of a
family) were not highly respected, and did not
generally pay well or have very good working
conditions. Therefore most "genteel" women could not
get money except by marrying for it or inheriting it.