Pride and Prejudice By Jane Austen Group Members: Ms. Rossel , Lucas Rossel, Bubba Gump, and Susie Q.

First version written in 1796-97 First published in 1813 Original title: First Impressions

Structure The perspective is Third-Person Omniscient. The narrator speaks for Jane Austen, making subtle (sometimes-not-so subtle) commentary on life in Regency England, particularly the restrictions faced by women. The majority of the narrator’s observations come from the mind of the protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet At several key moments in the novel, the narrative is epistolary—presented in the form of letters. This device was a fairly common for the early nineteenth century novel, and reflects the importance of letters to people of Jane Austen’s time and class.

Structure, continued 61 chapters, 281 pages in the Modern Library version. Some versions contain 3 volumes, (ch. 1-23, 1-19, & 1- 19) Though the novel has endured as a romantic story, the novel is highly satirical. Austen, in all six of her novels, criticizes the limited choices offered to women of her era. Austen’s satire is Horatian in style: tongue-in-cheek in tone and good-humored.

A Complex Point-of-View… In the final chapter, Austen breaks into first person, briefly, to comment on Mrs. Bennet: “I wish I could say, for the sake of her family, that the accomplishment of her earnest desire in the establishment of so many of her children produced so happy an effect as to make her a sensible, amiable, well-informed woman for the rest of her life…”

In Pride and Prejudice, Austen puts her female characters’ security in jeopardy due to system of primogeniture and the tradition of property entailment. A holdover from feudal days, this system kept property in the hands of a few, but at the expense of younger sons, and women. An entailment which will one day take away the family home plays a major role in Austen’s Sense and Sensibility as well. Through her novels, Austen commented on the practice of primogeniture, and its flaws.

Epistolary Novel Pride and Prejudice is a romance novel, in that the plot revolves around the romantic concerns of its characters. Letters, or epistles, are central to the plot. Austen uses a letters to reveal crucial plot elements. The letter Darcy sends to Elizabeth, explaining the truth about Wickham, is a turning point in the novel. Elizabeth has an epiphany, realizing that the judgment she thought was infallible has failed her.

Famous First Line “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”

The Opening Line… The opening line of the novel sets up the preoccupation of many of the characters, as well as the axis on which the plot turns: the pursuit of marriage. Several marriages will take place throughout the course of the novel; Austen contrasts these relationships—those based on love with those based on more mercenary concerns. The opening line also sets the satirical tone.

Elizabeth’s Ordinary World Elizabeth’s world is very small—she lives at home, at her father’s small estate called Longbourn.

Like Austen herself, the Bennet family are part of the landed gentry. Though they did not hold titles, and most were not part of the haute ton, the highest level of English society, the landed gentry owned large tracts of land, lived in fine houses, and kept servants. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the term gentleman referred to a man of property.

Campbell’s Steps to a Hero’s Journey http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero's_journey.htm 6/8/2018 Free template from www.brainybetty.com

Elizabeth’s story lines up with Campbell’s step five of the heroic journey: Crossing the First Threshold. Elizabeth breaks a major rule of her society when she refuses her first proposal of marriage.

The Approach to the Inmost Cave, step seven of the hero’s journey, often involves the hero glimpsing their own dark side. For Elizabeth, this occurs when the judgment on which she has always prided herself turns out to have been wholly and completely wrong.

Free template from www.brainybetty.com Chapter One Summary Bubba Gump is working on this and will submit it by Monday, February 13th 6/8/2018 Free template from www.brainybetty.com

Free template from www.brainybetty.com Literary Devices Lucas Rossel is in charge and the literary devices go here. He is turning them in to Ms. Rossel by Monday, February 13th. 6/8/2018 Free template from www.brainybetty.com

Character Analysis- Mr. Collins A handout will be given to the audience at this time 6/8/2018 Free template from www.brainybetty.com

Free template from www.brainybetty.com Works Cited Susie Q. is putting these together from everyone in the group and will turn it in to Ms. Rossel by Monday, February 13th. 6/8/2018 Free template from www.brainybetty.com