Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice A study of voice… Austen’s narration – Our Town comparison Cultural Literacy – Waterloo, Sampson, Aprodite, Phelpsism

“Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can.” A comedy of manners – money, family background, and personal vanity complicates the course of true love. Reference to initial misconception – impression Lizzy has for Darcy (based on coincidence) Reference to Blink – recent best seller concerning judgments based on initial 30 seconds of meeting someone – elaboration.

Highlights of Jane’s Life Born 1775 Died 1817 (age 42) Daughter of a country minister in Steventon (small Hampshire town) Sister – Cassandra (neither married) Brothers –James, Henry, Francis, and Charles Educated Austen's life was not nearly as eventful as that of her characters. In 1801 the family moved to the socially esteemed spa city of Bath, which provides the setting for many of her novels In 1802 Austen received a marriage proposal from a wealthy but "big and awkward" man named Harris Bigg-Wither, who was six years her junior. Such a marriage would have freed her and her parents and sister from some of the constraints and dependency then associated with the role of a spinster. Such considerations may have influenced her to initially accept his offer, only to change her mind and refuse him the following day. It seems clear that she did not love him. After the death of her father in 1805, Austen, her sister, and her mother lived in Southampton with her brother Frank. It is now thought she may have suffered from Addison's disease, a failure of the adrenal glands that was often caused by tuberculosis. The disease was at that time unnamed.

Novels Sense and Sensibility (published 1811) Pride and Prejudice (1813) Mansfield Park (1814) Emma (1816) Northanger Abbey (1817) posthumous Persuasion (1817) posthumous Her posthumously published novel Northanger Abbey satirizes the Gothic novels of Ann Radcliffe Her novels received only moderate renown when they were published, though Sir Walter Scott in particular praised her work:

Shorter works Lady Susan The Watsons (incomplete novel) Sanditon (incomplete novel) Juvenilia The Three Sisters Love and Freindship [sic; the misspelling of "friendship" in the title is famous] The History of England Catharine, or the Bower The Beautifull Cassandra

Hollywood’s Fascination Pride and Prejudice (six film versions) Emma (five film versions) Sense and Sensibility (four film versions) Persuasion (three film versions) Mansfield Park Northanger Abbey 2007 Release of Becoming Jane 2007 The Jane Austen Book Club In popular culture, Austen's novels have been adapted in a great number of film and television series, varying greatly in their faithfulness to the originals. Pride and Prejudice has been the most reproduced of her works, with six films, the most recent being the 2005 adaptation directed by Joe Wright, starring Keira Knightley, Donald Sutherland, Matthew Macfadyen, and Dame Judi Dench, as well as the 2004 Bollywood adaptation Bride & Prejudice. Previously, there were five television series produced by the BBC, the most noteworthy being the well-loved 1995 version, starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. The 2001 film Bridget Jones's Diary included characters and plot line inspired by the novel. Emma has been adapted to film five times: in 1932 with Marie Dressler and Jean Hersholt, a 1972 British television version, the 1995 teen film Clueless, in 1996 with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam, and also in 1996 on British television with Kate Beckinsale. Sense and Sensibility has been made into four films including the 1995 version directed by Ang Lee and starring Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson (who won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay). Persuasion has been adapted into two television series and one feature film. Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey have both been made into films. The 1980 film Jane Austen in Manhattan is about rival film companies who wish to produce a film based on the only complete Austen play "Sir Charles Grandison" (from the Richardson novel of the same title), which was rediscovered in 1980.[1]

The Novel Originally published under a pseudonym Considered most popular of her six novels Original title First Impressions (1797) Redrafted, published under new title in 1813. Although all her works are love stories, and although her career coincided with the Romantic movement in literature, Jane Austen was no Romantic. Passionate emotion usually carries danger in an Austen novel and the young woman who exercises moderation is more likely to find real happiness than one who irrationally elopes with a capricious lover. Her artistic values had more in common with David Hume and John Locke than with her contemporaries William Wordsworth or Lord Byron

Plot Emphasis on character development Restricted to a sphere of a few families Study of relationships and upper classes Matrimony supplies stability Coincidence main plot device Explores human weaknesses No outright evil

Comedy charged with moral purpose Good-natured irony Narrative voice – amused detachment Highly polished, considered the product of a perfectionist Masterpiece of verbal and structural irony

Famous opening line sets the exigent and tone: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” Exigent: social pressure, not individual choice, determines marriages and relationships. Satirical tone: It is not that a single man desires a wife, but that everyone finds he lacks one, his good fortune requires it.

Ideal – Polite social behavior Reality – Characters fall short Tone – Politely modulated despite characters contrasting behavior defects. Result – The follies, self-deception, vulgarity, and deceit are illuminated by the grace and polish of the narrative tone.

Elizabeth – Protagonist of worth Intelligent Not frozen in one position – dynamic Sharp wit outshines narrator’s tone Contrasts as well to the flat, polite, self-serving euphemisms of the rest of the characters. Seeks a firmer grip on reality than the society that prizes facades.

Realistic – Elizabeth can be deceived. Cinderella Story – Convention is tilted - wicked step sisters - Bennet sisters - wicked step mother - Mrs. Bennet - fairy godmother - Lady Catherine - handsome Prince - Darcy

Purpose Austen desired to satirize the traditional Eighteenth Century Romance Genre *Battling Lovers *The Charming Rake *Obstacles *The Injured Innocence *Blocking Figure *The Jealous Rival *Parallel Romances *Comic Ending

Criticism – Greatest strengths also greatest weaknesses. No awareness of international upheavals and turmoil of her day *Napoleonic Wars *Industrial Revolution *Plight of working class *Effects of psychology (Freud) *Effects of science (technology/Darwinism) Austen also earned the admiration of Macaulay (who thought that in the world there were no compositions which approached nearer to perfection), Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Southey, Sydney Smith, and Edward FitzGerald. Twentieth century scholars ranked her among the greatest literary geniuses of the English language, sometimes even comparing her to Shakespeare Charlotte Brontë criticized the narrow scope of Austen's fiction. Mark Twain's reaction was negative.

Jane wrote what she knew. *Little insight into male characters. * Extreme passion avoided.

Point of View Austen pioneered Free Indirect Discourse - third-person limited narration. Is the heroine speaker or the narrator? This narration is the precursor to stream-of-consciousness.

Romanticism versus Realism Advocates no restraint Shows nature as a transcendental power Reveals man’s plight currently tragic Celebrates natural beauty Presents order and discipline Supports traditional values and norms Views human condition in comic spirit Sparse description of nature

Dialogue Most vivid and important part of the novel Major turning points are verbal Provokes gentle laughter at times Makes bitter observations at times States moral evaluations

Theme Knowledge comes through careful reasoning and considered experience, unclouded by pride or prejudice based on rank or mere appearances.

Historical Backdrop Regency Period Industrial Revolution and Social Class Structure Women’s Rights and Entailment due to Patriarchy Social Mobility Limits Social Decorum and Reputation

This has been an undocumented Report NOT a Research Project! This is an example of the research you should do as an initial way of approaching your topic. Now you are probably ready to create a research question. What are some possible research questions? Discuss with your partner!

Here is mine - How does Jane Austen’s use of verbal and situational irony cause her to be categorized as a Realist rather than a Romantic author?

Now I must research to find out what the authorities say… I would not just Google this idea. I need to find authority. I need to use literary texts and internet sites that are recognized as critical analysis by people in the field.