Hi everyone, this is Linda Jr. Long time no see. How are you guys doing? It’s an honor for me to be the host this coming Saturday (9/1) afternoon, and I would like to talk about a famous English novel Pride and Prejudice, which is regarded as one of the greatest novels in this century. You can also find the eponymous DVD at Blockbusters, but it’s better for you if you read the novel first. Have you heard of Jane Austen? Did you know she had almost no formal education? She only received some instruction from a relative in Oxford, and then went to study in Southampton. Did you know Pride and Prejudice was one of her earliest works and it was named “First Impression” in the beginning when no publishing companies accepted it to go public.
Pride and Prejudice is usually considered the most popular novel of Austen’s novels.
Biography of Jane Austen
Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775 at Steventon, Hampshire, England. She was the seventh child of the rector of the parish, and lived with her loving family, which included one sister and six brothers, until they moved to Bath, a setting she utilized to advantage in many of her novels, when her father retired in 1801.Her father, Reverend George Austen (1731-1805), was from Kent and attended the Tunbridge School before studying at Oxford and going to make a living as a rector at Steventon. Her mother, Cassandra Leigh Austen (1739-1827), was the daughter of a patrician family.
Unlike many famous writers, who lived lives filled with adventure and travel, Austen lived an extremely quiet, uneventful life. She never married, but did accept an offer of marriage once from a “big and awkward” man six years her junior. However, for some reasons she changed her mind and rescinded her promise the day following her acceptance. In this era, unmarried women were not highly regarded: women of high social rank were not permitted to work, and thus remained dependent upon their families for financial support. For Austen, turning down a marriage proposal was an important decision indeed, because marriage would have freed her from the embarrassing situation of being a “dependent.” More than anyone, Austen was close to her older sister, who was her lifelong companion.
Summery
--"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife"—
The arrival of a single man "of considerable fortune" in the neighbourhood greatly excites Mrs. Bennet. Mr. Bingley, the man in question, leased the Netherfield estate where he plans to temporarily settle with his two sisters, Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst, and his sister's husband, Mr. Hurst. Soon after moving in, Mr. Bingley and his party, which now includes his close friend Fitzwilliam Darcy, attend a public ball in the village of Meryton. At first, Mr. Darcy is admired for his fine figure and income of £10,000 a year and is far more the subject of attention than Mr. Bingley. However, he is soon regarded contemptuously as the villagers become disgusted with his pride. This is brought home to the Bennet family when Elizabeth Bennet overhears Mr. Darcy decline Mr. Bingley's suggestion that he dance with her because she is not handsome enough to tempt him. Mr. Bingley, on the other hand, proves highly agreeable, dancing with many of the eligible ladies in attendance and showing his decided admiration for Jane Bennet. Eager to encourage this highly advantageous match, Mrs. Bennet attempts to push Jane and Mr. Bingley together at every opportunity.
Shortly after the ball, Mr. Collins, a cousin who will inherit the Bennet estate because of an entail, visits the family. Mr. Collins, a pompous buffoon of a clergyman whose idea of a pleasant evening is reading to his female cousins from Fordyce's Sermons, delights in dropping the name of his great patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, with great frequency. Following Lady Catherine's imperious suggestion that he marry, Mr. Collins has decided to make amends for his role in the Bennets' future impoverishment by marrying one of his cousins. Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth but she refuses him point-blank. Although Mrs. Bennet tries to promote the marriage, Elizabeth, supported by her father, will not have him. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is introduced to Mr. Wickham, a pleasing, amiable officer in the regiment. Mr. Wickham informs her that he had known Mr. Darcy his entire life, but was dealt a serious wrong after the death of Mr. Darcy's father. After the tale is told, Elizabeth begins to harbour a strong prejudice against Mr. Darcy.
After Elizabeth rejects Mr. Collins, he hurriedly marries her best friend, Charlotte Lucas, and Elizabeth is invited to visit the newlyweds. While she is staying with them, Mr. Darcy visits his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, at the adjoining estate, Rosings. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are therefore thrown daily into each other's company. Elizabeth's charms eventually entrance Mr. Darcy, leading him to finally declare his love for her "against his own will" and his desire to marry her in spite of her objectionable family. Surprised and insulted by Mr. Darcy's high-handed method of proposing, as well as having recently learnt that Mr. Darcy convinced Mr. Bingley to sever ties with Jane and still contemptuous of Mr. Darcy's supposed wrongs against Mr. Wickham, Elizabeth refuses him in no uncertain terms, saying that he is "the last man in the world whom [she] could ever be prevailed on to marry." The next day, Mr. Darcy intercepts Elizabeth on her morning walk and hands her a letter before coldly taking his leave. In the letter, Mr. Darcy justifies his actions regarding his interference in Mr. Bingley and Jane's relationship, and reveals his history concerning Mr. Wickham and Mr. Wickham's true nature. The letter sheds a new light on Mr. Darcy's personality for Elizabeth and she begins to reconsider her opinion of him, particularly in the case of Mr. Wickham.
Later, while on holiday with her aunt and uncle, the Gardiners, Elizabeth is persuaded to visit nearby Pemberley, Mr. Darcy's estate, but only goes because she is told he is away. She is therefore mortified when she bumps into him unexpectedly while on a tour of the grounds; however, his altered behaviour towards her - distinctly warmer from their last meeting - and his polite and friendly manner towards her aunt and uncle begins to persuade Elizabeth that underneath his pride lies a true and generous nature. Her revised opinion of Mr. Darcy is supported through meeting his younger sister Georgiana, a gentle-natured and shy girl whom Mr. Darcy lovingly dotes upon.
Just as her relationship with Mr. Darcy starts to thaw, Elizabeth is horrified by news that, in her absence, her headstrong younger sister Lydia has attracted Mr. Wickham's attentions and eloped with him. When the family investigates, they learn that Mr. Wickham resigned his commission to evade gambling debts. When told of this by Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy takes it upon himself to find Mr. Wickham and bribe him into marrying Lydia, but keeps this secret from Elizabeth and her family. Elizabeth accidentally learns of Mr. Darcy's involvement from Lydia's careless remarks, later confirmed by Mrs. Gardiner. This final act completes a reversal in Elizabeth's sentiments, and she begins to regret having turned down Mr. Darcy's earlier proposal of marriage.
Lady Catherine discovers Mr. Darcy's feelings for Elizabeth, threatening her long cherished ambition for him to marry her own daughter. She pays Elizabeth an unannounced visit and brusquely tries to intimidate her into refusing such an engagement. Unfortunately, Catherine's visit serves to consolidate Elizabeth's intentions. Furthermore, Lady Catherine visits Mr. Darcy later, and relates the entire conversation to him, leading Mr. Darcy to the conviction that if he proposes to Elizabeth again, she may accept him.
The book ends with two marriages: Jane and Mr. Bingley, as well as Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. While the Bennets go their separate ways, both couples live happily ever after.
Characters in Pride and Prejudice
1. Elizabeth Bennet
Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist of the novel. Elizabeth is the second of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's five daughters, and is an attractive twenty year old when the story begins. In addition to being her father's favourite, Elizabeth is characterized as a sensible, intelligent woman. Misled by Mr. Darcy's cold outward behaviour, Elizabeth originally holds Mr. Darcy in contempt. However, she finds that Mr. Darcy improves on acquaintance, more so than she would expect.
2. Fitzwilliam Darcy
Fitzwilliam Darcy is the central male character and Elizabeth's second love interest in the novel. He is an intelligent, wealthy, extremely handsome and reserved 28-year-old man, who often appears haughty or proud to strangers but possesses an honest and kind nature underneath. Initially, he considers Elizabeth his social inferior, unworthy of his attention, but he finds that, despite his inclinations, he cannot deny his feelings for Elizabeth. His initial proposal of marriage is rejected because of his pride and Elizabeth's prejudice against him; however, at the end of the novel, he finds himself sharing his home, Pemberley in Derbyshire, with his beloved new wife, Elizabeth.
3. Mr. Bennet
Mr. Bennet is the father of Elizabeth Bennet and head of the Bennet family. An English gentleman with an estate in Hertfordshire, he is married to Mrs. Bennet and has five daughters. Unfortunately, his property is entailed to a male descendant, meaning it can only be inherited by his closest male heir (Mr. Collins). Mr. Bennet is a somewhat gentle and eccentric man who can only derive amusement from his "nervous" wife and three "silly" daughters--Mary, Kitty and Lydia. He is closer to his eldest daughter Jane, but more particularly to his second eldest daughter Elizabeth, and both Jane and Elizabeth have won this attachment due to possessing a greater amount of sense than their three sisters. Mr. Bennet prefers the solitude of his study, neglecting the raising of his children, which leads to near-disaster..
4. Mrs Bennet
Mrs. Bennet is the querulous, excitable and ill-bred wife of Mr. Bennet and mother of Elizabeth and her sisters. Her main concern in life is seeing her daughters married well to wealthy men, so that they will be taken care of following Mr. Bennet's death. However, her foolish nature and frequent social faux pas often impede her efforts towards this end.
5. Jane Bennet
Jane Bennet is the eldest Bennet sister. She is twenty-two years old at the start of the novel, and is generally considered to be the most beautiful amongst her sisters. The depth of her feelings is difficult to discern by those who do not know her well, due to her reserved manner and pleasantness to all. She is incapable of suspecting the worst of people, seeing only the good. She falls in love with Charles Bingley, and is devastated when he abruptly breaks off their developing relationship without explanation. Eventually however, the misunderstanding on his part is cleared up and she accepts his hand in marriage. Together, they live at Netherfield for about a year before moving to a new estate in Derbyshire and a mere 30 miles away from her favourite sister and brother-in-law.
6. Charles Bingley
Charles Bingley is the closest friend of Mr. Darcy, despite the differences in their personalities. He is an outgoing, extremely good-natured, and wealthy young man who leases property near the Bennets' estate at the beginning of the novel. Unlike many of those in his circle, he is approachable and mingles easily in company the others consider beneath them. He is attracted to Jane Bennet, who reciprocates his feelings but is too shy and reserved to fully express them.
7. William Collins
William Collins is the 25-year-old cousin of Mr. Bennet. A clergyman, he is the closest male relation to the Bennet family, and as such stands to inherit Longbourn on Mr. Bennet's death. Mr. Collins is a pompous, narrow-minded sycophant who is excessively devoted and flattering to his patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Advised by Lady Catherine to find a wife, he initially eyes Jane, only to instantly transfer his affections to Elizabeth upon learning of Jane's impending match with Mr. Bingley. After being rejected by his second choice, he proposes to Charlotte Lucas, who accepts him.
8. George Wickham
George Wickham is the enemy of Mr. Darcy. He is a dashing, charming and handsome young soldier who attracts the attention of Elizabeth Bennet. His father was the manager of the Darcy estate, so he grew up with Mr. Darcy and his sister and was a favourite of Mr. Darcy's since-deceased father. Mr. Wickham's charm skillfully conceals a more conniving and dishonourable nature, and there is bitter enmity between him and Mr. Darcy due to his attempt to elope with Georgiana Darcy for her substantial inheritance. He later runs off with Lydia Bennet, but is tracked down by Mr. Darcy and he marries her where Mr. Darcy pays for the marriage George Wickham is the enemy of Mr. Darcy. He is a dashing, charming and handsome young soldier who attracts the attention of Elizabeth Bennet. His father was the manager of the Darcy estate, so he grew up with Mr. Darcy and his sister and was a favourite of Mr. Darcy's since-deceased father. Mr. Wickham's charm skillfully conceals a more conniving and dishonourable nature, and there is bitter enmity between him and Mr. Darcy due to his attempt to elope with Georgiana Darcy for her substantial inheritance. He later runs off with Lydia Bennet, but is tracked down by Mr. Darcy and he marries her where Mr. Darcy pays for the marriage.
9. Charlotte Lucas
Charlotte Lucas is the neighbour and best friend of Elizabeth. She is 27 years old and when Mr. Collins, having been rejected by Elizabeth, proposes to her she instantly accepts him - thereby losing Elizabeth's respect - as this is probably her final opportunity to get married. She enjoys her marriage by staying away from Mr. Collins as much as possible and taking care of her household and poultry.
10. Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Lady Catherine de Bourgh is Mr. Darcy's aunt and Mr. Collin's patron. Despite her self-conscious sophistication, she is inconsistent and arrogant. She doesn't play a musical instrument, yet boasts of being a musical expert. Another example of her "ill breeding" is her announcement (in the drawing room of her manor house at Hunsford) that Elizabeth may play on the piano in the housekeeper's (Mrs. Jenkinson's) room. "She would be in nobody's way, you know, in that part of the house." Elizabeth Bennet visits Hunsford once, and becomes increasingly friendly with Darcy there. Later, Lady Catherine shows up at the Bennet home to forbid Elizabeth from marrying Darcy. That ill-advised action actually encourages Elizabeth and Darcy to pursue their courtship. Ultimately, Lady Catherine's main purpose is to set an example of the upper-class snobbery which the novel satirizes.
Discussion Questions
Session I:
1. What do you think after reading this novel? Do you agree with Austen that women should be happy by refusing to marry for financial purpose and only marrying a man whom she truly loves and esteems?
2. Which character do you like best and dislike most? Share with us.
3. For women: Do you believe in “falling in love at the first sight?” Why and why not?
For men: If you could choose , would you like to have a beautiful bitch or an ugly duckling to be your girlfriend?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Take a break ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Major themes
1. Pride: Human nature is particularly prone to pride. In the novel, pride prevents the characters from seeing the truth of a situation and from achieving happiness in life. Pride is one of the main barriers that creates an obstacle to Elizabeth and Darcy's marriage. Darcy's pride in his position in society leads him initially to scorn anyone outside of his own social circle. Elizabeth's vanity clouds her judgment, making her prone to think ill of Darcy and to think well of Wickham. In the end, Elizabeth's rebukes of Darcy help him to realize his fault and to change accordingly, as demonstrated in his genuinely friendly treatment of the Gardiners, whom he previously would have scorned because of their low social class. Darcy's letter shows Elizabeth that her judgments were wrong and she realizes that they were based on vanity, not on reason.
2. Prejudice: Pride and prejudice are intimately related in the novel. As critic A. Walton Litz comments, "in Pride and Prejudice one cannot equate Darcy with Pride, or Elizabeth with Prejudice; Darcy's pride of place is founded on social prejudice, while Elizabeth's initial prejudice against him is rooted in pride of her own quick perceptions." Darcy, having been brought up in such a way that he began to scorn all those outside his own social circle, must overcome his prejudice in order to see that Elizabeth would be a good wife for him and to win Elizabeth's heart. The overcoming of his prejudice is demonstrated when he treats the Gardiners with great civility. The Gardiners are a much lower class than Darcy, because Mr. Darcy is a lawyer and must practice a trade to earn a living, rather than living off of the interest of an estate as gentlemen do. From the beginning of the novel Elizabeth prides herself on her keen ability for perception. Yet this supposed ability is often lacking, as in Elizabeth's judgments of Darcy and Wickham.
3. Family: Austen portrays the family as primarily responsible for the intellectual and moral education of children. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's failure to provide this education for their daughters leads to the utter shamelessness, foolishness, frivolity, and immorality of Lydia. Elizabeth and Jane have managed to develop virtue and strong characters in spite of the negligence of their parents, perhaps through the help of their studies and the good influence of Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, who are the only relatives in the novel that take a serious concern in the girls' well-being and provide sound guidance. Elizabeth and Jane are constantly forced to put up with the foolishness and poor judgment of their mother and the sarcastic indifference of their father. Even when Elizabeth advises her father not to allow Lydia to go to Brighton, he ignores the advice because he thinks it would too difficult to deal with Lydia's complaining. The result is the scandal of Lydia's elopement with Wickham.
4. Women and Marriage: Austen is critical of the gender injustices present in 19th century English society. The novel demonstrates how money such as Charlotte need to marry men they are not in love with simply in order to gain financial security. The entailment of the Longbourn estate is an extreme hardship on the Bennet family, and is quite obviously unjust. The entailment of Mr. Bennet's estate leaves his daughters in a poor financial situation which both requires them to marry and makes it more difficult to marry well. Clearly, Austen believes that woman are at least as intelligent and capable as men, and considers their inferior status in society to be unjust. She herself went against convention by remaining single and earning a living through her novels. In her personal letters Austen advises friends only to marry for love. Through the plot of the novel it is clear that Austen wants to show how Elizabeth is able to be happy by refusing to marry for financial purposes and only marrying a man whom she truly loves and esteems.
5. Class: Considerations of class are omnipresent in the novel. The novel does not put forth an egalitarian ideology or call for the leveling of all social classes, yet it does criticize an over-emphasis on class. Darcy's inordinate pride is based on his extreme class-consciousness. Yet eventually he sees that factors other than wealth determine who truly belongs in the aristocracy. While those such as Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst, who are born into the aristocracy, are idle, mean-spirited and annoying, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner are not members of the aristocracy in terms of wealth or birth but are natural aristocrats by virtue of their intelligence, good-breeding and virtue. The comic formality of Mr. Collins and his obsequious relationship with Lady Catherine serve as a satire class consciousness and social formalities. In the end, the verdict on class differences is moderate. As critic Samuel Kliger notes, "It the conclusion of the novel makes it clear that Elizabeth accepts class relationships as valid, it becomes equally clear that Darcy, through Elizabeth's genius for treating all people with respect for their natural dignity, is reminded that institutions are not an end in themselves but are intended to serve the end of human happiness."
6. Individual and Socity: The novel portrays a world in which society takes an interest in the private virtue of its members. When Lydia elopes with Wickham, therefore, it is scandal to the whole society and an injury to entire Bennet family. Darcy considers his failure to expose the wickedness of Wickham's character to be a breach of his social duty because if Wickham's true character had been known others would not have been so easily deceived by him. While Austen is critical of society's ability to judge properly, as demonstrated especially in their judgments of Wickham and Darcy, she does believe that society has a crucial role in promoting virtue. Austen has a profound sense that individuals are social beings and that their happiness is found through relationships with others. According to critic Richard Simpson, Austen has a "thorough consciousness that man is a social being, and that apart from society there is not even the individual."
7.Virtue: Austen's novels unite Aristotelian and Christian conceptions of virtue. She sees human life as purposeful and believes that human beings must guide their appetites and desires through their use of reason. Elizabeth's folly in her misjudgments of Darcy and Wickham is that her vanity has prevented her from reasoning objectively. Lydia seems almost completely devoid of virtue because she has never trained herself to discipline her passions or formed her judgment such that she is capable of making sound moral decisions. Human happiness is found by living a life in accordance with human dignity, which is a life in accordance with virtue. Self-knowledge has a central place in the acquisition of virtue, as it is a prerequisite for moral improvement. Darcy and Elizabeth are only freed of their pride and prejudice when their dealings with one another help them to see their faults and spur them to improve.
Discussion Questions
Session II
1. What do you think Jane Austen want to express in this novel? Please discuss with your partners these seven themes above, do you agree or disagree?
2. Pride and prejudice are two major themes Austen wants to indicate in this novel. The characters in the novel are freed of their pride and prejudice when their dealings with one another help them to see their faults and spur them to improve. Did you have the same kind of experiences before? What did you learn from the previous experiences?
3. Do you think Elizabeth Bennet would still be considered a remarkable woman in the modern day? Why and why not?
Related Web-links
1. http://www.prideandprejudicemovie.net/splash.html
2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/prideandprejudice/
3. http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/pridprej.html
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_and_Prejudice
5. http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/pride/
6. http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans ... prejudice/
7. http://www.austen.com/pride/
8. http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/id-147.html
9. http://www.classicreader.com/booktoc.ph ... /bookid.28
10. http://www.literaturepage.com/read/prid ... udice.html
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聚會時間：2007/9/1 (星期六) 2:15 pm 到 ~ 約 4:30 pm 左右結束
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Pride and Prejudice---9/1(六)
Pride and Prejudice 實在是一部令人回味不已的經典小說
除了Elizabeth的慧詰令人印象深刻外,
Mr. Darcy 的溫柔體貼更成為凱特心中白馬王子的代表..(ㄎㄎ..這麼老了還愛作夢..
)
看過Bridget Jones's Diary的人,是不是對男主角中的Mr.Darcy頗有似曾相識的感覺呢?
沒錯!
BJ作者Helen Fielding從Pride and Prejudice借鑑人物及描寫手法.
所以囉..這部經典小說確實有不少值得討論之處
今天星期五了,還沒看文章的人
麻煩看了我的po文外,請往上↑先準備ㄧ下吧.
別忘囉..明天下午在NINI Lounge Cafe Tea聚會~
除了Elizabeth的慧詰令人印象深刻外,
Mr. Darcy 的溫柔體貼更成為凱特心中白馬王子的代表..(ㄎㄎ..這麼老了還愛作夢..
)看過Bridget Jones's Diary的人,是不是對男主角中的Mr.Darcy頗有似曾相識的感覺呢?
沒錯!
BJ作者Helen Fielding從Pride and Prejudice借鑑人物及描寫手法.
所以囉..這部經典小說確實有不少值得討論之處
今天星期五了,還沒看文章的人
麻煩看了我的po文外,請往上↑先準備ㄧ下吧.
別忘囉..明天下午在NINI Lounge Cafe Tea聚會~
說來慚愧 有去到Bath, 卻沒有去到Jane Austin Centre跟去二樓的Regency Tea Room喝杯珍的特調茶（Jane Austen Blend)與達西先生最愛的蘋果肉桂蛋糕（Darcy's Favorite Cake)
http://www.janeausten.co.uk/
但是Pride and Prejudice 是我們很愛看的小說跟電影
凱拉．奈特莉（Keira Knightley）更是耀眼
真想參加這個討論會,可惜我們遠在UK
http://www.janeausten.co.uk/
但是Pride and Prejudice 是我們很愛看的小說跟電影
凱拉．奈特莉（Keira Knightley）更是耀眼
真想參加這個討論會,可惜我們遠在UK
