CAS EN 141 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Jane Austen, Determinism, Metafiction
1 May 2018
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Pride & Prejudice Notes
Overview:
• This novel is primarily about judgment (ex: what choices and judgments do we make
about people around us?)
o It is not an easy concept
• Austen's philosopher of choice was John Locke
• Austen offers us three different narrator point of views (1. normal narrator - voice who
tells you what is happening, neutral and reliable, constitutes the bulk of the novel 2. first
person narrator - when characters speak for themselves through quotes/letters, which can
lead to bias and lying 3. backstory - gives a summary of who a character is or what is
going on in the book so far
o However, you should always use your own judgement and not be completely
reliant on the 3 types of narrators.
Characters:
• Mr. Bennet - works on an inherited farm (part of the aristocratic class, referred to as a
"Gentleman"
• Mr. Darcy - at the top of the social class (at the top of the aristocratic class)
• Bennets - a mix of social classes (however, they are considered to be part of the
aristocratic class)
• Mr. Bennet – owns a farm, relies on money from the fields
• Elizabeth - similar to Jane Austen, raised like a boy (to think for herself, to act for herself,
to make her own decisions), she is her father’s favorite (she loves but doesn’t respect
him), she wants love from marriage
o Darcy ends up marrying Elizabeth
▪ They get what they deserve because they are great people
▪ If you have courage and character you can get rewarded for it!
o Her high standard of livings depends on her estate
• Bingleys - comes from the middle class and are very rich (however, they are considered
to be below the Bennets and the aristocratic class because they simply lack a title)
• Charlotte
o “Marriage is the only thing you can do if you want a house of your own”
▪ Or else you will live with your parents your whole life
o Says yes to marry Reverend Collins
▪ She wants to get married so she is not poor
▪ Elizabeth thinks this will NOT make her happy because she is selling
herself short
• Jane
o Beautiful, kind, great person
o Darcy loves her
o Jane likes Charles Bingley
o Bingley and Jane get together
▪ The only criticism is that she is too nice
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Document Summary
Characters: mr. bennet - works on an inherited farm (part of the aristocratic class, referred to as a. The middle class brings character/hard work/prosperity while the aristocracy brings self- confidence/ego in knowing how to do certain things: social status was determined at birth and who you were born to through, 2. Gender the aristocratic system: there is a huge difference between men and women, this book is very feminist, 3. The outcomes are built into the system: ex: the class you are born into, the gender you are born as (ex: working class, woman rather than a man, the members of your family) What makes darcy and elizabeth so great (and others not so great): 2. What considerations are she bringing: she writes the novel with a high degree of awareness of how readers will react. This lets her lead us, control what we see/do not see, etc: she also hopes that readers will be just as aware of her.
