Introducing Jane Austens

Pride and Prejudice

The Landed Gentry

Definition: people who did not have to work for a living and did
not hold a title (like earl, duchess, mainly the upper social class
held titles) but still made a living as being landlords
They became a new strata (level) to Britains social class system
Many Englishmen strove (struggled) to be landlords, since not
having to work by living off rental and other owned property
meant you were part of this social class
Monies to buy land were gained from profits from the Industrial
Revolution (factories & mills) and an expanding colonial system
Strived to align themselves (gain favor) with Englands landed
aristocracy
Purchased estates and country homes that looked like they
belonged to the aristocracy, even though they really did not
Newly acquired wealth was spent on material things they would
impress your neighbors and make it appear as if you were
wealthy

Jane Austens Characters

Characters tended to be privileged circles of

Englands landed gentry and aristocracy

They were either upper class, called the old
hereditary aristocracy; or
New landed gentry who came into money
through commercial enterprise and ascended
from the middle class were called nouveau
riche, or new money
Hereditary aristocracy looked down on the
nouveau riche, even though some of the
Landed Gentry had more wealth than them.
Titles separated these two classes
Upper class did not work and frequently
employed farmers to work their lands
Upper class controlled Englands politics &
government

Pride and Prejudice: Setting

Who is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy?

A Main character
Represents the hereditary aristocracy,

because he was a wealthy landowner who

did not have to work for a living
Patronage: the support, encouragement,
privilege, or financial aid that an organization or
individual bestows to another.

Darcys patronage came in the form

of employing workers to farm his

land. These same people paid rents &
taxes to Darcy.
Surrounding families depended on his
patronage to live. IF he stopped giving it,
the local towns could go bankrupt!
He is single and wealthy, making him a
target for fathers & mothers with single
daughters

Who are the Bingleys?

Both are minor characters
Represents the new landed

gentry

Bingleys father acquired wealth (got

rich) through trade, gave up his business,

and moved his family to the country
He and his sister are now considered
upper class
Charles Bingley is single and

wealthy, making him a target for

fathers & mothers with single
daughters
Caroline Bingley is a snob, and
looks down on middle-class families;
wants Mr. Darcy

Who are the Bennets?

Bennets DO own

their land, but they

are a middle-class
family who must
cultivate (farm) their
own land to make a
living
They had few servants
(a sign of being middle
class) and limited
financial resources,
which hurt the chances
for the girls to get a
respectable marriage
to a wealthy man

Mr. Bennet

Jane Bennet
Elizabeth
Bennet

Lydia Bennet

Mrs.
Bennet

Kitty Bennet

Mary Bennet

Women, Patriarchy and

Property Rights
During this time, society was a

patriarchal
Patriarchy: a system of society or
government in which men hold the power
and women are largely excluded from it
Women had very few legal rights
Society was set up to make women
have to depend on men for
protection and survival
Women could not own property,
because they were considered property
Their fathers chose who they would
marry
Finding a husband was a necessity
not a social preoccupation

Women, Patriarchy and

Property Rights (continued)
Entailment: determined

how property would be

passed through several
generations within a family;
usually closest male relative
received it
Lady Catherine
DeBourgh, patroness of
Rosings Park, is a rare
example of an
independent woman who
inherits the estate of her
father, because of the way
her fathers will was written

Theme of Social Class

Conflict arises when

members of middle class,

such as Bennets, mingle
socially with members of
the upper classes,
represented by Mr. Darcy
and Mr. Bingley.
Austen was critical of the
social barrier between
middle and upper class
(while remaining silent
about members of lower
class)

Theme of Marriage and

Family
Future of Bennet daughters

depends on successful union with

suitable husbands
Women often forced into marital
unions out of financial necessity
(need)
There was the expectation of
social networking, respectability,
and reputation above individual
desire for privacy or personal
wants
A familys reputation was tied to the
reputation of each individual
member. Meaning, how each
person acted in public effected
how the entire family was viewed

Theme of Propriety, Social

Decorum, and Reputation
Persons value depends

on respect of friends and

neighbors
Woman who engaged in
inappropriate behavior
with a man prior to
marriage were morally
corrupt. No virtue =
social outcast
Elizabeth values personal
worth and individual
character
over
Visit the
URL toreputation
and status
see video about
etiquette
Standards
of proper social
etiquette
were expected
https://youtu.be/XETJ3BftH2g

<<<Scan the QR code to

view video about
etiquette

First Impressions
Original title of P & P
Premature preconceptions

complicate the relationships

between characters
Both characters must set
aside their pride and
prejudice and form an opinion
based on respect and cordial
friendship
Error in judgment with
Wickham who creates a bad
image of Darcy
Must look beneath the surface
of a persons character

Satire
Humor or with in order to

criticize or ridicule a
particular person or group
Disguise criticism of an
intended target by clothing it
in humorous language, funny
characterizations, and
sarcasm
Austen satirizes Mrs. Bennet
and her need to marry her
daughters; also Mr. Collins
high opinion of himself which
often makes him the
laughingstock of society

Free Indirect Discourse

Narrative style known as

free indirect discourse

Third-person perspective
to convey ideas and
thoughts from point of
view of a particular
character usually the
heroine.
Hard to determine
objectivity of ideas
Precursor of stream of
consciousness

Comedy of Manners
Uses elements of Satire to

ridicule or expose
behaviors, manners, flaws,
and morals of members of
the middle or upper
classes.
Incorporate love affairs,
witty and comical
exchanges between
characters, and the
humorous revelation of
societal scandals and
intrigues
Witty banter between
characters