An HSC Advanced English Module A Essay by ilikebeeef Comparative Study Essay Pride and Prejudice and Letters to Alice

e on First Reading Jane Austen: To what extent are texts enriched through their connection with other texts? Respond to this question in relation to your prescribed texts. It is an irrefutable fact that Jane Austens classic novel Pride and Prejudice and Fay Weldons epistolary novel Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen originate from vastly dissimilar periods of time. However, the fact that both deal with universal issues, such as the role of women in society and the importance of Literature, forms the unbreakable connections between the two texts, enriching each in turn. Both texts deal with the role of women in society. In the case of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet is a prime example of a non-conformist in regards to societys expectations of women in Austens time - The 1800s was a time where very few women had status and money, and hence marriage for the sole sake of seeking status and money rather than love, was common. Through Elizabeths dialogue Do not consider me now as an elegant female but as a rational creature she is presented as a clever and questioning heroine, which contrasts with the reality that women would normally be perceived as foolish in Austens time. Although this makes Pride and Prejudice nothing but a fantasy, the fact that it is so has the effect of provoking questions regarding the treatment of women in her time. Reinforcing Austens challenging of the role of women in society, Mr Bennet symbolises the ignorance of men, as he often avoids seriousness and responsibility over his family, as emphasised through his rhetorical question For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them?. For this, Jane Austen is considered to be a forerunner of feminism, as clearly, she deals with the role of women in her society in Pride and Prejudice. Knowing this, how the role of women in society is dealt with in Weldons Letters to Alice can be better understood. Similar to Austen, Weldon's selfempowering attitude is directly influenced by the Feminist movements of the 80s. Thus, Letters to Alice is her reflection on the unfair treatment of women in Austens society, as she notes that Jane Austens books are studded with fathers indifferences to their families (in particular their daughters) welfare to emphasise the lack of rights that females had in Jane Austens time, arousing sympathy. She shocks the audience with descriptions of English society in the 1800s The sense of sexual sin ran high; the fear of pregnancy was great half the nations women remained virgins all their lives for the same reason. Direct comments regarding feminism in Austens novels It is observable in Jane Austens novels that it is the women who have moral struggles, rather than then men. This may, of course, be a reflection of life reinforces this, the purpose being that Weldon wants Alice to understand that through her works, Austen reveals the moral

flaws in her own society. Thus, the notion of feminism in Letters to Alice is extended upon Pride and Prejudice and vice versa, enriching the value of both texts through their intertextual connections. The importance of Literature is emphasised in Pride and Prejudice. Darcy is the epitome of educated gentlemen in Austens time, and so through his dialogue she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading, Austen portrays reading as a source of knowledge and success. Furthermore, Austens satire of the ignorance of poor readers in the characterisation of Caroline Bingley She gave a great yawn... There is no enjoyment like reading! ... No one made any reply. reinforces the importance of reading. Likewise, Mary Bennet, symbolising the ignorant reader, is mocked through the juxtaposition of Mr Bennets perception of her as an informed individual, as made known through his dialogue You are a young lady of deep reflection I know, and read great books, and make extracts, and the truth Mary wished to say something very sensible, but knew not how. Emphasising this, bearing Austens context in mind, is the fact that neither Mary nor Caroline Bingley marry (despite wanting to marry) suggests that failure to recognise the importance of Literature leads to lack of achievement in life. That being said, Letters to Alice not only conveys, but builds on the importance of Literature present in Pride and Prejudice. Much like Austens attitude is a product of her time, Weldons modernist attitude is a result of the rise of postmodernism in the 1980s. In her criticism of postmodernism, similar to Jane Austen, Weldon utilises satire of the poor reader, as symbolised by her fictional niece Alice, who find[s] [Jane Austen] boring, petty and irrelevant, through her patronising tone of narration My dear pretty little Alice, now with black and green hair. She conveys the difference between Literature with a capital L and ordinary fiction through her use of lists It is in the literature, the novels, the fantasy, the fiction of the past, that you find real history whereas ordinary fiction does not enlighten and thus, as she describes, do not stand tall in the City of Invention, an intertextual reference to Charles Lutwidge Dodgsons novel Alices Adventures in Wonderland, which, like Letters to Alice, features a young nave female named Alice. Weldon attempts to further connect her audience to Austen through her didactic style of writing in her use of the letter form, just as Austen does in Pride and Prejudice and in real life; Austen, like the character of Aunt Fay, wrote letters of advice to her niece on the importance of Literature. This association in structure forms the epitome of their connections and hence both texts enrich one another. Pride and Prejudice and Letters to Alice, therefore, despite their differing contexts, enrich one another to such a great extent through their exploration of universal themes, and are so strongly reinforced by their sophisticated use of literary techniques, that it is undeniable that they transcend borders of time.