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"Pride and Prejudice. The Image of the Province in Jane Austen's Novel Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice Problematics of the Novel

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1 ELECTRONIC SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL “APRIORI. SERIES: HUMANITIES" FEATURES OF THE AUTHOR'S STYLE OF JANE AUSTEN IN THE NOVEL "PRIDE AND PREJUDICE" Lopukhova Elena Borisovna student Nizhny Novgorod State University. N.I. Lobachevsky Arzamas Abstract. The article presents the results of a study of the specifics of the author's style of Jane Austen, which manifests itself in the novel "Pride and Prejudice". The text of the article highlights the themes and problems of the novel, analyzes the image of Victorian England, illustrated by the writer. Also, the material of the study presents cases of the most interesting stylistic decisions of Jane Austen in the process of creating a special figurative space of the work. Key words: literary analysis, themes, problems, figurative system of the work, stylistic device. FEATURES OF AUTHOR S STYLE OF JANE AUSTEN IN THE NOVEL "PRIDE AND PREJUDICE" Lopukhova Elena Borisovna student Nizhny Novgorod State University of N.I. Lobachevsky Arzamas Abstract. Results of the research of Jane Austen author s style specifics shown in the novel "Pride and Prejudice" are presented in article. The subject and a perspective of the novel are covered in the text of the article; the image of the Victorian England illustrated by the writer is analyzed. Also the cases of the most interesting Jane Austen s stylistic decisions in the process of creation a special figurative space of the work are presented in material of the research. Keywords: literary analysis, subject, perspective, figurative system of the novel, stylistic device. one

2 Today it is difficult to find an area that would remain unexplored in relation to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. This novel is the most famous work of the writer, and one of the most famous in the history of literature. The popularity of the novel is due to many factors: it reveals the current problems of society, touches on topics of interest to the reader. And, of course, all this is written in an interesting language that defines the author's style of Jane Austen. Despite the large number of works devoted to the novel "Pride and Prejudice", some aspects have remained unexplored to this day. In this regard, there is a need for a deeper study of them. The novel Pride and Prejudice is distinguished by its thematic diversity. It closely intertwines various problems and interests of society. In the novel, considerable attention is paid to the social customs and mores of the upper class of England in the early 19th century. Thus, Lady Catherine refers to one of the most common social customs: “Young women should always be properly guarded and attended, according to their situation in life”. Pride and Prejudice contains one of the most cherished love stories in English literature: Darcy's courtship of Elizabeth. The theme of love between the main characters is a leitmotif running through the novel. The emergence between Darcy and Elizabeth of a mutual and tender love seems to imply that Austen sees her as something independent of social forces, something to be grasped if only the individual can escape the distorting effects of a hierarchical society. Along with the theme of love, it is advisable to highlight the theme of marriage. The work clearly highlights the idea that marriage and love do not always go together. The very first, which has become famous, the phrase of the novel sounds 2

3 as follows: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" . It is through this phrase that the reader understands the significance of marriage, which he was endowed with in the structure of society in Victorian England. In the society Austin demonstrates, reputation defines the individual: going beyond social norms makes the individual vulnerable to ostracism. The situation that happened to one of the heroines of the novel, Lydia, demonstrates the importance of reputation most clearly. Thus, reputation is another theme of the novel. Jane Austen comprehensively covered the problem of class in Victorian England. The writer turns to satire when describing class consciousness, especially in the character of Collins, a man spends most of his time bowing to his high-ranking patron, Lady Catherine de Burgh. One of the most striking markers of class consciousness can be traced in the following words: “Lady Catherine is far from requiring that elegance of dress in us which becomes herself and her daughter. I could advise you merely to put on whatever of your clothes is superior to the rest there is no occasion for anything more. Lady Catherine will not think the worse of you for being simply dressed. She likes to have the distinction of rank preserved". Lady Catherine, who is the personification of "high society" in the novel, pays special attention to the appearance of people; she likes that social difference is preserved, and is so obvious that it would be expressed even in clothes. Jane Austen, through the totality of images and actions of the characters, demonstrated the hierarchical structure of society, the inequality of its members, and the presence of a large number of prejudices. One of the most common prejudices implied that not every marriage could be contracted. The position of a woman was insignificant; they had little power in making independent decisions. 3

4 It is quite obvious that Jane Austen considers such a society unproductive, and therefore it is invisibly ridiculed throughout the work. The content of the novel is of interest to the reader not only because of the richness of events, but also because of the truthful presentation of the problems of society. However, as noted earlier, not only the content, but also the stylistic design of the work is very specific and interesting for literary research. Analysis of the compositional structure of the work demonstrates its canonicity. The hook comes from the very first line of the novel; the first act demonstrates the characters and the features of their relationship. The recipient encounters the first plot point when, after a ball in Netherfield Park, Darcy and Caroline convince Bingley to return to London and forget about his growing love for Jane. The deviation of characters' motives and reactions completely changes the setting of the story, as several well-known characters that the Bennets interact with are no longer in the neighborhood. The impelling event is undoubtedly the arrival of Bingley and Darcy in Meryton. The central point of the plot can be called the moment when Darcy proposes to the main character, who, in turn, rejects him. The third plot point can be marked on the event when Lydia runs away with Mr. Wickham. The climax of the work comes when the two main characters finally unite and recognize their love for each other. After the climax, Jane Austen ties up all the loose ends in a few neat scenes that include Bennett's reaction to their engagement: "Her father was walking about the room, looking grave and anxious. “Lizzy, said he, what are you doing? Are you out of your senses, to be accepting this man? Have not you always hated him?" This moment can be called a resolution. Despite the quite standard compositional design, 4

5 Jane Austen still brings some specifics to the novel, such as the fairly quick development of each character. All events in the novel "Pride and Prejudice" are connected and consistent, which allows you to most effectively not only reveal the plot and characters of the book, but also the problems of the work. Jane Austen managed to create an ambiguous system of character images in the work. In the process of reading, the recipient encounters different personalities, their characters, habits, strengths and weaknesses. Elizabeth Bennet is the main character and she is presented as a beautiful, intelligent and noble girl. Darcy is a kind of male copy of Elizabeth. The rest of the characters can be called secondary, but none of them is repeated: the writer managed to create a specific image for each of them. There is some symbolism in the novel, expressed through the estates. When Lizzy gets to the Rosings estate, she is definitely impressed: "Handsome, modern building with a nice park<...>enumeration of the windows in front of the house, and his relation of what the glazing altogether had cost Sir Lewis de Bourgh". After visiting Pemberley, Elizabeth shows a completely different reaction: “It was a large, handsome stone building, standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills; and in front, a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance<...>. They were all of them warm in their admiration; and at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something!” . The splendor of the Pemberley estate is combined with its naturalness, and therefore it is precisely this that is the symbol of Darcy himself in the novel. At first glance, Lady Catherine and Darcy look quite similar: they are both haughty, cold and proud. But, thanks to their estates, the reader understands that inside they are completely different people. Letters are also a symbol of the work. In a novel where the spoken word is 5

6 rules everything, and where personal thoughts do not have a significant reflection on the page, letters are a kind of "reserve" for the inner life of the characters. The ball is a kind of allegory in the novel. It was at such events in Victorian England that the search for a life partner was carried out. Balls are a way to form, strengthen and test community bonds. The whole work is filled with the stylistic device of irony. As a rule, it is used to ridicule the characters and their narrow views. For example, the writer uses irony to describe Mrs. Bennet in an even more ridiculous light when she talks to Elizabeth about her unfulfilled hopes for Jane: “Well, my comfort is, I am sure Jane will die of a broken heart, and then he will be sorry for what he has done" . This ironic statement demonstrates the misplaced values ​​that Mrs. Bennet possesses. Jane Austen also uses satire to highlight the ridiculous norms of society. So, for example, in the next scene, Austin demonstrates the surprise of those present at the appearance of Elizabeth, whose attire is contrary to the ideas of a “refined” society: “with weary ankles, dirty stockings, and a face glowing with the warmth of exercise. She was shown into the breakfast-parlour, where all but Jane were assembled, and where her appearance created a great deal of surprise" . Metaphor and figurative comparison are found on almost every page of the work: "... if you lament over him much longer, my heart will be as light as a feather". In this example, Elizabeth compares her heart with a feather. Hyperbole is also quite common in the text of the work. So, for example, through hyperbole, the narrator explains how 6

7 Mr. Bennet misses his daughter a lot: "His affection for her drew him oftener from home than anything else could do" . The use of contrast allows Jane Austen to solve a number of communicative tasks, one of which is the creation of a figurative system of the work: “Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared, Darcy was constantly giving offense” . From the mention of "offensive" qualities of Darcy, the positive qualities of the second character, Bingley, only increase. This provokes the reader to build their own images of these characters, as well as to understand why people like Bingley so much more than Darcy, as demonstrated at the beginning of the novel. With the help of alliteration, Jane Austen enhances the significance of the thoughts and actions of the characters, which allows the recipient to remember the most significant moments of the story: "From the farther disadvantaged of Lydia s society she was of course carefully kept" . Antiptosis details the new circumstances that every family should be aware of: "I wish I could say, for the sake of her family". The vocabulary that Jane Austen uses in her work is archaic, which is quite natural for the period when the novel was written. It should also be noted that the writer alternates sentences of different lengths: the first is short, the second is longer. This interleaving of sentences creates the necessary structure, for if short sentences are used excessively, the text becomes "wavy" and difficult to understand. Sentence length allows the reader to read the novel smoothly. The style chosen by Jane Austen was defined for creating patterns and meanings from sentence structure and using vocabulary. The study allows us to highlight the main features of the author's style of Jane Austen, among which a special place is occupied by 7

8 humor that criticizes class society, and significant symbolism, which can be called a specific literary strategy of the writer. The totality of subject-logical and expressive-stylistic information that the writer endowed her work determine its specificity, distinguishing it from a number of other novels and making it one of the most significant in world literature. List of References 1. Austen J. Pride and Prejudice. San-Francisco: Ignatus Press, p. 2. Toolan M. Language in Literature: An Introduction to Stylistics. London: Hodder Arnold, p. 3. MacDonagh O. Jane Austen: Real and Imagined Worlds. New Haven: Yale University Press, p. 4. Filipenko S.A. Difficulties of philological text analysis. Voronezh: Aspect, p. 5. Galperin I.R. Experiences in Stylistic Analysis (in English). M.: Higher school, p. 6. Galperin I.R. Text as an object of linguistic research. M.: Nauka, p. APRIORI. Series: Humanities apriori-journal.ru Mass media El FS ISSN


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Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation

Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education

"Russian State Hydrometeorological University"

Faculty of Philology

Department of English Language and Literature

Course work

Women in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Second year students

D. A. Kosheleva

supervisor

Ph.D. professor T.V. Yakushkin

St. Petersburg 2016

Introduction

I turned to Jane Austen because she is a unique author in the history of English literature. Although Jane Austen lived and wrote two centuries ago, writers, critics, directors still turn to her works.

Due to the lack of morality in modern society, the collapse of one of the main values ​​of any society - the family, Jane's works will always be interesting and relevant.

The writer raises questions of upbringing in the family, relationships between spouses, parents and children. Many of Austen's heroes: Mrs. Bennet, Thomas Bertram, Mr. Collins continue to live in English society. Her heroes, such as Darcy and Elizabeth, are not forgotten, become role models and admiration. Therefore, today's England is experiencing a real "boom" Jane Austen. Her works are closely studied. Her novels are reprinted in large numbers. In English, there is a word "Janeist" - an admirer of creativity

Although Austen's novels cover the narrow framework defined by the writer herself. She describes neither wars, nor revolutions, nor mysteries, nor travels to distant lands, nor fantastic worlds with ten dimensions, but this does not make her works less attractive, but rather catchy with their realism. Her novels show that ordinary, simple human life has its own charms and difficulties.

The study of the works of Jane Austen is important for the history of world literature, as she had a huge impact on the development of English realism in the 19th century. Jane's writings differ from those of other authors, both contemporary Austen and later literary movements. Her realism is neither enlightening nor critical. However, without Austen it is impossible to imagine the English realism of the XIX century. The study of Austen's novels is very interesting, because each of her characters is endowed with unique properties and qualities that were so common among her contemporaries. The writer endows the characters of the second plan with a feature that dominates the hero or heroine throughout the novel, thus each hero is the prototype of one or another class of English society.

The novel "Pride and Prejudice" was one of the most beloved and famous works of the author, which is admired to this day. “Pride and Prejudice” is, first of all, a deeply realistic depiction of the characters and mores, if not of the entire English society, but of its privileged strata in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Osten, with great skill as a true artist, peers into the causes and motives, reveals the soul life, if not all, then the main characters of his book.

There are many scientific works on the work of Jane Austen. The study of the novel "Pride and Prejudice" was carried out by many scientists: Ph.D. Artemenko O.E. wrote about the semantics of lexical interpretations in the language of the novel; Ph.D. Kudryashova O.M. studied the artistic embodiment of the concept of "pride"; Ph.D. Chechetko M.V. and Ph.D. Amelina T.A. studied the specifics of Austen's realism; Ph.D. Shamina N.V. in her work explored women's issues in the Victorian novel of the 1840s - 1870s, including authors such as the Brontë sisters and George Eliot. However, my work does not lose its relevance, because no one has yet dealt with the classification of female images in the novel "Pride and Prejudice" in terms of upbringing, education, and, most importantly, attitudes towards marriage and marriage, and the study of Austen's novels will always be relevant. because all her works are inexhaustible sources for studying human psychology and the laws of a society in which a woman did not yet have the right to vote.

Goals and objectives of the course work

The purpose of this work is to find the social conditionality of the paramount attitude towards marriage in England and to classify the female images of Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice" based on the attitude of the heroines to marriage.

Studying the features of the characters in this work by Jane Austen, I set the following tasks:

Explore Austen's biography and establish a connection between the storylines in the novel "Pride and Prejudice" and real events from the writer's life.

Briefly consider the history of women's upbringing and education and their impact on the position of women in society, modern Austen.

Find the social conditionality of the behavior of the heroines, based on generally accepted rules and norms about marriage, upbringing and education.

Based on the text of the novel, find and study the main features of the heroines in question.

Classify the female images of the novel "Pride and Prejudice" based on the attitude of the heroines to marriage and marriage.

Biography

female image Roman Osten

Jane Austen's biography is connected with the plots of her works, and some moments of her life are even reflected in the novel Pride and Prejudice.

Jane Austen was born into the family of a poor rural pastor. Jane had six brothers. Her best friend was her sister Cassandra, a warm relationship with whom was embodied in the storylines of Jane and Elizabeth Bennet.

When Jane was 20 years old, she had an affair with a neighbor, Thomas Lefroy, the future Chief Justice of Ireland, and in those years a law student. However, the marriage of young people would be impractical, since both families were relatively poor and hoped to use the marriages of their offspring to improve their financial and social situation, so Jane and Tom had to part. There is an opinion that the union of lovers was prevented by Lefroy's aunt, who believed that Jane was completely unsuitable for her nephew. Most likely, this event was reflected in the attitude of Lady Catherine to the desire of Elizabeth and Darcy to become engaged. Mr. Darcy is Lady Catherine's nephew and, according to her, chose the completely wrong girl, without a high social position and without an inheritance. However, further Austen's life and the life of Elizabeth completely diverge, Tom married another woman and named his daughter Jane, and Elizabeth found her happiness in marriage with Darcy.

Austen began writing early on her observations of the people she encountered in life. These works cannot be called satire, but at the same time they are far from the good-natured caricature of the early Dickens. Bound by the ideas of her circle, and her environment, by being a woman in a society that looked at the fair sex with a grin, Austen did not dare to go far in her exposure of those or what, perhaps, she really despised. Much of what she was, perhaps, deeply disliked, she considered herself forced to endure, as inevitable and due. Without breaking with the tradition of the 18th century, she went to the critical realism of the 19th century, in her own ways, in her own special way.

At the age of thirty, Jane announced to the world that from now on she was an old maid who had said goodbye to hopes for personal happiness, although once an offer was made to her, but she rejected it because she did not want to marry fictitiously, and she loved only one man, happiness with which she could not find because of the strict foundations of society.

Jane Austen was decidedly ahead of her time. Her most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice, was rejected by a publisher who found it boring and unimportant. Austen's contemporaries did not have a very high opinion of her writings and often criticized them. However, now the figure of Austen is one of the most famous in the field of literature, and her works are hugely popular and read all over the world.

About women's upbringing and education

Women's education originated for the first time outside of England. Since ancient times, a woman has been considered as a “weak” (not only physically) sex, whose lot was unquestioning obedience to the representatives of the “strong” sex.

Plato was one of the first to defend a woman with his theory of “Platonic love”, which he dedicated specifically to a woman. He argued that women should take part in government on an equal basis with men and even advocated the need to give women the same education that men receive.

In ancient Greece, girls were taught to read and write at home, while boys attended gymnasiums. The girls' teachers were their mothers, and after marriage, their husbands. Most often, the education of Athenian girls was limited only to reading and writing skills.

In the VI-XI centuries. in many European countries, the monastic system of education was strengthened. The daughters of noble people were placed in a monastery in order to be given a minimum knowledge of religion, as well as to teach them to read, write, sing, arithmetic, grammar and drawing, so that the girls could decorate the religious manuscripts they copied. Often the girls were taught simple medical skills and taught Latin as the spoken language, which allowed the girls to become familiar with ancient poetry and write in Latin. However, secular literature was crossed out by religious literature.

In the XII century. The position of women in society in some European countries has changed markedly. The woman received relatively extensive rights not only of a legal and emotional nature, but also in the field of feelings. During this period, the cult of the Lady arises, which becomes necessary for knightly culture, and the beautiful Lady who inspires the knight, of course, must be educated.

During the Renaissance and Reformation of the XVI century. there have been notable changes in the structure of education, since the Humanists asserted the value of education, because it leads to virtue. Thus, humanist scholars were the first to recognize the need for women's education. A great contribution to the development of theories about the need for women's education in England in the XVI century. was introduced by the great humanist Thomas More, who wrote his famous Utopia. For the first time he was concerned about this issue when he married a young beautiful girl. More tried to interest his young wife in music, painting, literature, urged her to go to church for sermons, but, as it turned out, the girl was not at all accustomed to this lifestyle and flatly refused to educate herself and improve herself. Thomas More did not understand why education did not apply equally to both sexes and called for women to be educated more thoroughly.

The years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth Tudor have been dubbed by historians as the "golden age" of educated ladies. During this period, society began to respect educated women and admire their abilities, however, it was still very difficult to meet such a woman.

In the 17th century In English society, a discussion unfolded about whether education is necessary for women. Of course, there were both defenders and opponents of the theory of women's education. The culmination of this difficult dispute was the appearance of the works of the French scientist Poulain Delabarra "On the Education of Women" and "Equality of the Two Sexes", where he wrote that the mental abilities of women cannot be fully disclosed due to the fact that they are limited to being allowed to read only books of religious content. The scientist believed that a woman cannot be denied the right to become a philosopher, lawyer, diplomat, scientist. A woman must take her place, from where she was previously driven out by men. Although Poulin Delabarre spoke out in defense of women and their position in society, the scientist still believed that the main function of a woman is the birth and upbringing of children. In general, the judgment that a woman's destiny is a home and a family was widespread in English society in the 16th century. The ideal was a woman who was modest, virtuous and silent, opening her mouth only when asked. In the public opinion of England at that time, the stereotype was firmly entrenched, according to which a woman had to serve her husband and household. Classical education clearly "did not fit" into this image of the "ideal lady". In such circumstances, the emergence of feminism was quite natural.

The birth of feminism in England

Feminism is the general name for a broad movement for the equalization of women's rights with men. According to the scholar Patricia Crawford, the origins of feminism appeared during the work of Hannah Woolley (1622 - 1675) and Mary Astell (1666 - 1731). Hannah Woolley's most famous work is The Real Lady's Handbook, where she advises mothers to instill in their child awe of the father.

It was believed that the girl should be taught the art of catching her husband, and not turn her into a “gray mouse” or “blue stocking” with excessive education, after which she would remain an old maid and a burden for the family.

In two of her most famous books, A Serious Proposa ltotheLadies, for the Advancement of Their Trueand Greatest Interest (1694) and A Serious Proposal, Part II (1697), Estelle outlined her ideas for a new type of educational institution for women, which would give them the opportunity to receive both religious and secular education. Estelle suggested making career opportunities for women more than just a mother or a nun. She wanted all women to have the same opportunity as men to spend eternity in heaven with God, and she believed that for this they needed a sufficient level of education and self-awareness.

Women began to write petitions addressed to parliament, where there was a demand to grant them equal rights with men: “Since we are convinced that we are created by God, like men, we should also have a proportional participation in the freedoms of the republic. We cannot hide our indignation that you are depriving us of the right to petition or complain against the honorable House of Commons. As arguments, women referred to the Bible and other religious works, and also indicated their contribution to the “common cause” (11; 88) note1.

Early educators on women's education and upbringing

The most important role in promoting the ideal of an educated woman was played in the 17th century. early enlighteners. They not only criticized and denounced the vices inherent in the representatives of the "fair sex", but advised how to get rid of them with the help of self-education. Enlighteners attached great importance to reading and conversations in the educational process. They tirelessly cared about the moral education of young ladies, instructing them in the principles of virtue. Considering the existing educational system for women to be far from perfect, the enlighteners put forward various projects for its reform. Characteristically, these projects were in many ways consonant with those put forward by the first feminists.

The program of education and upbringing of the younger generation is most fully presented in John Locke's Thoughts on Education, written on the basis of his own pedagogical observations. Later, touching on the question of the education of the "little mistress", Locke proposed first of all to teach girls to read, then, when she learns to read fluently and masters her native language, she should be taught Latin. Dancing played an important role in the education of a young girl. “If girls are naturally shy, then it is better to teach them in public, in dance halls. There, no one will pay attention to their shyness, ”the philosopher wrote (11; 128).

A staunch supporter of giving women the right to education was the writer, publicist and educator Daniel Defoe. Defoe began his essay on the "women's academies" with indignation at the lack of public attention to women's education. The enlightener believed that the “women's academy” should not differ from an ordinary school, but discipline should be much stricter so that noble parents would not be afraid to send their daughters to them. The Enlightener believed that society treated women unfairly and stated that he could not believe that “the almighty God created them so graceful and beautiful, endowed them with such charm and made them attractive, endowed them with souls capable of the same perfections as men, and all just so that we can turn them into housekeepers, cooks and maids.” (11; 138)

Concluding his short work, Dafoe expressed the wish that an educated woman become a friend and adviser to her husband, and that men who deprive women of education would finally grow wiser and correct the existing order of things.

The Marquess of Halifax, an English statesman, wrote a work which he called "A New Year's Gift for a Lady, or a Daughter's Instruction." Fearing for the future of his daughter, Halifax dedicated his work to ensuring that Elizabeth (that was his daughter's name) would be guided by his advice and her contemporary society would not lead her astray from the virtuous, righteous path to true happiness. The work of the Marquis applies to other girls as well as to his daughter. To help young girls become beautiful ladies, the author writes in each chapter his advice on various aspects that are fully consistent with the image of the ideal lady in society:

· Religion. “Religion should be your main thought. It is in vain to guide your conduct in the light if the One who created us is forgotten.”

· House. Family. Children. “The women are in charge of managing the house, family, and children. If you are lazy and misbehave, you will soon become superfluous in your new family.

· Behaviors. “Going out into the world is a dangerous step, where virtue will not protect you if it is not accompanied by prudence. Remember, the enemy does not sleep, and he is always on the alert.

· Vanity and pretense. “Vanity is a mother, and pretense is her beloved daughter, vanity is a sin, and pretense is a punishment; the former may be called the roots of selfishness, and the latter, its fruits. Vanity reaches its climax only in pretense.

· Pride. "It's safer for a lady to appear proud than approachable." (11; 140)

A typical lady should have such qualities and skills in order not to attract attention and not stand out in society. If you follow the behavior of Austen's heroines in such novels as Emma, ​​Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, you will notice that the heroines mostly lead a lifestyle that corresponds to the list above, and if someone stood out, then society reacted to the actions of this hero very critically.

Marriage and marriage

Marriage was the only opportunity for a woman to occupy a recognized position in society. Naturally, the feeling of love, when entering into a marriage, as a rule, was not taken into account. However, even in marriage, the law was on the side of the interests of the spouse, so that even women's property received as an inheritance could be used only at the discretion of the husband. If the spouses were involved in a joint business where the profit naturally went to the man, the husband was the employer and the wife was the unpaid worker. The husband controlled the lifestyle of the wife, even in the event of the death of her husband, the woman had no right to her children, unless the man made her guardian in advance. The law protected a woman only in the most extreme cases: if she was subjected to the most severe beatings, by her husband, or if he deprived him of the most necessary.

The aforementioned Mary Astell expressed her views on marriage most explicitly. She wrote that marriage is presented to young creatures as "a serious undertaking." However, what happens when girls get married? They end up in a strange house, a strange family, fall under the influence of a strange man, who should become their own. Girls are deprived of their surname, which means the recognition of power over themselves by their spouse. A young wife is forced to unquestioningly fulfill all the wishes of her husband, despite their reasonableness. Family life was especially unfortunate if the marriage was prudent, if the man was only interested in the gold or silver reserves of his wife. Mary Estelle wrote that female beauty is a perishable product, so you should not rely on it as a guarantee of family happiness. A man who marries for convenience will never care about improving the intellect of his wife, because he did not marry in order to admire his chosen one.

The society has established a standard in relation to divorce and infidelity. What was forgiven to the husband was condemned and condemned if it was done by the wife. In general, in the modern world, we can also notice this phenomenon, which, however, is no longer as bright as it tended to be before. In our time, the betrayal of a man and the betrayal of a woman are still condemned by society in different ways. Also in many foreign languages ​​you can find the superiority of the male sex, which developed many centuries ago.

Jane Austen and her novel "Pride and Prejudice"

Jane Austen talks about serious things in such a comedic way that the novel reads like a witty comedy in the best traditions of the rich dramatic literature of England. There are two types of characters in the novel. Darcy breaks class pride, imbued with a sincere feeling for Elizabeth, and Elizabeth overcomes her pride and her prejudices under the influence of a reciprocal feeling. They act "out of character", that is, breaking the custom - this is one row. Lady de Boer, like Mrs. Bennet, acts typically, as they are supposed to according to their class beliefs and place on the property ladder. Provincial ladies and gentlemen catch profitable suitors for their daughters (for example, Mrs. Bennet, Sir Lucas), and those who are higher up the class ladder (Lady de Boer, Miss Bingley) resist - this is the second row. Darcy and Elizabeth, who know how to overcome their weaknesses and shortcomings in themselves, are the positive characters of the author. If the characters of the first type are ordinary people, internally gray, then the characters of the second are people with a clearly expressed individuality.

Many of Jane Austen's works can be called autobiographical. Perhaps in them she described her unfulfilled dreams and hopes for real family happiness. Due to the meager position of a woman in English society, her marriage to her beloved was impossible. At that time, the female mind was practically not valued, and since Austen was distinguished by her quickness of mind, sharp tongue, and sharp statements, she did not at all correspond to the ideals put forward by society about an ideal marriage and an ideal woman. One can draw some parallel between the life of Jane Austen and her novel Pride and Prejudice:

) Elizabeth Bennet has a similar psychological profile to Austen herself. Elizabeth completely rejects marriage of convenience and dreams of marrying for love.

) Jane Bennet is Elizabeth's older sister. Austen also had an older sister, whose name was Cassandra, whose fate is also by no means a happy one. She was engaged, but her fiancé, having gone on a journey, died of illness before marriage to Cassandra.

Both sisters did not find marital happiness. The ending of Pride and Prejudice, where Elizabeth and Jane found those people who deserve to be loved by them, who correspond to the ideals that girls usually hunted for: beauty, wealth, huge estates, high social status. Jane Austen even allows the characters in the novel to start a family and marry those they love. Here, Austen's unfulfilled hope for happiness is embodied, she breaks all social stereotypes and barriers and passes off Elizabeth as Darcy, and Jane as Bingley. She wrote about what she could not do herself.

) Lydia. The escape of this heroine could also express the feelings of Austen when she was in love with Tom Lefleur, perhaps she wanted to run away with her loved one in order to finally be truly happy, but Jane did not dare to escape.

In the novel, the image of Lydia is very comical, her actions are chaotic and the escape is justified only by the desire to get married as soon as possible and flaunt the ring in front of her neighbors.

“By the way, mom, does everyone here know about my marriage? I was terrified that the news hadn't spread widely enough yet. So when we overtook William Golding's chariot, I deliberately made it clear to him. I lowered the glass on his side and pulled off my glove. And she put her hand on the frame so that he could see the ring on it. And then she began to bow to him, smile and all that. (14; 334, hereinafter translated from English by S.Ya. Marshak)

) Lady Catherine De Beur - Anna Lefleur (Thomas's aunt). According to family legend, the reason for the gap was the negative attitude of Aunt Thomas towards this marriage. Lady Catherine lived according to the laws of society and was categorically against the marriage of Mr. Darcy, because Elizabeth did not correspond to the status of her nephew.

) Mrs Bennet is Jane Austen's mother. Like any mother, she wanted to find the perfect match for her daughter, not relying on feelings and reason at all, guided only by her material condition:

“Well, listen, my dear,” continued Mrs. Bennet. “Netherfield, according to Mrs. Long, was filmed by a very rich young man…”

"Is he married or single?"

“Single, dear, the fact of the matter is that he is single! A young bachelor with an income of four or five thousand a year! Isn't it a lucky chance for our girls? Of course, you understand that I mean his marriage to one of them. (17; 5) note 2

Due to the difficult position of a woman in society and her dependence on marriage, all the heroines dream of a successful marriage, but they differ in their behavior in society, their attitude towards marriage. Based on the worldview of the heroines, their statements, their psychological and physical portraits that other characters make about them or their own remarks and thoughts, female images in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice can be classified into the following groups:

· "Typical Mom"

· "Hunter for husbands"

· "Compliance with generally accepted standards"

· "Unrealized clever"

· "Only a strong feeling will make me go down the aisle ..."

The action of the novel "Pride and Prejudice" takes place in a typical English province, in the small town of Meryton, in the county of Hertfordshire.

Already on the first page, which serves as an overture to the novel, it becomes clear how clearly Austen understood the forces that controlled her contemporary society. No matter how they disguise themselves and no matter how sometimes they put on beautiful clothes, all the aspirations and interests of the society to which the characters of her book belong are based on property interests, i.e., ultimately, self-interest, if not directly. sense of money.

“Everyone knows that a young man with means should look for a wife. No matter how little the intentions and views of such a person are known after he has settled in a new place, this truth so firmly seizes the minds of families living nearby that they immediately begin to look at him as the legitimate prey of one or another neighbor's daughter. (17; 5)

The atmosphere of universal insanity on the basis of marriage reigns in the city. All the vital forces of almost all the heroines of the novel are aimed at the implementation of a successful marriage. Marriage is perceived as a good deal and nothing more.

“He is still very young, unusually good-looking, extremely amiable, and, to top it all off, expresses his intention to attend the nearest local ball, where he is going to arrive with a whole company of his friends. Nothing better could be desired. Who is interested in dancing, it costs nothing to fall in love. Everyone harbored the most optimistic hopes for the speedy conquest of Mr. Bingley's heart. (17; 11) note 3

The most worthy event, where it was possible to demonstrate all the feminine virtues and fully enjoy the male company, was a ball. At the balls, everyone had the opportunity not only to demonstrate the ability to dress with taste and move beautifully, but also the ability to conduct small talk, in which the intellectual abilities of the characters were often revealed. Of course, not all people were born speakers in order to easily and naturally carry on a secular conversation, and most conversations were meaningless. The main character of this conversation was not to cling to a single deep or original thought, not to express one's own conviction in anything; so that everything goes smoothly, does not concern life, government, or science; in a word, so that the conversation would not be particularly interesting to anyone and be understandable to everyone.

Men had to emphasize in every possible way the privileged position and piety of the lady, which was expressed in the provision of countless small services and the existence of etiquette.

Balls were the best place for making new useful connections and acquaintances. Girls could look after themselves the so-called victim for the desired marriage. Thus, everything and everywhere in this world revolved around a successful marriage, which helped to acquire a new social status and a position independent of parents, especially financially. Naturally, any mother wanted to marry her daughter to a wealthy man, so at the balls special attention was paid to rich young people.

“But Mr. Bingley's friend, Mr. Darcy, immediately attracted the attention of the whole hall with his tall stately figure, regular features and aristocratic appearance. Within five minutes of their arrival, everyone knew that he was the owner of an estate that brought in ten thousand pounds a year. The gentlemen found him a worthy representative of the male sex, the ladies declared him much more attractive than Mr. Bingley, and during the first half of the evening he was admired by everyone. However, later, due to his behavior, Mr. Darcy's popularity quickly waned. They began to talk that he was too proud, that he turned up his nose in front of everyone and that he was hard to please. And already all his huge estate in Derbyshire could not atone for his unpleasant and even repulsive manners. Of course, he didn't even deserve to be compared to his friend." (17; 13) note 4

Already from the first lines it is clear that the leading problem of society in the novel is a successful marriage: "Everyone knows that a young man who has the means should look for a wife." According to this principle, the narrative is built, only everything happens the other way around - the girls “look for” their husbands. The difference lies only in the motives and motives that push girls to marry: someone longs for a speedy marriage from an early age, no matter what, following the potential victims step by step, visiting the “hot places” of grooms’ gatherings (Lydia and Katherine Bennet); someone is in a hurry to get married based on the difficult situation of the family (Charlotte Lucas); and someone simply perceives marriage as a due event in the life of every girl, which must soon happen and, as expected, with the most worthy and wealthy of this world (the Bingley sisters). Consider each type and its representatives in more detail.

Classification of female images

"Typical Mom"

A striking representative of this category in the novel is, of course, Mrs. Bennet. As mentioned above (paragraph “On Women’s Upbringing and Education”, paragraph “Marriage”), a woman could receive a decent position only through marriage, and since there was not a single male heir in the Bennet family (property was transferred by inheritance only to men, women were not entitled to it), then Mrs. Bennet's daughters were in a difficult position, it is not surprising that she tried so furiously to marry them off, otherwise the family simply would not have had enough funds to support five adult daughters.

“Ah, if I could only see one of my daughters a happy mistress of Netherfield,” said Mrs. Bennet to her husband, “and marry all the others just as successfully, then I would have nothing more to wish for.” (17; 11)

Mrs. Bennet is a very impulsive and impatient creature. “She was an ignorant woman with insufficient intelligence and unstable mood. When she was dissatisfied with something, she believed that her nerves were not in order. The purpose of her life was to marry off her daughters. Her only entertainments were visits and news.

The essence of her character is perfectly betrayed by each of her remarks, which is most often very chaotic and does not correspond to the situation: “For God's sake, Kitty, stop coughing like that! At least a little reckon with my nerves. They won't stand it." (17; 9) note 5

The composition of her statements is very simple: everyday words, abrupt exclamations and interrogative sentences, betray her essence and her never-ending curiosity. Some of her statements are very ignorant and rude to others: “First he invited Miss Lucas. I was all jarred when I saw him with her in a pair. But he didn't like her at all. And who might like it, you yourself know!” (17; 15) note 6

However, she is a very practical woman and thinks through every little thing, of course, if it concerns some rich Mr. Bingley. So, for example, when Jane received a letter with an invitation to Netherfield, Mrs. Bennet decided that it would be better for Jane if Bingley got to know her as closely as possible: “Can I use the pram? Jane asked. - No, dear, you'd better ride. It is going to rain, and you will have to spend the night there ”(17; 35) note 7

When Bingley visits Jane, Mrs. Bennet tries to leave them alone in order to rebuke her daughter's engagement: “Mrs. Bennet began to wink at Eliza and Kitty in every possible way. Her efforts went unnoticed for a long time. Elizabeth stubbornly ignored them. Finally, Kitty asked innocently: - What is it, mama? Why are you winking? Is there anything I have to do? - Nothing, my child, nothing. It seemed to you. After that, she sat quietly for five minutes. But, being unable to miss such a favorable opportunity, she suddenly jumped up, and, at the same time, saying towards Kitty: “Come, my dear, with me, I have to tell you something there” (17; 365) note 8

Mrs. Bennet resorts to all possible means to attract husbands for her children and save them from financial difficulties. It is clear that the mother takes care of her children, but Austen portrays Mrs. Bennet with grotesque colors and her desire to marry off her daughters breaks all social decorum. When Lydia elopes with Mr. Wickham, Mrs. Bennet does nothing and complains about her “nervous nerves”, about how she worries what a scoundrel this Wickham is, however, as soon as she finds out that Lydia is getting married, we see such an interesting remark , which is the whole essence of Mrs. Bennet: “Lydia, my girl! exclaimed Mrs. Bennet. - How wonderful! She will be married! I will see her again soon! Get married at sixteen! Good, good brother! I was sure that this would end - he had to arrange everything! If you only knew how much I want to see her! And darling Wickham too! But what about the toilets? What should we do with the wedding dress? I must write to Sister Gardiner about this at once. Lizzy, my dear, run downstairs to your father and find out from him how much money he can give for this. Oh no, wait! I'd rather go to him myself. Kitty, call for Hill to come over. I'll get dressed in a minute. Lydia, my dear! It will be a holiday when she comes to us!” (17; 323)

Mrs. Bennet loves gossip and she wants all the neighbors to envy her family, so she immediately runs to talk about the engagement of her youngest daughter and rejoices that her first daughter is getting married, despite the fact that her daughter almost became a fallen woman, and she herself Mrs. Bennet thought all was lost a couple of minutes ago and complained about her nerves.

Mrs. Bennet is a very impulsive woman, her mind and mood change with extreme rapidity. When Darcy came with Bingley to the Bennets, we see the attitude of the mistress of the estate towards him: “My God,” exclaimed the next morning, standing at the window, Mrs. Bennet. "Is that insufferable Darcy following our dear Bingley again?" What is he thinking about, spending whole days with us with such importunity? I wouldn't mind if he went hunting or other things and didn't bother us with his presence. What are we going to do with it today? Lizzie, you'll have to take him out for a walk again so he doesn't stick around here on the Bingley road." (17; 397)

However, on the same day, when Mrs. Bennet finds out that Darcy proposed to Elizabeth, her attitude towards the young man changes dramatically: “Good God! Heaven's blessing! Just think about it! What is happening to me? Mr Darcy! Who could imagine? So is it really true? Lizzy, my dear! What you will be rich and noble! How much money will you have for petty expenses! How many jewels, carriages! Jane can't even compare to you. I'm so excited, so happy! What a charming young man! So stately! So tall! Oh, Lizzy, dear! For God's sake, apologize to him for the fact that I used to dislike him. I hope he forgets about it. Darling, darling, Lizzy! House in the city! Any luxury! Three daughters are married! Ten thousand a year! Oh my God! What will happen to me? I'm losing my mind. But, my dear, tell me, what is Mr. Darcy's favorite food for dinner? I'll have it ready tomorrow." (17; 401)

Of course, she is very happy for her daughters and herself, because now she can brag to Mrs. Lucas or her other friend, Austen notices that she survived the separation from her children quite easily, but, Mrs. Bennet is glad that both her daughters are now rich and noble.

“Happy for the maternal feelings of Mrs. Bennet was the day when she parted from her two most worthy daughters. One can easily imagine with what delight and pride she afterwards visited Mrs. Bingley and spoke of Mrs. Darcy. (17; 408)

"Only a strong feeling will make me go down the aisle ..."

I included Jane and Elizabeth Bennet in this group. These heroines are in no hurry to get married and do not seek to catch the admiring glances of wealthy gentlemen, they are guided only by a sincere and real feeling. However, Jane and Elizabeth are completely different in character, they are united by intelligence, love for loved ones and the desire to find a life partner who would be worthy of their love.

Jane Bennet.

Jane is angelically kind, she tends to justify any act of people and their statements. She tries to see the world in a perfect light, in order to fall in love, she does not need a large amount of time. Jane is not one of those girls who check their feelings for months, however, the elder Miss Bennet does not seek to find a rich husband, but is waiting for her young man.

“He is exactly what a young man should be,” she said, “smart, kind, cheerful. And I have never seen such manners - so much freedom and at the same time how good education is felt! (17; 17)

Elizabeth notices in Jane a very interesting feature that is not characteristic of any other hero in the novel "Pride and Prejudice" - the desire to justify any actions of people. For Jane, the fact that someone could do a bad deed on purpose is completely impossible, for her there are no bad people.

“You yourself know that you are too inclined to praise anyone, not noticing the slightest flaw in anyone. Everyone seems nice and beautiful to you. Well, have you ever spoken disapprovingly of someone in your life?

I don't want to be quick to judge anyone. But I always say what I think. Of course, judging by the first impression. But it is enough to talk a little with them to feel what pleasant women they are. Miss Bingley is going to live with her brother and take care of his household. It seems to me that I will not be mistaken in predicting that we will find in her an unusually nice neighbor. (17; 17) note 9

She is different from her younger sisters and gets along very well with Elizabeth, to whom she tells all her experiences. Jane, like Elizabeth, notices how tactless her family is, how Mrs. Bennet likes to say too much, how Lydia and Kitty do not know how to behave in society, how Mary each time tries to show her talents that she lacks.

“How I wish our dear mother knew how to control herself better!” (17; 147)

There are no abstruse, bookish phrases in her speech, but at the same time, Austen endows her with intelligence, the ability to present and keep herself in society and the undeniable beauty that everyone in the neighborhood admires. Not surprisingly, Bingley immediately noticed her and chose her as a partner for the ball.

"You are dancing with the only pretty girl in the room," said Mr. Darcy, looking at the older Miss Bennet.

Oh, this is the most charming creature that I have ever met!” (17; 14) note 10

Mrs. Bennet is proud that she has such a beautiful daughter and does not skimp on praise and stories to her neighbors.

“Jane enjoyed extraordinary success. Everyone was just talking about how beautiful she is. - Mrs. Bennet after the Jane Ball. (17; 15)

There is no vanity, tyranny and desire to find a rich groom in Jane, she strives for something more - for harmony, and this desire of Austen cannot but reward the beautiful Bingley.

Jane loves her loved ones very much, takes care of them and worries about her family. She does not forget how much Mrs. Bennet was worried about her marriage, so as soon as Bingley proposes to her, Jane runs to her mother to tell this good news.

“We need to go up to my mother right now,” she exclaimed. “I must not forget for a second how tenderly she took care of me. And I would hate for her to find out about it from someone else. He has already gone to his father. Oh, Lizzy, just think how much joy my words will bring to our family! I don’t know how I can bear so much happiness!” (17; 367) note 12

Jane wants everyone to be happy, and so she got it herself, in the form of Mr. Bingley, she found true love and a happy marriage.

The second heroine, which I attributed to this group, is Elizabeth Bennet. She is very close to the writer Elizabeth, undoubtedly one of her favorite heroines, who is capable of great feeling and deep delusion. Jane Austen knows how to convince the reader of the nobility of Miss Bennet's feelings, her prudence, originality of mind, but shows how difficult it is for the heroine to break pride, how easily she is mistaken. The language of the main characters corresponds to their characters and inclinations. In an effort to enrich themselves with reading, having balanced characters and the ability to think logically, they build harmonious and complete phrases “You have nothing to reproach yourself with in your memories that your peace of mind is based not on philosophy, but on a more reliable basis - conscience.” And for Elizabeth, she speaks passionately, emotionally. In her speech, liveliness, an ironic mindset is manifested. In her dialogues with the characters of the novel, there are many value judgments, high expressiveness of the words: “How bitterly she regretted at that moment that in her previous statements she did not show sufficient restraint and caution!” This expresses her direct nature, honesty and at the same time a predisposition to quick conclusions, unreasonable characteristics. In this she is the opposite of Jane's sister. Elizabeth looks at things soberly, she is mocking and sharp on the tongue. Jane avoids abrupt turns in her speech, the phrases are emotionally neutral, as is her restrained, reasonable character. Elizabeth can be called an educated girl. She modestly evaluates her abilities and successes, loves to read, thereby filling her mind more and more, which is why Elizabeth's behavior in society, her dialogues, remarks are very different from the remarks of Mrs. Bennet and Lydia, for whom education and self-improvement take the last place. At that time, women received practically no education (see "The upbringing and education of an English woman"), so the concept of an "educated" lady varied greatly, and a well-read girl was valued by men such as Darcy.

Elizabeth is not like the representatives of the society around her. Her aspirations are not limited to marriage, despite the fact that, being a dowry, with marriage she could receive a certain social status. The lack of a dowry made Elizabeth uncompetitive in the so-called "bride market". Also, Elizabeth does not have a sufficiently attractive appearance, which, again, would facilitate the process of marriage. Mother, in her conversation with Mr. Bennet, speaks of Elizabeth not very flattering: “Lizzie is no better than your other daughters. I am sure that she is not half as beautiful as Jane, and much less good-natured than Lydia ”(17; 7)

Elizabeth's sharpness of mind and her views on marriage and the world are very far from the views and ideals of Mrs. Bennet, so misunderstandings often arise between them, however, Lizzy's sharpness of mind and her psychological independence from society attract.

"I fell in love with you for your lively mind." - admits Darcy Elizabeth. (17; 403) The character of Elizabeth Bennet is revealed gradually through a complex system of relations between the heroine and her parents, sisters, friends, those who wish her happiness and her ill-wishers, and finally, with those men who were applicants for her hand. Despite the impersonality of the narrative, the author's attitude towards her expresses itself already in what features of her character stand out first of all: a sense of humor, a lively, cheerful disposition. Their positive connotations are an indirect confirmation of the author's approval of the heroine. In Elizabeth's speech part, the words "laugh, laugh" do occur repeatedly when she talks about herself. For example, when Darcy first made an unflattering opinion of her, calling Lizzie not beautiful enough, Elizabeth told her friend Charlotte about this incident in order to laugh together about it.

“Elizabeth remained in place, full of not too good feelings towards Darcy. However, she gladly told about this episode in the circle of her friends, as she was endowed with a lively and cheerful disposition and was always not averse to laughing ”(17; 15)

In the character of Elizabeth there is no frivolity inherent in her younger sister Lydia. Her mindset can be called analytical. She thinks a lot and seriously, observing the morals of the people around her.

Her main feature is not directly named in the text, however, it is felt in all her dialogues and remarks. This is the main thing - pride, or rather self-esteem. Elizabeth herself is not rich, after the death of her father they can be deprived of the house, the owner of which will be Reverend Collins. Under such circumstances, not to marry means dooming yourself to a miserable existence. It would seem that one should rejoice at the proposal of Collins, but Elizabeth indignantly rejects it. Even more incredible may seem her reaction to Darcy's proposal. A rich, powerful man, whose marriage is the pipe dream of many brides, proposes to her.

The development of Elizabeth's feelings for Darcy appears before the reader in all its complexity and inconsistency: from hostility to doubts, then, regret about her judgments about him, and, finally, to admiration, to the understanding that meeting him is the main event of her life.

“But over there, one of her sisters sits behind you. In my opinion, she is also very good-natured. Do you want me to ask my lady to introduce you?”

When Darcy first proposed to Elizabeth, she was completely unwilling to him, since their first meeting, when he spoke of Elizabeth not very well, hurt Elizabeth's pride. At the moment when Mr. Darcy opened Elizabeth's heart and proposed marriage, Lizzie was totally prejudiced against him. However, his disposition could not help flattering her.

"Despite her deep dislike of Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth could not help but realize how flattering she was to love such a man." (17; 206)

Darcy was not happy about the emergence of such a strong feeling for Elizabeth Bennet, primarily because of the tactless behavior of her relatives in society and her low position. Confessing his love for Eliza, he did not hide his indignation at the feeling of love that Elizabeth evokes in him. The tone and manner in which the confession was made offended Lizzie, and she answers him without the politeness and courtesy that should be present on such occasions.

“With the same right, I could ask about the reason why you announced - with the obvious intention of insulting and humiliating me - that you love me against your will, your reason and even all your inclinations! Even if all my feelings did not rise up against you, if I were indifferent to you or even disposed towards you, could any considerations really incline me to accept the hand of a person who was the cause, perhaps irreparable, of the misfortune of my beloved sisters?" (17; 207)

When Elizabeth receives a letter from Darcy, where he tells the real story of his relationship with Mr. Wickham, she learns that Darcy is a decent young man, and she was greatly mistaken and was supportive of the one who was courteous to her and flattered her vanity, Wickham. Elizabeth begins to realize that prejudice has played a cruel joke on her: “How shameful I did! - she exclaimed. - I, who was so proud of my insight! I, who valued my own mind so highly! So often laughing at my sister's benevolence, and nourishing her vanity with such aimless or unjustified hostility! How humiliating this discovery is! - And how justly I am humiliated! “Even if I fell in love, I wouldn’t be so hopelessly blind even then. But vanity, not love, has robbed me of common sense! - Flattered at the first meeting by the preference of one person and offended by the neglect of another, I was guided by prejudices ... "(17; 225)

Elizabeth is prone to introspection, and this distinguishes her from the crowd of people, and attracts men. Throughout the work, she draws conclusions about herself and others, regrets what she has done. This is especially evident in her statements about Darcy at the beginning of the novel and at its end:

“It never occurred to me that Mr. Darcy was such an unworthy man. In fact, I didn't like him before. And yet I did not judge him so badly. Of course, I noticed with what contempt he treats others. But I never imagined that he was capable of such low revenge, such injustice, such inhumanity. (17; 88) note 14

Later, after overcoming her prejudice and her pride, getting to know Darcy closer in Pemberley, Elizabeth realizes that he is her true love. She does not pursue her happiness and does not strive to get married as soon as possible, but dreams of marriage with a man who will have a sharp mind, nobility, and honor. In the story of Elizabeth and Darcy, Austen expresses his unfulfilled dreams of a happy marriage against social stereotypes.

“Even more excited, Elizabeth answered seriously and sincerely. Having assured her father many times that Mr. Darcy was her real chosen one, she told her father how her views on this man had gradually changed. With delight she enumerated all his virtues. (17; 400)note 15

Elizabeth does not live by the rules of society, she evaluates and analyzes people based on their actions and deeds, it is difficult to achieve her respect, Elizabeth does not have the high position of Lady Catherine to have good feelings for her, personal qualities are more important for Lizzie.

"And it's all? Elizabeth exclaimed. “I expected at least the pigs to have gotten into the garden, and it’s just Lady Katherine and her daughter.” (17; 174) She says when the well-known Lady Catherine arrives. She stands out very much among those who revere money, estates. Elizabeth feels people, their pettiness, bias, vanity. Even in such a predicament, she does not accept Mr. Collins' proposal because she treats him with contempt. The patronage of the rich and noble Catherine de Beur also does not become an advantage for her when she gets married, and even the fact that her family will have nowhere to live after the death of her father does not become a reason for marriage. She is looking for a life partner, and not someone who will provide for her (like Charlotte), she needs a loved one and a friend nearby, and Collins is absolutely not the person with whom she could live a happy life: “I assure you, sir, I absolutely I do not pretend to the success that can be achieved by playing on the feelings of a serious person. I would like you to appreciate my sincerity. I thank you again for the honor done to me by your kind offer, but it is absolutely impossible for me to accept it. All my senses rebel against it. Can I express myself more clearly? Stop looking at me as a coquette luring you into a network, and try to see before you a rational being who speaks the truth from the bottom of his heart! (17; 121) note 16

Elizabeth, like Jane, is very worried about her family, and Lydia's escape puts her out of balance, and here the reader sees for the first time how the main character cries and appears as a very vulnerable, sensitive, compassionate and understanding person:

“At this she burst into sobs for several minutes, unable to say anything.:

I have just received a letter from Jane with the most terrible news. She will become known to everyone. My little sister left her friends - ran away - was at the mercy of Mr. ... Mr. Wickham. They left Brighton together. You know this man too well to doubt how this must end. She has no money, no connections - absolutely nothing with which she could keep him - she is lost forever. (17; 294)

Of course, her tears are also caused by the fact that she lost confidence that Darcy would continue to love her. The reputation of her family is undermined and now not a single normal man will look at anyone from the Bennet family. Elizabeth is very worried because she realizes that she loves Darcy when their love has become utterly impossible. Mr. Darcy paid for the wedding of Lydia and Wickham to save the Bennet family, especially Elizabeth, because her position in society is not the best, and after Lydia's escape, Jane, Elizabeth, Kitty and Mary can definitely stop counting on a good match. Of course, Lizzie appreciated this act of Darcy, and her feelings only strengthened, so when Mr. Darcy proposed to her for the second time, she could not refuse.

Elizabeth found her happiness when she realized how wrong she was, when she overcame her pride and was able to open herself to this feeling of love for Darcy. The fact that she did not seek to win his favor and did not seek to marry, filled the price in the eyes of Mr. Darcy, because because of the female fate, she should have agreed to the proposal of Mr. Collins, and even more so to the first proposal of Darcy with a huge annual income, but for her, human qualities and the presence of a sharp mind are more important, as for Jane Austen herself.

"Compliance with generally accepted standards"

I attributed Charlotte Lucas to this group, because she lives according to the laws of society and also wants to get married, however, she does not seek, like Lydia, to find herself a husband as soon as possible. Charlotte is a victim of circumstances, she is already a grown woman and does not want to burden her family, she is looking for a reliable home and her corner, as required by the ideals of the time. She has her own moral principles and norms by which she lives, but she has to break them in order to finally leave her home.

“The Lucas girls are still very nice, I can assure you. It's such a shame they're ugly! I'm not saying that Charlotte is completely ugly - she's our great friend, ”says Mrs. Bennet about Charlotte and her sister. (17; 49) note 17

She believes that a girl should show her feelings in a stronger light than they really are, so that a man understands that a woman cares about him, so she says about Jane and Bingley:

“Nine times out of ten, it is better for a woman to seem more in love than she really is. Bingley certainly likes your sister. And yet it could stop there if she didn't help him move on." (17; 25) note 18

Although she, like other girls, believes that one should try not to let go of her future husband and it is not even necessary to get to know him well before the engagement, because you can do this after marriage:

“Success in marriage depends entirely on the game of chance. No matter how well the mutual inclinations are known to the parties and no matter how well they, at first glance, combine with each other, all this will in no way affect the future happiness of the spouses. Over time, inevitable discord will arise between them, and all the chagrins that rely on their share will fall out to them. And wouldn’t it be better in such a case to know as little as possible about the shortcomings of the person with whom you have to spend your life? (17; 26) note 19

About Charlotte Austen writes that she is very sensitive, emotional, sensitive, has the ability to compassion, has a sense of tact, moral and ethical sensitivity, conscientiousness, but also clarity of thought, reasonableness, prudence, the presence of common sense.

Charlotte violated her principles and her integrity and buried her talents by agreeing to marry Mr. Collins, a vain, narrow-minded, and pompous fool. Mr. Collins is a character in whose character, as the author writes, "arrogance and servility, complacency and humiliation are peculiarly intertwined." Collins is limited, stupid and self-confident - precisely because of these virtues, as well as another very important one: the ability to flatter and please - who managed to get a parish on the estate of a noble lady, Lady de Boer. But Charlotte admits that she can respect the future spouse to some extent and treat him with some disposition.

Charlotte accepted Collins's offer rather reluctantly, which was not surprising. Firstly, he had already acquired a reputation in her society as an unintelligent and poorly educated person, and as parish priest to Lady Catherine, he "showed himself as a mixture of arrogance and servility", "importance and humiliation." Secondly, he literally proposed to Elizabeth the day before and was rejected, so there was no question of any love for Charlotte. All these circumstances further aggravate the position of the heroine, thereby oppressing her and increasing the sacrifice of her act.

But Charlotte Lucas, who turns out to be more practical than Elizabeth in all respects, and, having judged all the advantages of the proposed marriage, gives Mr. Collins her consent.

In the thoughts of the protagonist of the novel, Elizabeth Bennet, about the upcoming marriage of her best friend, Austen's own indignation at the marriage of convenience is clearly visible: “What a depressing picture! And the pain caused by the fact that Charlotte humiliated herself in this way, having fallen so much in her opinion, was aggravated by a gloomy certainty in her ill-fated fate. (17; 139)

Charlotte understands perfectly well that Elizabeth will not really like her marriage to Collins, because the second one despises Collins and has no idea how you can live with such a person all your life, however, Charlotte is guided by other goals, and she decides to tell her friend this news and the reasons for her choice:

“I can quite imagine how you must be feeling right now,” Charlotte said. You must be astounded, extremely astounded. But when you can think it over carefully, I hope you will understand that I acted wisely. You know how far I am from romance. She has always been a stranger to me. I'm looking for a roof over my head. And, having considered the character of Mr. Collins, his way of life and position in society, I came to the conclusion that for me the hope of living a happy life with him is not inferior to the hopes that almost all people are entitled to boast at marriage. (17; 139) note 20

And here we have the prudent Charlotte Lucas, who married Mr. Collins in order to arrange her life and make life easier for her relatives. And for her, the house and household, the church parish and the poultry house become a substitute for genuine family happiness.

She sacrifices herself for the good of her family, not wanting to burden them with being near them, while at the same time fearing that at her age the marriage proposal may no longer follow. Charlotte has younger sisters. Realizing that they cannot marry before her, realizing all the responsibility placed on her along with the status of the eldest daughter, she decides to get married.

Charlotte's need to marry for convenience doomed her to a boring and monotonous life with an unloved man, but she was able to find her solace in the house and household.

"Hunter for husbands"

Almost all the girls who lived in Victorian England can be attributed to this category, there are also many such heroines in this work, but the most striking characters of this are Miss Caroline Bingley and Miss Lydia Bennet. These two heroines are completely different in how they present themselves in society, in dialogues, in self-perception, self-awareness in society, they are very similar in one thing - their readiness to do everything that is possible and impossible for the sake of their goal. They dream of finding a husband, however, they differ in the rationality of choosing a life partner. Lydia dreams of getting married quickly to be the envy of her friends and sisters, using methods that are contrary to the education system of an English lady. Caroline is not as adventurous as Lydia, she is simply looking for a husband worthy of her, Miss Bingley's choice was made in favor of Mr. Darcy, who had a large estate, a gentleman's character and stateliness.

Miss Caroline Bingley - Mr. Bingley's sister, who is very different from her brother in her treatment of other people of less prestigious social status. “Miss Bingley and her sister, Mrs. Hurst, were indeed very refined persons. They were not without wit when they were in a good mood, knew how to please when it was their intention, but at the same time they were arrogant and arrogant. Both of them seemed quite beautiful, were educated in one of the best private boarding schools, used to move in a secular society, and therefore considered themselves entitled to have a high opinion of their own persons and a low opinion of those around them. (17; 18)

Caroline always elevates herself above the “provincials” and expresses herself very sharply in their address: “You think about how unbearable it will be to spend many evenings in this way, one after another, in such a society. And, you know, I totally agree with you. I have never experienced such boredom in my life! They go out of their way to show themselves! How much insignificance and at the same time complacency in these people! What I wouldn't give to hear you make fun of them." (17; 30) note 21 Miss Bingley is vain and proud, she believes that no one is worthy of her company, except for well-read, witty men, such as Mr. Darcy.

Caroline also acts as a contestant in the "bride market". Despite her categorical views, she, like all the girls of this novel, is interested in committing. The attention of Miss Bingley is attracted by Mr. Darcy, so for almost the entire novel she tries to attract his attention and push him away from Elizabeth, saying some kind of taunt against the latter. However, because of this, her actions in the novel are quite ridiculous and ridiculous, Caroline considers herself an educated and pleasant woman, however, this is not so.

Her pettiness, jealousy and worthlessness "surfaced" when Caroline learned of Mr. Darcy's sympathy for Lizzie Bennet: "As for me," added Miss Bingley, "I confess I never noticed anything attractive in her. Her face is too thin, the skin on her face is somehow dark, and all the features are the most ordinary-looking. Well, what about her nose? After all, he is completely shapeless. True, she has good teeth, but also the most ordinary ones. And as for her eyes, which someone once called even charming, I never found anything special in them. Their sharp, piercing gaze disgusts me. And in her whole appearance there is so much plebeian self-confidence, which seems to me completely unbearable. (17; 278)note 22

Caroline's vanity was hurt by the fact that she is completely uninteresting to Darcy, and he, in turn, admires another woman who is lower than him on the social ladder. Miss Bingley is jealous, angry with Elizabeth, and therefore, in almost every of her remarks, she tries to hook Lizzie or belittle her in the eyes of Darcy, because she herself wants to be the object of his admiration, she does not skimp on expressions addressed to her rival: “How bad you looked today Eliza Bennet, isn't that right, Mr. Darcy? Caroline exclaimed. I have never seen anyone change so much in six months! She became terribly rough and blackened ... ”(17; 287) note 23

When Miss Bingley notices that the attention of her chosen one belongs to Elizabeth, she tries to spend as much time as possible with Darcy, show herself more, show her knowledge and abilities, while humiliating Elizabeth.

However, attempts to conquer the iron Mr. Darcy do not end in success:

“You write unusually fast. - You are wrong. I write quite slowly. - How many letters do you have to write during the year! Yes, even business letters! I can imagine what a grueling task it is. - Well, your happiness that I got it. - For God's sake, write to your sister, how I want to see her. - I have already written before at your request. - I think you have a bad pen. Let me fix it for you. I learned how to mend feathers perfectly. - Thank you, but I always mend feathers myself. - How do you manage to write so evenly? ... "(17; 53)

Naturally, Caroline is not ready to go against society for love, as, for example, Lydia, Mrs. Bingley is more of a contemplative character, but at the same time her defensive reaction to Darcy's lack of sympathy is her rude and harsh statements. Miss Bingley seeks her mate in rational but irritating ways that are repulsive and negative, even though Caroline does not act against the laws of society at all.

Miss Lydia is the youngest daughter of the Bennets. “Lydia, a tall girl of fifteen, with a beautiful face, not bad-looking, was her mother's favorite. It was thanks to this affection that she began to go out into the world at such a young age. Her natural courage and cheerfulness developed into self-confidence thanks to the attention of the officers, to whom her uncle's good dinners were recommended and her innate frivolity. (17; 51)

A frivolous, self-willed, spoiled, self-confident girl, for whom education and upbringing do not play an important role. The younger Miss Bennet does not know how to behave in society as is customary, so Lydia very often becomes the subject of discussion and condemnation, however, she does not care at all. The lack of tact is manifested in almost every replica. Perhaps the lack of proper upbringing and excessive love of Mrs. Bennet, her mother's encouragement of coquetry in front of the opposite sex, spoiled her character even more.

“Lydia, my dear, although you are the youngest of all, it seems to me that Mr. Bingley will dance at the ball with you.” said Mrs Bennet. (17; 11)

The fate of Lydia Bennet is the result of a crazy rush to get married. There is a character in the novel whose fate is similar to the fate of Charlotte - this is Lydia Bennet. The youngest daughter is unlucky, frivolous and completely stupid. Lydia believes that the main goal of any girl is to get married as soon as possible, and argues with her sisters, who do not share her beliefs: “Jane will soon be an old maid with us, honestly! She is almost twenty-three! If I had not been able to get myself a husband before these years, I would have burned with shame! .. My God, how I would like to get married before everyone else! (17; 238) And so it happened that Lydia was the first to marry.

Jane and Elizabeth very much hoped that after marriage, Lydia would eventually have at least a modicum of modesty, which she had always been deprived of. On the contrary, her complacency and arrogance increased even more, now Lydia could chat for hours about marriage and marriage, recommending to her sisters where to find a groom: “And when you return, you can leave one or two sisters with us. And be calm, before the end of winter I will find husbands for them. (17; 336)

She is ready for any tricks, just to get married as soon as possible. The moral side turned out to be beyond the reach of her, and, completely not thinking about the fate of her sisters, dooming the family to shame with her act, she escapes with the young officer Wickham. The thirst for the status of a married woman clouded her mind and brought her life to the point of absurdity. Her escape becomes threatening to the happiness and well-being of the rest of her sisters. Elizabeth now she can never be Darcy's wife, And Jane for Bingley. Only the efforts and material costs of Darcy contribute to the wedding of Lydia and Wickham. The escape of Lydia and Wickham can be seen as a break with society, and most importantly, a break with his family. Lydia does not understand at all what she is doing and what she is dooming her sisters to, for her it is all fun and fun, this is evidenced by Lydia's letter to Harriet, when the first one had already run away with Wickham, counting on a happy married life. note 24

She does not understand everything that happened, it is beyond her understanding, she is too stupid to realize what she doomed the family to: “Good God, when I left here, it could not have occurred to me that I would return here as a married lady. However, I still thought it would be very funny.

Thus, at first glance, the life situations associated with marriage, Charlotte Lucas and Lydia Bennet are quite similar, but upon closer examination it becomes clear that the motives driving the heroines are different. Charlotte marries an unloved and not entirely successful man only because of the difficult marital status and age of the heroine, which made her think that the next marriage proposal might not follow. And Lydia is in a hurry to get married only because of the acquisition of a different social status. She is convinced that the sooner the girl gets married, the better.

"Unrealized clever"

In this category, I decided to include a girl who would not fit into other categories at all, her difference from all other characters is too specific - Mary Bennet. She lives according to the Bible and reads books, however, Austen does not consider her a witty heroine, because by reading books she satisfies her vanity, as she can show off learned excerpts from books in front of society. Mary is constantly waiting for the positive assessment and praise that she, in her opinion, undoubtedly deserves. “Mary had neither talent nor taste. And although vanity made her assiduous, at the same time it inspired in her such pedantically self-satisfied manners that would have damaged even a more masterful performance. (17; 28) note 25 It seems that she is not at all interested in the future life, other people. Mary does not care about marriage or her appearance, she is completely unattractive to young people, however, she still strives to show herself to everyone and everywhere. Mary lives by the rules of society, she does not try to do anything against social laws, she is absolutely satisfied with her position and the only thing that interests her is showing her mental and creative abilities in public. There are very few of her lines in the work, because she is not of such interest as Elizabeth or Mrs. Bennet.

Mary is a completely faded character in this Jane Austen carousel, she rarely talks and rarely talk about her, however, from her descriptions, we understand that Mary is vain and tries to look smart, but she is not at all like that: “- And you, Mary, what do you think on this occasion? After all, you are such a reasonable girl with us, you read learned books and even make extracts from them. Mary wanted to say something very thoughtful, but she couldn't think of anything.

When Elizabeth refused Mr. Collins, Mrs. Bennet wanted Mary to marry him, because Mary thought Collins was a smart enough person and I think she would not mind marrying him, because their characters are somewhat similar: “ Mary judged his merits much higher than her sisters, often admiring the soundness of his judgments. And not considering him as smart as herself, she still believed that, following her example and doing reading and self-improvement, he could become a suitable life partner for her. ”So, Mary at the end of the work remains to live with her parents, and the reader himself can think out the fate of this girl.

Conclusion

In the Victorian era, men had all possible rights and freedom of moral choice in society. Women played a leading role throughout the 19th century only in the household.

Jane Austen, who was outraged by the dependent, not free in terms of moral choice, position of her contemporaries, was one of the first to create the image of a free woman who makes decisions on her own, in particular the decision to marry or not to marry this or that man, able to overcome all life's difficulties and pressure from sides of society with their heads held high. Elizabeth Bennet destroys all social stereotypes and canons, thereby acting correctly and honestly from a moral point of view, dooming herself to the indignation of the family and society as a whole, but still gaining the desired happiness. It is important to see the difference between the concepts of "marriage" and "marriage". Interestingly, the girls of the Victorian era tend to get married as soon as possible, and not to married life. The first is the opportunity to free the family from supporting themselves, and the family, in turn, tries to transfer their daughter to the future husband as soon as possible. The second is family life, which very often did not live up to expectations.

In literature, the heroine of Jane Austen (Elizabeth Bennet) has been assigned the definition of “the new woman”. But not a single work devoted to the creative heritage of the writer has convincing evidence of this assertion. Thus, the relevance of this work lies in the appeal to the understudied aspect of Austen's work.

The issues of marriage, not only the organization of life itself, but the responsibility in choosing a companion and companion, which parents and young people themselves bear, is one of the main themes in Pride and Prejudice. Although Jane Austen lived in a society where a “bride fair” was in use, she was perhaps the first of the English novelists to talk about the fact that marrying without love is immoral, that money cannot be considered the only measure of happiness. Those who marry for the sake of money should be aware that the price for comfort, well-being may be too high - alienation, indifference, loss of interest in life. Loneliness sometimes, Jane Austen makes clear, perhaps, based on her own experience, is better than being alone together in a marriage-deal. Already in his first novel, Austen openly condemns the material, pragmatic approach to life.

Having presented the situation of women in England in the 19th century and comparing the main character of the novel with the stereotypes of the English society of the Victorian era, we have identified the features of the image of the “new woman”, striving for freedom of choice, breaking the stereotypes of society regarding marriage and regarding the behavior of a dowry girl in society. She has her own opinion on everything, often at odds with the generally accepted.

Elizabeth Bennet differs from the Victorian ideal of women by the independence of the spiritual world, freedom of thoughts and feelings. Marriage for her is possible only if it is based not on selfish calculation, but on true love, respect, equality and spiritual kinship, similarity of thoughts and feelings.

Having analyzed seemingly similar life situations related to marriage, we come to the conclusion that the motives driving the heroines are different. Charlotte Lucas, for example, marries an unloved and not entirely successful man only because of the difficult marital status and age of the heroine, which made her think that the next marriage proposal might not follow. Lydia Bennet is in a hurry to get married only because of the acquisition of a different social status. She is convinced that the sooner the girl gets married, the better. Thus, neither Charlotte, who has decided on a rational marriage of convenience, nor even Lydia, who has violated moral norms, is unequivocally condemned and find the desired family, but not quite the desired happiness. And Elizabeth Bennet, who has gone through the barriers of pride and prejudice, but who has not violated moral laws, despite the circumstances that aggravate her position, receives happiness in full, gains a beloved husband and material well-being.

Thus, the heroine of Jane Austen differs from the Victorian ideal of a woman, since she, having a difficult financial situation, being a dowry, still considers herself a person who has the right to free moral choice. Elizabeth Bennet, in addition, surpasses the heroines of the novel in the level of her intellectual and spiritual development, not accepting the Victorian ideal of marriage and love.

Jane Austen sometimes uses the method of highlighting one dominant feature. It applies only to characters that could conditionally be called comic (or satirical) - Bennet's mother and younger sisters: Mary - pedantry, Lydia - coquetry, Katie - the desire to imitate Lydia in everything, Mrs. Bennet - stupidity. These characters have one thing in common - they are on the periphery of the action. Neither Mrs. Bennet are at the center of the story. Each of these characters is a satire on a certain phenomenon. And yet these characters tend to be voluminous.

In addition to the lyrical-dramatic plot line, represented by the images of the main characters, in addition to its comedy-satirical beginning, which is carried by Mrs. Bennet, Reverend Collins and Lady de Boer, the novel also has an adventurous-picaresque component, represented by such characters as Wickham and Lydia Bennet . By themselves, as individuals, they are quite ordinary and do not represent anything. Lydia thinks only about her admirers and about getting married as soon as possible, and running away with Wickham is the result of her next passion.

But neither Charlotte, who has decided on a rational marriage of convenience, nor even Lydia, who has violated moral norms, is unequivocally condemned and find the desired family, but not quite the desired happiness.

Elizabeth Bennet, of course, is above her environment - she is not only spontaneous, observant, cheerful, witty, but also educated, intelligent and endowed with high moral principles.

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Note

Cit. by Durstonop. cit. p. 88-89

2. “My dear Mr. Bennet, said his lady to him one day, have you heard that Netherfieid Park is let at last? Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.

But it is, returned she; for Mrs, Long has just been here and she told me all about it. Mr. Bennet made no answer.

Do you not want to know who has taken it? cried his wife impatiently.

You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hear it.

Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune…

Is he married or single?

Oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!.. You must know I am thinking of his marrying one of them.”

. “He was quite young, wonderfully handsome, extremely agreeable, and, to crown the whole, he meant to be at the next assembly with a large party. Nothing could be more delightful! To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love; and very lively hopes of Mr. Bingley s heart were entertained.

. "But his friend Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien, and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year. The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud; to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend."

. Don t keep coughing so, Kitty, for Heaven s sake! Have a little compassion on my nerves. You tear them to pieces."

. "First of all, he asked Miss Lucas. I was so vexed to see him stand up with her! But, however, he did not admire her at all"

. “Can I have the carriage? said Jane. - No, my dear, you had better go on horseback, because it seems likely to rain; and then you must stay all night.”

. Mrs. Bennet sat looking and winking at Elizabeth and Catherine for a considerable time, without making any impression on them. Elizabeth would not observe her; and when at last Kitty did, she very innocently said: “What is the matter mamma? What do you keep winking at me for? What am I to do?

“Nothing child, nothing. I did not wink at you." She then sat still five minutes longer; but unable to waste such a precious occasion, she suddenly got up, and saying to Kitty, "Come here, my love, I want to speak to you," took her out of the room."

. “Certainly not-at-first. But they are very pleasing women when you converse with them. Miss Bingley is to live with her brother, and keep his house; and I am much mistaken if we shall not find a very charming neighbor in her.”

. "YOU are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room," said Mr. Darcy looking at the eldest Miss Bennet

"Oh! She is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld!"

. "This is too much! she added, by far too much. I don't deserve it. Oh! Why isn't everyone as happy?"

. “I must go instantly to my mother; she cried. I would not on any account trifle with her affectionate solicitude; or allow her to hear it from anyone but myself. He is gone to my father already. Oh! Lizzy, to know that what I have to relate will give such pleasure to all my dear family! how shall I bear so much happiness.”

. “But there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and I dare say very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you.

Which do you mean? and turning round he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said: "She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt ME;"

. "I didn't think Mr. Darcy so bad as this--though I have never liked him. I had not thought so very ill of him. I had supposed him to be despising his fellow-creatures in general, but did not suspect him of descending to such malicious revenge, such injustice, such inhumanity as this."

. “Elizabeth, still more affected, was earnest and solemn in her reply; and at length, by repeated assurances that Mr. Darcy was really the object of her choice, by explaining the gradual change which her estimation of him had undergone, relating her absolute certainty that his affection was not the work of a day, but had stood the test of many months suspense, and enumerating with energy all his good qualities, she did conquer her father "s incredulity, and reconcile him to the match".

. “I do assure you, sir, that I have no pretensions whatever to that kind of elegance which consists in tormenting a respectable man. I would rather be paid the compliment of being believed sincere. I thank you again and again for the honor you have done me in your proposals, but to accept them is absolutely impossible. My feelings in every respect for bid it. Can I speak plainer?”

. "The Lucases are a very good sort of girls, I assure you. It is a pity they are not handsome! Not that I think Charlotte so VERY plain--but then she is our particular friend.”

. “In nine cases out of ten a women had better show MORE affection than she feels. Bingley likes your sister no doubt; but he may never do more than like her, if she does not help him on".

. “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other or ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always continue to grow considerably unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life.”

. “I see what you are feeling, replied Charlotte. You must be surprised, very much surprised - so, lately as Mr. Collins was wishing to marry you. But when you have had time to think it over, I hope you will be satisfied with what I have done. I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins "s character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state".

. “You are considering how insupportable it would be to pass many evenings in this manner--in such society; and indeed I am quite of your opinion. I was never more annoyed! The insipidity, and yet the noise - the nothingness, and yet the self-importance of all those people! What would I give to hear your strictures on them!”

. “For my own part, she rejoined, I must confess that I could never see any beauty in her. Her face is too thin; her complexion has no brilliancy; and her features are not at all handsome. Her nose wants character--there is nothing marked in its lines. Her teeth are tolerable, but not out of the common way; and as for her eyes, which have sometimes been called so fine, I could never see anything extraordinary in them. They have a sharp, shrewish look, which I do not like at all; and in her air altogether there is a self-sufficiency without fashion, which is intolerable.”

. How very ill Miss Eliza Bennet looks this morning, Mr. Darcy, she cried; I never in my life saw anyone so much altered as she is since the winter. She is grown so brown and coarse!”

. “MY DEAR HARRIET, will laugh when you know where I am gone, and I cannot help laughing myself at your surprise to-morrow morning, as soon as I am missed. I am going to Gretna Green, and if you cannot guess with who, I shall think you a simpleton, for there is but one man in the world I love, and he is an angel. I should never be happy without him, so think it no harm to be off. You need not send them word at Longbourn of my going, if you do not like it, for it will make the surprise the greater, when I write to them and sign my name "Lydia Wickham." What a good joke it will be! I can hardly write for laughing. Pray make my excuses to Pratt for not keeping my engagement, and dancing with him to-night. Tell him I hope he will excuse me when he knows all; and tell him I will dance with him at the next ball we meet, with great pleasure. I shall send for my clothes when I get to Longbourn; but I wish you would tell Sally to mend a great slit in my worked muslin gown before they are packed up. good bye. Give my love to Colonel Forster. I hope you will drink to our good journey.affectionate friend,

LYDIA BENNET.

"My dear Harriet,

You will laugh your ass off when you find out where I have gone, and I myself am dying of laughter, imagining how amazed you will be tomorrow morning when they tell you that I have disappeared. I'm going to Gretna Green and if you didn't guess with whom exactly, I would consider you just a fool, because there is only one person in the world whom I love, and this person is an angel. I would never be happy without him, so don't be sad about my flight. You don't have to tell Longbourn of my departure if you don't like it. For then they will be even more surprised to receive a letter from me signed "Lydia Wickham . Here will be fun! It's so funny to me that I can barely get the lines out. Please offer my apologies to Pratt for not keeping my promise to dance with him tonight. Tell him that he will certainly forgive me when he finds out about everything, and promise him that I will dance with him with great pleasure at the next ball we meet. I'll send for my dresses as soon as I get to Longbourn. But I'd like Sally to mend the seam that ripped on my embroidered muslin dress before it's packed.

Goodbye. Say hello to Colonel Forster. I hope you drink to our happy journey.

Your devoted friend, Lydia Bennet."

25. “Mary had neither genius nor taste; and though vanity had given her application, it had given her likewise a pedantic air and conceited manner, which would have injured a higher degree of excellence than she had reached.”

. "What do you say, Mary? For you are a young lady of deep reflection, I know, and read great books and make extracts."wished to say something sensible, but knew not how".

Similar works to - Female images in the novel "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

COURSE WORK

"The Image of the Province in Jane Austen's Novel

"Pride and Prejudice"

Introduction ……………………………………………………………………...

1. Jane Austen - the "first lady" of English literature ………………...

1.1 Jane Austen - the ancestor of the classic ladies' novel ...... ..

1.2 The influence of the province on the work of the writer……………………….

2. The image of the province in Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice" .................................................................. ................................................. ...........

2.1 The English province is a key element of the artistic space in the novel “Pride and Prejudice” ………………………

2.2 Images of the provincial nobility and their role in the novel …………….

2.3 The influence of the social environment on the formation of the characters of the characters of the novel “Pride and Prejudice…………………………………………..

3. Stylistic means of revealing characters in Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice"…………………………………………………….

Findings ………………………………………………………………………..

List of used literature ………………………………………..

INTRODUCTION

The work of Jane Austen belongs to the transitional boundary of the late 18th - early 19th centuries, when the artistic and literary system changed its direction in development from the Enlightenment to romanticism and realism, which almost simultaneously coexisted in Great Britain and mutually influenced each other. The novels of the writer are constantly in the zone of unrelenting reader and research attention, which is associated with the originality of the artistic solution in them of the so-called "eternal", existential questions of human existence. Until now, they are in demand by the reader, as they are devoted to universal human values ​​that do not lose their relevance, reveal the evolution of the concept of a woman's personality in historical and literary development. The interest of professional researchers is based on the opinion that Jane Austen is an innovator of motives and techniques that have enriched English realistic prose. In this regard, Austen's work is perceived as the foundation for important discoveries in English literature in the 30s of the 19th century. The consonance of Austen's works with the most acute problems of modern civilization determines the demand for research aimed at the "universal component" of her work, even today, at the beginning of the 21st century.

Despite the fact that the work and life of Jane Austen were studied by such famous critics as R. Liddell, M. Madrik, V. Scott, A. Kettle, S. Morgan, N. Auerbach, R. Ferer, M. Bradbury, R. Chapman, W. Booth, A. Litz, the analysis of her work is still relevant and interesting in the study today.

In a fairly representative foreign and domestic research tradition in the field of studying the creative heritage of Jane Austen, in our opinion, such an aspect as the influence of the province on the formation of the worldview and creativity of the writer is still insufficiently studied. Related to this is the scientific novelty of the work, which consists in a detailed examination of provincial England in the novel Pride and Prejudice. The relevance of the study becomes especially evident in the context of the unquenchable interest in the personality of Jane Austen and her work.

The purpose of the course work is to analyze the image of the English province in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice.

Objectives of the course work:

Identification of the dependence of biographical events in the life of Austen and her work;

Revealing the influence of Jane Austen's provincial life on the plot of her novels;

Justification of the need to study the novel "Pride and Prejudice" in terms of historical value;

Consideration of mental priorities and stereotypes of the provincial environment of England in the 18th century;

The study of stylistic means of revealing the characters' characters based on the novel "Pride and Prejudice".

The subject of the research is the novel "Pride and Prejudice" in Russian and in the original language.

The object of the study is the English province of the late 18th - early 19th centuries.

Main research methods: methods of conceptual, philological, functional, component analysis of the text, elements of comparative, descriptive methods, historical and etymological method.

The theoretical significance of the work lies in the fact that the image of the province in the novel is considered as an important characteristic of the lifestyle and morality of the provincials of the 18th century in England.

The practical significance of the work lies in the fact that the presented materials can be used in the practice of university teaching in the development of courses on the history of English literature of the 18th - 19th centuries.

The presented work, in addition to the introduction and conclusions, contains three sections that clarify theoretical and practical issues on the formulated topic. In addition, a list of processed scientific sources is attached.

The research material is the original text of Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice" and its Russian translation, biographical articles about the writer, publications and studies of Austen's work, and critical literature.

This work can be used for further research.

1. JANE AUSTEN - "FIRST LADY" OF ENGLISH LITERATURE

1.1 Jane Austen - the ancestor of the classic ladies' novel

Due to the prevailing literary tradition, most of the authors are men. And "women's" literature in order to occupy its niche, it is necessary to position itself as a unique and independent cultural phenomenon. It is necessary to find a different, different from the "male" approach to literary activity. The female author, describing her model of seeing and understanding the world, focuses on personal observations and experiences, she is looking for special ways of perceiving and evaluating reality, trying not to get lost in the established standards of the male literary tradition. This is what made Jane Austen's novels so popular.

Jane Austen is rightfully considered the "first lady" of English literature, the positivist critic Lewis sets her as an example to Charlotte Bronte, her "exemplary realism" becomes the basis for the followers of this genre. Later, J. Eliot discovers the connection of his aesthetic principles with the practice of the "incomparable" (by W. Scott's definition) Jane.

Despite the low fame and popularity of this name in the 19th century, the study of Austen's literary heritage began during her lifetime. A detailed article was dedicated to the beginning author by W. Scott, who became one of the first critics and reviewers of Jane Austen. The writer noted the emergence of a fundamentally new “style of the novel”, depicting the everyday life of a person, in which he saw the birth of a realistic image. W. Scott, in his statements about the author's creative manner, expressed the idea that Austen "creatively approaches the romantic heritage and in many ways overtakes his predecessors."

Jane Austen provided the basis for the English realism that her followers developed. She has been set up more than once and continues to be set as an example. Indeed, to tell the truth, today there are few writers whose books can be re-read at least twice. And Austen's novels, reading at different ages, open each time in a new way, scooping up truths and drawing conclusions for yourself, determining what is funny and stupid, and what really should be learned. For example, meekness and patience, the ability to neglect one's principles and pride, prejudice and arrogance.

It is difficult to disagree with W. Litz, who wrote in his monograph about Austen: “We call her the first “modern” English novelist, because she was the first prose writer who synthesized the achievements of Fielding and Richardson, thereby anticipating the classical images of the 19th century, that method him, which allowed the artists to reflect both the course of external events and the whole complexity of individual impressions and perceptions of the individual.

Everything that she wrote herself was accepted and processed by her followers. “In the history of the novel, she stands at a crossroads, anticipating in some respects the greater preoccupation with the moral problems of the Victorians, while at the same time maintaining the objectivity, skepticism and detachment of the 18th century. Although her social range was limited... in some respects she knew more and perceived life more widely than many of the more experienced and learned writers who came after her.

M. Bradbury emphasizes the relevance and topicality of the writer's work. According to the researcher, while focusing on the "moral" world in the novels, Austen, nevertheless, focuses on what is reasonable and desirable in social relations (marriage, material security). From the point of view of M. Bradbury, Austen's novels are distinguished by a type of narrative manner that is progressive in comparison with previous literature: the omniscient narrator is replaced by the characters' thoughts about what is happening. The juxtaposition of different points of view deepens the psychologism of the narration, and their obvious polarity gives rise to a comic effect. The listed circumstances, from the point of view of the researcher, testify both to a certain dependence of Austen's work on the aesthetics of the Enlightenment, and to the emergence of features of the author's realistic consciousness.

Jane Austen was the herald of realism in British literature, the founder of the family, "ladies' novel". She made a revolution in the art of storytelling, asserting its leading role behind the novel and proving that a woman has the right to create. At one time, Jane Austen took up the pen when a woman writer was condemned and not taken seriously.

The history of the creation of her most popular and famous novel, Pride and Prejudice, begins in the distant 1796. Austen finished it by August of the following year; she was twenty-one then. Little is known about this early version of the book from its original title, First Impressions. No copy of that original is known to exist. Three months after Miss Austen completed the book, her father offered the manuscript to a publisher in the hope that it would be printed. The publisher refused without even seeing the manuscript.

Fortunately for all her admirers, the first refusal did not prevent Miss Austen from continuing to write; although it was not until the winter of 1811, fourteen years after the completion of First Impressions, that she took up the manuscript and began to revise it, rewriting it into the book we know today as Pride and Prejudice. The work was much more successful than its earlier incarnation; it was accepted for publication and presented to the world on January 28, 1813.

Jane Austen's name was never attached to any of her published novels during her lifetime, and the title page of Pride and Prejudice read: "From the Author of Sense and Sensibility."

So why are Jane Austen novels so popular today? Why, despite the fact that the manners and the era that gave birth to them are long gone, do they continue to touch and excite readers? The answer to this question is simple. Jane Austen was a great artist who had the ability to "live the life of her characters and convey this feeling to readers." “She was interested in the ordinary, and not in what is called extraordinary,” noted S. Maugham. “However, thanks to her visual acuity, irony and wit, everything she wrote was extraordinary.”

The reason for the eternal youth of Austin is in her subtle irony and cheerful laughter. Immutable truths, externally accepted with reverence by her, are subjected to ironic ridicule; her laughter not only amuses, but also awakens thought and undermines the very foundations of false social principles. This is the enduring significance of Austen's irony, its humanity and ethical value.

1.2 The influence of the province on the work of the writer

Jane Austen's life was comparatively short and uneventful. Born in Hampshire in the family of a priest. The family was large: Jane grew up surrounded by six brothers and a sister. The Austins were poor. They kept no servants; only from time to time a village girl came to help with the housework. Mrs Austin smoked hams, brewed mead and beer; Cassandra was cooking; Jane sewed for the whole family.

Despite the fact that rural existence did not indulge in diversity, life in the rural wilderness played a beneficial role for the writer's work. All her works do not pretend to be more than a description of the life of two or three modest provincial families. But the author's magnificent knowledge of human nature and psychology, her subtle humor, her jewelry pen, and today, two centuries later, do not cease to amaze and delight, giving every right to classify her novels as masterpieces of world literature.

Jane Austen had one quality that is not often found in novelists: she knew her possibilities and their limits. As a fifteen-year-old girl, writing her first unfinished novel in a corner of the classroom, she had already firmly outlined with school chalk the circle of topics, characters and relationships that she recognizes as her own; the circle that will not cross even in the years of mature creativity. According to the writer, the most interesting topic for her was "the life of several families living in the countryside."

This may seem small and modest to some, but in this field, Jane Austen managed to create surprisingly capacious images and situations that described the life of the middle class people of the English province with purely English humor, and received the title of "Queen of the English novel". The secret of her popularity is simple: she wrote about what she knew thoroughly, knew based on her observation and experience taken from everyday life, since she herself was born in the provinces.

A quiet cozy place in rural England, where all more or less worthy people know each other, go to visit each other, discuss each other - this is an unusually stable world. A world where there is no place for cataclysms and catastrophes, where relationships are simple and understandable, where people have enough time to think about and deeply analyze the events happening to them; where there is a place for feelings, they are important, they are given essential importance.

Calmly and without tension, she leads the reader along the plot lines of her novels. There is no doubt that Jane Austen is a subtle psychologist of human characters, she is not distracted by detailed descriptions of appearance, interior, nature, the inner world of a person is important for her, which is revealed through dialogues between the characters of the novels. Jane Austen looks at the events of the era in her own peculiar perspective.

After analyzing the life of the ancestor of the classic ladies' novel, through the prism of the irony of the pen, you can see in her novels the real people she had to face, somewhere even herself, her experiences and problems, between the lines to see an almost transparent haze of the most hidden corners of her soul, to hear whispering the deepest secrets of her life. She wrote about the sphere of life in which she herself grew up, she knew the problems of the provincials from the inside. At the same time, unlike her predecessors, as E. Baker rightly noted, Austen was basically not a “preachy or moralizing” novelist.

The novelist consciously gravitated towards the economical use of artistic and visual means. She strove to express the most important and necessary things in a few words, without any verbal embellishment. It is characteristic that Austen sought to draw these pictorial means from the sphere of that everyday reality that surrounded her.

“Her judgments,” writes Kettle, “are always based on actual facts and the aspirations of her characters. Taken in a broad sense, they are always social. Human happiness, in her understanding, is by no means an abstract principle.

The work of the writer stands at the origins of English critical realism of the 19th century. Her literary heritage consists of six novels about the life and customs of the English petty nobility and rural clergy. Austen's powers of observation, as her novels show, were unusually sharpened, but she did not write about everything she knew and saw. She was interested in the psychological background of ordinary, everyday actions in the provincial corners of England. “About such a writer as Jane Austen, you can’t even say that she is original - she is simple and natural, like nature itself,” wrote one of the most insightful critics G.-K. Chesterton.

Jane Austen is a master of everyday writing, she easily depicts characters and faces through the prism of subtle humor and irony. The secret of the unfading popularity of Jane Austen's novels is simple: she, several centuries ahead of her time, wrote about what so much excites human minds and souls. Jane Austen wrote about how simple and difficult it is to combine love and prejudice, sincere love and the need to "improve" the financial condition through a successful marriage. Reading any Jane Austen novel asserts in the thought that only one who himself experienced the struggle of these contradictory principles could portray them so correctly.

2. THE IMAGE OF THE PROVINCE IN JANE AUSTEN'S NOVEL "PRIDE AND PREJUDICE".

2.1 The English province is a key element of the artistic space in Pride and Prejudice.

The image of the province is not new, for centuries it has been present in the works of many authors, but Jane Austen introduced the most complex thoughts into it in an accessible presentation. , a thorough knowledge of human nature, English humor and love in a purely "feminine" sense of it.

The everyday life of ordinary people, the little things in the life of a provincial existence - this is the artistic space of the novel Pride and Prejudice, where Austen, thanks to subtle wit and brilliant irony, reaches great depth.

The very description of the province is very concise and restrained, Jane avoids unnecessary descriptions, unnecessary details, strictly subordinating all elements of the narrative to its main development. She criticizes novels in which "circumstances of apparent significance are introduced, which, however, lead nowhere." There were no such circumstances in her novels; in them all descriptions, all landscapes are used to further develop the action or characters.

The landscape is almost absent in the novel: a few lines of description of Rosings and Pemberley. The names of cities and estates are often fictitious, for example, Netherfield Park, Meryton, Hunsford, Westerham, etc.

The novel takes place in Longbourn, "the village in which they [the Bennets] lived and where the Bennet family occupied a prominent position." The name of the village is also fictitious. The Lucas live next door, with whom the Bennets were on friendly terms. Nearby, in Netherfield, Mr. Bingley with his sisters and his friend, Mr. Darcy, appear. They came here occasionally, introducing new topics for the conversations of everyone around them, adding variety to the everyday life of provincial residents.

In her novel, Jane Austen combines the intimacy of portraying the life of provincial English families - “painting miniatures with a thin brush”, as the writer herself defined her artistic style - with an amazing breadth of coverage of life phenomena. Reading the novel, we learn about various aspects of life in England at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries: about the economy, politics, social structure, the church, the institution of marriage in those days, about mores, life, manners, clothes. The English province, as a key element of the novel's artistic space, is necessary for characterizing that era, for the development of the action and for a more striking comic effect.

Austen does not have descriptions of outfits, the situation in the house, but the reader clearly imagines the place of origin of the actions through the dialogues and caustic comments of the novelist herself.

Small nuances of human relationships are conveyed in great detail, which, together with the bewitching "Old English" dialogues, causes a feeling of immersion in the atmosphere of the 19th century and in the world of a single English family. The following dialogues of the heroes of the novel "Pride and Prejudice" are interesting:

"The country," said Darcy, "can in general supply but a few subjects for such a study. In a country neighborhood you move in a very confined and unvarying society."

"Yes, indeed," cried Mrs. Bennet, offended by his manner of mentioning a country neighborhood. "I assure you there is quite as much of that going on in the country as in town."

"I cannot see that London has any great advantage over the country, for my part, except the shops and public places. The country is a vast pleasant dealer, is it not, Mr. Bingley?"

"When I am in the country," he replied, "I never wish to leave it; and when I am in town it is pretty much the same. They have each of their advantages, and I can be equally happy in either."

"Aye-that is because you have the right disposition. But that gentleman," looking at Darcy, "seemed to think the country was nothing at all."

One can note a very simple way of life for the families of the English provinces. The man is engaged in the financial provision of the family, the inheritance is passed only through the male line, so the daughters have only one hope - marriage. What is the female half of England doing? - Attending balls and discussing events taking place in the vicinity. Reasoning about life is also very simple. "Who is interested in dancing, it costs nothing to fall in love."

“Ah, if I could see one of my daughters a happy mistress of Netherfield,” said Mrs. Bennet to her husband, “and just as well marry the rest, then I would have nothing more to wish for.”

The female half certainly meets after the balls in order to discuss the events that took place at the ball - this is an integral part of their life. They discuss every detail, every word spoken during the dances, plan further actions to win men's hearts.

Where, no matter how in the provinces, the problem of marriage is a purely property problem. This is why Austen's characters so often put words like match (marriage) and fortune (state) side by side in their conversations. “As to a fortune it is a most eligible match,” remarks one of the heroines of Pride and Prejudice in connection with the marriage of Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" - this is how the first chapter of the novel begins. "Fortune" - i.e. the wealth that a young landowner is lucky to possess becomes and must become an object of desire for the environment where he most likely will begin to look for his life partner. Therefore, not only negative characters, but also those whom the writer sympathizes with, constantly talk about fortunes, profitable parties and inheritances.

Immersing the reader in the atmosphere of the English province, Jane Austen gives us the opportunity to better understand the actions of the characters in the novel, to compare the actions of different layers of the gentry. On every page of Pride and Prejudice, the English province is the key backdrop to the development of events.

2.2 Images of the provincial nobility and their role in the novel.

The focus of the novel "Pride and Prejudice" is the private life of the provincial nobility, among which the author singles out people of various property status. The plot of the novel is simple, and the grouping of characters in it is strictly thought out. A provincial family, as they say, of a “middle hand”: the father of the family, Mr. Bennet, is quite noble blood, phlegmatic, prone to a stoically doomed perception of both life around him and himself; he treats his own wife with particular irony: Mrs. Bennet really cannot boast of either origin, intelligence or upbringing. The Bennets have five daughters: the eldest, Jane and Elizabeth, will become the central characters of the novel.

The action takes place in a typical English province. Sensational news comes to a small town: one of the richest estates in the district will no longer be empty: it has been rented by a rich young man, a "metropolitan thing" and an aristocrat, Mr. Bingley. However, Mr. Bingley does not arrive alone, he is accompanied by his sisters, as well as his friend Mr. Darcy. The action develops around one, at first glance, seemingly trivial conflict: Elizabeth Bennet meets with the aristocrat Darcy. She feels Darcy's disregard for her family, and a prejudice against him is born in her, which she finds difficult to overcome even when mutual feelings are born between people. Darcy, in turn, conscious of his superiority (both class and personal) over the provincial gentry, first reveals an accentuated arrogance in the presence of Elizabeth, and then, having fallen in love with the girl, overcomes both his pride and his prejudices.

Let us dwell in more detail on the images of the provincial heroes of the novel. J. Osten characterizes human nature in his work as "a combination of ... good and bad." Her character appears in development, in the unity of the particular and the general, "so unlike anyone else and so similar to others." This profoundly innovative understanding of the nature of character enabled Austen to create psychologically compelling characters in Pride and Prejudice.

The main character of the novel, Elizabeth Bennet, is the artistic discovery of Jane Austen. Elizabeth, who grew up in the family of a poor provincial squire, in an environment characterized by petty interests and narrowness of outlook, stands out sharply from the general background. Her mindset can be called analytical. She thinks a lot and seriously, observing the morals of the people around her. However, the writer does not idealize the heroine. Miss Bingley remarks: “There is so much folksy smugness in her whole appearance that it is impossible to reconcile! »

She is poor and suffers from the vulgarity of her family. Living under the same roof with a mother who did not shine with tact and intelligence, and with unbearable younger sisters, was very painful for Elizabeth. In the character of Elizabeth there is no frivolity, a thoughtless pursuit of entertainment, characteristic of her younger sister Lydia. The monotony, the monotony of everyday provincial life make any journey that promised a change of impressions, the possibility of meeting new people so desirable. Therefore, her aunt's offer to go on a trip with them causes frank delight. "What delight! What felicity! .

Elizabeth is a heroine endowed with a rich inner life; the concrete facts of reality make her think about the imperfection of human nature. She well understands the limitations of her mother, she is antipathetic to the vanity of the priest Collins and the prim arrogance of the rich and noble Lady de Boer.

In refusing to marry the priest Collins, the image of Elizabeth is revealed in the best possible way. Her words convince us that before us is a woman who will not go against her feelings, for whom in love and marriage it is by no means the consideration of self-interest or profit that is important.

"Mr. Collins," she says, "is a vain, pompous, narrow-minded, stupid man ... The woman who marries him cannot be considered sane." So, through the attitude towards Collins, the character of Elizabeth is convincingly revealed, her adherence to principles and uncompromisingness become obvious.

Elizabeth's antipode is her sister Lydia, although they grew up and were brought up in the same family. She is the most frivolous of the five daughters of the Bennet family. Lydia is proud of her new cavaliers from the military, and reproaches Elizabeth for her picky attitude towards the masters. “Jane will soon be an old maid, I promise! She is almost twenty-three! If I had not been able to get myself a husband before these years, I would have burned with shame. She just wants to get married, she does not waste herself thinking about the similarity of interests, about the inner qualities of people, about who exactly to live with, it seems to her that she doesn’t care with whom, the main thing is that she is married, and earlier than her older sisters.

All her actions are illogical, reckless and short-sighted. Lydia does not think about social status and about the possibility of officers to provide her with a decent income, which would be enough for a living. She doesn't care about the people around her or her family. As well as possible, this confirms the fact of her escape with Wickham. Lydia does not think at all about the consequences, and absolutely does not think about what kind of reputation she creates for the whole family, what an example Kitty sets. She does not respect family values ​​and does not care about the reputation of her family at all, disgracing her mother and father with her frivolous behavior, and preventing her sisters from marrying with such glory.

The image of Darcy is generally less detailed than the image of Elizabeth. Osten singles out in this hero, first of all, one leading feature - his pride. “He can be very different,” says Wickham, “if he finds the meaning in it. With those who are equal to him in position in society, he behaves differently than with those who have succeeded in life less than him.

Darcy is attractive for his "good fortune" - ten thousand pounds a year. However, in addition, he is the owner of "fine, tall person, handsome features, noble miens" - that is, "a beautiful slender figure, pleasant features and aristocratic manners." However, Mr. Darcy has one significant drawback: he is not "agreeable" at all. Moreover, despite the aristocracy, he has "disagreeable contenance" that is, "unfriendly manners, unfriendly behavior."

What is the expression of this hostility? In the fact that he danced only two dances with familiar ladies - Mr. Bingley's sisters and flatly refused to make new acquaintances, both among men and among ladies. He "spent the rest of the evening walking about the room, and from time to time throwing a few words to someone in his company." Such unsociableness quickly turns away the general sympathies from the aristocrat. Darcy, meanwhile, goes from coldness to rudeness. When Mr. Bingley, fascinated by Jane Bennet, notices that Jane's younger sister, Elizabeth, is left without a partner, he invites his friend to invite Elizabeth. But Mr. Darcy does not share his enthusiasm. Seeing that Elizabeth is close enough to hear their conversation, he nevertheless tells his friend that the second Miss Bennet is "is tolerable" - "acceptable", but nevertheless "not handsome enough to tempt me" - "not good enough for to attract me."

Darcy makes a certain impression on those around him: a proud, arrogant person. Here is how he perceives the local society at the beginning of the novel: "Darcy, on the contrary, saw around him a crowd of people rather ugly and completely tasteless, in whom he did not have the slightest interest and from whom he did not notice any attention or affection." Being in the grip of snobbish prejudices, Darcy managed to separate his friend Bingley from Jane Bennet, believing that the latter, in her "social position, is an unsuitable match for him."

Despite the negative qualities, Darcy has a mind, strength of character, the ability to love. He says the following about himself: “I have enough weaknesses. I only hope my mind is spared them. But I wouldn’t vouch for my temper.” The rejection received by Darcy from Elizabeth was a hard test for his pride. A man of aristocratic upbringing, he did not betray the feelings raging in him. With his restraint, the most natural way to express emotions was not direct dialogue with his chosen one, but correspondence with her.

The image of Mrs. Bennet can be attributed to the brightest representatives of the provincial English environment. “She is frankly stupid, blatantly tactless, extremely limited and, accordingly, has a very high opinion of her own person, with an unstable mood. When she was dissatisfied with something, she thought that her nerves were not in order. Her only entertainments were visits and news.

The image of Mrs. Bennet, her narrow-mindedness and primitive thinking are expressed through dialogue in a comic-everyday style. The verbose speeches put into the mouth of Mrs. Bennet objectively parody philistine ideas and interests. They allow in an ironic way to present the mores of a well-defined social environment. Mrs. Bennet is obsessed with only one idea, like, indeed, all the mothers of England of that time - to marry off her five daughters:

“- A young bachelor with an income of four or five thousand a year! Isn't it a good chance for our girls?

Mrs. Bennet does not understand that she looks stupid and does not feel ridicule, zealously defending her point of view and not seeing the subtext of mockery in her husband's speeches. Her image is truthful and frank, she always says what she thinks, however, not always thinking about the consequences. For her, the ultimate goal is important, and no matter what sacrifices it will be achieved. So, she sends her own daughter, dear Jane, out into the rain, risking her health, but benefiting Jane's soul and heart, because this is how she spends several days in the care of a person dear to her heart - Mr. Bingley.

As for Mr. Bennet, having married a narrow-minded, spiritually undeveloped woman, he, instead of raising her, considered it best to fence himself off - from Mrs. Bennet, from her stupidity, really unparalleled, and at the same time from the world with its problems - the walls of the library or newspaper. Disillusioned with the family idyll, he sneers at everything, despises everyone around him, including, it seems, himself. Over the years, indifference becomes not only a protective shell, but also the second nature of Mr. Bennet, whose existence, in fact, is even more meaningless than his wife, who, although stupid, is not cynical. Mr. Bennet, even at the beginning of his marriage, regretted that behind his wife's beautiful appearance he did not see the narrowness of her outlook. He acts ugly, ridiculing the stupidity and ignorance of his wife in the presence of his own daughters.

"Mr. Bennet's property consisted almost entirely in an estate, which brought in two thousand pounds a year. To the misfortune of his daughters, this estate was inherited through the male line and, since there was no male child in the family, passed after the death of Mr. Bennet to a distant relative. Means Mrs. Bennet, sufficient in her present position, could in no way make up for the possible loss of the estate in the future. Her father during his lifetime was a lawyer in Meryton, leaving her only four thousand pounds.

That is, if the Bennet ladies do not find husbands after the death of their father, they will have to leave their home and live five of them on the very limited income of Mrs. Bennet. No wonder Mrs. Bennet is on edge and obsessed with chasing suitors.

The image of Collins is one of the most colorful in the novel. Collins is presented as a self-satisfied fool on his first visit to the Bennet household. He is unbearably pompous and verbose. He endlessly praises his own virtues and the advantages of his position, the main of which is the patronage of the wealthy aristocrat Lady Catherine de Boer. As a preacher in a parish that belongs to Lady de Boer, Collins advertises his devotion to her in every possible way. He is extremely proud that the lady with the title brought him closer to her: "my humble abode is separated only by a lane from Rosings Park, her Ladyship" s residence ". Characteristically, Collins is by no means a hypocrite. Therefore, Collins's humiliating speech (my humble abode - my modest dwelling) is an eminently typical phenomenon, corresponding to the very essence of his character. Mr. Collins relates with respectful delight: “Her behavior to my dear Charlotte,” he continues, “is charming. We dine at Rosings twice every week, and are never allowed to walk home. Her Ladyship's carriage is regularly ordered for us. I should say, one of her Ladyship's carriages, for she has several " . He cannot stress enough that Lady de Boer has not one, but several carriages. It elevates him in his own eyes. A hallmark of Mr. Collins is his need to flatter anyone who is significantly above him. He does not hesitate to tell the following about himself: “I have more than once observed to Lady Catherine, that her charming daughter seemed born to be a duchess, and that the most elevated rank... would be adorned by her.”

All of the above allows us to assert that Collins embodied both tendencies characteristic of English snobbery - both kowtowing to superiors and a sense of his own superiority in relation to everyone else.

Interestingly, the name Collins has become a household name in the English language, just like the name Dombey or Pickwick. Collins is pomposity, pomposity, cringing, intoxication with title and position. The image of Collins is characterized by a much greater social content than the other characters discussed above. In this regard, the humor here ultimately acquires a satirical sound.

Perfectly complements and sets off Collins Lady Catherine de Boer,

which appears twice in the pages of the novel. Elizabeth Meets-

with her when he comes to visit the Collins. She is struck by the impudence

the property of the mistress of the estate: she considers herself entitled to question

Collins and Elizabeth about any details of their private lives, together

to talk and give advice on how to manage the household, etc. Another time

Lady de Boer herself comes to the Bennets' house. Now she's pouring on

Elizabeth real torrents of abuse. She called the rumor about a possible

her nephew, Mr. Darcy, and Elizabeth, by a vile invention,

thereby launched threats and insults against Elizabeth and her

relatives. The imperious and peremptory tone of her speech, the very choice

words like the upstart, retentions of a young woman without family, connections, or fortune testify not only to dislike for Elizabeth, but also to the rudeness and arrogance of this noble lady.

The images of the heroes of the novel "Pride and Prejudice" bear traces of the impact of those mores and that morality that were dominant among the provincial classes of the then England. We see the images of Osten's heroes even today, recognizing their speech or behavior in the surrounding and familiar people.

2. 3 The influence of the social environment on the formation of the characters of the heroes of the novel "Pride and Prejudice"

No matter how strong a person is, the social environment dictates its own principles and rules. According to the degree of activity of the speakers, their role in the course of the conversation, the reader can get an idea of ​​the social affiliation of the interlocutors, the essence of the relationship between them, since each speech reflects his social consciousness. The topics of conversation are usually determined by the interlocutors, who in the novel represent the social "tops". They have a "monopoly" in the conversation. These people are adjusted by those who are dependent on their whims and favors due to their "low" origin. In conversations, they learn to "keep their distance." .

Those who are characterized by a sense of pride and dignity do not stoop to fawning and flattery. But their relatively low social status often dooms them to the role of passive listeners or, on the contrary, forces them to speak when they want to be silent.

In the psychologically and socially conditioned speech of the heroes, Osten highlights another important mental and spiritual phenomenon: their desire for self-affirmation. It is expressed, first of all, in the straightforward statements of the characters about themselves and their deeds. In the speeches of people, not only those who are accustomed to the consciousness of their social superiority (Mr. Bingley and Darcy), but also those who grew up in an atmosphere of social humiliation (Mr. Collins, Mrs. Bennet), self-characterization, full of complacency, exaggerated evaluation of his personality. Miss Bingley's comment about the local society is indicative: “They go out of their way to show themselves! How much insignificance and at the same time complacency are in these people.

The same characters who, in terms of their position in society, are higher than ordinary provincials, emphasize this difference at any opportunity. Among not very wealthy provincials, Darcy clearly feels like a person of the highest rank: “Mr. Darcy,” we read in the novel, “danced once with Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley and did not want to be introduced to the rest of the lady.” Simply because he considers it below his dignity.

Darcy's behavior outrages the entire audience here, his pride, pomposity and a sense of his own superiority are clearly reflected in his next dialogue with Bingley, when he answers: “... Your sisters are invited, and besides them, there is not a single woman in the hall who cannot dance with It would be a real punishment for me.” Although Darcy and Bingley come from the same environment, but despite the prevailing mentality of this "top of society", their behavior is radically different, just a phenomenon, how can they have such a radically opposite attitude towards provincial society! If Mr. Bingley finds the company of a girl without an inheritance interesting, has sincere feelings for Jane, then Darcy challenges everyone present, he considers it a humiliation to dance with Elizabeth only because of social and property prejudices.

Along with those who relentlessly follow social prejudices and the general opinion that they belong to a lower social stratum, there is also the opposite image of Elizabeth Bennet. She directly points out to people their shortcomings, ridicules them, cutting off all their principles and foundations from the shoulder.

Throughout the novel, class differentiation shines through, and all vices are attributed to origin, which is, to some extent, naturally true, but, on the other hand, a lot depends on how a person develops himself, what conclusions he is able to draw from the events that have occurred. .

In the novel Pride and Prejudice, through the prism of relations between the Bennet, Bingley, Darcy, Collins, Lucas families, we can observe the traditions and customs typical of Austen's contemporaries, and judge the life of the English province. The main problems are the problems of a material nature, against which we evaluate the behavior of the characters, analyze their actions, their motives.

As you re-read Pride and Prejudice, you start to think more and more about the subtext, about the fact that Austen did not put it on the surface, disguising the motives of her characters' behavior. And more and more clearly between the lines illuminates the understanding that behind the words and actions of the characters is the prevailing mentality, way of thinking, certain spiritual values.

3. Stylistic means of revealing characters in Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice"

A study of Jane Austen's stylistic skill shows that her extraordinary talent allowed her to create a work that, both in subject matter and in its entire structure, is a great and important event in the development of English realistic prose. The skillful stylistic skill of Jane Austen creates a very lively, very reliable picture of the customs, way of life, life of a small provincial society.

N.M. Demurova noted that Jane Austen significantly expanded

la and enriched the method of “humors” characteristic of classicism,

zavshis from the division of heroes into villains, victims and reasoners.

Noting, thus, typical of Austin's realistic vision

characters, N.M. Demurova showed how it is embodied in the novel on

stylistic level. She, for example, believes that one of the innovators

J. Austin's techniques were the use of improperly direct re-

For example, Elizabeth's initially hostile attitude towards Darcy gradually transforms into completely different feelings, and her inner and improperly direct speech, intertwined with the author's narrative, makes it possible to trace all the shades of this evolution. So, Elizabeth's first reaction to everything she saw in Pemberley was expressed in her internal remark "And of this place", thought she, "I might have been mistress!". This involuntary regret is replaced by a phrase in which she reminds herself: “...that could never be; my uncle and aunt would have been lost to me; I should not have been allowed to invite them". Her speech here points not so much to regret for a missed opportunity in the past, but to the complete impossibility for her to marry such a snob who would not allow her to receive her relatives. But then, listening to the housekeeper Darcy, looking at his portrait, she begins to understand the scale of his personality. Each phrase in her internal monologue, marked with an exclamation point, betrays her inner excitement, a gradual change in her assessments: “What praise is more valuable than the praise of an intelligent servant? As a brother, a landlord, a master, she considered how many people "s happiness were in his guardianship! How much of pleasure or pain it was in his power to bestow! How much of good or evil must be done by him!" .

Making extensive use of indirect speech, Jane Austen

allows you to see the inner world of the characters in the moments of her most

strong feelings and emotions. So, a few quick questions

telative and exclamatory sentences pronounced by Elizabeth

"to myself" after an unexpected meeting with Darcy in Pemberley, fine

conveys her excitement at this moment: “Her coming there was the

most unfortunate, the most ill-judged thing in the world! How strange it must be

appear to him! In what a disgraceful light might it not strike so vain a man! It

might seem as if she had purposely thrown herself in his way again! Oh!

Why did she come? Or, why did he thus come a day before he was expected?

Austen was new not only in the multifaceted portraits of ordinary people she created against the backdrop of a social environment known to her to its smallest manifestations, but also in the very language of her novel, an artistic system unique in its originality. The style of the novelist has not yet been subjected to a comprehensive analysis.

Unlike his predecessors and contemporaries, Austen seeks, as far as possible, an objective interpretation of life, preferring a direct depiction of people to a story about people, and this is one of the peculiar features of her style. The artist reveals the human essence mainly through the image of people's verbal communication. A very significant feature of Jane Austen's poetics was noticed by T.A. Amelina. She writes: "The artist reveals the human essence mainly through the depiction of people's verbal communication, that is, direct and dialogic speech."

“Well, listen, my dear,” continued Mrs. Bennet. - Netherfield, according to Mrs. Long, is filmed by a very rich young man from Northern England.

And what is his name?

Is he married or single?

Single, dear, that's just the point, single! A young bachelor with an income of four or five thousand a year! Isn't it a lucky chance for our girls?

How so? Does it have anything to do with them?

Dear Mr. Bennet, his wife replied, you are simply unbearable today. Of course, you understand that I mean his marriage to one of them.

Austen's dialogue reveals the characters, individual life experience, culture, way of thinking of each character; it reflects the contradictions and dialectical processes of private life. Forcing the characters to talk about the subject of their mental, business, everyday interests, the writer always penetrates into the most intimate motives, lurking in the depths of the objective conditionality of statements. The psychologically conditioned speech of Austen's heroes is always reproduced as a manifestation of their historically determined consciousness. Thus, the entire social background, the depicted social phenomena appear with great artistic power and concreteness.

“Isn’t it true, what a wonderful entertainment for young people, Mr. Darcy! Indeed, can there be anything more pleasant than dancing? I find that dancing is one of the highest achievements of a civilized society.

Quite right, sir. And at the same time, they are very common in a society untouched by civilization. Every savage can dance." .

Jane Austen, without much authorial pressure, using mainly the means of linguistic characteristics, which always includes vocabulary, syntactic structure, style, intonation, individual for each character's speech, achieves a comprehensive disclosure of the characters. The individualization of the language of characters serves for Austen at the same time as a means of its typification, with the help of which she characterizes people of a certain social appearance, mentality, psychology, exposing socially determined human vices.

For example, Mr Collins. The base essence of his nature makes itself felt most of all in the most difficult period for the Bennet family: during the flight of Lydia with Wickham. Collins sends them a letter - "condolences". The lexical composition of this letter is represented by sublime literary vocabulary: respectable family, present distress of the bitterest kind, the death as a blessing, augmented satisfaction, involved in disgrace, etc. and a great deal of gloating and self-satisfaction at the knowledge that, having been rejected by Elizabeth and married to Charlotte Lucas, he is now spared the need to share the shame with the Bennet family. .

The statements of the heroes who strive to enrich themselves with reading and have a balanced character and the ability to think logically are distinguished by harmony and completeness. This is characteristic of the speech of Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet. The speech of heroes who think inconsistently and do not feel the need for enlightenment is as disorderly and confused as their thoughts. Such is the speech of Mrs. Bennet and Lydia Bennet.

The comic character - Mrs. Bennet - is a very impulsive and impatient creature. The essence of her character is perfectly betrayed by each of her remarks. The lexico-syntactic composition of her dialogue is always simple: words from everyday life, jerky exclamations and interrogative sentences that betray the heroine's vanity, her ineradicable curiosity: “Well, Jane, who is it from? What is it about? What does he say? Well, Jane, make haste and tell us, make haste, my Love.

In describing the character of Mrs. Bennet, J. Austin effectively uses

uses the dramatization of the narrative, i.e., gives the opportunity for self-

character's statements. For example, she calls Darcy

disagreeable, i.e., an unpleasant subject, and remains sincere in her

dislike for him: “I am quite sorry Lizzy, that you should be forced to have

that disagreeable man all to yourself; but I hope you won't mind. It is all for

Jane sake". But at the end of the same chapter, she breaks through with a flood

enthusiastic cries: “... Mr. Darcy! Who would have thought it? And is it

really true? Oh my sweetest Lizzy! How rich and how great you will be!

What pin-money, what jewels, what carriages you will have! Jane's is nothing

to it - at all. I am so pleased - so happy. These exclamations are not

less sincere than what she had said about Darcy before, though

mo are opposite in meaning. This change of grades in the speech part

Mrs. Bennet creates a visible image of a truly comic heroine.

But there are characters in the novel that are not outlined by soft comic

strokes, but truly satirical. Unlike the main characters

mana, who are constantly learning to better understand themselves and each other,

who sincerely experience their delusions and shortcomings, comically

skye and, in particular, satirical characters do not undergo any

changes in their development.

In Pride and Prejudice, such compositional

principles of the realistic novel as a complex system of characters,

a complex subjective organization of the text, in which the dominant role belongs to impersonal narration, but where each character, not only the main one, but also the secondary one, thanks to dramatization, the inclusion of improperly direct speech, gets the opportunity to express himself, as it were, independently.

For the first time in the history of English literature, prose works are marked by such an obvious predominance of indirect means of characterizing reality. The main functions of indirect analysis and generalization of phenomena are assigned to dialogue, which in this case became the basis of poetics. It is not for nothing that Jane Austen is called the master of dialogue, because through direct speech, the features of expressions and phrases, the semantics of sentences, the author draws us the life that she herself was so close and familiar with.

FINDINGS

Drawing parallels between the work of Jane Austen and her biography, our study deeply reveals the influence of the province in which the writer grew up on the formation of her worldview and creativity, and also reveals the correspondence between the content of her novel Pride and Prejudice and the events that took place in life Austen herself. Therefore, it is natural that the actions in the novel "Pride and Prejudice" develop among provincial English families. In the images of her heroes, one can see individual character traits of the people around her.

The study analyzes the image of provincial England in the late 18th - early 19th centuries as a key element of the artistic space in the novel Pride and Prejudice. The writer chose the artistic space in which she lived herself. Thus, the novel achieves a real depiction of the customs, way of life and life of a small provincial society. Focusing on the ordinary, everyday, Austen reveals to us with all certainty the life of her generation. Thus, the entire social background, the depicted social phenomena appear with great artistic power and concreteness. The image of the province in the novel is considered as an important characteristic of the way of life and morality of the English provincial nobles. Based on the foregoing, it follows that the novel is of historical value, as it is a kind of encyclopedia of the provincial life of England in the late 18th - early 19th centuries.

Having considered in the work the mental priorities and stereotypes of the provincial English environment, we can conclude that there were social and property differences that dominated the class of provincial nobles in England in the late 18th - early 19th centuries. Due to the fact that the characters of the novel are considered from the angle of property interests, one can single out such characteristic features of provincial heroes as limited interests, pomposity, unscrupulousness, servility, selfishness, self-interest, immorality. The novel clearly outlines the range of problems that the society of the English provincials lives with, aptly notes their shortcomings, among which snobbery stands out most clearly.

The images of the heroes of the novel "Pride and Prejudice" bear traces of the impact of those mores and that morality that were dominant among the provincial classes of the then England. Thus, we can talk about the influence of the social environment on the character of the characters in the novel Pride and Prejudice.

An analysis of the mechanism of functioning of stylistic devices showed that with their help Jane Austen was able to create living, full-blooded characters of the heroes of the novel Pride and Prejudice. For example, one of the innovative techniques of J. Austin was the use of improperly direct speech. For the first time in English literature, the basis of poetics, the means of expressing the author's point of view, is the dialogue developed by Austen, which reveals the behavior of the characters, their psychology, and moral character.

The analysis of the image of the province in the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a voluminous and meaningful, constructive and logically consistent research philological work, the results of which can subsequently be used to write a thesis.

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Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen's most popular novel, known to millions of readers around the world. The critical literature devoted to its analysis is also huge. Among the authors of books and articles are such well-known literary scholars as D. Cecil, M. Butler, A. Brown, M. Maysfield, M. Kennedy, J. Kestner, N.M. Demurova, T.A. Amelina and many others.

D. Cecil believes that Jane Austen correlates her characters with three basic standards of behavior: virtue, common sense and taste. Virtue is perceived in its Christian interpretation. Common sense refers to the desire to achieve something better in this inevitably imperfect world. Jane Austen believed that what a person lives for is more important than how he lives. Culture and the external signs of its manifestation can make a person's existence much happier. D. Cecil, therefore, believes that the ideal of Jane Austen is not only a virtuous and prudent person, but also a well-mannered one.

M. Masefield highlights D. Austin's desire to ridicule and condemn snobbery, especially its extremes, embodied in the image of Lady Catherine de Boer, among the most important problems of the novel. M. Masefield believes that the genre specificity of this novel is determined by the combination of comedy with the genre of romance, where an unusually attractive heroine rises above all the characters. J. Kestner considers it a great success, a sign of the increased skill of the writer, that her secondary characters become more definite, clear, more accurately written out.

N.M. Demurova noted that Jane Austen significantly expanded and enriched the “humor” method characteristic of classicism, refusing to divide heroes into villains, victims and reasoners. Having thus noted Austin's characteristic realistic vision of characters, N.M. Demurova showed how it is embodied in the novel at the stylistic level. She, for example, believes that one of the innovative methods of J. Austin was the use of improperly direct speech. A very significant feature of Jane Austen's poetics was noticed by T.A. Amelina. She writes: "The artist reveals the human essence mainly through the depiction of people's verbal communication, that is, direct and dialogic speech."

Thus, critics, giving the characteristics of the heroes of the novel, pay attention to the social motivation of the behavior and relationships of the characters and pay considerable attention to the stylistic devices that Jane Austen used, but the mechanism of the functioning of these methods needs a more specific and detailed consideration.

An analysis of the means used by the writer to create images of her characters is the main task of this article. Its solution will determine the nature of the ethical and aesthetic ideal of Jane Austen.

All the storylines of the novel converge around the two main characters Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy. The initial opinion about them can be largely formed under the influence of the title of the novel "Pride and Prejudice". That is, one might get the impression that each of them embodies one of these traits: Darcy - pride, Elizabeth - prejudice against him - a rich, arrogant man, accustomed to the servility of others. In fact, each of them is equally characterized by pride and long-term prejudice against each other.

The character of Elizabeth Bennet is revealed gradually through a complex system of relations between the heroine and her parents, sisters, friends, those who wish her happiness and her ill-wishers, and finally, with those men who were applicants for her hand. Despite the impersonality of the narrative, the author's attitude towards her expresses itself already in what features of her character stand out first of all: a sense of humor, a lively, cheerful disposition. Upon hearing Darcy's first, unflattering opinion of her, Elizabeth “told the story, however, with great spirit among her friends; for she had a lively, playful disposition which delighted in anything ridiculous ”Here, the epithets lively (full of life and spirit), playful (full of fun, fond of play) to the noun disposition (one "s nature or temper) perform a characterological function. Their positive connotations are an indirect confirmation of the author's approval of the heroine.In Elizabeth's speech part, the words "laugh, laugh" do occur repeatedly: "I dearly love a laugh ... Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies, do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can,” she says about herself.

But in the character of Elizabeth there was no frivolity, a thoughtless pursuit of entertainment, characteristic of her younger sister Lydia. Her mindset can be called analytical. She thinks a lot and seriously, observing the morals of the people around her. The monotony, the monotony of the daily life of the family made any trip that promised a change of impressions, the possibility of meeting new people, so desirable. So, the offer of her aunt, Mrs. Gardiner, to go on a big trip with them, perhaps to the romantic Lake District, causes frank delight (“What delight! What felicity!”).

In the composition “Pride and Prejudice”, the chronotope of the road not only contributes to the development of the plot, enlivening it with new events and characters. Its main function here is to show the evolution of the characters of the main characters, the gradual development of relationships between them. So, during Elizabeth's trip to the Collins, Darcy's first explanation takes place with her. During a trip with her aunt, her fate is decided: having visited Darcy's house, she begins to change her mind about him, gets rid of her prejudice against him, begins to understand that she could love him.

But no matter how much the reader learns about the heroine through the author's comments and characteristics, the main thing is that Elizabeth herself speaks about herself. This main thing is never mentioned, but it is present in her every act and every remark. This is the main thing - pride, or rather self-esteem and real fearlessness. Elizabeth herself is not rich, after the death of her father they can be deprived of the house, the owner of which will be Reverend Collins. Under such circumstances, not to marry means dooming yourself to a miserable existence. It would seem that one should rejoice at the proposal of Collins, but Elizabeth indignantly rejects it. Even more incredible may seem her reaction to Darcy's proposal. A rich, powerful man, whose marriage is the pipe dream of many brides, proposes to her, Elizabeth Bennet. Instead of accepting such a flattering offer, Elizabeth in the sharpest form accuses Darcy of humiliating her dignity, insulting her sister, and offending Wickham. In order to become her chosen one, it is not enough to occupy a high position in society, it is much more important to always behave like a noble person. Time must pass so that Elizabeth could better understand the character of Darcy, appreciate his merits.

Darcy has his own pride. As soon as he appears on the pages of the novel, all the actors and readers become aware of the amount of his income - 10,000 pounds a year, a colossal amount for that time. He immediately makes a certain impression on others: a proud, arrogant person. And although he himself, trying to explain his behavior, speaks of his isolation, of his inability to easily get along with people, this does not convince Elizabeth. The fact is that almost simultaneously with Darcy, Wickham, acting as the opposite of Darcy, is introduced into the number of characters. If no one hears almost a word from Darcy, then Wickham easily enters into a conversation. He has a pleasant, endearing appearance, he knows how to be a very entertaining conversationalist. Having barely met Elizabeth, he tells her the story of his life, in which Darcy played the most unseemly, in his words, role. Thus, all circumstances are not in favor of Darcy, and the further development of the plot seems unpredictable. The rebuke that Elizabeth gives to Darcy should, as it were, mark the end of their acquaintance. But the main plot intrigue lies precisely in the fact that Elizabeth's refusal only gives impetus to a new development of their relationship.

The refusal received by Darcy was not an easy test for his pride. A man of aristocratic upbringing, he did not betray the feelings raging in him. With his restraint, the most natural way to express emotions was not direct dialogue with his chosen one, but correspondence with her.

The development of Elizabeth's feelings for Darcy appears before the reader in all its complexity and inconsistency: from hostility to doubts, then regret about her judgments about him, finally, to admiration, to the understanding that meeting him is the main event of her life. The complexity of the emotional experiences of the heroine corresponds to a complex system of stylistic means of expression. Here is the author's comment, which conveys to the reader the confusion of her feelings (a flutter of spirits). Here are the details of the interior and landscape, which allow Elizabeth to see Darcy in a new light: "She had never seen a place for which nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste". The feeling that seized Elizabeth at the sight of the beauty around her is expressed by one adjective - delighted. "Elizabeth was delighted" is the key phrase describing her state during her visit to Pemberley. She admires the impeccable taste of the owner, who managed not to disturb the natural beauty of the landscape. No less pleasure gives her the interior decoration of the house - not eye-catching luxury, but genuine elegance. An enthusiastic review of Darcy by his housekeeper becomes another revelation for Elizabeth. Finally, the masculine beauty of his appearance in the portrait, which both Elizabeth and her uncle and aunt admire, is in harmony with the beauty of everything that surrounds him.

All these external impressions gradually transform Elizabeth's initially hostile attitude towards Darcy into completely different feelings, and her internal and improperly direct speech, intertwined with the author's narration, makes it possible to trace all the shades of this evolution. So, Elizabeth's first reaction to everything she saw in Pemberley was expressed in her internal remark "And of this place", thought she, "I might have been mistress!". This involuntary regret is replaced by a phrase in which she reminds herself: “...that could never be; my uncle and aunt would have been lost to me; I should not have been allowed to invite them". The subjunctive with the perfect infinitive here indicates not so much regret for a missed opportunity in the past, but the complete impossibility for her to marry such a snob who would not allow her to receive her relatives. But then, listening to the housekeeper Darcy, looking at his portrait, she begins to understand the scale of his personality. Each phrase in her internal monologue, marked with an exclamation point, betrays her inner excitement, a gradual change in her assessments: “What praise is more valuable than the praise of an intelligent servant? As a brother, a landlord, a master, she considered how many people "s happiness were in his guardianship! How much of pleasure or pain it was in his power to bestow! How much of good or evil must be done by him!" .

And yet the main result of her reflections is different. Unexpectedly for herself, she begins to understand how harmoniously they complement each other. At the end of the novel, Darcy's words about what meeting with Elizabeth meant in his life will become consonant with her reflections. But his first statement was arrogantly contemptuous: "I am in no humor of present to give a consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men". Later, in the moments of the first confession, at first confident of her consent, then stunned by her refusal, he speaks directly about all his fears regarding their possible union:

“These bitter accusations might have been suppressed, had I, with greater policy, concealed my struggles, and flattered you into the belief of my being impelled by unqualified, unalloyed inclination; by reason, by reflection, by everything. But disguise of every sort is my abhorrence... Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your connections? To congratulate myself on the hope of relations, whose condition in life is so decidedly beneath my own?” .

In his speech, an allied enumeration of homogeneous prepositional additions (by reason, by reflection, by everything), the use of conditional and subjunctive moods (might have been suppressed, had I concealed, could you expect), a parallel construction in two consecutive interrogative sentences ( Could you expect me to rejoice... To congratulate myself...) create a build-up effect, thanks to which his resentment and irritation find their expression. Darcy's love is perhaps the main psychological mystery of this novel. There is nothing rational in his feeling, although he is undoubtedly a reasonable and insightful person. As he himself speaks for the first time about his love: “In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.

Some researchers (for example, M. Puvey), referring the novel to realistic works, consider its end to be purely romantic. It is too incredible (not like in life) that Elizabeth's fate is happily shaping up. But perhaps Jane Austen's psychologism, the reliability of her characters, is manifested in the fact that she portrays Darcy's love as a passion beyond reason and calculation (and therefore possible). Darcy's path towards Elizabeth is a path of getting rid of prejudice and arrogance, from vanity, pride and self-confidence to a sharply self-critical assessment of his character: “I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle ... I was spoiled by my parents, who, though good themselves ... allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing, to care for none beyond my own family circle, to think meanly of all the rest of the world, to wish at least to think meanly of their sense and worth compared with my own... You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous” . In this conversation with Elizabeth, his self-esteem is heard. The repetition of the word selfish, italicization of the words right, child, wish, parallel constructions (I was taught, I was given, I was spoiled) and enumerations betray his excited, confessional mood, his gratitude to Elizabeth, love for whom made him different.

So from the many observations, meetings, impressions in the souls of Elizabeth and Darcy, a new image of each other gradually arises. The fullness of life that each of them finds in the other creates a common major key of the whole work. And besides, throughout the novel, the dramatic twists and turns of their relationship are intertwined with comic scenes.

Comic characters constantly bring the story to life. The first of them is Mrs. Bennet. The mother of five adult daughters, she only thinks about how to marry them off. There are many obstacles to this, not the least of which is the stupidity and vulgarity of Mrs. Bennet herself. Mrs. Bennet is a very impulsive and impatient creature.

The essence of her character is perfectly betrayed by each of her remarks. The lexico-syntactic composition of her dialogue is always simple: words from everyday life, abrupt exclamations and interrogative sentences, betraying the heroine's vanity, her ineradicable curiosity: “Well, Jane, who is it from? What is it about? What does he say? Well, Jane, make haste and tell us, make haste, my Love.

In describing the character of Mrs. Bennet, J. Austin effectively uses the dramatization of the narrative, i.e., gives the character an opportunity for self-expression. For example, in chapter 59, she calls Darcy disagreeable, that is, an unpleasant subject, and remains sincere in her dislike for him: “I am quite sorry Lizzy, that you should be forced to have that disagreeable man all to yourself; but I hope you won "t mind. It is all for Jane sake". But at the end of the same chapter, she breaks through with a stream of enthusiastic cries: "... Mr. Darcy! Who would have thought it? And is it really true? Oh , my sweetest Lizzy! How rich and how great you will be! What pin-money, what jewels, what carriages you will have! Jane "s is nothing to it - at all. I am so pleased - so happy. These exclamations are no less sincere than what she said about Darcy before, although they are directly opposite in meaning. This change of values ​​in Mrs. Bennet's speech creates a visible image of a truly comic heroine.

But there are characters in the novel that are not outlined with soft comic strokes, but in a truly satirical way. Unlike the main characters of the novel, who are constantly learning to better understand themselves and each other, who sincerely experience their delusions and shortcomings, comic and, especially, satirical characters do not undergo any changes in their development.

The first of these is Mr. Collins, whose name has become a household name in English literature. Collins is presented as a self-satisfied fool on his first visit to the Bennet household. He is unbearably pompous and verbose. He endlessly praises his own virtues and the advantages of his position, the main of which is the patronage of the wealthy aristocrat Lady Catherine de Boer. Having never seen him, only by the tone of his letter, eloquent, verbose, Elizabeth determined the character of its author in one word - pompous. She will have to make sure that there was something worse in him - the ability to basely worship the powerful of this world and the ability to humiliate someone who was lower than him in wealth and position. The base essence of his nature makes itself felt most of all in the most difficult period for the Bennet family: during the flight of Lydia with Wickham. Collins sends them a letter - "condolences". The lexical composition of this letter is represented by sublime literary vocabulary: respectable family, present distress of the bitterest kind, the death as a blessing, augmented satisfaction, involved in disgrace, etc. and a great deal of gloating and self-satisfaction at the knowledge that, having been rejected by Elizabeth and married to Charlotte Lucas, he is now spared the need to share the shame with the Bennet family.

Thus, the author's strategy can be defined here as the desire to create an image of such a character as Mr. Collins on the basis of self-disclosure of his character, because in all cases, Collins' own statements and actions become the main means of characterizing the various properties of his nature: hypocrisy, lackey humiliation and narrow-mindedness.

Lady Catherine de Boer, who appears on the pages of the novel twice, perfectly complements and sets off Collins. Elizabeth meets her when she comes to visit the Collins. She is struck by the arrogance of the mistress of the estate: she considers herself entitled to ask the Collins and Elizabeth about any details of their private life, intervene and give advice on how to manage the household, etc. Another time, Lady de Boer herself comes to the Bennet house. Now she pours out on Elizabeth real streams of abuse. She called the rumor of a possible engagement of her nephew, Mr. Darcy, and Elizabeth a vile fiction, then launched threats and insults against Elizabeth and her relatives. The imperious and peremptory tone of her speech, the very choice of words like the upstart, retentions of a young woman without family, connections, or fortune testifies not only to dislike for Elizabeth, but also to the rudeness and arrogance of this noble lady. However, ironically, it was she who became the unwitting accomplice of the marriage of her nephew and Elizabeth. Upon learning of her conversation with Elizabeth, Darcy realized that Elizabeth loved him and would accept his proposal. So evil punished itself, and if we can talk about the influence of Ben Jonson's ideas on D. Austin, then it affected precisely this: evil in her novel is defeated due to internal causes and contradictions.

In addition to the lyrical-dramatic plot line, represented by the images of the main characters, in addition to its comedy-satirical beginning, which is carried by Mrs. Bennet, Reverend Collins and Lady de Boer, the novel also has an adventurous-picaresque component, represented by such characters as Wickham and Lydia Bennet . By themselves, as individuals, they are quite ordinary and do not represent anything. Lydia thinks only about her admirers and about getting married as soon as possible, and running away with Wickham is the result of her next passion. Wickham seems to be a more significant person in comparison with her, he is an attractive young man, an interesting conversationalist. But the difference between what he says about himself and who he really is is very striking. The fact that, running away from the regiment, he drags Lydia along with him, is manifested not so much by the depravity of his nature, but by his inability to foresee the consequences of his actions. The adventurous and picaresque episode itself, associated with these two characters, gives considerable tension to the plot. At stake is not only the honor of Lydia, but the entire Bennet family, the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy. Thanks to Darcy, the episode gets a happy ending, because in the wonderful world of Jane Austen's heroes there is no place for evil and dishonesty.

Among the most important stylistic devices of Jane Austen is, first of all, irony, already mentioned in connection with the characteristics of the characters. The ironic effect is created both with the help of grammatical means (for example, the use of the subjunctive mood), and by means of vocabulary, when the spoken words are directly opposite in meaning to what is meant. So, Mr. Bennet is ironic when he says that, admiring his three sons-in-law, he singles out Wickham as his favorite (“Wickham, perhaps, is my favorite”), while he has nothing but antipathy for Wickham.

The author's comment at the beginning of chapter 61 is also ironic: “Happy for all her maternal feelings was the day on which Mrs. Bennet got rid of her two most deserving daughters". The happiest day in the life of a mother, Mrs. Bennet, is called the day when she "got rid" of her two most worthy daughters. The dictionary definition of the phrasal predicate get rid (to make a person free from - get rid) to some extent contrasts in meaning with the words happy day (a day of pleasure - a happy day), so the author expresses his ironic attitude to Mrs. Bennet's maternal aspirations.

Widely uses Jane Austen and indirect speech, which allows you to see the inner world of the heroine in the moments of her most powerful emotional experiences and emotions. So, a series of short interrogative and exclamatory sentences, uttered by the heroine “to herself” after an unexpected meeting with Darcy in Pemberley, perfectly conveys her excitement at that moment: “Her coming there was the most unfortunate, the most ill-judged thing in the world! How strange must it appear to him! In what a disgraceful light might it not strike so vain a man! It might seem as if she had purposely thrown herself in his way again! Oh! Why did she come? Or, why did he thus come a day before he was expected?” .

The lexical composition of the author's speech is determined by commonly used or neutral vocabulary. Even to convey strong emotional tension, the writer does not resort to any sophisticated techniques, but very skillfully uses the superlative degree of comparison of adjectives. Thus, the changed opinion about Wickham is expressed in a simple phrase: “Everybody declared that he was the wickedest young man in the world”.

The nervous state in which Elizabeth and Jane were waiting for news of Lydia is conveyed with the help of a metaphorical epithet: “Every day at Longbourn was now a day of anxiety; but the most anxious part of each was when the post was expected” .

Adjectives in a superlative degree characterize the state of the heroes in the happiest moments of their lives: “... the liveliest emotion; ...the happiest creature in the world; ...the happiest, wisest, and most reasonable end!” - all about Jane Bennet after Mr. Bingley proposed to her. If Bingley was a universal favorite, then the attitude of those around him to Darcy was more difficult, epithets also help to understand all his shades and changes. Austin first describes the general admiration for him: “A fine figure of a man... much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration...» . But Darcy's restrained behavior, which everyone takes for arrogance, very soon causes dislike for him. Now the attitude towards him is expressed in a gradually increasing stream of enumerations of all kinds of negative qualities:

“.He was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend" .

This list uses constructions with the infinitive (to be proud, to be above his company) and gerund (above being pleased, from having a ... countenance, being unworthy), as well as epithets with negative connotations (forbidding, disagreeable, unworthy) . This first impression of Darcy very soon turned into a persistent negative attitude towards him both on the part of the entire provincial society, and Elizabeth and her family in particular. It took a lot of events, meetings, explanations before Elizabeth saw and learned the true essence of his nature.

An important stylistic role is played in the novel by the size of sentences: from short replicas in dialogues and sentences of medium length, which form the author's commentary, to very large sentences, sometimes occupying a whole paragraph. One such example is an extract from Jane's letter to Elizabeth about the unsuccessful search for Lydia and Wickham: “By this time, my dearest sister, you have received my hurried letter; I wish this may be more intelligible, but though not confined for time, my head is so bewildered that I cannot answer for being coherent... Imprudent as a marriage between Mr. Wickham and our poor Lydia would be, we are now anxious to be assured it has taken place, for there is but too much reason to fear they are not gone to Scotland” . In this passage, the author strings together a series of compound sentences (that I cannot answer for being coherent, imprudent as a marriage ... would be; for there is but too much reason to fear they are not gone to Scotland) and compound sentences (By this time, my dearest sister, you have received my hurried letter; I wish this may be more intelligible...) to create either retrospective or conjectural (a marriage between Mr. W and Lydia would be), or a synchronous depiction of events and feelings (my head is so bewildered, there is too much reason to fear they are not gone to Scotland), as well as to convey feverish states of thought and action (my head is so bewildered; I cannot answer for being coherent). Complex constructions turn out to be necessary and adequate for the entire complex range of feelings experienced by Jane.

One of the climaxes of the novel is an evening at the Bennets' house, when Mr. Darcy asks for Elizabeth's hand in marriage from her father. It seems that all the diversity of J. Austin's stylistic devices is concentrated on these pages. Here is the dramatization of the narrative: Darcy's whispered words “Go to your father; he wants you in the library", Elizabeth's dialogue with her father, which uses the escalation effect: "Lizzy", said he, "what are you doing? Are you out of your senses, to be accepting this man? Haven't you always hated him?" . Here are parallel constructions, the stylistically colored use of the subjunctive mood and italics in Elizabeth's non-direct speech: “... But he was going to be made unhappy, and that it should be through her means; that she, his favorite child, should be distressing him by her choice, should be filling him with fears and regrets in disposing of her, was a wretched reflection” . This convergence of stylistic devices creates the effect of enormous emotional tension and complete authenticity of what is happening.

The skillful stylistic skill of Jane Austen creates a very lively, very reliable picture of the customs, way of life, life of a small provincial society. It was inhabited by quite ordinary people. Only a few of them possessed a developed mind, independence of judgment and nobility. But it was they who filled this novel with such a joyful acceptance of life, such optimism, which did not sound with such force in any subsequent work of J. Austin.

In this novel, that system of ethical values ​​(sincerity, benevolence, rejection of class swagger, self-esteem) that Jane Austen's characters embody is finally formed. Her ethical ideal also finds an equivalent artistic expression: impeccable stylistic mastery is combined with the skillful use of the genre possibilities of the novel.

In Pride and Prejudice, such compositional principles of a realistic novel as a complex system of characters, a significant role of the chronotope in the development of the plot, as well as portrait and landscape sketches in their characterological and aesthetic functions, and finally, the complex subjective organization of the text, in which the dominant role belongs impersonal narration, but where each character, not only the main one, but also the secondary one, thanks to dramatization, the inclusion of improperly direct speech and intexts, gets the opportunity to express himself, as it were, on his own.

Thus, in the novel "Pride and Prejudice", 25-30 years before the release of the first novels of Dickens, the recognized founder and classic of English critical realism, the characteristic features of this artistic method were already showing through.

Bibliography

  • 1. Amelina T.A. Problems of realism in the work of Jane Austen (method and style): author. dis. ... cand. philol. Sciences. - M., 1973.
  • 2. Demurova N.M. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice // Austen J. Pride and Prejudice. - M.: Progress, 1961.
  • 3. Austen J. Pride and Prejudice. - M., 1961.
  • 4. Cecil D. A Portrait of Jane Austen. - London, Constable, 1979.
  • 5. Kestner J. Jane Austen. Spatial Structure of Thematic Variations. - Salzburg, IESL, 1974.
  • 6. Masefield M. Women Novelists from Fanny Burney to George Eliot. - London, Y.N. & Watson, 1967.
  • 7. Poovey M. The Proper Lady and the Woman Writer. Ideology as Style in the Works of Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Shelley and Jane Austen. - Chicago and L. - UCP, 1985. - Pp. xxi+288.

Name today Jane Austen familiar, at least by ear, to the vast majority of people from developed countries. And associations that are not long in coming offer the phrase “women's novels”. And although traditionally it is women who read more and more often, in the Russian-speaking society, in any case, a purely masculine, slightly arrogant position has formed, classifying the works of this subgenre as second-class literature. Although it is almost certain that you will hear about the frivolity of Pride and Prejudice from lazy people who will find a hundred excuses for not picking up any book. Personally, I always openly and with interest approach cult works of literature in order to compare the prevailing opinion with my own convictions. Before proceeding to the analysis of what I have read, I will make, as it seems to me, an important remark. In order not to get confused, you need to remember that in domestic publications you can find the following common translation options: Pride and Pride" and " Pride and Prejudice". In addition, one should not confuse the novel with another work of the author, of a similar nature, "Sense and Sensibility" ("Reason and Sensibility") - in my university years, having no copies then, I confused.

What does your emphatic remark mean, ma'am? he asked in surprise. - Do you think it is absurd custom, according to which, before dealing with a stranger, he should be introduced to you? Or do you not like the existing order of such representation?

If we talk about the feelings that accompany the reading of Pride & Prejudice, then they can be commensurate with the easy reader's abstraction from the outside world, outside the pages of the book. To some, such a comparison will seem strange, but it’s like getting acquainted with a fantastic work. Not in the sense that the story told turns to boldly invented - just with every decade Jane Austen's creative universe and the society that lives in it become something expressively different, acquire those very romantic notes, often alien to modern globalization and information dependence in which we are accustomed to live. The heroines of the novel live, guided by concepts that are alien to most people who have picked up a book. And although the Bennet family experiencing condescending treatment from the wealthy aristocracy of the province, they are also noble people. Thus, during the hours that we spend with the characters of the novel, we touch life English aristocracy in the early 19th century its literary variety. Moreover, the author did not have to look far for inspiration - she surrounded the fictional history of specific people with quite real attributes that were very familiar to her.

If you say out loud the well-known rhetorical question: what can a book teach us, then “Pride and Pride” is one of the highest quality works, the history of which is based on such a concept as morality. A young girl can compromise herself for life and become an object of contempt and ridicule if she goes on a horseback ride with an unfamiliar young man, or agrees to communicate with him in the house, without the presence of her parents. The gentleman is obliged to show attention and affection to the participants of the ball, so that none of them is on the sidelines of attention this evening. The family, which may forfeit the right to its property, due to bureaucratic conventions, does not consider intrigue, incitement and deceit. To some, such social chastity will seem superfluous and alien, but we are just so accustomed to liberalism, accustomed to closing our eyes for immorality, depravity, that a defensive reaction of our own convictions can work. I'm not talking about biblical sins and superstitions of the Bronze Age, but about self-esteem.

When she reached the place where the shortcomings of her relatives were severely and at the same time deservedly condemned, her sense of shame became even more acute. She understood too well the validity of the reproaches expressed in the letter to try to refute them.

The storyline affects the well-being of the Bennet family living in Hertfordshire, which gives the story told a kindly deceptive sense of the reality of what happened. In a house where five young girls live, naturally, the main headache of the mother and, to a lesser extent, the father, is the organization of their future life. The novel gave us several fascinating images at once and Elizabeth Bennet is considered an example of a strong female image in world literature. She is really a rebel, without excesses rejecting pressure on herself from outside, including denying public censure. We will spend most of the work in her campaign, although the scale of events covers other sisters and persons involved in their fate. For example, the older sister Jane just causes attacks of sympathy and empathy, as an incredibly bright and open, vulnerable image. It acts as one of the facets of the eternal rivalry between good and evil.

The main male character, who became the title character, deserves a separate meaningful mention. In case of Mr Darcy, as the hero of the novel Pride and Prejudice, his fame, as they say, is ahead of himself. The young man shows prudence and composure of mind, not characteristic of his environment. Throughout the part of the work, where Darcy is present, his actions and behavior, in sharp contrast to even his best friend, Charles Bingley, evoke a mixture of emotions - from censure to admiration. The small volume of Austin's book provides a certain richness of what is happening, and here, frankly, one does not want to skip any separate parts.


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