Jane Austen and the Assessment of Men - Research Paper Example

?Client’s Jane Austen and the Assessment of Men The first sentence in Pride and Prejudice written by Jane Austen reads “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” (Austin 1). This assessment of men and their needs begins the novel in such a way as to set up a thesis for the direction of the story within the novel. In the pursuit of this goal, communications is the lynchpin on how the action is progressed. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy create a dance in which it is what they hear and how they misunderstand one another that their paradox of attraction versus revulsion is played. The developments of gender relationships are assessed through the strengths and weaknesses of men as they are measured against their goals of finding a wife. As the middle class was emerging, behaviors were designed to meet social expectations of the period and reflected in novels such as this one which were termed ‘female conduct’ novels. In the end, however, it is happiness that is the goal for novels such as this and through the development of the needs of men and the fulfillment of those needs by women, Austin sets a framework of social roles between the genders. The opening sentence of the book is a well-known sentence as it comes as a piece of irony in which Austin plays out her story (Tyler 29). Although Mrs. Bennett clearly believes this to be true, as Austin writes her story she makes it clear that while this may seem to be true, it is not as clear a path as Mrs. Bennett may wish. The hope is that men of means will want to seek out suitable women for their wives. The reality is that not all men of means or without means are suitable for husbands as in evidence by the tale of Mr. Wickham. He defames Mr. Darcy and then runs off with Lydia to marry her without the courtesy of proper courtship. Still, the essence of the novel is that men and women will find each other and marry, their social identities becoming aligned with social expectations of male and female positions within society. While the novel expands upon how the expectation stated in the beginning of the novel is ironic as it does not always seem true, in the end the thesis proven as the two lead characters exhibit that dynamic as expressed in that first line of the book. The protagonist of the novel, Elizabeth, is judgmental about the people around her. She shares with Mr. Darcy, the man who will eventually win her heart, a belief in the ability to have the best possible vantage point from which to judge the actions of those around her. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy both use their judgments in order to do what they can to control the outcomes of the lives of those they feel inclined with which to involve themselves. Tave writes that “The stranger who gives the most trouble is Darcy, another confidently superior spirit whose eye has its own problems in seeing what lies beyond his assured vision” (21). Darcy develops convictions about his assessments of others and does not see much beyond these assessments. He and Elizabeth have a shared inclination for how to view those in their world. This is the essential lesson that must be learned by Elizabeth. As a piece of conservative literature, the nature of the lesson that Elizabeth must learn is based upon an essential character flaw through which she must find her place within society when she has come to a better understanding of this flaw. In the introduction to Austin’s work, Jones, Tanner and Wells write that “in conservative fiction, heroines similarly overconfident of their capacity to make independent decisions, and to act on them, learn the error of their self-assertive ways – often (unlike Elizabeth) by suffering near or utter ruin” (p. 8). Elizabeth, however, is celebrated by Austin as she only lightly creates problems in relationship to the way in which Elizabeth has asserted her independence of thought and often action. Darcy is enamored by her intelligence as displayed by her discerning nature. Just as Darcy sees the errors of those around him, so too does Elizabeth show this gift, much to the detriment of the potential for their relationship. The interactions of this social group seem to focus on the intentions to marry. Marriage, according to the way the novel unfolds and for the most part, is the goal and end of each of the subplots within the novel. In writing the introductory sentence to the novel, Austin has set the course for her characters in order to prove what she has claimed about the nature of men. For Austin, women are the object of social intention and men are in search for acquiring that object. It is not that she belittles the position of women, it is quite the opposite. She sets them as having an identity from which springs the development of the role that a woman would play in the life of a man. Galperin claims that in this Austin is a realist. It is her ability to describe the ‘every day’ that allows her to utilize established gender roles without demeaning either sex in the process (Galperin 64). In setting the goal to attain the position of wife, she connects to what she considers to be the social balance from which happiness can be attained. Nedoma discusses the patriarchal society as it relates to the novel. She claims that Austin addresses the social disparity in power by taking it head on and developing a discussion based on accepting the roles that society has given to women and men, but then expressing them through revealing the intelligence and independence of Elizabeth even as her criticisms of others causes her to delay her own happiness. The novel explores the essential meaning of identity “in which a female discourse struggles with that of the male for the power to represent individual identity” (Armstrong 62). It becomes clear that the development of identity through values and characteristics is important to Elizabeth and even more so to Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy does not become smitten because of a physical attraction to Elizabeth. Elizabeth is seen, not for her physical beauty, but through the development of an understanding of her intelligence. Austin writes “then he began to find that it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes” (22). Mr. Darcy is at first critical of Elizabeth but also finds that her intelligence is an engaging quality that rises above the normal reasons for which men are attracted to women. Elizabeth refuses to be defined by the expectations of Mr. Darcy and continues forward through her own definition of her identity. In creating this unusual reason for attraction between the two main characters Austin sets them apart from the other characters in the novel. Austin discusses the varied reasons for attraction between men and women through the gentleness of a woman, her beauty, and through the sweetness that a man may find in a female candidate for marriage. Between Darcy and Elizabeth, however, develops an appreciation that is modern and unique. Darcy appreciates Elizabeth for her mind, not the way in which her characteristics might reflect upon him. Beauty is a reflection of the male gaze, but attraction that is based upon mental connections suggests that there is more substance to the attraction. At the same time, Austin writes with respect to the attractions of her other characters and acknowledges their legitimacy. Austin uses the precept of female conduct as a way to frame her discussion of men. Through the examination of behavior as it is related to communication, she is able to create “psychological basis for its meaning” (Armstrong 61). Armstrong discusses the work of Jane Austin in her novel as basing the development of society based upon communications. She states that “One finds the major events in her novels are all based on faulty communications” (Armstrong 62). In other words, the way in which men and women communicate with one another becomes the foundation upon which actions are taken and outcomes are determined. The behavior of women is the basis upon which the novel is written, but it is also defined by the information and misinformation that is given through the communication process. The notion of the female conduct book is based upon the idea that a series of novels in the early 19th century were devoted to the concept of providing examples of how a woman should act within society (Tylor 20). The emerging middle class become the subject of behavior, ascribed behaviors for both sexes setting the stage of a complicated social dynamic through which interaction and relationships were formed. Books such as those by Austin set the course for behavior, both interpreting and enacting the methods of social interaction through which the new middle class could find their position within society. The middle class was developed through financial accomplishments, setting them apart from both the aristocracy and the peasants. Thus, a new order of behavior had to be set into society. In essence, however, one can see that in Pride and Prejudice, Austin is both instructing but making fun of the frameworks of behavior that have been set out for the middle class. There is a frivolity about the discussion of the behaviors of women that places Austin as a satirical writer on the constructs of society. Overton suggests that Austin has taken a comical point of view on her conduct novel, the relationship of the behaviors that are expected exaggerated so that while supporting the social structures of the time she is also putting them into perspective (113). Through examining the developments of society and the placement of the arts as requirements for ladylike behavior, she reveals that intellect is still superior to those accomplishments that had become expected. Tyler calls Austin’s version of the conduct novel as a parody of the form, most of the other novels of this style written by men. The first sentence of this novel, then, can be seen as satire of the frameworks that the male writers of the time were putting into place. Austin writes “no one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and beside all this she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved” (39). This advancement of perfection that is described by Austin can be seen as the satirical form of the expectations on women as it surpasses what is probable within reality. Nedoma mentioned that this type of framework was beyond the scope of reality, that Austin was expressing an idea that she knew was not the extent to which real women expressed their sense of ‘accomplishment’. Through Elizabeth, Austin was able to more realistically discuss the nature of women. Through Darcy she showed hope that men did not truly desire women for accomplishments of performance. Through Mr. Darcy she states that “All this she must possess…and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading” (Austin 39). Even though the expectations are still listed as desired, it is through this moment that Austin can state what she finds more important in the accomplishments of women. The nature of the writing by Jane Austin in Pride and Prejudice is as a social commentary on the behaviors and identities of men and women as they related to the time period. Although the novel is an example of female conduct literature, Austin uses the opportunity to express her perspective on the idea of gender roles and the expectations of society. Through examining the emerging middle class and the social mores that were developing, she finds the humanity within the search for a mate in addition to that within the characters she creates. Her famous first line in this novel reveals both the storyline and her intention at a small bit of satire as she examines the social structures of her time period. Works Cited Armstrong, Nancy. Desire and Domestic Fiction: A Political History of the Novel. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987. Print. Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1918. Print. Austen, Jane, Vivien Jones, Tony Tanner, and Juliette Wells. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Penguin USA, Inc, 2009. Print. Galperin, William H. The Historical Austen. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002. Print. Nedoma, Jeannette. The Role of Women: A Comparison of Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' and Helen Fielding's 'Bridget Jones's Diary'. Mu?nchen: GRIN Verlag, 2009. Overton, Bill. Fictions of Female Adultery: Theories and Cirvumtexts : Theories and Circumtexts. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Print. Tave, Stuart M. What are Men to Rocks and Mountains? Pride and Prejudice. In Harold Bloom, Eds. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. New York: Bloom's Literary Criticism, 2007. Print. Tyler, Natalie. The Friendly Jane Austin. Read More