傲慢与偏见英语论文

Abstract................................................................................................1 Ⅰ.Introduction.........................................................................................1 Ⅱ.The analysis of Elizabeth’s character..................................................2 Ⅲ.The analysis of five marriage patterns................................................2 3.1 Mr.and Mrs.Bennet........................................................................2 3.2 Jane and Bingley............................................................................3 3.3 Elizabeth and Darcy.......................................................................3 3.4 Lydia and Wickham.......................................................................4 3.5Charlotte and Collins........................................................................4 Ⅳ.Austen’s views on marriage in Pride and Prejudice..............................4 Ⅴ.Conclusion.............................................................................................4 Ⅵ.Bibliography..........................................................................................4

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Abstract

Jane Austen was one of the distinguished realistic novelists in the nineteenth century English literature.Pride and Prejudice is one of her famous representative works.At that

time ,marriage was the only way for women to gain social status and recognition.The author will analyze the five marriage patterns in a critical way to explore the important role that marriage and love plays in a marriage.It analyzes that one’s character reflects one’s marriage and attitudes towards love and social morals .Austen’s view on the marriage expresses that property,social

status and love are absolutely necessary elements in a marriage.She emphasize love and economic condition,but love plays a more significant role.It can let people cast pride and prejudice,and re-know and accept a person.The thesis will analyze several marriage through Elizabeth’view on marriage.

Key words:love;property;view on marriage;pride and prejudice

Study of Pride and prejudice

(Personal information:吴黎明，class 1106,college of Foreign Studies Hubei Normal University，Huangshi,435000)

1.Introduction:

Jean Austen’s novels were witty,warm,and ironic portraits of the privileged classes of eighteenth and nineteenth century England.Her representative works are Emma,Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. The first sentence in the novel is impressive and

well-known.It reads:“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune,must be in want of a wife.” The reason is very clear:that foundation of the marriage at that time is not love but possession.

The main story of the novel happens between Elizabeth and Darcy.We all know that at the first ball,Darcy refused Lizzy’invitation for dancing,because he didn’t think that anyone at the village can deserve him.After this,Lizzy promised not to pay attention to him any more because of his pride.Other than this,there are other two things that make Lizzy leave a worse impression to him.One is that she thinks it was he that had separated her sister and her lover.The second is that she heard of something bad from Wickham who has antinomies with Darcy.It is these

misunderstanding that make her feeling of prejudice stronger and stronger.At last,she found she had misunderstood him and made her very regret.And Darcy had although changed.He made an offer of marriage to her again and was accepted.finally,no pride and prejudice are between them.Instead they have a happy ending.

The novel also reflected the author’s marriage view:It is wrong to marry for the property,money and position.She emphasizes the importance of the ideal marriage.

So,it’s natural for me to associate her works with modern society,a lot of parents try to interfere their children’s marriage.Education background or job condition may influence one’s marriage.Money is still a big problem for marriage.But money isn’t everything,true love is most

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important one .After I read the novel,I have a profound thinking about marriage.We can comprehend the essence of Jean,and Bingley’s marriage.

Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriage,Lydia and Wickham’s marriage and Charlotte and Collins’s marriage through Elizabeth’s eyes.That is,to marry for wealth and beauty is wrong.For this kind of marriage cannot maintain last and long-term happiness,and truly happy marriage is based on love and sense.

2.The analysis of Elizabeth’s character

Elizabeth Bennet is a person worthy of our imitation.She is a model because she is different from all the other persons,except Darcy,and because she does not adhere rigid to the standards set forth by society,she is a self-reliant and independent girl.When Mr.Collins make a proposal to Elizabeth arrogantly,she politely refused him.Unlike Charlotte,Elizabeth would never violate her principle and her integrity and throw away her talents by marrying Mr.Collins,a conceited,narrow-minded,and pompous fool man.She puts trust in her own perceptions and impressions.However,that isn’t say she is rebel against society.She has good manners,for example,She walking alone to Nether field Park just cause her genuine concern for her sister who is ill;She can have good manners to keep polite when Catherine criticize her skill of playing piano. Her self-reliant attitude causes her to think of herself as to be independent,but her view are distorted because she also regards above as normal social relationship.Elizabeth is unconscious that she suffers from pride.She does not realize the inherent dangers of her error.

Elizabeth’s defects are her willful tendency to misunderstand others.She embrace stubbornly her own quick perception about people are revealed by her prejudice.Elizabeth’s initial prejudice against Darcy are rooted in the pride of her own quick perception,and her distorted perception of reality.Her prejudice renders her incapable of judging the merits of Darcy.

Elizabeth is just ordinary on the surface.She is attractive but not beautiful;She is endowed with certain graces and talents but not excellent.In the end,she will find happiness because she learns to recognize her faults.Elizabeth’s blindness of her faults was opened by Darcy’s letter.She learns to judge others more accurately and not to be blinded by first impressions.Elizabeth’s confession that she was guilty of prejudices based on her own judgment tells us that she is superior to the other characters.And she also realizes that people cannot be judged based solely by their appearance,and that character evaluations must also take the substance account behind a person’s appearance.Elizabeth becomes a rational woman speaking the truth from her heart.Without neither family wealth nor wisdom to help her,Elizabeth’s success is a attribute to her inner strength.

3.Analysis of the five marriage patterns

3.1The marriage of Mr. and Mrs.Bennet

Their marriage is a typical instance of the traditional marriage in the eighteenth century.Their marriage shows that the two have never experienced much mutual love and is done mostly for financial benefit.It is a tragedy to Mr.Bennet.Mrs. Bennet as a simple-minded pretty woman who frequently complaints about her nerve shows that her mind was less difficult to develop,and she

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was a woman of mean understanding,little information,and uncertain temper.When she was discontented she imagined herself nervous.The business of her life was to get her daughters married.

Mr.Bennet is an intelligent and witty man.He“was so odd a mixture of quick parts,sarcastic humor,reserve and caprice,that the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character.”It shows that there is no marital happiness of emotional and intellectual understanding between the couple.Mr.Bennet married for money and beauty.After marriage,he realized Mrs.Bennet would not make her an ideal wife due to her intellectual weakness and narrow vision.To the couple,their marriage is a social responsibility,so when love disappears,the marriage still can be continuing.The novel reflects that the women’s social status is very low at that time.And the author criticizes this unequal society,She thinks that both men and women should enjoy equal treatment.

3.2 Jane and Bingley

Jane,the eldest daughter of Bennet family,is a good-natured and gentle woman.Bingley is a wealthy,handsome,kind and simple young man who is easy to approach in love.They fall in love at first sight.“He is just what a young man should be,”“…sensible,good-humored,lively;and I have never saw such happy manners!…so much ease,with such perfect good breeding”Jane’s impression to Bingley.Jane is“the most beautiful creature I ever beheld”in the eyes of Bingley.

Their marriage is based on mutual love.They have so many virtues in common.For example,good -tempered and modest,share a mutual understanding and think best of others.However they also have weakness.To hide her emotion to Bingley shows that Jane lacks of strength and self-confidence.And Bingley cannot to be a strong and determined man though pleasant and modest as he is.Also his indecisive character determines that he lacks independence in his marriage.Both of them are weak in judgment and easy to be influenced by others so they need considerate and beneficial advice from Elizabeth and Darcy sometimes.

3.3 Elizabeth and Darcy

Elizabeth,a second daughter of Bennet,is the heroine of the novel.She is an intelligent and quick-witted young lady.She is Jane Austen’s most favorite character.Austen’s dream could not realized in the reality have been realized in the novel.Elizabeth is certainly a striking and satisfactory self-portrait of Austen.Darcy is a“fine,tall person,with handsome features,…”.His proud is over emphasized in the Elizabeth’s eyes,and his haughty proposal insulted Elizabeth’s self-esteem,so she feels that she is not treated equally with Darcy.Thus,she is by no means to accept his offer.The temptation of money and social status can not make her disregard.Elizabeth’s refusal makes him recognize his faults of pride and prejudice.She visit to Darcy’s home makes Elizabeth’s judgment of Darcy radically change and makes her re-accept a more prefect Darcy.The marriage between Elizabeth and Darcy is an ideal one.It is based on affection,esteem and emotion.Economic condition and social status still played a important role in marriage at that time and they also have a great influence on their marriage.Later,she feels regretful for her refusal of Darcy’s offer,and her feeling towards Darcy changes.Through their marriage,Austen show that the power of love can overcome social status and prejudice and further implied that such prejudice is

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futile.

3.4 Lydia and Wickham

Lydia,the youngest daughter of the Bennet family.She is a foolish,empty-minded person.She never stop seeking fun and excitement and there seems no purpose in her life.Just like her mother,marriage is the business in her life.She never regards love as a serious matter.She lacks any sense of virtue and judgment.She is fascinated by the attention of Wickham,a young soldier.Ironically,under the gentlemanlike appearance,Wickham turns to be a corruption in moral.The marriage between Lydia and wickham is based on fun and excitement,not base on affection.Strong passion is the main reason for their marriage.To marry a man like Wickham can never bring true happiness to a woman.Shortly after their marriage,“his affection to her soon sunk into indifferent;her lasted a little longer;…”.When passion fades away,them seem to feel miserable with their married life and constantly try to avoid meeting each other.

3.5 Charlotte and Collins

Charlotte is one of several children of a former tradesman.She is Elizabeth’s good friend.Other than Mr.Bennet,Charlotte is the person in Elizabeth’s world who is closest to her in temperament and intelligence.She has her own ideas and is fair and objective on issues.Being such a “sensible,intelligent young woman”,her marriage proves her sense and wisdom.Mr.Collins is a stupid clergyman.He is a narrow-minded man possessing no conception of love. He plans to get married only because Lady Catherine strongly advices him to do so.Like Mrs.Bennet,he treats marriage as a business.

It is obviously it just as a deal in the marriage market.Charlotte knows very well of Collins,but she still accepts he as her husband.She wants to marry for the sake of security and status,but considering her ordinary and lack of fortune,also her age,she does not expect to have much choice to select a husband.The attitude towards Charlotte’s marriage indicates that true love is more important than material in a marriage.

4.Austen’s view on marriage

Marriage can not only depend on property and social status,while without considering these two factors is not wise,either； Marriage without love is immoral; Marriage without property is unstable. Happy marriage should based on love and solid financial foundation. Besides love,there are other factors which is very important in marriage,such as mutual respect,mutual understanding,common virtues,passion,and reason.

5.Conclusion

Elizabeth and Darcy’s love is the most ideal one,just like a shining pearl in the history of literary.Austen emphasizes the importance of the ideal marriage,and regard men and women’s emotion as the foundation and firm stone of the ideal marriage.And marriage doesn’t equal to love,and this ideal are far away from us.Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriage id the happiest,with deep-rooted of love,and a necessary condition of Darcy’s strongly wealth.And if marriage is such kind of castle,I would like to be trapped by this kind of love and happiness.

6.Bibliography

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1.英 奥斯丁著，李长译：《傲慢与偏见》 北京外语教学与研究出版社，1997。

2.Huang Rong. Thoughts of Marriage in Pride and Prejudice.Wuhan:Wu Han University of science and technology,2007. 3.常耀信，《英国文学简史》，天津：南开大学出版社，2000。

4.London,Duranna, Marriage in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.Oxford:Pergamon.2007.

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