has more to do with the middle class and the social elite, a reformation of a capitalist social class hierarchy. Kramp points out the challenge undertaken by scholars as they attempt to understand the ‘class’ under evaluation in the novel:
Austen’s treatment of class remains somewhat elusive, despite the attempts of scholars to clarify the economic strata of her novels; indeed, Pride and Prejudice both shows class as a rigid system and suggests its impending destabilization” (Kramp 59).
This “impending destabilization” is central to Kramp’s thesis. Moreover, Austen’s novel is concerned with how the social classes are in a state of transition. Undertaking such a proposal also indicates that even the marriage institution, which Fraiman finds …show more content…
Based on Kramp and Chi-Yi’s view, it might be possible to view Austen’s novel with a more nuanced eye, to see the female’s character’s “subordination” as beyond the essential study under evaluation in Austen’s text. Similarly, the article, “Class Mediation and Marriage in Pride and Prejudice and North and South,” suggests that the novel ends up with a focus on Elizabeth Bennett as a “class mediator” and that marriage is a tool for the bringing together of classes. The authors, also evaluating the text North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, further note that the social constructions in the novel are not yet …show more content…
We can then see their union as a nail in the coffin to the type of stark social confines that characters like Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine DeBourgh favor. This posits Austen as a sort of pragmatist in her approach to dealing with “subordination,” whereby she cannot yet directly deal with women specific class issues, however, she can start to deal with classes issues as a whole, from the patriarchal economic side. Likewise, to challenge Fraiman’s critique further, we do witness in Elizabeth a sense of choice and determination in choosing Darcy as her match. In their final scene, DeBourgh embodying the very repressive forces of ‘class’ within the novel gets her comeuppance regarding her opinion of how ‘classes’ should interact in her rather lackluster chastisement of Elizabeth. Elizabeth asserts her dominance to DeBough’s aristocratic mindset: “I am only resolved to act in that manner, which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness, without reference to you, or to any person so wholly unconnected with me” (Austen 233). The “I” is reverberates strongly from Elizabeth’s tone. We sense that she has found her place and autonomy in the system in a way that allows her to work within it. Moreover, Elizabeth finds a sense of independence, even though she has been subordinated overall by system, thus, Austen can turn her
Austen’s treatment of class remains somewhat elusive, despite the attempts of scholars to clarify the economic strata of her novels; indeed, Pride and Prejudice both shows class as a rigid system and suggests its impending destabilization” (Kramp 59).
This “impending destabilization” is central to Kramp’s thesis. Moreover, Austen’s novel is concerned with how the social classes are in a state of transition. Undertaking such a proposal also indicates that even the marriage institution, which Fraiman finds …show more content…
Based on Kramp and Chi-Yi’s view, it might be possible to view Austen’s novel with a more nuanced eye, to see the female’s character’s “subordination” as beyond the essential study under evaluation in Austen’s text. Similarly, the article, “Class Mediation and Marriage in Pride and Prejudice and North and South,” suggests that the novel ends up with a focus on Elizabeth Bennett as a “class mediator” and that marriage is a tool for the bringing together of classes. The authors, also evaluating the text North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, further note that the social constructions in the novel are not yet …show more content…
We can then see their union as a nail in the coffin to the type of stark social confines that characters like Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine DeBourgh favor. This posits Austen as a sort of pragmatist in her approach to dealing with “subordination,” whereby she cannot yet directly deal with women specific class issues, however, she can start to deal with classes issues as a whole, from the patriarchal economic side. Likewise, to challenge Fraiman’s critique further, we do witness in Elizabeth a sense of choice and determination in choosing Darcy as her match. In their final scene, DeBourgh embodying the very repressive forces of ‘class’ within the novel gets her comeuppance regarding her opinion of how ‘classes’ should interact in her rather lackluster chastisement of Elizabeth. Elizabeth asserts her dominance to DeBough’s aristocratic mindset: “I am only resolved to act in that manner, which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness, without reference to you, or to any person so wholly unconnected with me” (Austen 233). The “I” is reverberates strongly from Elizabeth’s tone. We sense that she has found her place and autonomy in the system in a way that allows her to work within it. Moreover, Elizabeth finds a sense of independence, even though she has been subordinated overall by system, thus, Austen can turn her