Judith Wylie Pride And Prejudice Feminist Analysis

Dancing in chains: feminist satire Pride and Prejudice written by Judith Wylie reflects on Jane Austen’s use of comedic characters in the novel Pride and Prejudice. Wylie analyzes the impact male supremacy and feminism has on the behavior and motives of individual characters throughout the novel. She specifically focuses on Jane Austen’s depiction of Mrs. Bennet. Wylie’s analysis of Mrs. Bennet is extremely helpful because it sheds insight on the difficult problem of feminism.
Wylie observes that Austen’s feminist message is revealed through Mrs. Bennet’s actions. When the reader is first introduced to Mrs. Bennet there is the immediate impression that she is stupid. It is easy for readers to jump to this conclusion because she is a woman. However, Wylie explains that Mrs. Bennet is wrongly perceived. Austen intentionally establishes Mrs. Bennet to be stupid in an effort to emphasize the common ridicule women receive. The marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet is used as an example. When Mrs. Bennet is talking to her husband, she states, “Ah! You do not …show more content…
Austen emphasizes the legal and social discrimination women endure. As seen through Mrs. and Mr. Bennet, it is clear the female is at a disadvantage. Due to legal customs Mrs. Bennet will lose her home after her husband dies because there is not a son to inherit the property. Mrs. Bennet’s questioning of the entail reveals a feminist view on the issue “How anyone could have the conscience to entail away an estate from one’s own daughters, I cannot understand” (Austen). Unlike Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Bennet will by no means be affected by the entail. He will not have to worry about finding a new home or trying to survive without a source of income. Therefore, it is understandable that Mrs. Bennet possesses concern for her daughters marrying because once Mr. Bennet dies, there will be no security for the