Feminism In Pride And Prejudice Feminism Essay

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Feminism views the condition of the world, or the one portrayed, as one that oppresses women by diminishing them, reducing the potential lives they may lead, and rendering subservient and dependent upon men; feminism sees its role as advocating for women and above all inciting change in the treatment and view of women. Therefore, a novel that is feminist must at its core identify the injustices of the world and advocate for its being eliminated, creating women to be equally powerful members of society, who are able to act with equally free and powerful agency as men. However, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen cannot be considered a feminist novel because of the way in which women are characterized and how the perception of marriage is perpetuated …show more content…
During Elizabeth’s first visit to Rosings, it is described how Lady Catherine, “inquired into Charlotte 's domestic concerns familiarly and minutely, gave her a great deal of advice as to the management of them… Elizabeth found that nothing was beneath this great lady 's attention, which could furnish her with an occasion of dictating to others” (160). Given Lady Catherine’s background, it can be assumed that she has never been tasked with domestic labor, but despite this, she feels completely comfortable using her elevated position in relation to Charlotte to criticize her. This is emblematic of how, despite Lady Catherine having autonomy herself, she does not advocate the liberation of other women, but rather expects them to accept domestic servitude. The judgmental and corrupt nature of Lady Catherine’s character seems to imply that women liberated by power would be an ugly thing indeed.
Another interesting aspect to observe is the lack of comradery shown between women; there is no real sense of womanhood shared between any of the characters, and many inter women relationships are characterized by a “catty” nature. This is can be seen in the relationship between Lady Catherine and Elizabeth as well as the interactions between
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While discussing what it means to be an “accomplished woman”, Miss Bingley explains that a woman, " must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides 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). The opening part of this seems to deal with disciplines that can be learned or trained, while the second portion appears to describe inherent qualities a woman may or may not be born with; one aspect that all of the characteristics that are described by Miss Bingley is that none of them seem to concern the self-improvement of a woman, like reading or writing, but instead work to make a woman more appealing to a prospective husband. To master all of the skills necessary to finding a husband according to Miss Bingley, would require hours of training and practice and would eventually consume ones entire life. Miss Bingley seems to be implying that women must view making themselves palatable to a husband their sole purpose in life, and even if they dedicate hours into refining their skills, they may not be able to find a husband because they lack a “certain something”. This passage is merely one of the many examples about how the women in this society feel that marriage is their

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