Comparing Women In Austen's Pride And Prejudice

Novels from the Romantic era generally possessed qualities of sentiment and sensibility, a style deemed feminine by many of the movement’s successors. At the time, this was frowned upon, as “writing women [were considered to cross] the borders between the domains of production and reproduction” and “the distinction between the prostitute and the woman writer was so blurred as to be almost non-existent” (Clark 20-21). The underlying thought behind this was that women were “selling” their emotions to the public, the vast majority of whom were women as well. Written in the Romantic era, Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” does not entirely cohere with this line of thinking, as this novel is extraordinarily unembellished and dialogue-heavy for its time period. It is exactly for this reason that one paragraph in particular from this novel stands out from the others, which is the following:

They gradually ascended for half a mile, and then found themselves at the top of a considerable eminence, where the wood ceased, and the eye was instantly caught by Pemberley …show more content…
Without the sight of Pemberley House, chances are that Elizabeth would not have fallen for Mr. Darcy and certainly would not have made the decision to marry him. While it is true that falling for a house can be deemed equal to falling for a fantasy, just like every woman in her era, Elizabeth subconsciously fell for Mr. Darcy’s wealth and by doing so, she changed her entire perception of him – ultimately allowing him to become the person she desired him to be. Fact is that Elizabeth made the choice to marry into the upper class, against her family’s expectations, and therefore can still be considered a feminist character. Her love for Pemberley House does not affect her