Bridget Jones

cultural issue or idea? Bridget Jones's Diary and Bridget Jones: “The Edge of Reason" (2000) interrogate these assumptions and characterize as a particularly American myth the ideal of self-perfection. The novels recall in contrast the world of Jane Austen's fiction, in which self-perfection is treated ironically. –Kelly A. Marsh, Contextualizing Bridget Jones, West Chester University, 2004 After reading both Pride and Prejudice (1813) by Jane Austin and Bridget Jones’ Diary (1993) by Helen Fielding, I was able to find that the cultural issue of self-perfection was present in both novels. Though the two novels were…

In the novel Pride and Prejudice, if a character is reserved in social situations and generally unfriendly, he or she is viewed as prideful. Many of the characters in the novel also exhibit great prejudice, especially judging the prideful, and lower class. These two characteristics, pride and prejudice, help develop certain characters in the novel. Some characters such as Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet almost scream “I am prideful” and others, such as Mrs. Bennet and Elizabeth Bennett, give off the “I…

When Jane Austen began to write Pride and Prejudice, the original title of the book was First Impressions. According to BookRags, Ms. Austen’s father submitted her first draft to a London publisher but, the manuscript was rejected. So, Ms. Austen continued to work on her book for nearly sixteen according to Penguin Book. “Of her six complete novels, Pride and Prejudice seems to have been her favorite (Penguin Book p.3).” In Jane Austen’s books, she tended to focus on themes of social class,…

Introduction One of the central themes in Jane Austen's book 'Emma' is the developing relationship between Emma, the main protagonist; an attractive, pleasant, rich young lady, and her brother-in-law, Mr. George Knightley. The reason this relationship is interesting is due to the fact that throughout the story there is a significant transition in both of their attitudes towards marriage. Initially, they both appear to be apathetic to the idea of marriage, and even openly opposed to it. By the…

Although many of the characters within Pride and Prejudice marry for materialistic reasons, author Jane Austen advises those seeking to marry should marry someone who they truly love. Not common for an author at the time, Austen makes use of the characters within Pride and Prejudice to make commentary on society. Lydia Bennet and her mother, Mrs. Bennet see marriage as a necessity in the case of Mr. Bennet's death and do not value compatibility or love. In contrast, characters such as Elizabeth…

Claudia Johnson in her essay, Pride and Prejudice and the Pursuit of Happiness, claims that the centralized theme of happiness in the novel, Pride and Prejudice, carries the weight of political and social commentary. As Johnson molds this idea with a litany of examples in her essay she also defends Austen from critics who claim the novel supports a fairytale style happy ending that doesn’t resolve the political or social issues brought about in the novels opening pages. Johnson combats this…

Jane Austen’s is an influential, powerful writer and her unique style is one that is recognizable. Her two comedy of manners novels, Pride and Prejudice and Emma, reveal Austen’s personal views and opinions of the mid eighteenth century society while she makes the reader laugh at the witty truths in her writing. The styles of the novels reflect one another through the use of irony, characterization and theme. Jane Austen uses irony to get her point across in a comedic manner. The opening…

Kate Chopin’s The Story of An Hour was published in 1894. During this period, there was a shift in the role that women were expected to fulfill. Women were expected to cater to their husbands and create a happy household for them. Married women were not “allowed” to have interests or hobbies that did not pertain to the household or the marriage. During this time, women who were single grew independence and freedom by straying away from marriage. The setting of The Story of An Hour was…

Jane Austen was a writer of love and wealth; her stories were all inspired by relationships and the social classes the characters in her stories were in. Austen was known little before 1900’s in America, but by mid-century she received more attention in England. Jane left many people in this world when her time was coming short; she broke the heart of her readers, but they would keep her memory alive by making a cult of admirers who were known as “Janeites”. This cult was not the only memory…

In writing Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte sought to oppose her sisters’ beautiful heroines and prove she could make a heroine “interesting on any other terms”, stating, “I will show you a heroine as plain and as small as myself, who shall be as interesting as any of yours”. Bronte created a character that strayed far from the conventions of the beautiful but weak heroine. She was able to create such a character because Bronte herself didn't fall into the standard definition of the women of her…