简奥斯汀傲慢与偏见英文论文

摘要
简·奥斯汀（1775—1817）是英国文学史上一位非常出色的女性作家。

她在短暂的一生中虽然主要创作了六部作品，但这丝毫没影响她在文学史上的地位。

她的作品主题都是爱情与婚姻，而最能反映出她的婚姻观的就要数《傲慢与偏见》了，《傲慢与偏见》以班内特家5个女儿的爱情婚姻为基点，通过对四段婚姻的分析，体现出作者的爱情婚姻观。

爱情、金钱、社会地位、性格等都是婚姻中必须要考虑的因素，爱情和相互尊重是婚姻的基础，但金钱也为婚姻稳定提供了条件，婚姻是个严肃的问题，综合考虑各种因素的爱情婚姻才是幸福的。

这种婚姻观对当时和现在的社会都有着深远的影响。

本文主要通过对人物性格及其婚姻进行分析，探索作者所倡导的正确婚姻观。

主要分为三个部分：第一部分主要分析作者所生活的时代背景以及其生活经历；第二部分着重通过对小说人物形象和他们的婚姻的分析，揭示作者的婚姻观；第三部分主要讨论作者的婚姻观以及这种婚姻观对我们的启示和影响。

通过查阅大量文献，结合作者的生活经历，总结出作者以爱情为基础的婚姻观，提出婚姻在我们每个人的一生中都占有重要的位置，它关系着我们是否能够幸福快乐的生活，选择好自己的婚姻对象自然尤为重要。

其中，爱情是基础。

简·奥斯汀的婚姻观给了我们重大启示，为我们寻找幸福的婚姻指明了方向，而且对女性独立自由意识的觉醒也有重要影响。

关键词：《傲慢与偏见》；婚姻；爱情；金钱；启示
Abstract
Jane Austen (1775—1817) is one of the most excellent female writers of English literature. Although in her short life, Austen only created six works，her effect in literary world has never changed. The theme of all her novels is love and marriage, and among all, Pride and Prejudice is the work that can best reflect Jane Austen’s views of marriage. Pride and Prejudice mainly focuses on the love and marriage of five girls from Bennet. The novel reflects the author’s views on love marriage: love, money, status and character. Marriage should be based on love and respect, and in addition, money provides the practical foundation for the stability of the marriage. Taking all of the factors into consideration, we can establish a happy marriage.
This thesis aims at exploring Jane Austen’s marital views by analyzing the personality and marriages of the characters in the novel. It can be divided into three parts: the first part deals with the background of the society and Jane Austen’s life experience; the second part deals with the analysis of the main characters and their marriage with the aim of revealing the writer’s views on marriage; the last part focuses on the effect and inspiration from Jane Austen’s view on marriage. We can get the conclusion that marriage plays an important role in our lives, since it has a lot to do with our happiness. Choosing a suitable partner for marriage means a lot; therefore, love should be put on the first place. Jane Austen’s views of marriage give us much inspiration, it can also rouse female’s sense of independence and freedom.
Key words: Pride and Prejudice; marriage; love; inspiration
Contents
Abstract (Chinese) (i)
Abstract (English) (ii)
Contents (iii)
1.0 Introduction (1)
2.0 The background of society and Jane Austen (2)
3.0 Four different marriages in Pride and Prejudice................................. . (3)
3.1 Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriage (3)
3.2 Jane and Bingley’s marriage (4)
3.3 Chalotte and Collin’s marriage (5)
3.4 Lydia and Wickham’s marriage... (6)
4.0Analysis and understandings of the four marriages (6)
4.1Perfect marriage based on true love (6)
4.2Happ y marriage based on sense and similar int erest (7)
4.3P at h et i c m ar ri a ge b as ed o n m on e y o r be ne fi t s (7)
4.4 Absurd marriage based on lust and vanity (8)
4.5J a n e A u s t e n’s v i e w s o n m a r r i a g e (8)
5.0 The inspiration from Jane Austen’s views on marriage (9)
6.0 Conclusion (10)
Acknowledgements (11)
References (12)
Appendix: Thesis Proposal
1.0 Introduction
Jane Austen was born in a middle class family in 1775, and she spend her whole life in the countryside, she was so fascinated with the peaceful and ease life in countryside. Although she was unmarried the whole life, the theme of her novels were love and marriage, basically, the love and marriage between a gentleman and a fairy lady. Her best-known works are Emma (1815), Pride and Prejudice (1813) and Sense and Sensibility (1811).
The novel talks about four different marriages: Collin and Challote’s marriage which is based on money; Lydia and Wickham’s marriage which is based on lust; Jane and Bingley’s marriage which is based on sense, Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriage which is based on love. Which weighs the most in marriage, love, possession, or social status? Jane Austen has different attitude and description about the four marriages. The first sentence in this novel is impressive. It says: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” The undertone is very clear: the foundation of the marriage at that time is not love but possession, but Jane Austen tells us a different story.
The main story of this novel happens between Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy. Elizabeth Bennet is a 20-year-old young lady. She is her father's favourite daughter and inherits his intelligence and wisdom. Darcy is a pride and kind gentleman with great fortune. Although, they were not attracted by each other at the very beginning, because they all have some complaints about the other, Elizabeth loathes Darcy’s arrogance, and she also has some misunderstandings on him, Darcy thinks Elizabeth is a very proud girl, and her families leave an awful impression on him. But at last, they fall in love and have a happy marriage. What changes their attitude towards each other? Because the pride and prejudice between them is long gone. They finally know each other deeply and accept each other. Their marriage is rooted in their love and respect. Comparing with other marriages in the story, Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriage is the perfect one. The story reflects the author’s marriage view: it is wrong to marry just for the possession, lust and position. She emphasizes the importance of the ideal marriage that we should marry for love and emotion.
Elizabeth and Darcy have a happy ending not only because of their love, but to some extent, Darcy’s property provides them the material need. From this we can see the author’s views: marriage is based on love, but property and position should be taken into account. In modern society, a lot of people marriage for money and social status, sometimes, it leads to a sad ending. I think, no matter when, Jane Austen’s views on marriage are of great value in leading us to the ideal marriage.
My thesis consists of three chapters. The first chapter deals with the background of the society and Jane Austen’s life experience, and how does those factors influence her writings; the second chapter reveal the authors views on marriage and the standard of the ideal marriage advocated by Jane Austen through analyzing the characters and their marriage in the story; the last chapter talks about the conditions of the modern marriage and how to found the ideal marriage from the inspiration of Jane Austen’s view on marriage.
2.0 The background of the society and Jane Austen
In 18th and 19th centuries, the England society’s had serious social problems. One of the severest of these was the tendency to marry for money. A person sought a partner based on the dowry receivable and their allowance. In the 19th century, women were not well respected compared with the ones in the present society. There was no equality between woman and man. Women were considered to be inferior to men in terms of intelligence and capacity. The central life of women was forced to be staying at home. Their roles were to deal with the family affairs, such as taking care of the children and serving for the husband. This process went both ways: a beautiful woman might be able to snag a rich husband, or a charring and handsome man could woo a rich young girl. In these marriages, money was the only consideration. Love was left out, with the thought that it would develop as the years went by. Jane Austen (December 16, 1775--July 18, 1817), an outstanding female novelist of British, was born in the village of Steventon, near Basingstoke, in Hampshire. Her father is the local vicar. She did not have the normal schooling, but she got good education from family's literature teaching. From the end of the 18th century to the early 19th century, “the sentiment novel” and “the gothic novel” were the themes of English
literature, while Austen made a different way. Most of her works were about romantic love. That might have something to do with her failure in marriage. Jane Austen was unmarried her whole life, but she had fallen in love with a young man. Their love was pure and faithful. However, this young man had to submit to the marriage that his aunt arranged for him, because he was under lots of burden from family. Then Jane broke up with him, since she did not want to stand in the way of the young man’s future, and a lso in her opinion, marriage should be based on love. She loved no one else after that. That is the reason why she was unmarried all her life. So she put all her feelings in creating romantic and happy marriages.
3.0 Four different marriages in Pride and Prejudice
3.1 Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriage
Once Mr. Qian Zhongshu has compared marriage to a castle, b ut I don’t think this marriage theory is suitable for Darcy and Elizabeth. The marriage is tortuous between them but deep-rooted of love based. As we all know, Elizabeth and Darcy left a quite bad impression on each other at the beginning. Elizabeth thinks Darcy is insolent and arrogant, and Darcy does not like Elizabeth because of Elizabeth’s social class and her indecent relatives. But Darcy finally rea lized Elizabeth's preciousness, and Elizabeth’s prejudice and misunderstandings towards Darcy are gone. They deeply in love and possess a wonderful marriage at last. Their love and marriage are tortuous and kind of mysterious. I will analysis their marriage start with analyzing the two characters.
Elizabeth Bennet is a person who is worth our imitation. She is a model because she is different from the others. She does not adhere rigidly to the standards set forth by society, she is self-reliant and independent. She is wit and intelligent. Most of the girls married in pursuit of money and fame at that time, even her best friend Chalotte who married a rich man for changing her poor conditions. However, Elizabeth is not submit to this mood of society. She would never violate her principle and her integrity. She is like the pure lotus that lives in mud but never contaminated by the dirty. That is the reason why she rejects Mr. Collin's proposal, because she would not marry without love. On the other hand, she does
not totally disregard social costumes. She has good manners; her slight breach of decorum is justified by walking alone to Nether field Park to visit her sister who is ill with her genuine concern. She has good manners. When Lady Catherine criticizes Elizabeth skill of playing piano, she can have good manners to keep polite. Mr. Darcy is pride on the surface, but we know he is warm-hearted. He is a good friend, he is afraid that Mr. Bingley would be cheated and hurt by Jane, although he is proved wrong later. He is a good brother; he takes care of his younger sister very well. He is kind; he helps Wickham and Lydia with money even though he was misunderstood by Elizabeth because of Wickham’s rumors. The two people’s personalities are clear and sharp. At the first time, Elizabeth and her sisters go to attend the ball held in Meryton, and she is coldly treated by Darcy, but she uses her healthy sense of humor to joke about Mr. Darcy’s rude behavior at the ball. Darcy is handsome, tall, and intelligent, but not convivial, his indifferent manners are seen by many as an excessive pride and concern for social status. He makes a poor impression on strangers, but he is valued by those who know him well. He gradually finds out Elizabeth’s intelligence, wisdom and beauty. He begins pursuing her. However, at the beginning, Elizabeth rejects his love expression, because she does not like him, even looks down on him though Darcy loves her very much. In Elizabeth’s eyes, Darcy is arrogant and unreasonable because he is rich and has high social status. Realizing that, Darcy begins to get rid of those bad habits quietly. Because of Darcy’s perfect behavior and good education, Elizabeth gradually eliminates the prejudice on Darcy. Most importantly, the misunderstanding, prejudice and pride are disappearing as they know each other better and better. Then they spontaneously fall in love. So Elizabeth accept Darcy’s proposal at the second time, then they get married and have happy family lives.
3.2 Jane and Bingley’s marriage
In this novel, the combination of pleasant Bingley and mild Jane is one of the most blessed and happy marriages. The couple has similar interests and they insist on pursuing their true love which leads them to a happy and perfect marriage. Mr. Bingley was a handsome and gentleman with great fortune. As a young man who is well-bred, he was
cordial and simple. With this character he never appeared dissatisfied. He is easy to get along and constant in love although he is extremely rich. However he is in short of strength and independence in his marriage which is a big weakness of him. In this story, Bingley is popular with almost everybody in everywhere. Jane is the oldest children in her family. She is an amiable and mild girl who possesses the most beautiful appearance among her sisters. As an introverted girl, she is faithful in love but lacks strength and self-confidence. She is too shy to profess her love towards Bingley, nor admit it, thought she has feelings for Bingley at the time they met. Sometimes she is a little innocent. In her eyes, everybody is nice. She never see through the rotten side of life even she is deceived. Her character is vividly showed in many parts of the novel. So it seems quite natural for Jane to fall in love with the pleasant and simple Bingley. They meet each other at the ball, they are attracted by each other at the first sight, and they dance and talk together. As times goes by, their feelings to each other are getting stronger. But Jane has no courage to express her love, she buries it in heart and for Bingley, he is not a strong and determined man. This is his advantage but also his disadvantage. His cordial and simple character causes his quiet romance with Jane. However, his weak and easily-led character causes his departure from Jane. He suddenly leaves Jane when their romance goes smoothly, which nearly put his pure love and marriage in end. To a great extent, Binley left Jane because of Darcy’s misunderstandings on Jane. They establish a steady and constant friendship although they have totally different characters. Darcy wants to help his friend. In his opinion, it is impossible for Jane to love Bingley. He thinks Jane love Bingley because Bingley is rich, but Bingley’s love for Jane is pure. He doesn’t want his best fri end get hurt. So he persuades Bingley to stay away from Jane and she is not a good marriage option. But they do love each other.
During those days when Jane stays in London at Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner’s invitation, she visits Bingley’s sister in person in o rder to get some information of Mr. Bingley. At last, they get together after the misunderstanding between Elizabeth and Darcy disappears. So the love and marriage between Jane and Bingley is pure and stable. They fall in love at first sight heartily. Thei r marriage is kind of tortuous just like Elizabeth and Darcy’s, but the true
love won’t stop them from being together.
3.3 Chalotte and Collin’s marriage
Charlotte and Collins’s marriage is the most realistic one in the story. Their marriage is based on money instead of love. Charlotte is the best friend of Elizabeth, but they are very different in the choice of marriage. Chalotte’s parents, like the Bennet couple, can’t give her much fortune, and she is as sensible and intelligent as Elizabeth, but her pursuit for spiritual happiness is not as strong as that of Elizabeth. In addition, Chalotte is a plain girl who is a little bit prudent. As a woman who is 26 years old, her choice of marriage is entirely out of realistic consideration. When she first meets Collins, she sees his folly. When he asks her to marry him, she also clearly knows that Collins is certainly not a reasonable person. But she immediately says “yes”, because “Marriage has always been her aim, what kind of man she is going to marry as is less important”, marrying a rich man can shelter her from suffering poverty. She thinks money can bring her sense of security. William Collins, a man of 29 years old, is Mr. Bennet's distant relatives, since Mr. Bennet has no son; Collins becomes the he ir to Bennets’ estate. Jane Austen describes him as “not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society”. Informed that the eldest daughter Jane has a boyfriend, he switches his aim at the second daughter Elizabeth, but Elizabeth has no feelings for him, what’s more, Elizabeth gets tired of him. Eventually, she rejects him with sharp tongue. However, Collins quickly seeks comfort from Charlotte who is desperately in need of love from a male and believes marriage is the elegant way to save a poor girl from suffering, and then they get married as quickly as the lightning. Such marriage without love is too practical and realistic, so it is a kind of superficial marriage without happiness.
Marriage is just a task for them, but Collins couples get what they want from marriage: Charlotte gets the stability and prosperity of life; Collins also gets a warm home. This is how they understand marriage. There is no love and same interests between them; their marriage is based on benefits. Although they get what they want, marriage without love is not happy and stable.
3.4 Lydia and Wickham’s marriage
Lydia, Bennett's third daughter, is a simple, frivolous, vanity girl. She is keen on social networking at an early age, enjoying contacting with Merry's officers, and even feels proud of it. “Whenever anyone urg es, she will be put into anyone's arms. Her feelings are always kept rolling, swing”. Wickham is a handsome, actual moral, luxurious, and treacherous man. At first, he seduces wealthy Miss Darcy, but his conspiracy fails. After joined the regiment, he first does everything to please Elizabeth, and then pursues wealthy Miss Kim, finally elopes with Lydia. Then, he gets into debt. So, he needs money and become rich and changes his social status through marriage. For his purpose, he seduces Lydia and wins her love easily, because she is young, innocent and frivolous, and loves to go ease and hates to work hard, and she is also spoiled by her mother. Getting love and praise from a man is what she dreams of. So when Wickham wants to reach his aim－getting wealth by loving and exalting her beauty hypocritically, she forgets who she is and feels she is the most beautiful and happiest girl in the world. Their love is forbidden by the parents, and then they elope. When Elizabeth hears the news, she believes that he does not love her but the wealth of her family. The marriage is admitted on the condition of Darcy's help. Their marriage is considered as a scandal to Bennett’s f amily. But Mrs. Bennet is not shameful of this marriage. The marriage between Lydia and Wickham is conditional. Thanks to Darcy's help, they get married and continue their lives. This kind of marriage is doomed to be unstable. After marriage, they are extravagant; just enjoy the pleasure at the moment, never considering their future. They always ask Jane or Elizabeth for help, counting on their support to pay bills. Wickham's love for Lydia soon suffer a disastrous decline, finally he is indifference to Lydia. They get what they want: Lydia gets erotic satisfaction; Wickham, he also gets the wealth; but their marriage is not satisfactory. This is how they understand marriage.
4.0 Analysis and understandings of the four marriages
4.1 Perfect marriage based on true love
Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriage is intricate but is the ideal marriage because their love is based on love, they cherish each other, they tolerate each other, and of course after marring Darcy who has great fortune, Elizabeth’s life and socia l status are improved, and their marriage gets material security, but at first, Elizabeth refuses the rich man- Mr. Collins’ proposal without any hesitation because she does not and will never love him, from Elizabeth’s perspective, marriage without love w ill never be happy. Elizabeth has a deep understanding of all the things around her. She has a clear understanding about her own social status. Because of this, she resists extremely against the arrogance of Darcy, and she tries to protect herself from being hurt by Darcy's insolent attitude. She believes that she must make him know that she is not woozy. The ultimate failure wakes Darcy up. He is aware of his own short-comings. He accepts Elizabeth’s criticism, and faithfully corrects the shortcomings and mistakes. He is no longer arrogant and has a faithful love with Elizabeth. I remember when the sister asks Elizabeth how she would love Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth replies that she should date from the day she see the beautiful lane manor park. The statement seems to refer to the possession of Darcy. In addition to referring to the specific manor, she also refers the new Darcy seen in the garden.
Elizabeth is a wise girl; she understands that marriage involves many factors, such as love, personality, status, property. Among all, love is essential to marriage, which is the author’s views on marriage that reflected in this novel. We should take marriage seriously; impulse will destroy someone’s happy marriage. Having a clear understanding about the person you are going to marriage is vital. Whether you can live a better life both physically and mentally is important to your marriage. That is to say, all the factors should be taken into consideration carefully. Those are the reasons why Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriage is the perfect one in the story.
4.2 Happy marriage based on sense and similar interests
Jane and Bingley’s marriage is also rooted in pure love, and also their concern for each other. It seems that their characters are quite suitable for each other. It seems that only their marriage involves purest love with no tint of money at all. Then why is not Bingley penniless but a “young man of large fortune”? This arrangement can also reflect author’s views on marriage. Love is essential for marriage, and money is also plays an important role in marriage. According to the relationship between Bingley and Jane love and similar interests are also the basic factors of a successful and happy marriage. With many similarities in character people can understand each other easily. Above all, their understandings lead to helps and supporting between them. They can live happily together in this way. They don’t care about the shortcomings of their partners and even they don’t see any faults in each other. Just as the old saying going “Birds of a feather flock together people of a mind fill into the same group”.
4.3 Pathetic marriage based on money or benefits
Chalotte and Collins’s marriage is kind of beyond our expectations. At that time, a girl from the low class, who has no pretty appearance and good education, takes marriage as the only way to change their situations. Jane Austen objects this marriage that based on benefits. Maybe lots of people feel pity for the females who lived in that age, but in no time should we make such hasty decision about our marriage. Many do play an important role in marriage, but a marriage without love which is just based on money won’t be pleasant, at last, people will get hurt from the painful marriage. Once I read a story from a magazine, a girl from a poor family married a rich man, she almost did nothing rather than shopping and seeking pleasures, she squandered her husband’s money so quickly, later, the man got tired of her, they divorced. The woman lost the source of money, but she has gotten used to the luxurious life, she can’t live independently. At last, she tried to blackmail some rich man and ended in jail. This is a tragedy; girls should be independent and marry the person who really loves you just like you love him. So Chal otte and Collins’s marriage is doomed to be
unhappy, Chalotte once said to Elizabeth, “I am not romantic, you know; I never was, I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins’ character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state.”(Pride and Prejudice, 144) Therefore, Charlotte seems to have found some kind of satisfaction and happiness in her marriage without any love. It is interesting that in such a marriage based on money-transaction, the woman from poor family does marry a single man with a good fortune, but the husband himself has nothing to do with the enjoyment the marriage bring to her.
4.4 Absurd marriage based on lust and vanity
The combination of Lydia and Wickham is absurd. Her admiration to Wickham is entirely up to his “handsome face, comely shape and charming talk”. Their relationship is entirely built on lust and impulse without love foundation. Their marriage is neither practical nor romantic. Lydia and Wickham’s marriage is built on sex lust and impulse. It is kind of ridiculous. They treat their marriage so carelessly, it is impossible for them to get a happy marriage. Lydia is attracted by Wickham’s handsome sur face at first. As a flippant girl, she seeks sexual pleasure. Then they make a rash decision to get married. This marriage is one without love. They don’t understand the real meaning of marriage; they only want to satisfy their aspiration. So this is a kind of impromptu love and marriage without true love and responsibility.
4.5 Jane Austen’s views on marriage
After reading the novel, we can see that people’s views on marriage in England at that time. In the 18th century, women longed for marrying a gentleman who possessed considerable wealth and high social status. Love, seems count for nothing. This was because at that time, women were forbidden from inheriting the possession. Marring a rich man was their only way to live a decent life after their fat hers’ death. That is the reason why Mrs. Bonnet is crazy to marry her daughters off. However, Austen has her own idea. She also emphasizes love. From her perspective, happy marriage is equal to “love + wealth +
equal social status”. Marriage should be based on love and trust. People can’t just marry someone for whom he/she has no feelings at all. Austen also points that wealth and social status put great importance on marriage. Austen casts her criticism to the dark fact that people’s attention is only on property and high social status. In Austen’s eyes, marriage without love is contemptuous. We know Elizabeth and Darcy, also Jane and Bingley, both have a happy marriage. From these two cases, we can find out what kind of marriage Jane Austen prefers--- love is basic; enough wealth, good behaviors and equal social status are all necessary. These two examples are exactly the right explanation of Austen’s outlook on marriage. To draw a conclusion, in the novel Pride and Prejudice, Austen casts her criticism to people who take wealth and high social states as the only factors in marriage, with neglecting love. She expresses her views on marriage that marriage should be built on love but at the same time should take wealth, characters and social status into consideration.
I think Austen’s outlooks on marriage are well worth our deep consideration even today.
5.0 The inspiration from Jane Austen’s views on marriage
Jane Austen’s views on marriage have a profound effect on lots of people, especially on females. What is marriage all about? I think it is a question that is worth our deliberation. Marriage is an everlasting topic in our lives. Throughout the literary history, many masterworks are about marriage. Everyone has his or her own understanding of it. Some marry for money, some for passion, some for love and so on. Marriage plays an important role in our life. Whether your marriage is happy or not will influence you a lot. Austen shows us a different view of marriage; also let us think that what kind of marriage we want and we suit. Many people try to find out the secret of marriage, because everyone wants to own a happy marriage. Some think that marriage contains all sorts of worldly things: house, money. To get marry is to get money; marriage is their shelters that helps them out of plight and keep them from poor or other sufferings. However, Austen shows us that marriage is built on love. It is wrong to marry for wealth or for the sake of beauty and passion of blind. Those kinds of marriage can't last long a nd we can’t get happiness.The truly happy marriage is based on love and reason. Jane Austen leaves us lots of inspirations, especially。