高中英语选修课：英语文学欣赏 pride and prejudice《傲慢与偏见》选读 教学课件

Jane Austin was a realistic writer of the 18th century, but she lived mainly in the 19th century. In her lifelong career, Jane Austin wrote altogether six complete novels. Stories of love and marriage are the major themes in all these novels although she never married.
Those are their ideas of marriage, which account for their quick marriage. They all don’t need passion and love. So they turn their material marriage into reality.
According to the relationship between Bingley and Jane, love and similar interests are the basic factors of a successful and happy marriage. With many similarities in character, people can understand each other easily. Most important of all, the couple with similar interests can live together with a happy life, because there are understandings, helps and supporting between them. But this marriage is mildly dull.
Charlotte is a realist and does not view love as the most important component of a marriage. She is more interested in having a comfortable home, that’s to say She treats material more important than anything else. She is so sensible that she knows she can get large property and high social status and the sense of achievement through her marriage. So when Collins proposes, she accepts quickly.
Mr. Wickham and Lydia
Their Marriage Only Has Passion Wickham’s elopement with Lydia is very sudden. It really leaves us many rooms to think his real motivation.
Mr. Bingley and Jane
Their marriage has genuine affection and respect: Bingley and Jane have many similarities in character that they can describe together: both are cheerful, friendly, and good-natured, always ready to think the best of others. This is the main reason to the success of their marriage.
Mr. Collins and Charlotte Mr. Wickham and Lydia Mr. Bingley and Jane Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth
Mr. Collins and Charlotte The first marriage presented to us is the marriage of Collins and Charlotte, which has little affection or passion. Collins and Charlotte’s attitudes towards marriage decided they marry in such a short period of time. Collins thinks it is right for a clergyman to set example of marriage and the marriage will add to his happiness. So Collins wants a marriage.
By Jane Austen
Pride and prejudice, originally titled first impressions, which
is written by fresh and refinement, witty language, tortuous plot, and full of drama color. It’s the most popular work of Jane Austin’s works. The work bases on the marriage experience of Bennet’s several daughters, and the main plot lines in Elizabeth and Darcy’s emotional experience. It displays the marital status of British social noble estate in the later 18th century.
Social Background of their marriage: Property is a very important factor in Jane Austen's time. Only young women with beautiful appearance and good family background can thsatisfactory marriage. But the only thing a young woman without good appearance and property could do is to marry a man with good fortune. As for Charlotte, she is already 27 and is not good-looking. What is worse, she does not own large property, and then the only way out for her is to marry a suitable man to secure her rest life.
“ I ask only a comfortable home...I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state.” “ ...dear cousin, that you do not intend to refuse me for long. My situation in life, my connections with the de Bourgh family, and my relationship to you own, all make my proposal a very suitable one.”
On the other hand, Wickham and Lydia’s marriage fit Austen’s idea of morals. Marriage is the best way for women to avoid public scorn and living with a man without marriage may ruins a girl, even her family in English society of that period. So their marriage is based on marriage. Wickham and Lydia’s marriage finally calms down the dissatisfaction in the society.
On one hand, Wickham and Lydia’s marriage must be a good example to illustrate that money is of overwhelming importance in marriage in 18th century. “ He was doubtless most interested in my sister’s fortune, which is thirty thousand pounds...” ( by Darcy) “ He had transferred his affections to a Miss King, who had recently inherited ten thousand pounds.” But for Darcy’s help, Wickham will never marry Lydia.
Man’s motive for choosing mate determines his criterion for choosing mate. The nature of marriage decides that people need to consider economy, health, social status, morality, love and religion when they are choosing mate. However, when people are choosing mate, they may have many motivations instead of having only one, due to the influence of the society. The differences are people’s different emphasis and just because of the different emphasis cause the existence of different marriages.
1775.12.16-1817.7.18
Novels:
Sense and Sensibility (1811)
Pride and Prejudice (1813) Emma (1815) ……
Short fiction: Lady Susan (1794, 1805) Unfinished fiction: The Watsons (1804) Sanditon (1817)