英美文学Lecture4,JaneAusten.ppt

Jane Austen Dominant beliefs Jane Austen can be viewed as a writer of the 18th-century, though she lived mainly in the nineteenth century. She holds the ideals of the landlord class in politics, religion and moral principles; and her works show clearly her firm belief in the predominance of reason over passion, A master of irony As a realistic writer, she considers it her duty to express in her works a discriminated and serious criticism of life, and to expose the follies and illusions of mankind. She shows contemptuous feelings towards snobbery, stupidity, worldliness and vulgarity through subtle satire and irony. A Rational Creature One of Elizabeth’s most delightful scenes is her rejection of Mr. Collins’ proposal despite his reminder that, in view of her small fortune: “it is by no means certain that another offer of marriage will ever be made.” Love and obstacles Pride and Prejudice contains one of the most cherished love stories in English literature: the courtship between Darcy and Elizabeth. The novels show that the lovers must overcome numerous stumbling blocks, beginning with the tensions caused by the lovers’ own personal qualities. Whose Pride ? whose Prejudice? Elizabeth’s pride makes her misjudge Darcy on the basis of a poor first impression, while Darcy’s prejudice against Elizabeth’s poor social standing blinds him, for a time, to her many virtues. Of course, one could also say that Elizabeth is guilty of prejudice and Darcy of pride. Love over Class There are also cases of anxieties about social connections, or the desire for better social connections, which interfere with the workings of love. Darcy and Elizabeth’s realization of a mutual and tender love seems to imply that Austen views love as something independent of these social forces, as something that can be captured if only an individual is able to escape the warping effects of hierarchical society. * * Jane Austen was born in Steventon, England, in 1775, where she lived