Feminism is a woman who fights for
the rights and equality of woman with men though she had to live with
inequality and injustice in her own life is a feminist. In this regard, Jane
Austen, the author of pride and prejudice proves herself to be a clear
feminist. To prove her feminity, Austen had used this novel of hers as a tool
to portray her views on the unequal and unjust society of men where woman had
always been sidelined, and she does this through the different aspects of the
content in her novel regardless of what Austen witnessed in her own life. It is
rather what she had experienced in her own life, Austen had tried to put
forward and voice out. Therefore this essay shall focus on Austen as being a
feminist writer. Some of the feminist issues both generally and those that are
found in pride and prejudice.Jane Austen is without any doubt a feminist writer
for she speaks highly about feminist issues by creating characters, incidents,
story, theme and so on with internalized norms of feminity which are nowhere
more prevalent than in pride and prejudice, but there is the fact that she
lives with inequality and injustice in her own world (society).
Hum explained, as quoted by Yatmi
feninism is unify doctrine of equal rights for women who later became an
organized movement to achieve women's rights, with an ideology of social
transformation which aims to create a space for women (syuropati:2012).The novel, Pride and Prejudice, portrays
rural life back in the 1800’s. Pride and Prejudice displays clearly the way of
a woman’s life, and the prejudice towards lower classes in the time. The novel
also shows how two people rise above the pride and prejudice and get married.
The novel clearly displays the way of a woman’s life in the time. It shows how
women were expected to marry a wealthy husband of class. They were required to
make acquaintances to help boost their social status.
Pride and Prejudice
is essentially a feminist social commentary of the late 18th-early 19th century
which Austen lived in. During that era women's roles were limited, having
little of the independence that the modern women enjoy. Instead, they often had
to resort to marriage in order to advance themselves socially or even just
survive.“oh! single my dear, to be sure!
A single man of large fortune ; four or five thaousand a year. What a fine
thing for our girls! How so?how can it affect them?” (Austen 4).It is a
truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good
fortune, must be in want of a wife' is related to this idea. What Austen is
saying isn't really that all wealthy bachelors are in need of a wife, but that
women always assume a wealthy, single man to need a wife that is themselves, or
their daughters. It is, as other replies have mentioned, appropriate at Mrs
Bennet who consistently strives to get her daughters married, but also at
society in general.
In the
context of the novel this quote is significant, because Elizabeth (the female
protagonist) as well as her sisters are representative of the dependent young
women who must marry well in order to remain respectable, or even to progress
upwards on the social ladder. The quote therefore is also a confirmation of
Austen's belief that women in her society were very much dependent on marriage
and this has progressed to such an extent that women have thus ended up looking
upon all wealthy bachelors as prey. Hence, the assumption that "all wealthy bachelors must be wanting
to get married" actually disguises the truth, that it is in fact the
women who are desperate for marriage.There's really not much else to say on
this, because it's a quote that's been examined and beaten to death by so many
critics. As for why it's so famous, well, it's probably because it's a very
insightful comment regarding society during Austen's time.
Feminist
literary criticism champions equal rights for women, so it would be apt to pay
attention to an occasion in which Elizabeth Bennet claims equality with another
upper-class man, Mr. Darcy. Again, in the same quarrel with Lady Catherine de
Bourgh, Miss Bennet claims, “In marrying
your nephew, I should not consider myself as quitting that sphere [in which I
have been brought up]. He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman’s daughter; so far
we are equal” (Austen 258). In this instance, Miss Bennet claims equality
with Mr. Darcy as she opposes Darcy's controlling aunt. To be equal to and have
equal opportunity and rights with a man of such social ranking as Mr. Darcy is
to epitomize the very cause of feminist literary criticism—to chiefly advocate
for the rights and equality of women.
Some quotes
of feminism in this novel(Chapter.Paragraph).
"It will be no use to us, if twenty
such should come, since you will not visit them." (1.32)Right away, we
learn how powerless women are: there's literally no respectable way for the
Bennet girls to meet Bingley unless their dad makes the first move. "Pardon me for interrupting you,
madam," cried Mr. Collins; "but if she is really headstrong and foolish,
I know not whether she would altogether be a very desirable wife to a man in my
situation, who naturally looks for happiness in the marriage state. If
therefore she actually persists in rejecting my suit, perhaps it were better
not to force her into accepting me, because if liable to such defects of
temper, she could not contribute much to my felicity." (20.4)Mr.
Collins wants to be happy when he's married. Fair enough. But he doesn't seem
overly concerned—or, well, concerned at all—about his wife's
happiness. Obvi. That's totally not the point. “I have often observed how little
young ladies are interested by books of a serious stamp, though written solely
for their benefit.” Mr. Collins (14.66) . it is show
that how not usual that women like reading cause at that era just men who can
get formal education.
Syuropati, Mohammad A and agustina
soebachman, 7 teori sastra kontemporer
& 17 tokohnya : sebuah pengenalan, Yogyakarta : publisher IN AzNa
Books.2012
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice.
New York: Barnes & Noble, 1993. Pdf.
