Feminism In Pride and Prejudice Novel By Jane Austen

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.

Refference :

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.