论文分析[傲慢与偏见]中的爱情观和婚姻观

中南大学

高等教育自学考试本科生毕业论文

论文题目: Views on love and marriage in “Pride and

Prejudice”

分析《傲慢与偏见》中的爱情观和婚姻观

学生姓名：罗

考籍号：[1**********]8

年级专业：2007级英语

指导老师及职称：汤春华

学院：中南大学科培中心

湖南·长沙

提交日期：2010年4月

Contents

Abstract ............................................................................................................................................... 1

Keywords ............................................................................................................................................ 1

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 3

1、Jane Austen and the Background of Pride and Prejudice ............................................ 3

1.1 Jane Austen ................................................................................................................ 3

1.2 The Background of Pride and Prejudice...................................................................... 4

2、Four Marriages and Ideals on Love and Marriage Shown in Pride and Prejudice ...... 5

2.1 Four Marriages in Pride and Prejudice ........................................................................ 5

2.1.1 Collins and Charlotte’s Marriage ............................................................................. 5

2.1.2 Lydia and Wickham’s Marriage ............................................................................... 7

2.1.3 Jane and Mr. Bingley’s Marriage ............................................................................. 7

2.1.4 Darcy and Elizabeth’s Marriage ............................................................................... 8

3. Austen’s Concept about Love and Marriage ............................................................ 12

4、Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 14

References ....................................................................................................................... 16

Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... 19

Abstract

"Pride and Prejudice" is Austen's masterpiece which described four different marriages

and love .Until today, this novel is still very popular among many readers and arouses people's observation and unlimited thinking of marriage .This paper aims to probe into the views on love and marriage in ―Pride and Prejudice‖. That is: love and marriage are associated with, but not totally lie on the property and social status. The marriage which is based on the love, mutual understanding and mutual respect is a true happy marriage. Austen not only opposes marriage for money, but also is against the hasty marriage. She attaches great importance to ideal marriage and regards the feelings between men and women as the cornerstone of the ideal marriage.

Keywords

―Pride and Prejudice‖; viewpoint of love; viewpoint of marriage;

摘要

《傲慢与偏见》是奥斯汀的代表作，小说以讽刺为基调描写了四种不同形态的婚姻观和爱情观，

时至今日，这部小说仍然吸引着众多读者，引发了人们对婚姻的观察和无限思考。本文就是通过对

这四段婚姻的详细的分析，来探讨《傲慢与偏见》中的爱情观和婚姻观。笔者认为：爱情婚姻与财

产和社会地位相互关联，但绝不能仅取于它，以爱情、相互理解及相互尊重为基础的婚姻才是幸福

的婚姻。奥斯汀既反对为金钱而结婚，也反对草率结婚。她强调理想婚姻的重要性，并把男女双方

感情作为缔结理想婚姻的基石。

关键词

《傲慢与偏见》；爱情观；婚姻观;

Introduction

Jane Austen humorously described the marriage in the "Pride and Prejudice" and a

series of marriage-related activities in a relaxed manner. The novel consisted of how man

picking their wives, how the young women choosing their future husbands and how their

mothers selecting their son-in-low in many wonderful scenes. By studying the marital

relationship, the authors strive to portray several different marriage and love relations.

Although they had got married, the happiness of marriage is differs. This was because

Austen's novels the marriage was involving not only the feelings, but also social status and

money. "The bachelor who own property must marry a wife, it has become a universally

recognized truth." [6], But that really is a truth? In this paper, the novel's four marriages

vividly reflected the British town life and the world state of human of 18 century to the early

19th century in a conservative and isolated state. 1. Jane Austen and the Background of Pride and Prejudice

1.1. Jane Austen

Jane Austen (1775 – 1817，) was one of the most outstanding writer who described the

middle-class in the south of England with realism. From a unique female perspective, she

left six immortal works .Her works were full of rich comedy conflicts in humorous and

satirical style, so they were regarded as "the art of simplicity". In Jane Austen's works, the

content was not very wide and all were related to the life of a few middle-class families. The

theme was about love and marriage between men and women. In the "Simple" works of Jane

Austen, they showed us, truly and accurately, the social life and interrelationship and

described the social state, marriage as well as political and economic relations between

middle-class women at that time.

And she expressed her views on marriage, directly or indirectly, by analyzing these

phenomena. She believed that marriage just for money was wrong, but marriage of no

money was stupid. She also frankly disclosed the inseparable relationship between marriages, property and family status. In her novel, as long as a woman who was intelligent, decent,

educated, and patient could overcome social barriers, she would receive the ideal happy

marriage.

Austen was born in a middle-class family of a small village in England, so the people

and things in her works were all connected with this environment which was very familiar to

her. It is difficult for readers to find the sufferings of those working people who lived at the

bottom of the society at that time. At the same time, the important events, such as the French

Revolution and Industrial Revolution, were little. Her narrative was always inseparable from

the party, walk, talk, dance ... ...Although this written style received some people's criticism,

she still stick to it. She once said that she was ―sculpt on two inches of ivory‖. Austen was

never married, but the marriage is the eternal theme of her writings. In her works, the marriage status of middle-class people was alive.

1.2. The Background of Pride and Prejudice

In this great book, the author amply demonstrated her view on love and marriage. In

order to analyze these points of view, we should firstly start from the background of her

great works. ―At that time, according to the social conditions in Britain, a good marriage for

a young woman was critical. This phenomenon was closely associated with the British

society and the status of women in the society. 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.‖(Zhu Hong, P34, 1995)

People at that time thought that women should be submissive to their husbands. The

virtues of women were patience and deference. They must recognize their inherent

inferiority to men, so they must restrict their abilities without question. Although the status

of women was low, few of them expressed dissatisfaction about their own destiny. At that

time, many middle-class young women had three ways out: getting married, staying at home

as old maids or working as the family female teachers. The income of a family female

teacher was very low, and the status was low as well. It was very difficult for them to change

or swap out of this status, no one would like to be a maid forever, therefore, for young

women, especially those who did not have enough properties, getting married was the only

good way for them to gain respect, stability and social status.

Austen fully criticized some bad phenomena at that time in her work Pride and

Prejudice and took some perfect points about marriage and loved to demonstrate her own

view on love and marriage. 2. The Four Marriages and the Ideas on Love and Marriage shown in

Pride and Prejudice

The story showed the ordinary life, feelings of the ordinary people. They were

organized in a harmonious order under the author's skillful arrangement. The work mainly

described four marriages. Two of them were main and assisted by the other two assistant

marriages. ―Darcy and Elizabeth’s love and marriage was the main theme of this work. After

undergoing many setbacks, Darcy’s arrogance and Elizabeth’s prejudice eventually

eliminates, the lovers finally got married. The marriage of Elizabeth’s sister Jane and

Darcy’s friend Bingley was another clue. They deeply loved each other, but they were

multi—blocked, after their departure, Jane missed Bingley very much. The two marriages

reflected the other point of view in positive way that marriage should be based on true love,

which was the ideal marry in the author’s opinion. The stories seem to be the ordinary lives,

feelings and persons linked up in a harmonious order under the others meticulous concepts.

However, the marriage between Charlotte and Collins was a negative example with the

marriage between Lydia and Wickham, which helped to make the plots more tortuous and

richer.‖(Zhu Hong, P12, 1985)

2.1. Four Marriages in Pride and Prejudice

2.1.1. Collins and Charlotte’s Marriage

The article mentioned little of Charlotte, however, her image was very full .Charlotte

was woman who is well-educated, intelligent and admired much by Elizabeth. But she was

in financial difficulties. If she did not get married, she could only live in her brother's home

to be a spinster. When Kosslyn had been rejected by Elizabeth and turned to propose to

Charlotte • Lucas, She agreed without the least hesitation and still stick to marry him though

she knew that Collins was a man who was neither wise nor pleasant, and very boring and

that Mr. Collins did not love her and his so-called love for her was imaginary because for her

" the marriage may not make the women to be too happy, but it is always the best safe for the

women, and it can ensure them not to be affected by cold and hunger." In "Pride and

Prejudice" Austen described mostly happy marriage, which often aroused the reader's

controversy, because they thought that it is too unrealistic to be true. Collins and Charlotte’s

marriage made a brutal footnote for Elizabeth’s romantic and happy love .Indeed we can

learn that Austen was on a critical opinion of the society at that time from the fate of

Charlotte: In the male-dominated society, unmarried women had no future. Elizabeth was an

idealist, she would not marry a fool for money (Kosslyn) and also not to marry a man she did

not love (such as the Darcy at the beginning of the story); however Charlotte who was six

years older than Elizabeth and had little property was a pragmatist. In order to avoid

becoming a spinster, who would suffer gossip in the society, she must make full use of any

possible opportunity to get married. As Austen said, the reason that Charlotte was willing to

marry him was completely for the purpose of property. She also confessed to Elizabeth: "You

know I am not a romantic. Moreover I had never been this kind of person. I only ask for a

comfortable home. As with Mr. Collins's character, family relations and social status, I am

convinced that my chance of happiness is as fair as most people can boast on entering them

marriage state "(... ... I am not romantic you know. I never was. I ask only a comfortable

home; and considering Mr. Collins’s character, connections, and situation in life, I am

convinced that my chance of happiness is as fair as most people can boast on entering them

marriage state.) And even after their marriage, Charlotte always felt that "If forget Mr.

Collins, the inside and outside of the house is indeed a very comfortable place ". This was

their marriage, which was held together through a pure relation of money and wealth. To

some extend, this kind of marriages is actually a social tragedy that is concealed under the

gorgeous cover. Through describing such a marriage, Jane• Austen wanted to tell the readers

a common point in British society at that time that the most critical factor in marriage is not

love, but money. Actually, it was more than in the United Kingdom at that time, even in

today's society, this view is very popular, and can be accepted by most people. That was an

era in which love was exiled. We could not blame Charlotte and the vast majority of

"Charlottes" too much because it was not entirely their false perhaps in real life love can not

defeat the bread forever.

2.1.2. Lydia and Wickham’s Marriage The second marriage is between Bennett’s third daughter Lydia and Wickham, the son

of the housekeeper. Originally he was well-treated by his family and friends. However, he

came down in the world because of his misbehavior. He got into debt, so he wanted to get

money, became rich and changed his social status through marriage which was also a way to

approach the talents. He was a man without any responsibility. He does nothing except

assailing a woman with obscenities. In his opinion, love was only recreation. For his purpose, he enticed Lydia and got her love easily, for she was young, innocent and vainglorious, and

loved to go ease and hated to work hard, and was spoilt by her mother. Getting love and

praise of a boy was her dream. So when Wickham wanted to attain to his aim－getting

wealth by love and exalting her beauty hypocritically, she forgot who she was and felt she

was the most beautiful and happiest girl in the world. Their love did not get the permission

from the parents, so then they eloped. When Elizabeth heard the news, she believed that their

love was a false. Wickham would not marry Lydia, because she is not charming and had

nothing to attract him, who did not love her but loved the wealth of her family. The marriage

was admitted with the help of Darcy. Their marriage was considered to be a scandal in

Bennett’s family. But Mrs. Bennet was not disgraceful to this marriage. When Collins got the

news, he was very angry and reacted to the marriage to revenge his early failure of proposal

to her. This marriage was one without love. They didn’t have the real meaning of marriage.

They only wanted to satisfy their aspiration. So we can say this is a kind of impromptu love

and marriage without true love and responsibility. Such couples only seek the experience of

marriage but not everlasting and unchanging one. Of course, such kind of marriage is doomed to be a tragedy.

2.1.3. Jane and Mr. Bingley’s Marriage

In the novel, Bingley and Jane never stopped pursuing their true love although there

were so many obstacles between them. Fortunately, with the help of Darcy and Elizabeth,

they finally got married and had a happy life. Bingley and Jane had many similarities in their

characters, which was the main reason to the success of their marriage. They possessed personal attractiveness and dignity, social graces, and a measure of good sense. They all had good breeding, but lacked insight, strength, and self-confidence. They didn’t show their insides easily to the public because they cared the social criticism too much. For Jane, she always concealed her true feelings, which gave others an illusion that she didn’t love Bingley. For Bingley, he yielded easily to criticism of Jane’s social position and easily accepted the suggestions of his sisters and Darcy, which almost consumed the felicity between Jane and him. Frankly speaking, the outside forces facilitated their marriage.

According to the relationship between Bingley and Jane, love and respect were the basic factors of their successful and happy marriage. With many similarities in character, people can understand each other easily. Most important of all, the couple with common interest can live together in a happy life. Because they understand, help and support between them. They didn’t care the defects of their partners and even they didn’t see any faults in each other. Just as the old saying goes, ―Birds of a feather flock together, people of a mind fall into the same group.‖

2.1.4. Darcy and Elizabeth’s Marriage

Elizabeth was the actress in the "Pride and Prejudice". Her love and marriage was the main thread running through the entire novel. At the beginning of the "recognized the truth" mentioned in the novel, all the girls in the middle-class families wanted to marry a good man. But Elizabeth had a different interpretation for a "good husband". She believed that a husband not only need have certain number of family property but also must respect women, and at the same time there must be mutual understanding between them. Mr. Collins was the first suitor to Elizabeth. Elizabeth was surprised at first, but soon turned down Collins's proposal of marriage because she did not love Collins and could not fall in love with him. Elizabeth was impressed by Wickham’s elegant behavior and demeanor, but she still did not want to choose him to be her husband. She told her aunt that she could handle the relationship between her and Wickham and she would not fall in love with Wickham.

Collins was secular cavity too, but smart without a common language with Elizabeth. Wickham is not rich man and lack of morality. Despite later Elizabeth discovered the true

face of Wickham. It did not affect the principle of Elizabeth optional husband. Wickham's exposure to poverty let him outside the scope of Elizabeth's choice of husband. But later why did Elizabeth reject Darcy who is a handsome wealthy man? Elizabeth clearly stated her answer: "Why, with so evident a design of offending and insulting me, you choose to tell me that you liked me against your will, against your reason, and even against your character? Was not this some excuse for incivility, if I was uncivil? "(Austen, 2004:139).Of course, she had prejudice for Darcy and Wickham fabricated lies about Darcy, which had a certain impact on Elizabeth’ refusal to Darcy's marriage proposal, but the most important reason was that Elizabeth hated Darcy for their arrogant attitude.

Elizabeth rejected the arrogant Darcy, but Darcy accepted the humble. Their marriage

was based on Darcy's property and their love. The composition of property and the love marriage was the two indispensable important factors. When her sister Jane asked Elizabeth t how long she had fallen in love with Darcy, she replied: "It has been coming on so gradually that I hardly know when it began, but I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberly . "(Austen, 2004:275) On the one hand, it revealed Elizabeth’s mockery. On the other hand, it also reflected her inner thoughts. It was this statement which reflected her attitude for money, marriage and life: The marriage based on no money was undesirable. So she visited Darcy’s luxurious Pember Lee Garden. After visiting the Manor, she felt that to be the Pember Lee Gardens hostess was quite good. From a psychological sense, it was a direct reflection of her inner thoughts.

She was Bonnet’s second daughter, an active, intelligent and smart girl. She had a

middle-class family background and had not been affected by the formal education belonging to those aristocratic young girls, so she was not good at music and painting, but she had read many books which made her knowledgeable and perceptive. The most important aspect was that she was a lady with dignity and upbringing. Darcy was a tall man with good manner. He was handsome, rich and powerful. So he was the ideal husband of most girls. He had grown up in the surroundings with strong sense of power, so he was always selfish and arrogant and had a critical look at each individual, except the family members. He was not concerned about anyone else, and looked down upon anyone else. Therefore, when he first arrived in the village, he found all the persons were beyond his imagination. Although every girl was young and lovely, he has no interest in young girls

except Elizabeth. But actually, at first he didn’t put an eye on Elizabeth. Gradually, he had to admit that Elizabeth was beautiful, distinct and popular, although he insisted that Elizabeth hadn't the same social status as him. Darcy was rational because he has a strong sense of power, which agreed on the reality at that time. Although he expressed his love to Elizabeth, he couldn't help showing his arrogance, which made Elizabeth have misconception and prejudice on Darcy. Darcy loved Elizabeth, but looked down upon her social status. He considered that he had been lowing himself and doing something against his will, personalities and even moral standard. He thinks that his marriage would certainly succeed and Elizabeth was waiting for him to propose marriage.

Therefore, even he was irresistible to the flooding feelings, and condescends to

Elizabeth. He still remembered the gap between them. Clearly, the rational aspect of Darcy’s personality performed on the realities of society. When he talked about his feelings of love, he also expressed the arrogance of these fully feelings, which resulted in the arousing resentment of Elizabeth; she rejected his marriage proposal, and angrily accused his insolence. The rational aspect of the heroine Elizabeth showed her clear, calm and actually stressful personality. Compared with her stupid mother, the smooth and lazy father, the shallow-minded, self-willed sister with feather head, Elizabeth was one with ideal mind. She was elegant like her sister Jane, but more intellectually. She also advised her sister to see through the stupidity and nonsense of those camouflage honest persons.

Unconsciously, they were fascinated by each other for the physical attraction, and this

led to the experience of passion in a loving relationship. In regard to Darcy, he initially did not think Elizabeth was beautiful enough, and scorned her low relatives and vulgar family members despite his later passion for Elizabeth. Darcy loved Elizabeth’s charming appearance and intelligence. His admiration for Elizabeth was obvious in the following details. When Elizabeth went to look after her sister Jane on foot, Miss Bingley made fun of her and her family at the back. Even Miss Bingley said to Darcy, ―I am afraid…. that this adventure has rather lessened your admiration for her fine eyes‖. But Darcy replied: ―Not at all, they are brightened by the exercise‖. At Pemberley when Miss Bingley noticed that Darcy admired Elizabeth, she intended to confuse Elizabeth and made her show some feeling that might harm her in Darcy’s opinion. But it meant nothing to Darcy. She continued to criticize Elizabeth’s appearance, behavior and dress. Darcy could no longer control himself

and said: ―For many months I have considered her as one of the best looking women I have consider her as one of the best looking women in my acquaintance‖.

The intimacy component was formed after the prejudice was relieved. For Elizabeth,

there are three elements causing her prejudice against Darcy—Darcy’s humiliation of her at the Meryton assembly by his aloof manner and superiority; and her suspicion of his responsibility for Mr. Bingley’s sudden migration to London which would ruin her sister’s chance of happiness. So when he made his proposal to Elizabeth, he heard her say: ―I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be induced to marry‖. Shocked and humiliated by Elizabeth’s refusal, the arrogant Darcy finally learned his lessons from Elizabeth. Upright as he actually was, Darcy wrote letter to Elizabeth, reveals the true character of Wickham and his true perception of Jane’s manner to Bingley. It was at this moment that Elizabeth contemplated the whole thing and she turned ―absolutely ashamed of herself‖, and the prejudice was relieved. Elizabeth at this point moved from strong hospitality to benevolent neutrality, but ―she could not approve him; or refusal, or feel the slightest inclination ever to see him again‖.

The commitment component was formed after Elizabeth accept Darcy’s proposal. Only on the condition that Elizabeth saw the altered new Darcy, could she accept him as her man, who she respected and who respected her and her family. When Darcy meets Elizabeth at Pemberly unexpectedly, he entered into conversation with Mr.Gardiner. Elizabeth’s uncle, and asked permission for his sister to call upon Elizabeth. When Elizabeth told him that Lydia has run away with Wickham, he didn’t despise her but brought about the marriage by giving Wickham money. He started to stand on the level of equality to propose Elizabeth and he succeeded. After dispelling all misunderstandings, all three components of love——intimacy, passion, and commitment are formed.

3. Austen’s Concept about Love and Marriage

Jane Austen is a writer who regards novel writing as a sophisticated art. With a cool

hand, she always has her imagination and passion under control. With great details drawn from everyday life and activities, the pictures of her characters are vividly portrayed and everyone comes alive. With simple language and conversing dialogues, her novels are surprisingly realistic. When she converted the disorderly reality into an orderly artistic unity, she pays much attention to the formal qualities of composition, to the design, and to the subordination of the parts to the whole. Her plots appear natural, unforced. They were developed easily and unhurriedly under the author’s perfect control. All the characters have their place in the plot and contribute to the main story. At her best, she keeps balance between facts and form as no other English novelist has ever done. Jane Austen is one of the few novelists who have managed fully to satisfy the requirements in the art of novel writing.

Compared with other writers, Jane Austen defined hers stories within a narrow sphere.

The subject matters, the character range, the social setting and plots are all restrict to the late 18th century England. Everything in her novels reminds us of a quiet, uneventful and contented life of the English country.

Jane Austen believed that a man’s relation to his wife and children is at least as

important a part of his life as his belief and career, and reveals him fundamentally, so she characterizes readers a human being not at moments of crisis, but in the most trivial incidents of everyday life, such as their personal relations, human beings with their families and neighbors, etc. As a result, her novels have a universal significance.

Jane Austen’s main concern is about human beings in their personal relationship. As a

result her novels have a universal significance. From her point of view, life is made up of small things and human nature reveals itself in them as fully as in big ones and a man’s relationship to his wife and children is at least as important a part of his life as his concerns about his belief and career, which reveals his moral quality more accurately and truthfully. So when Jane Austen writes she would describe human being in the most trivial incidents of everyday life rather than at moments of crisis. She wrote within a narrow sphere. The subject matter, the character range, the social settings and plots are all restricted to the provincial life of the late 18th century England. Her attention would go to three or four landed gentle

families with their daily routine life: relationships with members of their own family and with their friends, dancing parties, tea parties, picnics, barbecues and gossips. As a realistic writer, she considers it her duty to express in her words a serious criticism of life and to expose the weakness and illusions of mankind. In her style she is a neoclassicism advocator, upholding those traditional ideas of order, reason, proportion and graceful in novel writing.

The interest of Jane Austen is to study human being in their relations with other people

in daily life, so her novels concern about the relationship between men and women in love. Stories of love and marriage provide the framework for all her novels and in which women are always taken as the major characters. In their pursuit of a happy marriage, they could be grouped into three categories: those who marry for money, position and property, those who marry just for passion and those who marry for love which is based on consideration of both

the person’s personal merit and his economical and social status.

So in her novels the point that money is not the only thing in the consideration of

marriage but it plays a very important role found best reflection there. Austen’s this view towards marriage is still very popular nowadays.

There are a lot of novels talking about marriage in Britain, but scarcely an author could

be like Austen, exposing the money-essence of capitalism marriage system so deeply. In brief, it is money that determines everybody’s life and fate, especially marriage. As for it was pragmatic meaning, it could be forceful and penetrating. No wonder that David Dax，a western Marxism critic said, in the aspect of exposing ―the economics of human beings’ behavior‖, Jane Austen, ―to some extent, had been a Marxist before Marx’s being born.

4. Conclusion

As in any good love story, the lovers must elude and overcome numerous stumbling blocks, beginning with the tensions caused by the lovers’ own personal qualities. 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: the title cuts both ways. Austen, meanwhile, poses countless smaller obstacles to the realization of the love between Elizabeth and Darcy, including Lady Catherine’s attempt to control her nephew, Miss Bingley’s snobbery, Mrs. Bennet’s idiocy, and Wickham’s deceit. In each case, anxieties about social connections, or the desire for better social connections, 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.

Austen does sound some more realist (or, one could say, cynical) notes about love, using the character of Charlotte Lucas, who marries the buffoon Mr. Collins for his money, to demonstrate that the heart does not always dictate marriage. Yet with her central characters, Austen suggests that true love is a force separate from society and one that can conquer even the most difficult of circumstances.

The title tells the major concern of the novel: pride and prejudice. Pride is the character flaw that causes Elizabeth to dislike Darcy upon their first meeting. Yet Elizabeth herself also suffers from the same flaw; her pride in her own ability to analyze character is such that she refuses to reevaluate Darcy in the face of evidence in his favor. The concept of pride can be defined into two ways: positive and negative. Possessing positive or right pride is to have self-respect, honor, and integrity. On the other hand, wrong or negative pride is defined as showing arrogant or disdainful conduct and haughtiness. Mr. Darcy displays the positive side of pride while Mr. Bennet possesses wrong or negative pride, and a lack of pride itself in some cases. Darcy is responsible for his sister, himself, his estate, and his family name. He takes pride in these things and does anything he can to protect them. But Mr. Bennet who is a father of five daughters, a husband, and the holder of reputable conduct in the family, does

not take pride in his family or takes his responsibility; Mr. Bennet ridicules the members of his family instead of controlling their unruly actions.

Pride and Prejudice depicts a society in which a woman’s reputation is of the utmost importance. A woman is expected to behave in certain ways. Stepping outside the social norms makes her vulnerable to ostracism. This theme appears in the novel, when Elizabeth walks to Netherfield and arrives with muddy skirts, to the shock of the reputation-conscious Miss Bingley and her friends.

At other points, the ill-mannered, ridiculous behavior of Mrs. Bennet gives her a bad reputation with the more refined (and snobbish) Darcy and Bingley. Austen pokes gentle fun at the snobs in these examples, but later in the novel, when Lydia elopes with Wickham and lives with him out of wedlock, the author treats reputation as a very serious matter. By becoming Wickham’s lover without benefit of marriage, Lydia clearly places herself outside the social pale, and her disgrace threatens the entire Bennet family.

Love is wonderful. The distance between two hearts is not necessarily because physical proximity or separation may change. But youth and love are the most likely to disappear under the sun of things. A woman can be deeply loved by a man in her all life. Is that a kind of happy? Or, a woman in her life missed a man who deeply loved her. What kind of regrets? Pride and Prejudice are the two points in our common human weaknesses. The human nature is too easily distorted, alienated. If not carefully or falling into blindness, you will loss of justice and reason. Meanwhile it was manipulated by emotions and it will go wrong. Elizabeth and Darcy is only one representative. The origin, property, status, education, once stained with upper edge, it is easy arrogance of the illnesses contracted on the poor, low, vulgar person disdained eyes; while the low status, property, few people, for humanity a kind of self-esteem, places biased against the pride of the superior person, which naturally is another distortion of arrogance. In "Pride and Prejudice", although it is a battle of wits and means shining love sitcoms, actually tells us a truth, that is a solid love is the cornerstone of marriage. In order to property, money and status of marriage is wrong; while marriage does not take into account the factors mentioned above is also foolish.

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. They don’t care the defects 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.‖

References：

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Acknowledgements

I would like to express my gratitude to all those who helped me during the writing of this thesis. I gratefully acknowledge the help of my supervisor, Miss.Tang who has offered me valuable suggestions in the academic studies. In the preparation of the thesis， she has spent much time reading through each draft and provided me with inspiring advice. Without her patient instruction, insightful criticism and expert guidance, the completion of this thesis would not have been possible.

I also owe a special debt of gratitude to all the professors in The Central South of

University, from whose devoted teaching and enlightening lectures I have benefited a lot and academically prepared for the thesis.

I should finally like to express my gratitude to my beloved parents who have always been helping me out of difficulties and supporting without a word of complaint.