傲慢与偏见英文读后感

Of Personality and Marriage

----- Pride and Prejudice

一．Review of the book

Walter Scott praised Jane Austen: “That young lady has a talent for describing the involvements and feelings and characters of ordinary life which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with.” With a woman’s meticulous observation, Jane Austen shows the true pictures of the small world around her, especially the love affair and the marriage between the ladies and gentlemen.

Pride and Prejudice is the story of four marriages in British country of 18th century. Jane Austen shows the pictures of the current social life in Britain through the marriage matter, it also reflects her views on marriage. The book describes the virtuous and emotional entanglements among the single young Darcy and the second Miss. Elizabeth, and the wealthy single Bingley and the eldest Miss. Jane. The most important love story naturally happens between Elizabeth and Darcy.

Elizabeth represents prejudice, and Darcy represents pride. Elizabeth hates Darcy because of his first impression leaves to her, which is pride. Then, with Wickham’s slander, she thinks Darcy as such a proud, selfish and mean man. What’s more, when she knows the truth that it’s he who advises Bingley to leave her sister Jane, it completely lets her down, makes her heart broken and rejects his love confession. Darcy’s letter explains the truth of the two things, and then Elizabeth begins to regret her attitude to Darcy. With their reunion and association and Darcy’s deed to help Elizabeth’s family, Elizabeth begins to find out the true Darcy who’s actually not stubborn proud and love him in heart. Finally, under Catherine’s unreasonable demand that is not to marry Darcy, Elizabeth addresses her emotion, Darcy confesses his love, and the lovers get married. Elizabeth’s past prejudice against Darcy changes into genuine love.

There’re three marriages interspersed in it. Collins and Charlotte’s business marriage just satisfies their dreams. Collins wants a wife, and Charlotte wants a husband. The flattering and mediocre Collins relies on power and becomes a pastor. He gets married with Elizabeth’s close friend Charlotte immediately after Elizabeth rejects his marriage proposal. Elizabeth’s visit proves that their marriage just stays in the material surface. They’re happy to show off their wealth as the proof of happiness. Wickham and Lydia’s frivolous marriage just meets their benefits. Lydia completes her “pursuit”, and Wickham gains some money. Wickham has bad record. He squanders his heritage and attempts to seduce Darcy’s sister Georgiana to elope. Frivolous and temporal Lydia elopes with Wickham who has numerous gambling debts. When they go back home, Lydia always flaunts her marriage to others but Elizabeth feels that Wickham doesn’t love Lydia. It’s the other marriage without true love. Bingley and Jane’s marriage is happy with true feelings, like Darcy and Elizabeth’s. They have feelings for each other in the ball, and have deeper contacts with each other. But they two can’t determine the other’s mind; Bingley is persuaded by Darcy to give the affection and he leaves Jane. Jane lives in sadness. So does Bingley. He comes back to chase Jane and the lover immerses in the joy. They two are all gentle persons, so their marriage will be comfortable and filled with tender and sweet.

The different treatments and attitudes towards these marriages reflect Jane Austen’s views on marriage. It’s wrong for marriage to pursue property, money and high status. She stresses the importance of an ideal marriage and takes the feelings of both men and women as the cornerstone of the ideal marriage. We also learn that pride and prejudice are the very common problems and

weaknesses in human’s personality. Everyone is easy to be driven by their own subjective consciousness or other people’s wrong comments. It may cause a misunderstanding toward a thing or a person. What we should do is to avoid these weaknesses and make them under good regulation. Everything must be based on objective sense and commented with a deeper understanding.

二．Comment of personality and marriage

Point 1: Character analysis

Elizabeth: There are some expressions that reflect her character. 1. Compliments always take you by surprise and me never. (P12) 2. You wanted me, I know, to say “yes” that you might have the pleasure of despising my taste; but I always delight in overthrowing those kinds of schemes, and cheating a person of their premeditated contempt. I have therefore made up my mind to tell you that I do not want to dance a reel at all---and now despise me if you dare.( P48) 3. Catherine says that you give your opinion very decidedly for so young a person. (P162) 4. There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. (P171) 5. In marrying your nephew, I should not consider myself as quitting that sphere. He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman’s daughter; so far we are equal. (P350)6. Neither duty, nor honour, nor gratitude has any possible claim on me in the present instance. No principle of either would be violated by my marriage with Mr. Darcy. (P352)

Comment: It’s valuable for a young lady to an intelligent, witty and brave person. She’s not afraid of doing right things and has no fear for people who are in high status but with wrong deed. She is good at thinking and analysis. She has a strong self-esteem and never give up to high status. Elizabeth pursuits equal rights. She thinks that Darcy and she are equal because they’re all gentle. In her mind, the equality has nothing to do with sex, status, property or something else. Its people’s right to be equal and no one can offense. It’s her quality to allow her to love independently and prompt a happy life with Darcy. Elizabeth is a woman of principle. She sticks to her own principle so that she rejects Collins’s proposal. She wants to find her true love and get married with true feelings. Elizabeth is such a woman with special personality in that society. I think women in that society should learn something from it. It will do much help to their personality, life and career.

Darcy: 1. vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride---where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation. (P53)2. And never allow yourself to be blinded by prejudice? I hope not. (P93)3. Elizabeth says that we are each of an unsocial, taciturn disposition, unwilling to speak unless we expect to say something that will amaze the whole room, and be handed down to posterity with all the éclat of a proverb. (P91) 4. M.Gardiner: His understanding and opinions all please me. (P319) 5. Wickham says that his pride in that direction may be of service, if not to himself, to many others, for it must deter him from such foul misconduct as I have suffered by. (P230)

Comment: So many people can’t treat Darcy’s pride correctly. Darcy’s pride is actually a reflection of differences in status. He is born with pride. It’s connected with his family, circumstance, education and personality. He has a strong sense of honor and virtue. Darcy’s pride in one aspect is to protect him. He is not good at contacting with people meet at first time, so he’s just silent, while others think he’s very proud. People can find a different Darcy after they have a deeper association and will change their attitude to him and like him. Darcy tries to be a full man, avoid some weaknesses and treat pride as good regulation. He is such a true and brave person. He

will confess his feelings bravely, never give up easily, and try his best to help his sweetheart. I think such a man will be the Prince Charming of many modern girls. He’s straightforward, sincere and simple, try best to love his girl.

Jane: 1.You are too good. Your sweetness and disinterestedness are really angelic; I do not know what to say to you. I feel as if I had never done you justice, or loved you as you deserve. You wish to think all the world respectable, and are hurt if I speak ill of anybody. I only want to think you perfect, and you set yourself against it. (P132) 2. Jane would willingly have gone through the world without believing that so much wickedness existed in the whole race of mankind as was here collected in one individual. (P221)

Comment: Jane’s a very sincere and generous woman. She’s kind to everyone. Jane is a woman who’s sincere to herself and loyal to affection. While she lacks a kind of brave, she can’t just tell Bingley that she has feelings to him. She is so shy and can’t express her feelings. She puts everything in her heart. Elizabeth says that Jane seldom shows her feelings to others, even to her dearest sister. Jane hopes everything’s right and perfect. While it’s eventually a dream can’t come true. The marriage between Jane and Bingley will be happy. Both of them are tolerant and gentle. They are kind persons.

Lydia：Our importance, our responsibility in the world, must be affected by the wild volatility, the assurance and disdain of all restrain which mark Lydia’s character. Vain, ignorant, idle, ungovernable, and absolutely uncontrolled! （P227）

Comment: Lydia can be a typical representative of that society. These women want to pursue officers or men with high status to be their husband. They just marry for business. Lydia’s development of personality mostly bases on her family and social circumstance. Elizabeth says if their father checks her spirit and teaches her pursuit, she will not be affected so deeply to be a uncontrolled girl and her character will be fixed.

Point 2: Marriage between man and woman: Of man, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. Of woman, they begin to pursuit independence and equal rights.

Evidence: Miss Bingley’s words of woman: No one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, all the modern language, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved. (P36)

Comment: A single man in possession of a good fortune must be surrounded by women. Old ladies want to introduce their daughters, and young ladies want to meet and contact. A single man wants a wife whom will be his first sight in love, or with accomplishment, or good match. People always see him as a daughter of a property. At the same, some women begin to pursuit equal rights. They want to pursuit a husband who satisfies their mind, instead of his handsome or rich. They make themselves independent and pursuit something instead of a man.

Point 3: Both Collins and Charlotte’s marriage and Wickham and Lydia’s marriage are for each one’s benefit.

Evidence: 1. Collins: My reasons for marrying are, first, that I think it a right thing for every clergyman in easy circumstances (like myself) to set the example of matrimony in his parish. Secondly, that I am convinced it will add very greatly to my happiness; and thirdly, that it is the particular advice and recommendation of the very noble lady whom I have the honor of calling

patroness.（P104）Charlotte: 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 with him is as fair as mot people can boast on entering the marriage state.（P123）2. Lydia：She has exuberant spirits. Her present pursuits are the business of her life. (P227)

Comment：Collins wants a life just for three reasons above, instead of his own desire for a happy marriage. Also Charlotte wants a husband who can guarantee her rest of life. Lydia always pursuits an officer, and tightly hold on to Wickham. Because of the benefit of the marriage, that is debt paid off and money given, they get married. There is no love between them; their gorgeous marriage is actually a social tragedy. It’s wrong to marry for property, money and status. Their marriages aren’t based feelings and affections. They just marry for business.

Point 4: Both Darcy and Elizabeth’s marriage and Bingley and Jane’s marriage are true love.

Evidence: 1. From the very beginning, from the first moment, I may almost say, of my acquaintance with you, your manners impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form that groundwork of disapprobation on which succeeding events have built so immovable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.(P190) Hatred had vanished long ago, and she had almost as long been ashamed of ever feeling a dislike against him that could be so called. The respected created by the conviction of his valuable qualities, thought at first unwillingly admitted, had for some time ceased to be repugnant to her feelings. (P258) 2. Jane’s attitude to her first attachment: Having never even fancied herself in love before, her regard had all the warmth of first attachment, and from her age and disposition, greater steadiness than first attachments often boast; and so fervently did her good sense, and all her attention to the feelings of her friends, were requisite to check the indulgence of those regrets, which must have been injurious to her own health and their tranquility. (P223) Bingley really loved me, and nothing but a persuasion of my being indifferent would have prevented his coming down again! (P344)

Comment: The marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth is the elimination of Darcy’s pride and Elizabeth’s prejudice. Elizabeth is confused by prejudice first, finally finds out the true Darcy and falls in love with charismatic Darcy. Jane is serious to her first attachment, so she’s sad when Bingley leaves her, at the same time, Bingley is also sad to leave her. From the twists and turns of their emotional roads, we can feel the hardship and power of love. Tough love can be true love. 三.Beautiful sentences and paragraphs

We can all plague and punish one another. Tease him---laugh at him. I hope I never ridicule what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can. (P53)

It has been the study of my life to avoid those weaknesses which often expose a strong understanding to ridicule. (P53)

Such abominable pride has often led him to be liberal and generous---to give his money freely, to display hospitality, to assist his tenants, and relieve the poor. Family pride, and filial pride, for he is very proud of what his father was, has done this. Ha has also brotherly pride, which with some brotherly affection makes him a very kind and careful guardian of his sister. (P79)

I am not now to learn that it is usual with young ladies to reject the addresses of the man whom they secretly mean to accept, when he first applies for their favor; and that sometimes the refusal is repeated a second or even a third time.( P105)

The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and everyday confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human character, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of either merit or sense.( P132)

If I were not afraid of judging harshly, I should be almost tempted to say that there is a strong appearance of duplicity in all this. But I will endeavour to banish every painful thought, and think only of what will make me happy. (P145)

I am particularly unlucky in meeting with a person so well able to expose my real character, in a part of the world where I had hoped to pass myself off with some degree of credit. (P171) In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. (P186)

Why with so evident a design of offending and insulting me you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will against your reason, and even against your character?( P188) You never will be able to make both of them good for anything. Take your choice, but you must be satisfied with only one. (P221)

Your profusion makes me saving; and if you lament over him much longer, my heart will be as light as a feather. (P222)

It was a large, handsome, stone building, standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills; and in front, a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance. Its banks were neither formal nor falsely. (P240) If he could anyhow discover at what house the coachman had before set down his fare, he determined to make inquiries there, and hoped it might not be impossible to find out the stand and number of the coach. (P285)

Human nature is so prone to fall into it! (P290)

It was an union that must have been to the advantage of both---by her ease and liveliness, his mind might have been softened, his manners improved; and from his judgment, information, and knowledge of the world, she must have receives benefit of greater importance.( P305)

I often think that there is nothing so bad as parting with one’s friends. One seems so forlorn without them. (P324)

I am a very selfish creature; and, for the sake of giving relief to my own feelings, care not how much I may be wounding yours. (P360)

If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me on this subject forever. (P361)

I believed myself perfectly calm and cool, but I am since convinced that it was written in a dreadful bitterness of spirit. (P363)

My good quality are under your protection, and you are to exaggerate them as much as possible; and, in return, it belongs to me to find occasions for teasing and quarrelling with you as often as may be; and I shall begin directly by asking you what made you so willingly to come to the point at last.( P375)

Version：Pride and Prejudice: (英)奥斯丁(Austen, J.)原著\中文导读英文版

王勋等编译北京清华大学出版2009年1月第1版