傲慢与偏见

The Book Report of Pride and PrejudiceB1103 Li Yuezhu 0311110314This semester I read Pride and Prejudice and I divided the book into three parts. First I want to introduce the author, then I will describe these parts and the last I’d like share my feelings.Jane Austen (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature. Her realism, biting irony and social commentary have gained her historical importance among scholars and critics. She was educated primarily by her father and older brothers as well as through her own reading. Austen's works critique the novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th-century realism. Her plots, though fundamentally comic, highlight the dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and economic security.There were five unmarried girl in the small town Banner, Mrs. Bennett was worried about them all the time and looking for gentlemen for her daughters. The new neighbor Bingley was a wealthy bachelor. He immediately became the target which Mrs. Bennett was hunting. At a party, Bingley and Bennett’s eldest daughter Jane fell in love at first sight and Mrs. Bennett was ecstatic. There was also a man named Darcy who was Bingley’s best friend attended the party. He was very rich, handsome, and income was several times as the Bingley’s and many girls casted envious eyes to Darcy. But he was very arrogant that all the girls don’t deserve to be his partner, including Jane’s sister, Elizabeth. Darcy thought Elizabeth was just so-so but she couldn’t catch his eyes and interest. Elizabeth’s self-esteem was very strong and decided to ignore the arrogant guy. However, Darcy took a liking to her lively manner soon.In another party, Darcy took the initiative to invite Elizabeth to dance and Elizabeth agreed to dance with him. Because of this, Darcy changed his idea about Elizabeth. Bingley’s sister, Caroline wanted to marry Darcy while Darcy was so cold to her. Later, Caroline found that Darcy had a kind of love feeling to Elizabeth, burning with jealousy and determined to obstruct. Although, Darcy appreciatedElizabeth, he couldn't put up with her mother and sisters, vulgar and impolite. Darcy was afraid that Jane loved Bingley just because of his property. So Darcy persuaded Bingley not to marry Jane.Under his sister and Darcy persuasion, Bingley left to London without saying a word to Jane but Jane was still having a deep feeling for himAccording to the law at that time, only males could inherit property while Mr. Bennett had no sons. The Bennett’s daughters only received five thousand pounds as their dowries, so his fortune would be succeeded by a distant cousin, Collins. Collins was an obsequious and commonplace man, relying on the powerful to be a priest. Collins proposed to Elizabeth and Elizabeth refused to marry him, immediately he married her close friend Charlotte, which also brought many trouble to Elizabeth. There was a handsome young officer named Wickham in a vigilante group near the small town. Everyone praised him and Elizabeth liked him, too. One day, he said to Elizabeth, his father wa s a manager of Darcy’s family and Darcy’s father had suggested that Darcy in his will gave Wickham a fortune so as to become a clergy honorably while this property was sucked by Darcy. After hearing this, Elizabeth was more disgusted to Darcy.The book seemed to have only two kinds of people: intelligent and stupid and there was no absolute good or bad. Cheater Wickham was also not an absolute bad man. He took advantage of his clever flattery ability and a kind of pleasant instrument, fascinating Elizabeth, praising himself and slandering Darcy. Although, his words were full of fla ws, clever Elizabeth still trust him. To be honest, I don’t think that Elizabeth was tricked by Wickham can explain that she was a fool. People always regarded first impressions as the idea of that person. In Elizabeth’s min d, the appearance of Mr. Darcy was arrogant, rude. How was she attracted by him? So she could not ignore others’ comments on Darcy. It was normal to produce prejudice against Darcy. There was no denying the fact that Wickham had a handsome face, on the surface was very gentle. Close the book; carefully taste it, finding that the novel was attractive because it completely relaxed and humorous style. Elizabeth laughed ironically, exposing those who regard themselves as noble gentleman and lady. But Elizabeth’s father, Mr. Bennett laughed at wife and daughter as the family happiness, maybe it was a luckily or an unfortunately.The main object of Jane’s satire in the novel is the mercenary and the ignorance of the people, a common criticism of the 18th century. The tone of the novel was light,satirical, and vivid, such as, Mr. Collins proposal to Elizabeth, and Lady Catherine visited to Lizzy at Longbourn, providing comic relief to the reader while at the same time revealing certain characteristics of the characters. The main actions of the novel were the interactions between opinions, ideas, and attitudes, which weaves and advances the plot of the novel. The emotions in the novel were to be perceived beneath the surface of the story and were not to be expressed to the readers directly. The author’s powers of subtle discrimination and shrewd perceptiveness were revealed in Pride and Prejudice; she was able to convey such a complex message using a simple, yet witty, style.Elizabeth was the ideal image for women as well as the most charismatic person in the novel. She was Bonnet’s second daughter, who was 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 n’t good at music and painting, but she had read many books which made her knowledgeable and perceptive. He was handsome, rich and powerful. So he was the ideal husband of most girls. But he had grown up in the surroundings with strong sense of power, so he always was selfish and arrogant, except the family members. Therefore, when he first arrived in the village, he looked down on everyone. Although every girl was young and lovely, he had no interest to anyone except Elizabeth.In the novel, Austin described different treatment on Mrs. Bennett’s five daughters’marriage, showing middle-class family background of the different attitudes of the young girls treated marriage love problem. Thus reflected the author’s own view of marriage, it is wrong marriage for property, money and status. The marriage also stupid, if does not consider the above factors. Therefore, the author opposed for money to marriage, also opposed treating marriage lightly.She stressed the importance of ideal marriage. In the book, the heroine Elizabeth was born at a small landlord family, loving by Darcy. Darcy was regardless of family and wealth gap, proposing to her but Elizabeth was rejected. There was another reason that Elizabeth was having a kind of misunderstanding and prejudice on Darcy. The main reason was that she hated his arrogance. Actually, his kind of Darcy’s arrogance was the reflection of status differences. As long as there was this kind of arrogant, he and Elizabeth were impossible to have common thoughts and feelings, it was impossible to have the ideal marriage. Later, Elizabeth had observed Darcy’s communicating and a series of actions, especially seeing him changed that conceited attitude; eliminatingthe misunderstanding and prejudice on him. At last, they married happily. El izabeth’s different attitude towards Darcy’s proposing, reflecting the women's pursuit of independent personality and equal rights.From the book, I prefer the characters of Darcy and Elizabeth. Though Darcy at first was in arrogance and lofty, he changed himself for Elizabeth. Personally, it was Darcy’s fault that he convince d Bingley that Jane did n’t love him, thus causing the part of Bingley and Jane. And to some degree, it deepened Elizabeth’s misunderstanding to Darcy. But I think Bingley should bear some responsibility because it was his doubt to his love that led to the part with Jane. And Darcy did so just for his friend Bingley though his judgment slips. But when he found his love to Elizabeth, he can express his love courageously, though he was refused by Elizabeth. Besides, he offers ten thousand pounds, which became the basis of Lydia and Wickham’s marriage.Looking into the novel, Elizabeth was resourcefulness, courage, and visionary, having very strong self-respect and good at thinking. It is because of this quality, just making her had independent initiative on love problem and it led her and the Darcy composite a content family. There were seven different marriages presented in the novel. Excluding the Gardiner and the Lucas, the remaining five marriages contrasted each other to reveal Jane’s opinions and thoughts on the subject of marriage.。