Pride And Prejudice Literature

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE BENNET FAMILY CHAPTER 1 PRIDE AND PREJUDICE - JANE AUSTEN Navoditte Das AS In the exposition of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", we are introduced dire ctly to two main characters of the novel, members of the Bennet family. These 2 characters are none other than Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, parents of 5 daughters, whom Mrs.Bennet is determined to marry-off as soon as possible. We are introduced no t only to the characters, but also the structure of society in the 18th century where youth, looks, and fortune defined one's place in social hierarchy. The opening line, an often quoted one; "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" is of great significance. It succinctly summarizes the state of English Society in the 18th century, its foundations lying in wealth and marriage. There is sarcasm used in the words "It is a truth universally acknowledged", making fun of how s ociety often blindly accepts norms without scrutinizing their validity first. Th e line serves as a brief introduction to the location, and time of the novel as well. Now, Austen moves on two providing the reader with a glimpse of the characters o f Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, in a rather interesting way. Rather than directly describ ing their attitudes or physical features, Austen allows the reader to draw their own conclusions, based on the conversation between them. For example, from the lines "Mr Bennet replied he had not" and "Mr Bennet made no answer" it is eviden t that he has little interest in the frivolous affairs of his soon to be neighbo r, Mr. Bingley. A stark contrast to his character is his, wife, Mrs. Bennet who "cried impatiently" when her husband showed little interest, and who found a pas sive attitude "invitation enough" to begin talking about Mr. Bingley and his rel evance to their family. This gives us 2 very clear pictures of Mr and Mrs Bennet . Mr Bennet comes off, to me, as a tired, old man, leading a relaxing life in th e countryside, choosing not to worry with frivolous matters like status or marri age. Mrs Bennet on the other hand, is almost an antithesis to Mr Bennet, showing an obsessive interest in the affairs of marriage, eager to find eligible suitor s for each one of her 5 daughters. It is interesting to note that she begins to describe Mr. Bingley first and foremost by stating that he is "a young man of la rge fortune from the north of England" further elucidating the immense importanc e society placed on superfluous characteristics like age, fortune and reputation . The reader is now indirectly informed of the 5 Bennet sisters, all of whom are a pproaching or have approached a marriageable age, and Mrs Bennet is more than ea ger to marry one of them off to their soon to be neighbor, Mr. Bingley. Their qu arrel continues, with Mr. Bennet arguing "How so? how can it affect them?" and M rs Bennet retorting "How can you be so tiresome" illustrating their difference i n mentality and opinion. Once again, the line "But it is very likely he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes" shows how, in that era, social obligations always trumped moral obligations. Mr s. Bennet is not portrayed as a very humble woman, and even though Mr Bennet mak es fun of her current appearance; "In such cases, a woman has not often much bea uty to think of", she is oblivious to this attack, and continues to ramble on ab out marriage. The name of one of one of their daughters, a prominent character i n the novel, Elizabeth Bennet, is now taken by Mr. Bennet who refers to her as " little Lizzy" saying that she has "something more of a quickness than her sister s" whom he describes as "silly and ignorant" much to Mrs Bennet's upset, and the pain on her "poor nerves" which evokes no sympathy from the reader, instead it evokes humor, via the melodramatic nature of Mrs Bennet. Mr Bennet employs sarca sm yet again, in another one of his attacks on Mrs Bennet's antics; "I have high

respectâ ¦these twenty years at least." The chapter ends with a concise summary by the narrator; Austen, on the mentalit y of Mr and Mrs Bennet. My first impressions are largely the same, namely that M r Bennet was a sharp and witty man, unfortunately lacking motivation and drive i n his life, whereas Mrs Bennet an eccentric, aging lady determined to attain a h igher social status, restricted by her less-than-adequate intellect. Overall, th e first chapter of this novel definitely sparks an interest in the reader to fin d out more about the family, and see how the story of "Pride and Prejudice" unfo lds.