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Tessa DeGiovanni
Donald Stanley
ENGL 1001 Assignment 4
August 20, 2015
Feminism in Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice was first published in 1813. It

was set in England and tells the story of the Bennet family and its five
daughters. Societal rules and expectations of women were much
different than those of today. Pride and Prejudice erodes sexist
stereotypes of women by portraying the protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet,
as an independent thinker, not controlled by men or social
expectations, and highlights the conventions as foolish in themselves.
Elizabeth Bennet did not follow the conventions expected of a
woman in 18th century England. She was a strongly independent
character and was admired because of it. Elizabeth, who was known
to be her fathers favourite because she was sensible and smart is
generally a very admirable young women: intelligent, kind, down-toearth, respectable, and strong(Pride and Prejudice Book Review). In
one instance when her sister Jane became very ill, Elizabeth rushed to
her bedside, not caring about the distance, the weather, the mud on
her dress or the conventions of the day. Elizabeth cross[ed] field after
field at a quick pace, jumping over stiles and springing over puddles

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with impatient activity, and finding herself at last within view of the
house, with weary ankles, dirty stockings, and a face glowing with the
warmth of exercise (23). This was not the way proper and refined
ladies of that time acted or presented themselves. Darcy, however,
looked with admiration of the brilliancy which exercise had given to
her complexion (23). Elizabeth was also not afraid to speak her mind,
even in high society where mores were strictly adhered. When
Elizabeth was conversing with Lady Catherine De Bourgh, Lady
Catherine said Upon my word, you give your opinion very
decidedly for so young a person. Pray, what is your age? With three
younger sisters grown up, replied Elizabeth smiling, your Ladyship
can hardly expect me to own it Elizabeth suspected herself to be the
first creature who had ever dared to trifle with so much dignified
impertinence (110 111). Women behaving with such assurance
would have been highly unusual and generally frowned upon, but in
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen portrays Elizabeth as witty, competent
and independent.
Elizabeth Bennet was her own person and was not controlled by
men. In the 18th century, it was a womans duty to receive a mans
hand in marriage if he was financially suitable. Elizabeth turned down
two such men. She first rejected her cousin Mr. Collins proposal, even
though it would have secured Longbourn as her home as he was the
heir to the estate. She replies to him, Accept my thanks for the

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compliment you are paying me. I am very sensible of the honour of
your proposals, but it is impossible for me to do otherwise than decline
them (73). Although Mr. Collins could secure her a home, he was a
silly man, and Elizabeth was determined to do what she wanted to do,
rather than what society would have approved. Elizabeth desired to
marry for love, not to suit societal expectations. Mr. Darcy also asked
for her hand in marriage, but she was just as quick to decline him.
Elizabeth replied to his proposal, you are the last man in the world
whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry (128). Mr. Darcy was one
of the wealthiest men in the country. Not only could he supply her with
a home, but with a large fortune as well. Sue Birthwhistle and Susie
Conklin, BBC interviewers, conversed with Colin Firth, who played Mr.
Darcy in the 1995 BBC television production of Pride and Prejudice and
discussed the proposal scene. Firth describes what Mr. Darcys feelings
would have been. It would be insane for Lizzy to say no, because
its the most practical offer that even someone considerably her social
superior could ever hope to receive. I think he assumes as everybody
would at the time, that it would be a Cinderella ending for her (qtd. in
Austen 387). Acting in typical independent fashion however Elizabeth
did not follow his or societys expectations for marriage. She refused
both good offers of marriage, choosing instead to follow her own
leading.

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Pride and Prejudice also portrays certain discriminatory social
conventions in England during that time as meaningless and silly. The
idea of Mr. Bennets fortune necessarily passing to his cousin because
he had no male heir of his own is portrayed as both foolish and unjust.
When Mr. Bennet mentions the subject to his wife she says, Oh! My
dear I cannot bear to hear that mentioned I do think it is the
hardest thing in the world, that your estate should be entailed away
from your own children (42). Charlotte Lucas marriage to Mr. Collins is
also portrayed as foolish. Elizabeths friend Charlotte still chose to
marry Mr. Collins even though she was well aware of his deficiencies.
Marrying him would secure her a home but it would not make her
happy. Her marriage while seen as logical, even wise by societal
standards, (she was after all a woman in need of a husband), is
presented by Austen as an unhappy, unsatisfying, and loveless one for
Charlotte. After Elizabeth found out the news of the engagement she
thinks to herself She had always felt that Charlottes opinion of
matrimony was not exactly like her own, but she could not have
supposed it possible that when called into action, she would have
sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage (85).
In Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen gives us a model of feminism
in the strong characters she creates and the countless ways she laughs
at the sexist conventions of the day. While the lives of the Bennet
women revolve in many ways around men and marriage, Elizabeth

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Bennet shows us a great example of independence and clear thinking
in a male dominated society. It is a classic story that has withstood
time and social change, and clearly erodes sexist stereotypes and
stands for the rights of women.

Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Norton, 2001.
"Pride and Prejudice - Book Review." Pride and Prejudice Book Review.
Web. 20 Aug.
2015.