May 13, 2008
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Darcy and Elizabeth: Their love seemed impossible
Heathcliff and Catherine: Their love will live forever on the moors
This blog was created for the purpose of exploring contemporary issues discovered during the study of early British Literature in order to promote critical thinking and combine personal reflection and social interaction.
Pride and Prejudice
Darcy and Elizabeth: Their love seemed impossible
Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff and Catherine: Their love will live forever on the moors
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120 comments:
paraphrase: A wealthy bachelor becomes the prey of his neighbors who believe that their daughters are the item for which he quests.
Jane Austen begins her novel with a comical yet ridiculing tone towards her outlook on wealthy men and ignorant families. While she states man as a victim in these first couple of lines, in between the lines, Austen reveals him as tantalizing and egotistical [a view which is further supplemented throughout the novel].
On the flip side, satire seeps through the existence of ignorant families whose only intention is to marry their child to a wealthy provider. In this relentless quest for a provider, these families fail to recognize the bachelors true feelings...
Clearly, Mrs. Bennet embodies the epitome of the crude, overbearing family member, and Mr. Darcy encompasses egotistical man.
paraphrase: when a wealthy man moves into a neighborhood, it is understood that he is searching for a wife and that any of his neighbors are able to become that to him.
These lines are satirical because they are so true of the families in this time. The only thing that families desired was to find a husband for their daughters who can make their status better, which when thought deeply over, is very low and cunning of those families. Austen clearly dislikes the thought of marrying away your child into wealth, not out of love, but only out of a desire for money. She shows how desperate these families were by saying that when a wealthy man moves into a neighborhood, he is therefore the property of all the neighbors. Austen despises the seeking of wealth thru marriage and is clearly representing this through her first lines.
Paraphrase: A single, well-qualified man is viewed merely as marital specimen in which to probe and conjure until he provides a family with an opportunity to advance in society.
By opening with these two crude statements, Jane Austen prepares the reader for the overall theme of the novel. The satire in Austen's writing is evident due to the time period and placement of the story. At this particular time in British society, women were born and raised only to be married off to a worthy man with the ability to aid the bride's family in climbing the social ladder. These opening statements, in which Austen reveals her disdain for the marriage process, provides a necessary image of the absurd nature of the practice. The man who is exemplified in these lines is described by the author as "property", displaying Jane Austen's hatred of marriage in British society.
Ironically, though the author is a woman, she seems to display more dislike towards the women and their families. Through her satirical descriptions, she portrays the brides as selfish and thirsty for a boost in society; women who choose to ignore the wants and needs of men to gain a higher status.
it is such an irony that austen shows such hate towards the women in this novel, such as the mother. but also, she shows a dislike of Mr. Collins, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Wickham, and Mr.Bingley. Although she does not openly criticize these men, she repeatedly makes them seem like jerks thru their actions, such as leaving the town that their beloved is in, or their pride, or stealing money from a late man. I believe that Austen was much of a feminist and maybe saw only bad in the male race.
paraphrase (since this seems to be the trend...)
When a single man is wealthy, he has access to everything he may ever need. However, to create a truly "perfect" life, he must find a stable, sophisticated, elegant wife. Immediately, all the girls become options for this position, and the neighbors pray that their daughters will be chosen.
The lines boast a certain satire that only Jane Austen could create, because her obvious distaste of the rich, elitists that concentrate their energies on finding the perfect wife to complete the perfect life. While this is bluntly implied, Austen also shows that she disapproves of the silliness and stupidity of finding beaus. As she humorously refers to neighbors considering the lucky man the "rightful property of their daughters," Austen states that the dating rituals are frivolous.
She loads on the satire in the first few words of the novel, stating that "it is a truth universally known," a remark filled with Austen's typical witty satire. I can just imagine Austen sitting by her window, picturing a few girls giggling about a man they've just met, and then rolling her eyes in disdain. She then writes that first line, true to herself, to make fun of them. I think Austen is very funny, but only if her humor is understood.
Paraphrase:
Families are the fundamental unit of society; therefore, a man capable of providing for a family must be looking to create one. In order to create a family, this man requires a wife, and in that infinite parental confidence, families naturally feel that their daughter is the best option.
With these opening lines, I believe that Jane Austen intended to criticize society in its frenzied quest for marriage. Austen continues this satire throughout the novel and even expands upon it to include many other topic. However, as she mocks those pursuing matrimonial bliss, Austen fails to fully recognize the social realities that created the situation. Women could not inherit and could not make a living on their own. Therefore, they were entirely dependant upon their kin or their husband. For women whose families could not support them indefinitely, marriage was a necessity. Austen alludes to this struggle with the perdicament of the Bennet family and with the marriage of Charlotte Lucas; however, Austen never puts her heroines through this struggle instead allowing them to find happy, handsome, rich husbands. Ultimately, Austen prefers mocking women to recognizing the legitimacy of their struggle in a misogynistic society.
paraphrase: Everyone knows that any man with money or a large inheritance needs to look for a wife to share it with.
Austen starts the book with satire as she looks upon society with the belief that people are only in search of wealth than they are of love and starting a family. I think this shows that Austen questions how sincere people really are when they try to basically "sell" their daughters off into money by searching for a wealthy spouse because this is very true of this time period.
Paraphrase:
When a wealthy man enters a neighborhood, it is common knowledge that he is in need of a wife to complete his 'perfect' lifestyle. So, all the neighbors willing offer up their daughters, each family believing that their daughter is the one he is searching for.
Austen laces the first few lines of the novel with satire by portraying wealthy men as prey to shallow bachlorettes and their families. The shallow families that attempt to marry off their daughters to wealthy men are simply looking to further their power and social standing in the community rather than thinking of love and happiness. Satire can also be found in the fact that said families reveal a seeming incapability to realize that even if a man is wealthy, he is still just a man and not a possession or trophey to be pursued. I think that these lines display Austen's despise for the crude behavior of these families. Also, that she believes marriage should be an invention of love not power-hungry socalites.
Also, to put it bluntly, it seems that families in this time period are willing to 'whore-out' their daughters for the possibility of their family to rise in society (with no thought to the feelings of the daughter or the man they plan to marry her off to). Not only that, but these families' motives tend to make a mockery of the institution of marriage.
paraphrase: A wealthy and single man new to a neighborhood captures the attentions of every mother who wishes to see her daughter married to benefit her social standing within society. Although nothing is known about this man other than his generous fortune, he is bound to marry one of his neighbors daughters; he just doesnt know it yet.
The beginning of PP sets the tone for satire that continues throughout the novel as Austen expresses her views of the ridiculousness of marrying for money rather than loves sake. This newcomer to the neighborhood is described as being wealthy and more importantly single so obviously he wants a wife. These beginning few sentences set up the ideas and notions of women more the mothers rather than the young man himself which makes me laugh because usually men have very different wants and opinions than women. But obviously the goal of these woman is to see that he marries one of the daughters whether he wants to or not.
paraphrase: When a man has a lot of money, it is necessary, by social standards, to find a wife to live a perfect lifestyle, have children and lead them into a lifestyle of wealth so they may do the same. Therefor, when a man begins searching for a potential wife, everyone including the mothers and fathers of daughters know it because they have only one thing in mind, marriage.
These lines are considered satirical because it makes the idea of 'possessing a wife' the same as having a living room, therefor it is necessary to buy a couch. The opening lines of the book turn women into objects right away therefor preparing the reader for the almost comical obsession with finding a husband like it would be to find the perfect couch. Jane Austen hates this idea, therefor she uses these satirical lines as the first lines in the entire novel.
Paraphrase: A wealthy man who enters any community can be viewed by his neighbors as an eligible bachelor in search of one rightful companion. Each neighbor believes that this rightful companion resides in his or her own household which leads to an unspoken competition for the bachelor's attention.
With these opening lines Jane Austen not only emphasizes how society grovels at the feet of wealth, power, and social status but also hints at her view on this characteristic of society. These opening lines are overflowing with satire. To begin a sentence with 'it is as truth, universally acknowleged' and to end it with such a huge overexagerration, 'a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife', opens the novel in a wave of sarcasm. Through these lines Austen conveys her thoughts on society from almost a birds-eye view, being as she seems so disconnected from the issue being addressed. Jane Austen laughs at the superficial expectations society holds as well as those who are blinded by them. She dissapproves of the distance families will go for the satisfaction of another family's envy. Austen also ridicules the ignorance found in any family vying for the attention of a wealthy man, regardless of his moral ethic or value system.
these first few lines also indicate that it is not only women who hunt for husbands but men as well hunt for wives based on appearances of her family or her fortune. In these cases the husbands are wives are not people but rather possessions used to highlight their partners. In this society it is all about looks and the ridiculousness of seeing people as objects instead of human beings. For example Mr. collins provides the readers with satire on his quest for finding a wife. He thinks that any young woman would be so luck as to marry him and live under the condesending Lady Catherine in his humble abode. He is then frustrated by Elizabeth who absolutely will not marry him but he is convinced that she is just messing with him as young ladies do and truly does want to marry him. He treats her rather as a goal of accquiring instead of a woman to woe. Austen makes us laugh but she also gets her point across.
paraphrase: It is often assumed that a rich man wants a wife, and the assumption continues that the wife must be one of the daughters of his neighbors.
The beginning of the novel is a comical version of Austen's obvious dislike of the view of men as objects to be acquired. I think that throughout the novel, Austen portrays rich men almost as the object of a hunt, the prize beast. The mothers are the leaders of the hunt, the head-hunters, who lead their daughters, meant to capture the beast, through the obstacles blocking their way, sometimes placed strategically by the beast who is often fleeing these desperate women clambering for a wealthy husband.
Austen begins the novel with extreme satire and follows through the entire novel satiring this particular aspect of English country life. She prepares readers for the rest of the novel with this shockingly outright criticism. She establishes very early on the absurdity of Mrs. Bennet's obsession with marriage, and immediately contrasts her with her rather easy-going, calm, and reserved husband, who is not extremely concerned with the marriage of his daughters to the poor man who just moved in and who ultimately has the whole town of daughters chasing after him throughout his stay.
Paraphrase: When a wealthy and handsome man moves into town, he becomes seen as an object. Soon after he moves, he becomes the talk of the town and many women hope he will marry their one of their daughters.
Beginning with these lines, I think Jane Austen is conveying the message of the ridiculous lives of men and women during this time period. The families during this time always thought of status in society. It was the concept that an unmarried girl had to find a spouse who would make sure she was well-off in life. These opening lines make it seem like love was unimportant when considering marriage.
I think these lines show that Austen is disapproving of how marriage is seen. For example, women only think about who will allow their daughters, and eventually their whole family, to gain status and money.
Paraphrase: Any wealthy man who enters a community can be seen by his neighbors as an eligible bachelor, and captures the attention of every mother who hopes their daughter may be the one he intends to marry.
By beginning her novel this way, Jane shows that such a petty thing as a wealthy man moving into town, can turn all the women crazy in hopes to be his wife. This satirical opening like is almost a derogative outlook on women, that this is how they spend their days. However, it is quite comical that families know nothing of the gentleman’s manner, personality, or family yet they go bonkers to get their daughter wed to him. Love is in no way involved. These opening lines describe Mrs. Bennet precisely.
I agree with Kallen's above comment about how it is ironic that Austen, being a female, dislikes the actions most the females in her own novel. The opening lines show this dislike with Mrs. Bennett discussing marriage as if marrying her daughters is her only purpose in life. Throughout her novel Austen concentrates on the selfish potential brides and moms who yearn for a higher status in society.
paraphrase: When a bachelor containing wealth and social status moves into a neighborhood, the surrounding families target him as a possible husband for one of their daughters disregarding whether the man contains any bit of integrity or character.
It is easy for readers now to see the satire in the opening lines of this novel because the ridiculousness of the idea of hunting after a husband just for money and status is clearly absurd. However, the readers during the time Austen wrote this book might have found it more difficult to recognize the satire in these opening lines. Every parent's goal for their daughters was to find them a husband who would bring them great fortune. They were raised to believe this was their primary purpose in life. Austen contains a revolutionary view for her time and suggests that perhaps this idea is stupid. In many ways Austen contained a 21st century mind in a 19th century world. She opens the novel with these satirical lines and continues to suggest throughout the rest of the novel that women should search for something deeper in marriage.
Paraphrase: If a man is wealthy, he is chased after by flocks of girls and their mothers as if he is looking for a wife, even if he is not.
Jane Austen is mocking those women who make themselves and their gender look ridiculous in order to become the wife of a rich man. She is being sarcastic in these lines by saying that any wealthy man must be looking for wife because all the girls throw themselves at him as if he is. I think Austen is highlighting the flaw in society that women foolishly degrade themselves by putting so much emphasis on a good marriage and name. She is criticizing how marriage has become a tool in advancing one’s place in society instead of being something sacred.
A bachelor possessing great fortune becomes an item of great desire and the target of his neighbor's unmarried daughters.
The opening lines of this novel are very satirical in their mocking of the basic structure of society set up as a ridiculous norm. The opening words describe the the man as a victim to all the women around him, but in actuality Jane Austen is revealing his egotistical nature by thinking himself victim to these families. Not only criticizing the ways of the man, but also ridiculing the outrageous and rash behaviors of the overly zealous families whose only purpose, it seems, is to marry off their daughters.
Paraphrase: The cultural mindset of Austen's seventeenth century society considers marriage an inescapable and necessary institution for a man, and the highest aspiration for a woman. Within this mindset, a woman gains success and self-validation through winning a financially and socially valuable husband.
These opening lines clearly and succinctly define the purpose of the entire novel of Pride and Prejudice. Austen describes the universal truth of the seventeenth century conception of marriage in order to spend the rest of her novel methodically slaughtering the validity of that conception through the iron blade of her sharp satire. "Pride and Prejudice" is an attack on what Austen's society deemed "truth universally acknowledged" and Austen fittingly begins her satirical novel with a sarcastic nod to the conventions of her time.
These first few lines reveal not only the sarcastic, satirical bent of the novel but also the novel's primary themes: those of pride, prejudice, truth, and property. Pride leads the women in Austen's society to believe they deserve the richest and most noble husband available. The prejudices of Austen's society also lead these women to believe that they may only express their pride in themselves through their acquisition of a husband. Austen also, from the beginning, treats truth as malleable and relative: she questions the meaning of "truth" through constructing entirely different mindsets for Mrs. Bennett and Lydia in contrast to Jane and Elizabeth. Finally, these lines allude to a man as "property," cunningly turning the conventional view of woman as property on its head. In the 1800's, a white man as property would be laughable and adds edge to Austen's satirical lines. However, if she had instead described a woman as property, the lines would be taken as a straightforward political statement and would lose both reception and validity with her conventionally minded readers. Thus, Austen subtly sets up all of the themes in her novel in a few short lines while also maintaining the loyalty of her audience.
paraphrase: Everybody knows that the only thing a rich single man wants is a woman.
I think a lot of times authors use "universal truth" lines to easily communicate satire. Opening the novel with such an ultimatum is not only a hook but this particular one is humorous. What absurd story are we about to read to back up this absurd claim that all a bachelor could possibly want is a wife? Yet upon closer examination that is usually quite true. Austen wants us to roll our eyes at first glance but then realize this is in fact a truth.
I Think another aspect of Austen's dissaproval to this type of marriage is the family's deep involvement. No where in the first lines do we read anything about the daughter/bride's feelings about such marriages. It seems to only concern the husband and the girl's parents. It must have been frustrating for someone like Jane Austen to not only see cocky men swoop in for the girl of their choosing but also have to watch elder, respected parents approve of, if not encourge, such foolish actions as they were "universally true." Austen wanted marriage to be about love and passion between two people, not about arrangements and class and families.
Paraphrase: It is only obvious that a wealthy man would need/want a wife to complete his good fortune.
These lines seem to be satirical because they contain no 100% promise that this is what single men want. This is only what the parents of single daughters want. There is not satisfaction guaranteed that the male will be happy with his money and wife. Because these men were fortunate to have status, society pegs them as prey. The predators are the women who overlook the actual man and desire the money, the security. Austen, it seems, disapproves of this outlook on wealthy men in their "apparent" quest for a wife. Austen shows that love is taken out the equation and money replaces it.
These lines also open up questions. What about men of no status? How are they, then, suppose to get a wife if all of the women are in search of wealthy one? Austen seems to say that the men with fortune have it easy. They have the money, so of course its easy to find a wife. But what about those less fortunate? Austen clearly disapproves of the unbalanced fates of these men. All the women want the wealthy men. All the men want the women. Yet, the women don't just want ANY man. Only wealthy. So what are the other half supposed to do? It is unfortunate and something that clearly needs reshaping. It's amazing that all this can be apparent within only a few lines of writing.
Paraphrase: It’s an accepted obvious truth that if you’re a rich man, you must not only WANT a wife but NEED one.
I strongly believe that these lines are satirical becausee of the obvious irony hidden in between. “a truth universally acknowledged”, it cannot be considered a truth that any man who has money will want a wife. A truth is,, well something true. And to say that a rich man MUST want a wife is in a way stereotyping the men of that time. I agree with sims that during Austen’s time, most of the readers would not have caught on the satire\irony. Obviously, Austen opens her novel with these lines to give the readers an insight on what the basis her novel is on or what she disapproves of so much, the public view\opinion of marriage at that time.
Paraphrase: A wealthy man must have a wife, not because he necessarily wants one, but because society compels him to.
Jane Austen continuously criticizes the elite families and nobility for their frivolous whines and needs. She describes the wealthy Mr. Darcy as a harsh, dull, and proud man surrounded by wealthy women such as Miss Bingley who would grovel at the feet of any man who possessed two things: wealth and beauty. Austen scoffs at the idea how such an egotistical and cold man could win the hearts of thousands of ignorant girls; and how stupid that such giggly and silly girls would give up their good common sense and opinion just to fawn over such a man.
paraphrase: Marriage is the obvious course for an available man of means, and the pursuit and acquisition of such a man the main preoccupation for an available woman; this seemingly reciprocal need is acknowledged by all as a heavy cornerstone of 18th century society.
As are the opening lines of many well-crafted novels, the first lines of Pride and Prejudice deliver the core of the novel as well as set the satirical tone. The middle of the line families in 18th century society pinned their hopes upon this one, “universally acknowledged truth”: that a well-off, unattached man headed in their direction surely came with the intention of procuring a hand in marriage. It would be decidedly pessimistic to think otherwise, and as neighbors validated each other on this delusional “truth”, the hopes of saving a daughter from destitution strengthened rather than waned. However, Austen sets her pen against the conventions of the time, conventions answering to the patriarchal society that left no other avenue for middle-class women than to conform to the norms that glorified the dominance of men, with cries of unfairness manifesting themselves in seemingly silly ways, such as the vehement outbursts of Mrs. Bennett on the topic of marriage. By an examination of those families that relied most on a successful marriage, Austen is able to reveal the heavy pitfalls of being a woman in 18th century England.
the first lines of the novel show the importance of marriage in the society. they say that a woman is judged by who she marries. these opening lines set up a theme for the entire book. this theme shows how ridiculous the pressure is to marry, particularly mrs. bennett's obsession with the marriage of her daughters.
although a man marries to complete his fortune, a woman must marry to hold her place in society. this shows the difference in the role of the man and wife in marriage. the satire is shown through the tone of the first lines. the statement is provided to be true, yet through the following actions of the mother, the lines are shown to be satirical. austen is ridiculing the fact that women are pressured to marry for money and place in society, and she is also foreshadowing the trouble the bennetts will face with the issue of marriage.
Paraphrase: Men are meant to acquire wealth and marry well bred women to meet society's expectations.
The first line of the novel satires the idea that society expects men to become wealthy and women to marry well in order to live happy, fulfilled lives. Jane Austen criticizes the fact that women are supposed to marry in order to be accepted in society. She satires the idea that women are meant to be nothing more than trophy wives for their wealthy husbands. The entire novel satires and criticizes this idea through the characters: Lady Catherine epitomizes everything a woman should be, while Elizabeth portrays a rebel to society's expectations. Mr. Collins and Mrs. Bennet strive to meet the expectations, while Mr. Darcy does not care much what others think of him.
Paraphrase: A wealthy man must be want to be married and women will want to be his wife because of his money.
Austen's sarcasm shines through the first sentence of Pride and Prejudice. She is stating that is this something that everybody should and would know if the time that the novel is set. Austen places ridicious characters throughout the entire novel that focus on money, marriage, and power. By making the character's demeanor annoying she is zeroing in on their desires as ludacris as well.
Paraphrase: A single man with money, must marry and will be inevitably forced to do so.
The satire of which Austen is so fond, is at this point mocking the wants and wishes of parents for their daughters and of the absurdity that class, and society are able to put so much pressure on a man of any claim to be married as quickly as possible, if only so as to be rid of the burden of being seen as a prime cut of meat.
This in turn, helps to establish the rather low opinion that Austen seems to have for men in general, to believe them so easily bent and buckled by the foolish desires of society.
Paraphrase: Any single man with a large sum of money is obviously in need of a wife.
I don't think that Austen here really means that the man is in need of the wife. I think she is saying these are the lines that run through all of the ladies' heads as a new man comes to town. The man of course does not think this. Every lady sees him as a target or quest because he is well off. All of them want their daughters to marry him because they want their daughters to sit up on a pedestal of money and good fortune.
She also is saying here in these lines that a man the young ladies are prospecting to marry has to have money, a lot of it, and good status. Austen is criticizing this society because marriage is not used for love, it is used for creating this image of a high social status. Marriage is simply a tool to make oneself higher up in social class. Because of this, the money a man has, the more girls will want to marry him.
Paraphrase: A rich single man is looking for a wife, so it is the job of every father of eligible young women to introduce himself and his family to this rich bachelor.
Austen satirizes marriage and the desire for wealth in these opening lines. Mrs. Bennet's only thoughts regarding Mr. Bingley are about marriage. Before she has even met him, Mrs. Bennnet wants one of her daughters to marry him. He could be a horrible jerk, but he is rich so Mrs. Bennet doesn't care much about his character. Having her daughters marry rich is everything to her.
I think Austen is also criticizing social roles in these opening lines. In order for the female Bennets to meet Mr. Bingley, Mr. Bennet first has to meet Mr. Bingley and go through the proper introductions. It is a very complicated, pointless system, and Austen points that out here.
paraphrase:
A wealthy unmarried man moves into a new neighborhood making the neighbors think that their daughters are who he is seeking.
Jane Austin begins the novel with these satirical lines as she views society as a place people marry for money not love. These families marrying off their daughters are looking for a way to gain a better social standing. The families all think their daughter is whom this wealthy man is seeking because he has money. Jane Austin disapproves of this behavior families have to marry off their daughters for money and social standings. Jane Austin thinks that marriage should be for love not money.
Paraphrase: Any single man of wealth and stature desires a wife.
These concepts are considered so satirical because it is unbeleievably sad how material these people are yet the comic belief that marriage is the only thing young bachelors think of, especially if they have any rank in soviety. This opening passage shows the contempt Jane Austin feels towards these people who believe marriage is what the world revolves around. She finds them ignorant of the real meaning of life because they concentrate to hard on securing a place in society for themselves.
Paraphrase: Clearly, any wealthy bachelor needs a wife in order to complete his happiness, and who better than yours truly’s very eligible daughter? A marriage between the two is not only probable, but inevitable.
Austen, with these memorably sarcastic opening lines, conveys the nucleus of her novel’s message, a message that openly scorns the “universally acknowledged truth” that so pervaded 18th English society. Every mother’s first thought was how to marry their daughter(s) off to the best person possible, “the best person” being any man who was 1) weathy, 2) “agreeable,” since one’s social place was in part determined by one’s manners, and 3) passably handsome. Mrs. Bennett in particular is painted by Austen as completely ridiculous. The lengths that she will go to in order to procure marriage for her daughters are far; she sacrifices her respect and dignity many a time to do so (not that she is aware of this). For most of 18th century society, the importance of being comfortably married and provided for was the paramount concern. Such things as love, compatibility, or the personality or virtues or morals of the husband-to-be were certainly not as important as his yearly income or the state of his grounds or what his title was. It is not my belief that Austen scorns marriage itself (after all, all of her heroines are happily married in the end). I think she reserves her scathing satire for the aspects of 18th century marriage she finds particularly disgusting – the fixation of the daughter’s family on material and social gain, instead of intellectual or emotional gain, the character of the man, or the happiness likely to be found in such a marriage.
paraphrase: a wealthy man moves into the neighborhood and almost naturally the neighbors first itnention upon meeting their new neighbor is deciding which of their lovely daughter this wealthy man should have to marry.
Satire is blatantly shown in the first few lines of this novel through how ridiculous Mrs. Bennet sounds when speaking to her husband. She does not for an instant even consider that their new neighbor may not WANT to marry any of their daughters, or like them at all for that matter. Mrs. Bennet draws so many ridiculous conclusions about their new neighbor without even meeting him.
The first few lines set a stage for the rest of the novel and how shallow and naive the hunt for a husband/wife was. Wives were thought of almost as accessories that were just supposed to sit their and look pretty. And husbands were just thought of as icons of how much wealth or money the particular bride to be was gaining.
paraphrase: When a wealthy, single, and successful man moves into the neighborhood his first priority must be to find a wife to share his life with and all of his neighbors will do anything it takes to make their daughters his wife.
The first part of this novel is satirical because it proves that the only thing that these families care about is to marry their daughters off to a wealthy man that will be able to provide her with a higher social status. All of the families at the time were tunneled into the idea that nothing else matters in life except having a wealthy family. Austen is clearly sickened by these families who only care about money and not about love or the happiness of their daughters.
In the obviously flawed and contradictory society we live in, it is simply assumed that wealthy, educated and successful bachelor is incomplete without a satisfactory wife with whom he can start a family and fill the mold of an ideal Victorian lifestyle.
With these opening lines, Austen essentially intoduces the mantra of 17th century society in all of its absurdity, so she can continue to expose the idiocy of statement through its prominence in the novel.
Her blunt generalization in these lines seems obviously ludricous, but the adherence to such an assumption evident in Mrs. Bennet's frenzied obsession with marraige and the general fascade of civility and etiquette makes it apparent that what seems to be a comical exaggeration is actually the flawed norm of society.
Paraphrased: A wealthy, high class man must be looking for a wife to settle down with, so multiple families think that their daughter will be marrying this man. This idea might be considered satirical because it seems as if women have to be married off or else they have no other use in life. Austen clearly believes otherwise, that women are capable of so much more than just taking care of a house and a man.
Austen disapproves so much of the idea that women have to marry because this concept makes it seem as if women are not people but just property or slaves used for taking care of the man she marries. Jane Austen is building up the belief of every woman needing to be married because it paints such a clear picture of how ridiculous the belief that women must be married off is.
Paraphrase: A wealthy, unmarried man becomes an object of prey for many a mother with single daughters, even though neither party knows the mind or object of the other.
By making these lines the first of the novel, Austen sets up her whole novel to be a commentary on the institution of marriage itself. The first sentence of the book (“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife,”) perfectly sums up her attitude about the frenzied and ridiculous search of mothers for an eligible match for their daughters. She ironically asserts by the use of the word “must” that it is absolutely untrue that every wealthy, single man would be in search of a wife. This sentence implies the tone of the rest of the novel and sets up the introduction of the chracters: the wealthy, single man and the frenzied, insane mother. It is not the institution of marriage itself that Austen disapproves of, but the wild and furious search of an insane mother for a wealthy son-in-law.
These opening lines also reveal something of Austen’s own character. A spinster (in the best possible way) for life, she never saw the draw of marriage and men in general. She saw women furiously pursuing suitors and their families blindly auctioning their daughters off to (sometimes) horrible men for the sake of money and concluded that the practice itself must be flawed. Therefore, in Pride and Prejudice, she attempts to somewhat justify the institution of marriage itself by pairing a young, independent girl like Elizabeth Bennet with a rich, handsome man like William Darcy. The novel itself is a parody of the frenzy of silly women for security, but the message behind it reveals Austen’s somewhat modern (for her time) attitude toward marriage itself: marriage for love rather than convenience.
These first few sentences in the novel could be paraphrased to mean: any single man who has great wealth and comes into a city should be prepared to meet many single women all hoping to marry him one day and have access to his money.
Austen uses satire just in these few lines of the first chapter to set a precedent for what will show up again and again in the novel. Austen is ridiculing the fact that in the society these girls lived in, the first and foremost thing that was on their mind was to find a wealthy bachelor to marry. I agree with Allie Pryor in that Austen probably lived in a society where mothers only cared if their daughters were well-off. It probably made her angry and sickened, and it is easy for the reader to see the humor and annoyance she felt towards this system of marriage even in the first few lines.
Paraphrase: The idea of marriage in seventeenth century society is seen as a requirement for all wealthy men, and a hope for women as competition for attention becomes the ultimate quest.
Jane Austen's satire is 100% evident in these lines towards the ignorance of women and their undying desire to find a man, and consequently, money, for happiness. Austen mocks that families are far from happiness until the daughters are married; it is as if their "mission" is complete for daughters' lives AND parents' lives. From this point, love is absent in seventeenth century society marriage...
However, I also noticed that the opening lines of the novel seem to victimize men as they become prey to not only women, but also the parents of single daughters. Austen therefore ridicules the women of society and need for arranged marriages instead of love and passion.
Paraphrase: A single, wealthy, and well-acquainted man moves into a neighborhood and becomes the prize at which the residents' unmarried daughters are thrown.
Austen starts the novel saying basically that men are the victims of single women and their ridiculous desires to marry well.However even though they are victims, the bachelors in this novel are somewhat egotistical. However, Jane Austen seems to portray marriage as some sort of a comical game to these women and their families, giving the novel its saitirical elements.
Paraphrase:
When a wealthy bachelor moves in, the neighboring families immediately assume he is looking for a wife in their daughters.
Paraphrase: Any man who has wealth in this world must immediately desire a beautiful woman to marry and share his riches with.
These lines are considered satyrical in that they sum up the obsession with marriage in the time period of this novel. Advantageous marriages were sought after relentlessly. These lines simply mean that once an eligible bachelor moves in, each family in the neighborhood stakes claim to him through one or more or their daughters, hoping to improve their place in life with a renewed social status and money. This is exactly what Jane Austen disapproves of so much. She does not believe in the idea of marriage to improve one's lot in life.
In the opening lines, Austen is obviously making fun of her characters such as Mrs. Bennet. These women beleive that every man must be desiring a woman and the fact is that they just have to introduce their beautiful daughters to him and he will choose one. It is hilarious throughout the book how women in the neighborhood almost chase eligible bachelors such as Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, and Mr. Collins.
Paraphrase: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
I believe that Austen's view towards society is revealed satirically in the first six words of the novel: "it is a truth universally acknowledged." She is obviously ridiculing the fact that the majority of wealthy men in society at that time were focused on nothing but keeping their wealth and finding a wife.
Austen goes on to say that the "surrounding families" of the neighborhood in which this wealthy single man lives in believe that he could possibly be "considered rightful property of some one or other of their daughters." I believe Austen's tone in these opening lines establishes the thought that she disapproves greatly of society's views on marriage.
paraphrase:It is an accepted fact that if a wealthy man must be in search of a wife. Though, it is not up to him or his feelings that determines whom he marries. Rather, it is the families that might be involved that actually choose for him.
4. These lines could be considered satirical because they talk about this sacred ceremony in a business fashion. They see that it does not actually involve the opinions of the two that are to be wedded, but instead the families’ thoughts of status and society. It is also meaningful life changing decision that is not even being decided by them. Austen very much disapproves of marriage in this context. She instead prefers the matrimony to be out of pure love, despite the families’ thoughts. She uses Elizabeth to demonstrate her feelings toward marriage, love, and status throughout the novel.
I don't really know how I can say this any differently than the rest of my classmates, but I'll try.
Paraphrase:
If a man has money, manners, and looks, he can want no other thing than a wife to help complete his image, while the wife reaps the benefits of such a well-financed connection to the social realms.
When of man of particular good fortune, good looks, and good manners enters upon a neighborhood of eligible young ladies, it is "universally" assumed the only reason of him settling in such a place is because he is in want of a wife. Readily, all mothers usher their daughters to strike their claim as early as possible on a profitable marriage, for that is the only thing left for the gentleman to acquire in order to complete his arsenal in society.
Miss Austen, however, believes this whole assumption to be quite the disadvantage of both ladies and bachelors alike. She has a very pointedly expressed dislike of marrying for the sake of social gallantry, like Mrs. Bennet is constantly condoning. On the very first page, in fact, is an excellent example of Mrs. Bennet's utter silliness over Mr. Bingley being a future prospect, and that silliness instantly demonstrates how seriously this "universally known truth" is taken. Austen uses it to create a comical uproar about the business of securing a husband, and there in lies her satirical sense of humor.
I noticed how Chris and Kayla both brought to light Austen's criticism of men. Both noted the egos of the men being greatly influenced the pressures and desires of soceity. Like Kayla said, the man is portrayed a victim, but he gets a thrill from knowing he is wanted. Chris' infers that men succumb too easily to what society dictates. Both, combined, paint a very unromantic generalization of men that is held through out most of the novel. It's slightly ironic, if not satirical, that the men should be as willing to comply to societal whims as the ladies are, evincing that they are equally without independence.
paraphrase: Every women has a goal in life, which is to get married off to a rich man and when a man comes into town women have to basically fight their way to be noticed if they want that man to marry them.
The opening lines of the novel can be considered satirical because Jane Austen is making fun of the way that women used to find men to get married. When women got married they did not know a lot of information about the man that they married and also they are letting the men take control of them now. Also women just marry for the high class of the man and not true love. This is a clue to what Jane Austen disapproves of so much because she believes that a relationship which ends up in marriage should be based on true love and not money. Also there can be other goals in life than to get married to a rich man before a certain age because maybe by that age the right person has not come along yet.
Paraphrase:
Everyone knows that a rich bachelor needs a wife. Since everyone knows this, when a rich bachelor comes into town, whether he states that he is looking for marriage or not, the families of the town instantly decide that he should be the husband of one of their daughters.
Paraphrase:
Society expects a young, single man, capable of providing for a family, to immediately scope out the young women, aka hopeful daughters, in his surrounding area upon arriving in a new neighborhood.
Austen chooses to address her annoyance of marriage right off the bat. Austen sets up the plot of P&P so that she can attack the characters for their stereotype of society as a whole. Satire in the context of marriage allows Austen to grasp the reader's mind from the very beginning, and in my case, make the reader start to agree with her. She makes the parents of the daughters seem so desperate to attain the attention of a man, solely for his money and social rank. It is almost like Austen believes that marriage is demoralizing to a woman because one, it makes her dependent, and two, it becomes such a priority in a single woman's life that she discredits her womanhood.
I found Ellie's comment extremely interesting when she said, "Austen fails to fully recognize the social realities that created the situation.". Upon pondering Ellie's opinion, I began to agree with her. In a way, Austen comes across ignorant to the realities of society. Without a rich background or spouse, a woman did not have a way to gain social status or even make anything of herself. Although it is quite sad to think about, that was just the way it was. In trying to ridicule society, Austen almost pulls "reverse satire" and ridicules her own knowledge. Maybe not, just a thought.
Paraphrase: When wealthy single man moves into a neighborhood, no matter how attractive or sweet he is, the contest for his affection between the daughters of surrounding families will become an ultimate obsession.
Austen opens up her novel with a very straightforward fact about society at that time. The reader is directly introduced to the plot of the novel within the first few lines, which is actually very helpful. Not only is Austen helping the novel, but with her blunt and truthful attitude, the reader is automatically given a hint about Austen's feelings toward the absurdity of the characters in her novel.
The opening lines of P&P are fairly satirical in that they mock the mentality of the time that the point of marriage is for wealth and status. Men at first seem to be pitied as victims of families' hopes for higher social rank and more wealth. Then within a few lines, Austen reveals that the male characters in her novel are egotistical and seem less than loyal to the women they love.
It is also ironic that some of the women in the novel are so hated, such as Mrs. Bennet, but at the same time, the men are presented as complete jerks in their actions throughout the novel, especially Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham. From the presentation of her characters, it seems that Austen dislikes both women and men, although at the same time, it seems as though she is a feminist.
Paraphrase: Most people in society believe that wealthy men must desire wives, so they do everything they can for one of their daughters to be the wife of the wealthy man. They believe it is a win/win situation since, in their minds, all wealthy men want wives and every woman wants a rich husband.
These lines open the novel; therefore, they are probably one of the points Austen wants to portray to her readers. As one reads further, it is easy to see that Austen strongly disagrees with this belief. One discovers that, amazingly, some people care about more than just following the trend of society. Austen disapproves of the obsession with marriage and wealth that so often consumes members of society. It is worth noticing that Austen never criticizes wealthy people but people who believe wealth is the most important thing.
Paraphrase: A single wealthy man has almost everything he needs in life: money and a high rank in society. In order for him to fulfill this though he must marry an elegant woman.
This of course causes all the women to go crazy trying to be the “chosen one.” This is one of the reasons that Jane Austen is so critical about the beliefs of marriage and how mothers obsess about their daughters marrying one of these single wealthy men.
paraphrase: A man of great wealth is like an answer to the prayers of families who have daughters eligible to marry him.
Austen criticizes about those desprete families who are willing to do whatever it takes to have their daughters married to a wealthy bachelor. However, the parents, such as Mrs. Bennett, fail to realize the true feelings of the man of great fortune. It's impossible to arrange a marriage secretly since both the daughter and rich man have different feelings. Austen also believes that a marriage should not be about money (*cough cough* Lady Catherine), but trully about love.
Paraphrase: A wealthy bachelor, who is coming into a new community, will be singled out by his neighbors as someone perfectly eligible for their daughters.
Austen begins her book stating the goals for her characters in the novel and the goals of any woman in search for the perfect man. Starting her novel this way, Austen is capable of explaining her points in the first two sentences and can criticize the people in her society at that time. With this statement, Austen criticizes the women and families of those women for living their lives towards finding a wealthy man to marry their daughters and a man who can support the rest of the family.
These opening statements can also mean that a wealthy bachelor coming into a new community can obviously support himself and is looking for a family to support as well. Therefore, he cannot begin a family without a wife. Meaning, the bachelor has moved to this new neighborhood in search of a wife to help him start his family and the neighbors automatically know this and see him as a perfect husband for their daughters.
Paraphrase: Families with daughters consider their search for wealthy husbands is the exact thing wealthy bachelors are looking for. Therefore, every man with a profit that they come upon has to marry one of their daughters.
Austen disapproves of the nagging society that pursue only material things, such as money and rank. I love how these opening lines describe the Bennett family so well! It's amazing. I freaking LOVE this book! :)
PARApHRASe:
It is very common and expected that a rich bachelor would want a great wife, however, his neighbors might see him as prey to marrying their daughters.
Paraphrase: A single man cannot stay single forever, and luckily, the women in his neighborhood are in need of a husband. How perfect.
Austen hates ignorance. She hates the idea that someone cannot support themselves without a partner. She believes that people should not marry unless they are in love, or even should never marry if there isn't a pressing need. She hates the way families push their children to marry, just for the sake of it. She sees wealth as a facade, the shallow reason that people marry. The rest of her novel only echoes this satire further.
These lines are very satirical because of its almost sarcastic sound een more when its paraphrased. To me, I feel like Austen is almost ridiculing women and making fun of them because they find it neccessary to push off their daughters to random men just because they have money, which makes plenty of sense why she would be making fun of them. I als o feel like its a bit ironic because I feel like she also kindof shows dislike towards men making them seem like the bad guys and various points, but she kind of shakes you up to begin with..
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