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Hello readers, welcome back to another blog post! I am now three-quarters through Pride and Prejudice, and this section definitely thickened the plot. In this blog post, I will be discussing how this book is of literary merit and its connection to the AP Literature course. I hope you enjoy reading!
❦ Part Three: Literary Merit ❦
Pride and Prejudice was first published in the early 1800's -almost two-hundred years ago- and is still a widely known novel today. Frankly, the reason why I chose to read this in particular was due to the fact that I briefly browsed a "Best Books of All Time" article, and there it was, in the top three. When you think of classic books, Pride and Prejudice often comes to mind as the standard for its genre.
There is definitely a reason for this book being a classic, and will forever be a classic-- even though the setting is the early 1800's, the modern day reader can still connect with the story and the meaning of the work as a whole.
As I have mentioned in the previous blog post, Austen criticizes marriage as not being an act of love, but as being a mutual agreement for personal benefit. In my opinion, the way that Austen conveys this message is the main reason that gives this novel the literary merit that it deserves. Austen provides multiple different aspects to this idea by using different literary devices such as irony, details, and even a gentle dose of humor.
Not only does the plot focus on the two main characters (Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth), but it also focuses on the side characters and their personal impact towards the story. The "love" between Mr. Collins and Mrs. Collins provides the perfect example of irony being used to convey Austen's message, even though they are only side characters. Not only do these details of side characters add to the main idea, but Elizabeth's careful reflections are often influenced by the actions of them, and so the plot is deeply expanded into a diverse and complex universe. The strong actions made by the side characters not only add to the theme of the story, but also sway Elizabeth's ultimate decision of true love.
When answering a free-response question on the AP test, it is often useful to use side characters as examples to prove an argument because they don't require as much plot explanation and do not have as much complexity as the main character. Because there are so many side characters in this novel that display thematic details and also show the use of literary techniques, Pride and Prejudice can be very valuable to read, for it will aid in examples during the exam.
The attention to detail is also what makes this book of literary merit-- thoughts are meticulously spoken, and truly convey the lifestyle of wealthy families living in the time period. This unique choice in detail deeply immerses the reader into the complex mind of Elizabeth:
"Elizabeth soon saw that she was herself closely watched by Miss Bingley... This observation would not have prevented her from trying to talk to the latter, had they not been seated at an inconvenient distance; but she was not sorry to be spared the necessity of saying too much" (194).While this example is more of a basic example of Elizabeth's detailed thought process, it shows how aspects of characters providing minor conflicts truly impact the depth of the story.
In turn, the use of minor details further complicate the connection between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy; Pride and Prejudice is not a simple love story, but one that is entangled with constant changing emotion filled with both pride and prejudice (hint, hint). Therefore, because of such attention to detail and creating such a broad universe, this novel is definitely of AP level standard.
In my opinion, Pride and Prejudice should be implemented into the AP curriculum because it is very different from the other books that we read. The other novels (i.e. Song of Solomon and A Handmaid's Tale) often tend to focus on deep analysis regarding literary allusions and less on irony and detail. In my opinion, it would be valuable to the course because of it's contrasting strength.
Overall, this section of the reading was very entertaining-- Mr. Darcy reveals to Elizabeth his side of the story through a personal letter, and in turn, changes Elizabeth's opinion about him greatly. Additionally, it is found out that Elizabeth's younger sister has run away with Mr. Wickham, which is definitely surprising. I have really enjoyed reading the novel so far, and hope it continues to be as fascinating.
Thanks for reading my blog post!
-Lily
Citations:
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. The Modern Library, 2000.
Hi Lily!
ReplyDeleteI can definitely agree with your discussion of the novel's literary merit, and the creative and subtle ways that Jane Austen gives the reader a picture of early-1800s society. I also think that your discussion of the importance of side characters and how they can be helpful on the AP exam is very interesting- I hadn't really thought of that before, and I will be sure to keep that in mind while taking my own AP exam!
What is your opinion on the style of Austen's writing? Do you agree that it makes the novel more interesting, or do you tend to prefer writing that is more direct and straight-to-the-point? I know it has been a bit of a transition for me to read Austen's writing after reading more modern styles of writing, so I am wondering what your thoughts are on her style and how it makes the message of the story more or less intriguing.
Also, what do YOU think about Mr. Wickham and Lydia's situation? How do you think that it will be resolved?
Enjoyed reading your blog post!
- Emma
Hi Emma,
DeleteThanks for the thought-provoking comment!
In my opinion, Austen's writing style is very refined and elegant; the imagery often is depicted very beautifully, and her close attention to dialogue is fascinating. I must admit, it is somewhat challenging to dissect what is being said because of the older language, however overall, I have sincerely enjoyed it.
Also, while it was very much a surprise to me, the relationship between Mr. Wickham and Lydia makes sense, and I can definitely understand the motives. My prediction is that Lydia will realize her wrongdoing, and come back to live with the Bennet family. While she is definitely a hopeless romantic, I don't think that she is as oblivious as she is portrayed to be.
Thanks for reading the blog post and commenting!
-Lily
Hi Lily,
ReplyDeleteBecause I have never read the novel, I can't really share my own opinion as to whether or not Pride and Prejudice would be of literary merit or not. However, your assessment leads to believe that it would be. I really appreciated how you analyzed how it would be helpful for the AP exam.
What do you think are some examples of AP Lit prompts that this novel would fit well in? Whether they are ones that were formally used by the College Board in the past or if they are ones you have created while thinking about it, I am curious to see what examples you can come up with that this particular novel will really help with. Once again, great blog!
-Charlie
Hi Charlie,
DeleteThanks for the comment, I'm glad that you appreciated my analysis for the AP exam.
An interesting example to your question could be the 2016 Free Response question, which asks: "Name a novel or play in which a character deceives others", for one of the more prominent side character (Mr. Wickham) appears to be friendly and casual, but in reality, is thousands of pounds in debt and is running from his problems. This connects to the story as a whole because Mr. Darcy pays off his debts due to his kindness, which contributes to the works of the book as a whole to show how little "pride" and selfishness Mr Darcy really has.
Hopefully that gave you a good enough example, even though you may not completely understand the context behind it :)
-Lily
I have taught Pride and Prejudice in AP Lit before, but the length and the writing style were a bit of a struggle at times, though I think the challenge of the writing style could be helpful.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think about the fact that that plot is a bit predictable, since so many books and movies use this kind of plot structure? Do you think it detracts from the literary merit at all?