Chen 1 Sunny Chen Ms. Wilson AP Literature and Composition 4 February, 2014 Austen Research Paper Outline I.

Introduction: A. Lead Story: Happily ever after. True love. These are the fairy tale endings, the final marriage vows, the story life every girl wants. But that is not always the case. In fact, throughout history, women have often sacrificed their happiness in order to have a presence in society, as only a marriage to a acknowledged husband gave them rights and prosperity. Jane Austen goes against such ideals in a time of strict social hierarchy, producing strong female characters and a theme that love with always triumph over social injustices, expectations, and pressures. Her protagonists--Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice, Anne from Persuasion-- are able to overcome the customs of their Victorian era and the pomposity of the people around them, ultimately finding their true love at the end of their individual stories. B. Transition: Through this, it can be seen that Austen was at heart, a feminist, who strived to project her view on womens roles in society through her writing. C. Thesis: Using interwoven symbols, free indirect discourse, satirical humor, Austen argues for a society free of gender boundaries and for women to fight for their independent equality. II. Body Paragraph 1

Chen 2 A. Topic Sentence: Austens use of symbols throughout her books serves to empower her female protagonists and condemn the social standards. B. Commentary: In the beginning of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth arrives at the Bingleys in a dirty petticoat in order to tend to her sister. C. Concrete Detail: The snobbish Miss Bingley makes a tremendous fuss out of this, commenting how Mr. Darcy wouldnt want to see his sister make such an exhibition (Austen 36). D. Commentary: This shows the importance of the petticoat--or simply, clothing--as a symbol for social standards. E. Concrete Detail: Efrat Margalit states that Jane Austens readers would have attributed the dirty petticoat to [...] sexual indecency (Margalit). F. Commentary: The upperclass and the well-bred young women would have the understanding to wear appropriate clothing and conform to the rules society has set for them, which emphasizes Elizabeths differences as an independent thinker. She prioritizes helping her sister over wearing clothes that others would approve of. G. *NOTE: Will also be including points about the navy symbol in Persuasion; the criticism is inaccessible since the EBSCOhost username seems to not be working H. Commentary: Austens use of symbols allows her to set down underlying implications behind seemingly simplistic things, both for her female protagonists and the world they live in. Consequently, the symbols emphasize her feministic stand. III. Body Paragraph 2

Chen 3 A. Topic Sentence: Austen emphasizes her female protagonists power through the frequent use of dialogue and free indirect discourse. B. Commentary: The use of dialogue reflects the idea of voice being power, which asserts her female protagonists as strong, supporting Austens feministic viewpoints. C. Concrete Detail: Both Elizabeth and Anne are described as witty and free speakers, willing to remark upon things that others may normally stay silent. This not only gives them power, but is also one of the primary factors their love interests are attracted to them. D. Concrete Detail: By you I was properly humbledYou showed me how insufficient were all my pretension to please a woman worthy of being pleased (Austen 308). E. Commentary: So not only does the characters dialogue provide them with the ability to voice their own opinions, but it also becomes a stepping stone in Austens love over society theme, supporting her argument for breaking gender boundaries. F. Commentary: The use of free indirect discourse is an important one when discussing Austens writing style. It also holds significance when it comes to womens power in her stories. By mixing the narrators voice with the characters voice, Austen effectively empowers the character. G. Concrete Detail: This can be seen when Elizabeth receives her first proposal from Mr. Darcy. Her shock is reflected in Austens use of free indirect discourse here, that she should receive an offer of marriage from Mr. Darcy! (Austen 164).

Chen 4 H. Commentary: The free indirect discourse also allows readers to see Austens viewpoints from the point of view of the character. It allows them to connect with the character in ways a traditional, omniscient or limited, point of view would not, enabling them to directly support Austens feministic stand. IV. Body Paragraph 3: A. Topic Sentence: Another prominent feature of Austens writing style is her use of humor, which also emphasizes her view on breaking social boundaries by mocking the upper class. B. Commentary: One of the best examples of her use of humor is in Pride and Prejudice, specifically with the character of Mr. Collins. He is pompous and obsequious by nature, resorting to long, drawn-out, flowery speeches when talking with someone else. C. Concrete Detail: When faced with Elizabeths rejection over his proposal, he remarks that it is usual with young ladies to reject the addresses of a man whom they secretly mean to accept (Austen 93). D. Concrete Detail: Also, as John McAleer states, [he] schemes constantly to compliment [Lady Catherine] (McAleer). E. Commentary: This mocks Collins in his attempts to fawn over those higher than him in the social hierarchy, which implies that Austen condemns such behavior. Her use of humor then also serves to divide her female protagonists from those curled about societys finger--showing her support of independent women and feminism. F. Commentary: Similarly, Austen also ridicules both Elizabeth and Annes parental

Chen 5 figures by giving them traits of unreliability and irresponsibility when it comes to their daughters. G. Concrete Detail: Mrs. Bennett is overly preoccupied with finding her daughters suitable husbands. Mr. Bennett prefers the company of his study to the problems of his family. And Mr. Elliot foolishly sends his family into debt in order to keep up noble airs. H. Commentary: This may be attributed to the social pressures of the time--marriage and social status being two of the most important. However, for her audience, Austen is able to voice her complaints against social restrictions without offense through this satire. As such, satirical humor is an essential component in showing Austens call for womens equality. V. Conclusion: Austens characters provide a call for feminism in a time when women were imprisoned by social barriers. They find love and happiness even in adverse situations, one of the common features of Austens novels and also one that shows her defiance towards social expectations towards marriage. And beyond saying the vows, her characters are set apart from the people around them through symbols, voice, and humor; they demonstrate Austens stance for womens rights and gender equality. However, can it really be said that Elizabeth and Anne escape social restrictions? After all, their marriages to Mr. Darcy and Captain Wentworth respectively return to the importance of marriage for women in that era. Perhaps they are ultimately used by society, and Austen is simply deceiving readers into thinking that her characters have broken their roles in society. Or even strangerperhaps they are using society to fight society, and they are true models of feminism.