INTERNATIONAL BACCAULAUREATE

EXTENDED ESSAY
Pride and Prejudice, from Jane Austen, as a satirical critique to the
English woman stereotypes
Jane Austen was a pioneer writer in expressing her dissatisfaction
with English society. To what extent can we affirm that Pride and
Prejudice has a satirical approach by questioning the English
woman stereotypes?

Convocatory number: 049365-0007

WORD COUNT:
 CONTENTS

Dedication…………………………………...….………………………….......….….3

Objectives……………………………………………………………………..………3

Abstract……………………………………………………………………..……….…3

Introduction...….………………………….………………………………….………..4

Contextualization.……………………..…...…………..…………………….……….4

Marriage and singleness.……………………..…...…………..……………………4

Female model training……………………………………………………………….5

Man figure in the novel.……………………..…...…………..………………...…….6

Conclusion.…………………..…...…………..……………………………..………..7

Bibliography.……………………..…...…………..……………………………..…….8
 I. Dedication

I dedicate this to my teacher Renée Agama; thanks for all the constructive
critiques to my analyse skills, and to inspire me to dedicate my last biggest
essay with my indisputable eternal love: Literature.
I want to express my gratitude to my assessor, Natalie Sialer, who was my
support during the whole investigation time, and motivate me to finish it before
the anyone else.
Finally, I would like to make an tribute to all literature teachers that are
spreading through their beloved students the art of understanding each comma,
metaphors and themes to paint the world with more colours than eyes can see.

II. Objectives:
 Analyse the novel and its principal elements deeply, according to the
context of the Gregorian era.
 Relate elements present in the structure with the communicative purpose
of the novel.
 Evaluate the presentation of the critique of Jane Austen as a tool to
make the novel more interesting.
 Understand the nonconformity of the author on the personality of the
main character.

III. Abstract
 Jane Austen, the feminine audacity in austere society

Throughout human’s history, women have found the way to raise their voices against
the oppression and machism to which they’re exposed since unmemorable times.
Inside this broad range of women’s, we found from towering queens, skilful scientist,
and impeccable artist to heavy industry’s pioneers. Nevertheless, the way that stands
out in this noble mission, is literature during XVIII and XIX centuries, when the number
of novelist women was non-existent and even more unimaginable the ones that
triumphed. In that awful reality, Jane Austen, young british novelist, stands out by
challenged the social standards in a subtle and impeccable way in her novels, going
through the comic and the tragic. Therefore, in the present text we will analyse the
acclaimed novel, Pride and Prejudice, and the resources that make it a sublime critique
to the oppressive society of the epoque. For this objective, I start defending that Pride
and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, is a satirical critique to the English woman stereotypes
because it presents a different feminine and masculine reaction to marriage or
singleness in the plot, highlights the rigorous female training to become an “ideal
woman” as an essential part of the learning and destroy the “strong and decisive”
image of noble men by converting them in romantic aspirants.

Let us contextualize ourselves to understand the impact of Austen’s legacy. In the last
years of XIX century, the British Gregorian society lived one of the most prosperous
epoque of the nation, by being the protagonist of revolution in architecture and colonial
expansion, turning the United Kingdom in one of the richest nations of the world.
Nonetheless, in spite of the new changes, both in economy and society, there were
forgotten aspects. One of them was the vision about the woman, who was subject to
her economic and family relation conditions to being presented in society as suitable to
get married and other ridiculous restrictions. Submerged in this opresive reality, a
young Jane Austen expressed the limitations her gender suffered, through a bourgeois
family of silly frivolous uneasiness and pronounced stereotypes, in which her freedom
yearnings was defended and expressed by the rebel youth eyes: Elizabeth Bennet.

In fact, Pride and Prejudice presents characteristics to be considered a satirical critique

to the English woman stereotypes because it evidence a perspective of marriage or
singleness in the plot. We have to highlight that getting married in that epoque was not
a complete decision of the woman, not even the half. As Simkin, J. (2015) says:

“The laws in Britain were based on the idea that women would get married and
that their husbands would take care of them. […]. The idea was that upper-
and middle-class women had to stay dependent on a man: first as a daughter
and later as a wife.”

To clarify, women were assumed to aspire to get a husband in her mid-20 and
stablished a family in a good property. In some cases, they have to obey their fathers
and marry the men they choose for her. Moreover, it was very normal, because of the
backing spheres and prejudices that involved each genre. In the novel, we become
submerge into a charge atmosphere in respect to marriage. We are presented to three
types of women whose marriage process was developed and explained in the novel:
Charlotte Lucas, Jane and Lydia Bennet. The first one is the protagonist’s best friend, a
not so graceful unmarried woman. The way that she gets married was based on
conformism and like a way to secure her future. As the extract mentions:
“Without thinking highly either of men or matrimony, marriage had always been
her object; it was the only provision for well-educated young women of small
 fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest
preservative from want. This preservative she had now obtained; and at the age
of twenty-seven, without having ever been handsome, she felt all the good luck
of it” (p.87).
For instance, the Charlotte’s marriage is described as a fortune for her, because it was
her escape from a poor lifestyle and singleness. This example represents the anxiety
about getting married of the époque. On the other hand, Jane is the older sister of the
Bennet clan; shy and reserved, was considered the most beautiful of her sisters
because of her delicacy, sweetness and friendliness. She captures Mr. Bingley in the
beginning of the novel, and have a repeated number of consensual meetings where
they get in love. However, they were separated because of convenience and envy by
Carolina Bingley and Mr. Darcy, awarding she is not sophisticated enough for him. As
the novel says:
“Not a syllable was uttered by either; and Elizabeth was on the point of going
away again, when Bingley, who as well as the other had sat down, suddenly
rose, and whispering a few words to her sister [...]. Jane could have no
reserves from Elizabeth, where confidence would give pleasure; and instantly
embracing her, acknowledged, with the liveliest emotion, that she was the
happiest creature in the world.” (p.242).
The destiny ends to join them together, after Mr. Bingley declare his love for her, and
she accepts his proposal and getting married. The last one: Lydia Bennet is the best
example of ambition and frivolity, proper characteristics to a conceit fifteen years-old
teenager. Her marriage succeeds after escape from her parent’s house in Longbourn
with the coronel Wickham (many years older than she does) to Brighton. In her words,
that was a good plan and totally according to her mother’s lections:
“Well, mamma,” said she, when they were all returned to the breakfast room,
“and what do you think of my husband? Is not he a charming man? I am sure
my sisters must all envy me. I only hope they may have half my good luck. They
must all go to Brighton. That is the place to get husbands.” (p.220).
Trying to make her scape like an act of example, she advises her sisters to look love
before getting to old to attract men. It represents the ambition mothers use to impose to
her daughters. Therefore, we can certainly say that the novel gives to twenty-century
public a range of perspectives according to the historical context, and captures the
burlesque essence of the marriageable young women.

In the same way, it evidence too the rigorous female training to become an “ideal
woman” as an essential part of the learning, and make fun of the importance society
gives to it in social events. According to Hughes, K (2014), during XIX men and
women’s roles become sharply defined in what they called “separate spheres”. That
spheres schematized people according to some practical stereotypes that are defined
by natural difference between genres. Due to women’s physical weakness compared to
men, they were suited and derivate to domestic sphere; it was part of her job not only
care about the relations between her family and the rest of the bourgeois, also it was
prepared the next generation of girls to get ready to be a good influence to house
cleaning and obedience. To middle class girls was even more rigorous labour, because
her job was further than keeping the house clean, also, he has to entertain her
husband, even during the social events he realized in the residence. In Pride and
Prejudice (1813), Austen projects two images of young ladies’ train to be the perfect
wife, that are too opposite that it would be a shame not to compare them. In one part,
we have Miss Caroline Bingley, sister of Charles Bingley. As Austen mentioned in
Caroline’s character in Pride and Prejudice (1813),
“A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing,
dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this,
she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the
 tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half-
deserved.” (p.27).
We saw in her a skilful and proud burgeons woman; she has clearly that all the training
she get from her mother is the perfect tool to attract a rich man that can finance all her
caprices. Even so, she can’t get Mr. Darcy attention with them. We also have Miss
Elizabeth Bennet, our rebel young woman protagonist. As her father in Pride and
Prejudice (1813) represents her:
“I know your disposition, Lizzy. I know that you could be neither happy nor
respectable, unless you truly esteemed your husband; unless you looked up to
him as a superior. Your lively talents would place you in the greatest danger in
an unequal marriage.” (p.264)
Certainly, we evidence how Mr. Bennet represents his knowledge about her daughter,
and instead of turning his raising as a “factory doll”, he let her found her ideals and own
belief on how is a “ideal” woman; not for the epoque, but for her happiness. Looked for
talents as a critical opinion and a dangerous humour that was not typical from the
delicate stereotypes, she stands out for new standards that make women more
qualified to get the reins of her own destiny. The encounters between these two
characters are just a critical reference of how the classic belief of a machism society
are in danger because of the emergent feminism change. In that sense, we can
conclude that, in effect, Pride and Prejudice represent a satirical critique of the “ideal
wife” training as an old generation tradition. In addition to this, we can allude that a
perfect scenery where daughters can demonstrate the education and refinery she
obtains from her lineage where the famous ball. According to Mulan, J (2014):
“In Jane Austen 's fiction, as in many novels of the 19th century, a ball is the
ultimate occasion for a heady kind of courtship – a trying out of partners that is
exciting, flirtatious and downright erotic. […]. The patterns of steps and
movements were often complicated and required a great deal of practice. Books
were published to guide would-be dancers. […] Dancing well was a test, and when
Austen's heroines take the floor with the men, they love it is in order to perform well
together.”

The specialist in eighteenth-century literature defends that Austen use the ball’s scene
to represent the social importance of codified behaviour behind woman’s develop in
society. In the Netherfields and Assembly ball we identify how the characters detach
their personality through their attitude. Behaviour codes were important at the epoque,
because Austen make her feminine characters capable women, proud of defend
themselves in a world dominated by superficial social status. Which limited them
demonstrate their intellectual capacity beyond frivolous encounters. So, Pride and
Prejudice can count on the remarkable list of novels that ironize the female social
training.

Another aspect where Pride and Prejudice highlights is in the creation of the
masculine figure, because it destroys the “strong and decisive” image of the
noble men by converting them into romantic aspirants. Social conventions and
abysmal class differences are key to determining how eighteenth-century man should
behaves, with both the women and theirs. As McDowall, C (2014):

“Eighteenth century noble men felt a strong kinship to the age of first century
Emperor Augustus through the works of the Roman poets. […]. These
new ‘Rulers of Taste’ sought that moment of perfection inspired by all their
intellectual and poetic notions, which now played a major part in the broadening
their sensibilities.”
IV. Conclusion

V. Bibliography

 Hughes, K. (2014). Gender roles in the 19th century. [online] The British

Library. Available at: https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/gender-
roles-in-the-19th-century [Accessed 11 Feb. 2019].
 Sutherland, K. (2014). Jane Austen: social realism and the novel. [online] The
British Library. Available at: https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-
victorians/articles/jane-austens-social-realism-and-the-novel [Accessed 17 Mar.
2019].
 Mullan, J. (2014). The ball. [online] The British Library. Available at:
https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/the-ball-in-the-novels-of-
jane-austen [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].
 McDowall, C. (2014). 18th Century ‘Compleat’ Gentlemen – Rulers of Taste & Style.
[online] The Culture Concept Circle. Available at:
https://www.thecultureconcept.com/18th-century-compleat-gentlemen-rulers-of-taste-
style [Accessed 19 Mar. 2019].
 Molloy, C. (1825). The English Spy. [image] Available at: https://www.bl.uk/romantics-
and-victorians/articles/the-ball-in-the-novels-of-jane-austen#authorBlock1 [Accessed 18
Mar. 2019].