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Letters To Alice Comparison

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Composers reflect and challenge the values and attitudes of their context, enabling the responder to gain an enhanced understanding of the influence of context on their texts. Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice (1813), written during the patriarchal Regency Era, examines the intrinsic connection between love and financial security that impacted marital agreements. Similarly, Fay Weldon’s postmodernist epistolary novel Letters to Alice (1984) highlights the importance of morally instructive texts as well as supporting the importance of finding a balance between love and financial security within marriage. Hence, the comparative study between these two texts highlights shifts in values and attitudes due to varying contextual influences but also …show more content…

Initially, Lydia’s characterisation as “self-willed and careless…ignorant, idle, and vain” foreshadows her eventual elopement with elopement being a punishable offense under the Hardwicke Act of 1753 which enables Austen to advocate a sense of independence, tempered with values of prudence and consideration for others. After Wickham deceitfully claims “Till I can forget his father, I can never defy or expose him”, the dramatic irony in the omniscient narration “Elizabeth honoured him for such feelings” exposes Elizabeth’s prejudiced dislike towards Darcy formulated from appearance and emotion rather than rationality. However, Elizabeth overcomes her prejudgement after reading Darcy’s letter, shown through the cumulative listing “Astonishment, apprehension, and even horror, oppressed her”, resulting in the ephiphany "she had been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd”, typifying the impact of the epistolary style in promoting introspection and re-evaluation of one’s morality. Consequently, the satirisation of the Regency value of Physiognomy in Elizabeth’s perceptive monologue, "There was some great mismanagement in (their) education. One (Darcy) has got all the goodness, and the other (Wickham) all the appearance of it" validates Elizabeth’s moral development, highlighting the importance of responsiveness to feedback in …show more content…

Due to the advancement of female rights, the significance of marriage has dramatically shifted as indicated by the varying values of the characters within Pride and Prejudice and Letters to Alice. Despite diverging compositional milieu and contextual differences, the universal importance of novels for moral instruction is explored. A comparative study enhances the reader’s understanding of both texts by exploring the connections between both

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When Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold terrorized Columbine High School nearly twenty years ago, the shooting shocked the nation. However, as the media incorrectly reported- the attack on Columbine High School was not an intended school shooting, but rather an elaborate terror plot with the hopes of killing hundreds of people. It had been decades since terror of this magnitude had occurred on school grounds, and the first one that had occurred in the dawn of mass media. Never before had the media become so up close and personal with the victims, to the point where they were able to talk to the students while the shooting was happening. But with this new sense of power and responsibility to quickly inform the public and develop conclusions, danger

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In the novel “Pride and Prejudice,” by Jane Austen emphasizes the idea of “thoughtful laugher,” through the relationship of Elizabeth and Darcy. “Thoughtful laughter” is notable in Austen 's use of the misunderstandings between characters. It is something that immediately provokes laughter and or amusement for the reader but also gives an understanding of a larger concept when analyzed further. “Thoughtful Laughter” is seen between Elizabeth and Darcy in which the two further apart from themselves until the two realize their mistakes were based on their pride and prejudice. Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” visualizes and captures the conflicted and tormented relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy in where it all begins at the Netherfield ball.

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Intertextual Techniques In Letters To Alice

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Elizabeth’s most significant change in Pride and Prejudice pertained to her regard for Darcy, which eventually revealed her new willingness to overcome her own prejudice. Early on, while talking to Jane about Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth declared that “to find a man agreeable whom one is determined to hate” would be “the greatest misfortune of all” (89). Throughout the first half of the book, Elizabeth served as the embodiment of prejudice, in that she was so insistent on hating that she would have found displeasure in discovering benevolence in another person. This was shown in her initial view of Darcy, in which virtually nothing could have redeemed him in her eyes from anything more than a conceited man of wealth. The most significant change of

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Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth have a strange relationship, while they recognize they have some type of feelings towards one another, there remains a barrier based off of self pride, first impressions, and the prejudices in society. The letter from Mr. Darcy reveals the truth behind his past, having a lasting impact on Elizabeth as she begins to questions herself and her judgment of people. Mr. Darcy’s letter made Elizabeth realize that her first impressions of people have been wrong. Elizabeth cannot grasp what she has read as she “re-read (the letter) with the closest attention” after knowing Wickham for some time, she is “forced to hesitate” when she learns of his cruelty.

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Austen establishes the significance that this value held during the Regency period and how it ultimately acted as an impetus to dictate character. This concept is expressed through mockery, which then creates a sarcastic tone, to portray society’s outward perception of Mary in “some new extracts to admire, and some new observations of thread-bare morality to listen to” ultimately indication to readers how during Regency, reading acted as an indicator of character, depending on one’s role in society. Furthermore, society’s high expectations of education are emphasised through Elizabeth’s rhetoric “Shall we ask him why a man of sense and education…is ill qualified to recommend himself to strangers?”. This dialogue consequently institutes the expectation and generates an understanding of society’s reception: deeming those with the attained education to be of ideal character. By stressing Regency society’s expectations of reading and literature, Austen effectively establishes how it was a significant indication of

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Jane Austen's Flaws

1785 Words | 8 Pages

Darcy, the reader learns that one cannot label Elizabeth with prejudice and Mr. Darcy with pride but that where one has prejudice they must also have pride. Because of Darcy’s pride in his status, he quickly builds a prejudice towards others from their outward appearance without first taking the time to become better acquainted. Elizabeth’s pride in her quick perceptions creates her prejudice against the silent Mr. Darcy. Everett Zimmerman expounded on this stating,“Eventually, however, she learns to judge accurately while deeply involved; she learns to avoid the limitations imposed by pride and prejudice.” Pride causes an individual to become so wrapped up with himself and any wrong done to him that he refuses to listen to reason even if faced with clearly contradictory evidence.

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Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice

1662 Words | 7 Pages

Austen gives Elizabeth a bewitching personality and this causes Mr. Darcy to slowly fall in love with her. Readers can perceive this through events and interactions. One key piece in understanding the relationship that Darcy and Elizabeth are unwillingly cultivating, takes place in the library of Nethersfield. The conversation begins with Darcy stating that "it has always been in his effort to avoid weaknesses that invite ridicule" (Austen,145) in which Elizabeth then inquires if vanity and pride are amongst these weaknesses. Mr. Darcy excuses himself and states that "vanity is surely a weakness to be avoided, but that pride should be properly regulated for a proud man to have a superior mind (Austen,147).

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862 Words | 4 Pages

Darcy’s change in his manner throughout the story leads him to admit that some of his pride was not justified. For instance, within the text Darcy states “‘I was given good principles, but left to follow them in pride and conceit’” (317). Though Austen’s initial depiction of Darcy is unpleasant, Austen proves that social status should not determine your value through the change of his actions. The novel, Pride and Prejudice, shows significance in its work, regarding Western Literature in many instances.

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797 Words | 4 Pages

Darcy is an extremely wealthy aristocrat. He is proud, haughty and extremely conscious of class differences. Darcy is first introduced in the story with arrogance which offends the local citizens he snubs. As the narrator says, the people at the ball are disgusted by his proud manners, because he only talks to his friends and does not wish to be introduced to anyone in the room. His haughtiness is also well demonstrated in his response to Mr. Bingley when he tries to persuade him to dance.

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Jane Austen came up with many literary innovations which differed her from her predecessors. Barbara Hardy even calls her a possible creator of the modern novel. One of the differences between Jane Austen and her predecessor is the way how they wrote about the private world and the public world. The novelists before Austen had kept the balance between the two worlds but Jane Austen created a way, in which these two worlds can be lived together (Hardy 11-14). It is the social background that plays a significant role for Austen’s heroines as their mistakes are influenced by their social companions.

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During Jane Austen’s work on “Pride and Prejudice,” Romanticism started to reach its complex, and had strong influence on people’s life, but Austen chose to reject the tenets of that movement. Romanticism emphasized on the power of feeling, but Austen supported rationalism instead. She substantiated traditional principles and the established rules; her novels also display an ambiguity about emotion and an appreciation for intelligence and natural beauty that aligns them with Romanticism. Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” is one of her most well-known works and even though the text is hard to understand, I would recommend it for high students because to me, it is the most characteristic and the most eminently quintessential work of Jane Austen.

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