The Erosion of Womens Sexist Stereotypes in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Book Report/Review Example

The Erosion of Women’s Sexist Stereotypes in Pride and Prejudice Colin Firth’s Darcy looked very appealing in a shirt wet from the lake, in the BBC film adaptation, is apparently without opposition [Col05], and most readers appreciate Jane Austen’s witty character dialogues. However, some readers and scholars focus on demonstrated patriarchal notions and feel Austen did not take the opportunity to criticize and rise above those restrictions, with her characters and plot (Morrison 337).

They will point, perhaps, a sentence like, “Happy for all her maternal feelings was the day on which Mrs. Bennet got rid of her two most deserving daughters. (Austen 251). They will argue that Pride and Prejudice reinforce sexist stereotypes of women. Others focus on the way Jane Austen portrayed strong female characters who were dutiful but the creators of their own lives, in spite of the strict cultural restrictions of the day. They see her as subversive (Morrison 337). I will use this focus to argue that Pride and Prejudice, in fact, erode sexist stereotypes of women.

A core principle of feminist thought is that all people have value; that value is not a property only or primarily of men; that a woman has value and her value should be articulated and rewarded. Stereotypes of women are eroded when the value of women is upheld, noted and appropriately rewarded. Each time Jane Austen introduced a new character, in Pride and Prejudice, she spoke specifically of their value, for example in this brief excerpt: “She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper.

When she was discontented she fancied herself nervous (Austen 4). The importance of being noted and articulated lies not in flattery but rather in statements that acknowledge who the person is, and not necessarily who they are supposed to be. Stereotypes are negated by seeing a woman clearly, and not by glossing over her visibility or her eccentricity within a cultural-historical context. Not only in the introduction of characters but also in character development Austen reveals real women. Mrs.

Bennet, for example, may fall prey to the vapors, a distinctly counter-feminist indulgence, but she is also a strong woman, not terribly bright, silly and neurotic, but a driving force to be reckoned with nonetheless. Her power is exercised within the realities of her cultural and historical context, but she does not accept culturally-implied powerlessness. Her husband understands who she is and he clearly loves her. She recognizes herself in Lydia and values her, thus acknowledging her own value vicariously.

Elizabeth is a strong-willed, intelligent, witty, opinionated character, self-confident, having dancing eyes. She is realistically portrayed as having areas of weakness, particularly impertinence and her initial misjudgment of the male character, yet she was Austen’s favorite. “I must confess that I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print, and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like at least, I do not know” (Austen 273). Furthermore, Darcy valued her and came to understand and respect her as his equal, by the end of the book.

Elizabeth, however, was a woman who, with or without male acknowledgment of her value, remained her authentic self. She loved and received love on her own terms and not at the behest of a man who desired her. Elizabeth is the character most like Jane Austen (Khei 58), and Austen’s admiration of her is at once an admiration of herself, a woman who resisted and questioned patriarchal prejudices of her time and felt pride in doing so. The stereotype of a heroine is that she is beautiful. Women are supposed to be beautiful and heroines are a superclass of women who should be particularly beautiful.

Feminism argues the stereotype, recognizing the value of a woman’s mind, and not only of her beauty, and seeing beauty as a property of every woman because every woman is unique. Elizabeth was said to have a not quite beautiful face and the reader is led to consider “that the major concern of the book is with the possibilities and responsibility of free and lively thought” (Morgan 340). This is a value that erodes the stereotype. Jane Austen’s writing was about the common household and has been criticized for not addressing the larger socio-political concerns of the day, especially the French Revolution (Khei 10).

Morrison agrees with Khei and also with Morgan’s observation that "Austen's 'social' concerns are with human relations, not society." (Morgan 4). Morrison, however, points out that this concentration on the person is appropriately feminine and only subject to criticism within a framework of patriarchal male values, in which the personal realm is discounted as inferior to larger social issues (338). In fact, male values are marginalized, in Pride and Prejudice (338), and this in itself elevates women’s concerns of the day (the personal) to a preoccupation of value.

This erodes the stereotype of women’s concerns having less value than men’s concerns. Austen’s masterful use of satire exerted a counter-force to the fantasies and ideas that were central to Romantic Era literature (Khei 13). Khei argues that it is through her use of satire that Austen best expresses the ideals of feminism, mocking status and gender inequality and guiding her characters to see each other as equals (13). This is the basis upon which stereotypes can be eroded and authenticity honored.