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Means of characterization. Means of characterization.
The book Pride and Prejudice written by Jane Osten has been very popular for the last 200 years and remains the same now. It has a number of film versions and even a TV serial which are quite well-known. More over according to the BBC survey conducted in 2003 Pride and Prejudice came second after The Lord of the Rings in the list of "UK's Best-Loved Book".
The story of the book takes place in a small town of Gregorian England. In the centre of the plot is a common provincial family Bennets with quite an average income. The problem is that the estate which was the only Bennets property can be inherited only by men while there were only 5 daughters and no son. After the death of Mr. Bennet the estate should be inherited by their relative Mr. Collins. That is one of the reasons why Mrs. Bennet is concerned about finding husbands for her daughters none of whom was married. They are Jane – the eldest and the most beautiful daughter, Elizabeth who is the second daughter and the one of the main characters, Mary, Kitty and Lydia – the favorite daughter of Mrs. Bennet.
The story begins when the calm, one-way life of the town was commoted by the news that Netherfield, one of the richest estates all over the neighborhood, was taken by a young gentleman of large fortune. The fact, that this gentleman arrives with his friend, and both young gentlemen are unmarried make these event extremely important for all unmarried young ladies in the neighborhood. When the new neighbors appeared in the ball and we get acquainted with the main characters the main relationships start to develop. While Mr. Bingley the first gentleman was liked by everyone, was communicative and well-mannered Mr. Darcy remains cold and unsociable and even speaks of Elizabeth in a rude manner which doesn’t cause her good attitude to him. However Mr. Darcy doesn’t expect that with the time he will fall in love with Elizabeth while she will hear some information about Mr. Darcy which does no honor to him in her eyes. Their further relations is overcoming their pride and prejudice. Of course as in every classic love-story the main story line has a lot of by-plots which tell us about life and relationship of other Bennet sisters or Mr. Collins and Elizabeth’s best friend Charlotte. In fact it is quite difficult to retell this book because there is no so much extraordinary events and during all book the characters dance, read, speak, make visits and so on.
As we know there are two types of characterization that we can meet in the book direct and indirect. While in the direct characterization the writer makes direct statements about a character's personality and tells what the character is like, in indirect writer reveals information about a character and his personality through that character's thoughts, words, and actions, along with how other characters respond to that character, including what they think and say about him.
Pride and Prejudice, like most of Jane Austen's works, employs the narrative technique of free indirect speech. This has been defined as "the free representation of a character's speech, by which one means, not words actually spoken by a character, but the words that typify the character's thoughts, or the way the character would think or speak, if she thought or spoke". By using narrative which adopts the tone and vocabulary of a particular character (in this case, that of Elizabeth), Austen invites the reader to follow events from Elizabeth's viewpoint, sharing her prejudices and misapprehensions.
Actually there are a lot of ways of characterization in the text and sometimes we can meet even paragraphs describing this or that character in author’s words. However, the main mean of characterization is definitely indirect especially in the case of the main characters – Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.
The first way we get information about the character is through somebody’s words. I suppose there is no wonder in it because gossips, rumour, public opinion and all things of that kind was the main interest and entertainment for people of those time, especially in province.
For example we get information through the dialog between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet when she is asking him to visit Mr. Bingley even before she reveals in the book herself:
"I desire you will do no such thing. Lizzy is not a bit better than the others; and I am sure she is not half so handsome as Jane, nor half so good-humoured as Lydia. But you are always giving her the preference."
"They have none of them much to recommend them," replied he; "they are all silly and ignorant like other girls; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters."
The description of the appearance of Elizabeth is quite hard to find in the text. Mr Darcy’s first opinion was that “She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me”. However, some time late when he starts to look hard at Elizabeth he notice some other things:
“But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she hardly had a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness”.
But sometimes author decides to explain some traits of Elizabeth character by herself. She said that “she had a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in anything ridiculous”. After the assembly when she talks with her sister about Bingley author notices that she has “quickness of observation and less pliancy of temper than her sister”.
At the same time Darcy seems to be more complicated image than Elizabeth. For us and for her he is some kind of a puzzle which we need to solve. The first thing we meet about Mr. Darcy is not speech or author’s characterization or at least Elizabeths point of view. It is just public opinion:
“his friend Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien, and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year. The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud; to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend”.
Actually this is the starting point of Elizabeth’s prejudice which only grows bigger especially after Wickham’s story and up till Darcy’s letter where he tells the true story about him and Wickham. And in the further developments of the plot we can meet opinion about him from the housekeeper of Pamberley, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Colonel Fitzwilliam and so on.
Dialogs is another way to characterize the person which is very significant in this book.
From the very beginning his answers to his friend seem arrogant to the society where he was.
“She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me; I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me."
At the same time when we read dialog between Mr. Darcy and Miss Bingley we see that he can be ironical, even caustic and quite indifferent to her compliments
Sometimes we get characteristic from Darcy’s own words. For example while talking with Elizabeth in Netherfield he notices that he is not an ideal man without faults:
I have faults enough, but they are not, I hope, of understanding. My temper I dare not vouch for. It is, I believe, too little yielding—certainly too little for the convenience of the world. I cannot forget the follies and vices of others so soon as I ought, nor their offenses against myself. My feelings are not puffed about with every attempt to move them. My temper would perhaps be called resentful. My good opinion once lost, is lost forever."
This characteristic in fact seems to belong to a very proud man and at the same time ego-centic which was proved when he tells that he was the only son and was just brought up in this way.
The description of Pemberley is also a way to reveal the character through the symbol. On first visiting the estate, Elizabeth Bennet is charmed by the beauty of the surrounding countryside, as indeed she is by Mr. Darcy himself. Elizabeth had already rejected Mr. Darcy's first proposal by the time she visits Pemberley — it is his letter, the praise of his housekeeper, and his own courteous behavior at Pemberley that bring about a change in her opinion of Mr. Darcy.
Another thing that helps us to judge about the characters is through their actions.
Although Elizabeth is quite sensible she is inclined to believe in someone’s words without doubt if she trust him. She believes in every his word although even her sister feels that Mr. Darcy couldn't be as bad as Wickham described.
We can see some characteristic features of Elizabeth in her opinions and actions also charge about by her attitudes towards marriage. She doesn't accept the proposal of Mr. Collins to marry him even though he should get their estate after their father's death. She doesn't want to sacrifice her personal life in this way. More over, she disapproves her friend's Charlotte decision to accept Mr. Collin’s proposal to marry him. Of course we can understand her feelings towards Mr. Collins. But her rejection of Mr. Darcy’s proposal, who is actually a handsome gentleman with a big fortune and a status in society, shows that she is very principled and can connect her life only with the person who deserves her admiration and love. She definitely has pride and shows Mr. Darcy that he is not the center of the world.
Mr. Darcy is also described through his actions brightly. We can notice that actually most of the time he keeps silent. However, his actions speak for themselves. When Elizabeth refused to marry him and above all accused him in so many actions he wrote a letter with explanations and his point of view. But though his pride was wounded he didn't stop loving her and didn't give up. When her sister gets into trouble he helps her although communication with Wickham is not a very pleasant thing. Only after Lady Katharine helped him to understand Elizabeth's feelings by her answer he make another proposal to her.
The book Pride and Prejudice written by Jane Osten has been very popular for the last 200 years and remains the same now. It has a number of film versions and even a TV serial which are quite well-known. More over according to the BBC survey conducted in 2003 Pride and Prejudice came second after The Lord of the Rings in the list of "UK's Best-Loved Book".
The story of the book takes place in a small town of Gregorian England. In the centre of the plot is a common provincial family Bennets with quite an average income. The problem is that the estate which was the only Bennets property can be inherited only by men while there were only 5 daughters and no son. After the death of Mr. Bennet the estate should be inherited by their relative Mr. Collins. That is one of the reasons why Mrs. Bennet is concerned about finding husbands for her daughters none of whom was married. They are Jane – the eldest and the most beautiful daughter, Elizabeth who is the second daughter and the one of the main characters, Mary, Kitty and Lydia – the favorite daughter of Mrs. Bennet.
The story begins when the calm, one-way life of the town was commoted by the news that Netherfield, one of the richest estates all over the neighborhood, was taken by a young gentleman of large fortune. The fact, that this gentleman arrives with his friend, and both young gentlemen are unmarried make these event extremely important for all unmarried young ladies in the neighborhood. When the new neighbors appeared in the ball and we get acquainted with the main characters the main relationships start to develop. While Mr. Bingley the first gentleman was liked by everyone, was communicative and well-mannered Mr. Darcy remains cold and unsociable and even speaks of Elizabeth in a rude manner which doesn’t cause her good attitude to him. However Mr. Darcy doesn’t expect that with the time he will fall in love with Elizabeth while she will hear some information about Mr. Darcy which does no honor to him in her eyes. Their further relations is overcoming their pride and prejudice. Of course as in every classic love-story the main story line has a lot of by-plots which tell us about life and relationship of other Bennet sisters or Mr. Collins and Elizabeth’s best friend Charlotte. In fact it is quite difficult to retell this book because there is no so much extraordinary events and during all book the characters dance, read, speak, make visits and so on.
As we know there are two types of characterization that we can meet in the book direct and indirect. While in the direct characterization the writer makes direct statements about a character's personality and tells what the character is like, in indirect writer reveals information about a character and his personality through that character's thoughts, words, and actions, along with how other characters respond to that character, including what they think and say about him.
Pride and Prejudice, like most of Jane Austen's works, employs the narrative technique of free indirect speech. This has been defined as "the free representation of a character's speech, by which one means, not words actually spoken by a character, but the words that typify the character's thoughts, or the way the character would think or speak, if she thought or spoke". By using narrative which adopts the tone and vocabulary of a particular character (in this case, that of Elizabeth), Austen invites the reader to follow events from Elizabeth's viewpoint, sharing her prejudices and misapprehensions.
Actually there are a lot of ways of characterization in the text and sometimes we can meet even paragraphs describing this or that character in author’s words. However, the main mean of characterization is definitely indirect especially in the case of the main characters – Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.
The first way we get information about the character is through somebody’s words. I suppose there is no wonder in it because gossips, rumour, public opinion and all things of that kind was the main interest and entertainment for people of those time, especially in province.
For example we get information through the dialog between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet when she is asking him to visit Mr. Bingley even before she reveals in the book herself:
"I desire you will do no such thing. Lizzy is not a bit better than the others; and I am sure she is not half so handsome as Jane, nor half so good-humoured as Lydia. But you are always giving her the preference."
"They have none of them much to recommend them," replied he; "they are all silly and ignorant like other girls; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters."
The description of the appearance of Elizabeth is quite hard to find in the text. Mr Darcy’s first opinion was that “She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me”. However, some time late when he starts to look hard at Elizabeth he notice some other things:
“But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she hardly had a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness”.
But sometimes author decides to explain some traits of Elizabeth character by herself. She said that “she had a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in anything ridiculous”. After the assembly when she talks with her sister about Bingley author notices that she has “quickness of observation and less pliancy of temper than her sister”.
At the same time Darcy seems to be more complicated image than Elizabeth. For us and for her he is some kind of a puzzle which we need to solve. The first thing we meet about Mr. Darcy is not speech or author’s characterization or at least Elizabeths point of view. It is just public opinion:
“his friend Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien, and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year. The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud; to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend”.
Actually this is the starting point of Elizabeth’s prejudice which only grows bigger especially after Wickham’s story and up till Darcy’s letter where he tells the true story about him and Wickham. And in the further developments of the plot we can meet opinion about him from the housekeeper of Pamberley, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Colonel Fitzwilliam and so on.
Dialogs is another way to characterize the person which is very significant in this book.
From the very beginning his answers to his friend seem arrogant to the society where he was.
“She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me; I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me."
At the same time when we read dialog between Mr. Darcy and Miss Bingley we see that he can be ironical, even caustic and quite indifferent to her compliments
Sometimes we get characteristic from Darcy’s own words. For example while talking with Elizabeth in Netherfield he notices that he is not an ideal man without faults:
I have faults enough, but they are not, I hope, of understanding. My temper I dare not vouch for. It is, I believe, too little yielding—certainly too little for the convenience of the world. I cannot forget the follies and vices of others so soon as I ought, nor their offenses against myself. My feelings are not puffed about with every attempt to move them. My temper would perhaps be called resentful. My good opinion once lost, is lost forever."
This characteristic in fact seems to belong to a very proud man and at the same time ego-centic which was proved when he tells that he was the only son and was just brought up in this way.
The description of Pemberley is also a way to reveal the character through the symbol. On first visiting the estate, Elizabeth Bennet is charmed by the beauty of the surrounding countryside, as indeed she is by Mr. Darcy himself. Elizabeth had already rejected Mr. Darcy's first proposal by the time she visits Pemberley — it is his letter, the praise of his housekeeper, and his own courteous behavior at Pemberley that bring about a change in her opinion of Mr. Darcy.
Another thing that helps us to judge about the characters is through their actions.
Although Elizabeth is quite sensible she is inclined to believe in someone’s words without doubt if she trust him. She believes in every his word although even her sister feels that Mr. Darcy couldn't be as bad as Wickham described.
We can see some characteristic features of Elizabeth in her opinions and actions also charge about by her attitudes towards marriage. She doesn't accept the proposal of Mr. Collins to marry him even though he should get their estate after their father's death. She doesn't want to sacrifice her personal life in this way. More over, she disapproves her friend's Charlotte decision to accept Mr. Collin’s proposal to marry him. Of course we can understand her feelings towards Mr. Collins. But her rejection of Mr. Darcy’s proposal, who is actually a handsome gentleman with a big fortune and a status in society, shows that she is very principled and can connect her life only with the person who deserves her admiration and love. She definitely has pride and shows Mr. Darcy that he is not the center of the world.
Mr. Darcy is also described through his actions brightly. We can notice that actually most of the time he keeps silent. However, his actions speak for themselves. When Elizabeth refused to marry him and above all accused him in so many actions he wrote a letter with explanations and his point of view. But though his pride was wounded he didn't stop loving her and didn't give up. When her sister gets into trouble he helps her although communication with Wickham is not a very pleasant thing. Only after Lady Katharine helped him to understand Elizabeth's feelings by her answer he make another proposal to her.
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