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I.Introduction

TheEnglishauthorJaneAustenlivedfrom1775to1817.BornonDecember16th,1775atSteventon,Hampshire,England.AustenwasoneofeightchildrenofanEnglishclergyman,andgiventheaccomplishmentsofhernovels.Shewaseducatedmainlyathome.Atanearlyageshebeganwritingsketchesandsatiresofpopularnovelsforherfamily'sentertainment.Asaclergyman'sdaughterfromawell-connectedfamily,shehadampleopportunitytostudythehabitsofthemiddleclass,thegentry,andthearistocracy.ShelivedaremarkablyquietanddomesticlifeintheruralsouthofEngland.Shenevermarriedandwasonly41whenshedied.

JaneAusten'snovelswerewitty,warmandironicportraitsoftheprivilegedclassesof18th-and19th-centuryEngland.Hernovelsarehighlyprizednotonlyfortheirlightirony,humor,anddepictionofcontemporaryEnglishcountrylife,butalsofortheirunderlyingseriousqualities.

Novels

\o"SenseandSensibility"

SenseandSensibility

(1811)

\o"PrideandPrejudice"

PrideandPrejudice

(1813)

\o"MansfieldPark"

MansfieldPark

(1814)

\o"Emma"

Emma

(1815)

\o"NorthangerAbbey"

NorthangerAbbey

(1817)(posthumous)

\o"Persuasion(novel)"

Persuasion

(1817)(posthumous)

Shortfiction

\o"LadySusan"

LadySusan

(1794,1805)

Unfinishedfiction

\o"TheWatsons"

TheWatsons

(1804)

\o"Sanditon"

Sanditon

(1817)

Otherworks

SirCharlesGrandison(1793,1800)

PlanofaNovel(1815)

Poems

Prayers

Letters

II.Summary

ThestoryshowstheBritishsociety'slifeatthattimebydescribingthemarriageproblems.ItmainlydescribesthelovestoryofBennet’sseveraldaughters.Mr.BingleyisnewlyfromLondonandfallsinlovewiththebiggestdaughter,Jane.HisfriendDarcyissweetupontheseconddaughterElizabeth,buttheirmarriagemovesslowlyforsomereasons.Afterarangeofinterestingtroubles,themisunderstandingsarefinallyremoved.WithDarcyovercomeshispride,andElizabethovercomesherprejudice,theygettogetherfinally.Bydescribingdifferentmarriages,Austinexpressesheropinionsofthemarriagewhichinsistontheunderstandingtoeachother.Toacertainextent,thisnovelalsoreflectsthewishfortheindependentmarriageforwomenatthattime.

Mr.BennetisanEnglishgentlemanlivinginHertfordshirewithhisoverbearingwife.TheBennets5daughters:thebeautifulJane,thecleverElizabeth,thebookishMary,theimmatureKittyandthewildLydia.UnfortunatelyfortheBennets,ifMr.Bennetdiestheirhousewillbeinheritedbyadistantcousinwhomtheyhavenevermet,sothefamily'sfuturehappinessandsecurityaredependentonthedaughtersmakinggoodmarriages.

LifeisuneventfuluntilthearrivalintheneighborhoodoftherichgentlemanMr.Bingley,whorentsalargehousesohecanspendthesummerinthecountry.Mr.BingleybringswithhimhissisterandhisfriendMr.Darcy.

Onenight,atadancingparty,Mr.Bingleyiswell-receivedinthecommunity;butMr.Darcyisveryproudandindifferenttootherpeople.Mr.BingleyfallsinlovewithJaneimmediately,andsodoesJane.Mr.BingleyandJaneBennetbegintogrowcloserelationshipdespiteMrs.Bennet'sinterferenceandtheoppositionofBingley'ssister.BecauseofMr.Darcy’spride,Elizabethisstungbyhishaughtyrejectionofheranddecidestomatchhiscoldnesswithherownwit.Sometimelater,Mr.DarcybeginstodevelopinterestsinElizabeth.Atanotherdancingparty,Mr.DarcyinvitesElizabethtodanceonlytoberefused.Mr.Darcyisinadifficultposition.Atthesametime

Afterreadingtheletter,Elizabethbeginstoquestionbothherfamily'sbehaviorsandWickham'scredibility;sheconcludesthatWickhamisnotastrustworthyashiseasymannerswouldindicate,andthatherearlyimpressionsofDarcymaynothavebeenaccurate.SoonafterreceivingtheletterElizabethreturnshome.

Somemonthslater,duringatourof

Derbyshire

withherauntanduncle,ElizabethvisitsDarcy'sestate.Theretheymeetagain,andDarcyisdifferentfrombefore.Hebecomesfriendlyandmodest,whichleavesElizabethagoodimpression.SomegoodthingshappeningbetweenDarcyandElizabethwhennewsarrivesthatElizabeth'syoungersisterLydiahasrunawaywithWickham.ElizabethisconvincedthatDarcywillbeangrywithher.However,Darcydoestheoppositething.WiththehelpofDarcy,LydiaandWickhamarefoundandmarried.

BingleyandJanearetogetherafteralotofhardshipsintheend,butDarcy’sauntLadyCatherinetravelstoLongbournwiththesoleaimofconfrontingElizabethanddemandingthatsheneveracceptssuchaproposalofmarriesDarcy.ElizabethrefusestobowtoLadyCatherine'sdemands.WhenthenewsreachesDarcy,itconvinceshimthatheropinionofhimhaschanged.Whenhevisits,heonceagainproposesmarriage.Elizabethaccepts,andthetwobecomeengaged.Intheend,allthepeopleinthenovelarehappy,andthisisthehappyending.

III.Comments

Inmyopinion,thisbookisanillustrationofthesocietyatthattime.Itperfectlyreflectstherelationbetweenmoneyandmarriageathertimeandgivesthepeopleinherworksvividcharacters.Thecharactershavetheirownpersonalities.ThemostimportantpartofthenovelisthelovestorybetweenElizabethandDarcy.Elizabethisasmartandbeautifulgirlborninamiddleclassfamilywhoispersistentandbraveinthepursuitoflove.Thestory’sspreadleadsonElizabeth’sfeelingtoDarcy:fromdetestationtoadmirationandthenlove.Inaddition,otherpeople’shappinessalsoappearsduringthisperiodoftime.JaneAustenwritesthisforthepurposeofshowingthethinkingofthewomen’slove,marriageandexpectationatthattime.

Nowletmetalksomethingaboutthemarriageinthenovelbriefly.

ElizabethandDarcy’smarriageisbasedonbothmoneyandlove,andloveismoreimportant.Thisistheperfectmarriage.TheonlypurposeofCollinsandLucas’marriageispursuit.OnlybymarryingsomeonecanLucasfeelssafety.JaneandBingley’smarriageisbasedonbeautyandmoney.Thisisalsoakindofgoodmarriage.Theywillbehappy.LydiaandWickham’smarriageisonlybasedonpassion.Theyonlycareabouttheappearance.Wecanimagewhethertheirlifewillhappyornot.

JaneAustenthinksthatitiswrongforpeopletomarryformoneyandsocialstatues;ontheotherhand,shealsodisagreestothemarriageregardlessoftheformeraspects.SoJaneAustencallsonthereasonablemarriage,andthemarriageshouldbebasedonlove.

Inmodernsociety,althoughthemarriagesofeconomicneedshavedecreasedrapidly,theconceptof“moneydetermineseverything”isstillrootedinsomepeople’smind.Alotofparentstryhardtointerferetheirchildren’smarriages.Educationbackground,possessions,jobsremainthemainreasonthatmayinfluenceone’smarriage.Marryingformoneyisstillabigprobleminoursociety.Wecan’thelpthinking:canmoneydetermineeverything?Austenleftthisproblemforustothink.ThegeniusofJaneAustenliesinthisperfectsimplicity,andthesimplicitythatreflectsbigproblems.AlthoughAustenwasonly21