Pride and Prejudice
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Jane Sucks...
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Elizabeth
(last edited Aug 25, 2016 10:49AM)
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Feb 11, 2007 09:14PM

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Second, "suck" and "lame" are pretty strong condemnations, methinks. She is kind,loving, and sweet, but not lame. She's kind of a contrast to Lizzy's character.

My two cents are that Jane was a pretty shallow character. We never learned much about her other than that she liked Bingley. And shallow characters *could* be called lame...

























Maybe. Not sure I agree. I liked the comments in Annotated Pride and Prejudice and I believe those by the director of the BBC film (I may be making the wrong attribution at this point) on some of the short comings of Jane's trusting, think-well-of-everyone personality. They were sort of an interesting commentary on the tensions between "ideal" perfection and real-world effectiveness.




That is one straight forward assessment of Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice. I used to think very, very little of the broader social climate and issues was treated. But, reading with The Annotated Pride and Prejudice and listening to producers talking about its filming have helped me see how much more is embedded in these novels, like the impact of the Napoleonic conflicts and of the social structures of clergy and aristocracy. Mr. Bennet is as interesting a study of parental responsibility as his wife, and they are contrasted with the Gardiners.




thanks a lot Robin. I, too agree with your statement. I like to think of her as a strong and unconventional character.. maybe because i really loved pride and prejudice.. both the book and the movie adaptation..:D

We bring our own modern values to the books that we read and judge them according to what's considered ideal in our time, which is why we prefer a character like Elizabeth to someone like Jane. However, Elizabeth in the story is criticized for many of the same characteristics we find so endearing. She also criticizes herself and considers them failings. I think when it was newly published, it would be viewed as closer to Northanger Abbey and Emma, where the main character must learn a hard lesson about herself. Now, I think her rush to pre-judge is seen as no more than a plot device to keep us in sweet anticipation of the Darcy/Elizabeth pairing.

I've never heard it better said. :)

a very nice perspective! well said!!!



Granted, the worlds they lived in were vastly different. Melanie lived through a war and the dismantling of her society's way of life. Through this, she grew stronger but not harder. Jane's life was less turbulent, but I think that if Jane had been faced with similar circumstances, she would've behaved in much the same way.
I don't think either character was meant to be a caricature or some impossible ideal. In my opinion, there is a backlash against the type of woman that is more of an invisible support and influence to others than a flashy leader on her own. Both of these women fit into the former category.

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