Help please! Pride & Prejudice
Hi,,, i'm a new member in this forum,,,,
Recently , i'm studying about (Englsh Literature)....
Our teacher told us to analyze a novel by " Jane Austen" called :
* Pride & Prejudice*
& i found it very hard in fact...
So can u help me to analyze it ? pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease!!
Welcome to the Forum, May!
To begin with, I will move this thread to Austen section. You might find the posts [link]http://www.online-literature.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=1240[/link] useful.
Also, you might like to try to www.sparknotes.com.
Have you read the novel? What is it that you need help with exactly?
~
"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
~
I realy appreciate your kindness,,,
What i need is to analyze This novel:
__________________________________________________
Chapter 1/
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a large fortune must be in want of a wife.
However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of someone or other of their daughters.
"My dear Mr. Bennet," said his lady to him one day, "have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?"
Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.
"But it is, returned she; "for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it.
Mr. Bennet made no answer.
"Do you not want to know who has taken it?" cried his wife impatiently.
"YOU want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it."
This was invitation enough.
"Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it, that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week."
"What is his name?"
"Bingley."
"Is he married or single?"
"Oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!"
"How so? How can it affect them?"
"My dear Mr. Bennet," replied his wife, "how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them."
"Is that his design in settling here?"
"Design! Nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he MAY fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes."
"I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better, for as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley may like you the best of the party."
"My dear, you flatter me. I certainly HAVE had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be anything extraordinary now. When a woman has five grown-up daughters, she ought to give over thinking of her own beauty."
"In such cases, a woman has not often much beauty to think of."
"But, my dear, you must indeed go and see Mr. Bingley when he comes into the neighbourhood."
"It is more than I engage for, I assure you."
"But consider your daughters. Only think what an establishment it would be for one of them. Sir William and Lady Lucas are determined to go, merely on that account, for in general, you know, they visit no newcomers. Indeed you must go, for it will be impossible for US to visit him if you do not."
"You are over-scrupulous, surely. I dare say Mr. Bingley will be very glad to see you; and I will send a few lines by you to assure him of my hearty consent to his marrying whichever he chooses of the girls; though I must throw in a good word for my little Lizzy."
"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."
"Mr. Bennet, how CAN you abuse your own children in such a way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion for my poor nerves."
"You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these last twenty years at least."
Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three- years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. HER mind was less difficult to develop. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news.
What is your understanding of the novel?
~
"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
~
Hi i have a question too. I'm currently reading it; and i'm not sure if the book is Olde English or not (i'm 14...). Because my friend is also reading it, and said that she's reading the Olde English Version. And i compared both books, and they were the same. I didn't know if mine was or not the Olde English version. I found it a bit difficult; but i heard that Olde English is like almost impossible (well for my age anyway).
So can somebody tell me, if i'm reading the Olde English Version or not?
Pride and Prejudice is in modern English. Old English is the type of English you find in Chaucer; even Shakespeare, who lived during the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries, wrote in early modern English. Austen, living in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, already wrote in modern English. The style of the novels she wrote may be rather different from what you'd find today, but the actual words she used are just the same as what we'd use today.
For example, here's an example of Old English in Chaucer's Troilus and Cressida (original title: Troilus and Criseyde):
The double sorwe of Troilus to tellen,
That was the king Priamus sone of Troye,
In lovinge, how his aventures fellen
Fro wo to wele, and after out of Ioye,
5 My purpos is, er that I parte fro ye.
Thesiphone, thou help me for tendyte
Thise woful vers, that wepen as I wryte!
You can kind of understand it, but some words are entirely different from the words we find today.
Welcome to the Forum, Parvati and May. Hope you enjoy your time here.
Darcy
After silence, that which comes closest to expressing the inexpressible is music.
-Aldous Huxley
Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.
-W. A. Mozart
Non scholae, sed vitae discimus.
Not school, but life teaches us.
ok so here is a couple sentences from P&P: Chapter 1:
It is truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.
So that would be just Modern English? Not Old English. <- which is Shakespeare. ???
Yes, that is definitely Modern English. The style of writing, as I said, is early 19th-century, but the actual raw language is the same as we use today. Shakespeare is Early Modern English; there are some words he includes which we do not use today (and mind you Shakespeare invented a lot of the words we still do use today - such as, for example, "bubble"), but it is still generally understandable. (!)
Perhaps your friend was confusing Old English with old-fashioned style - for the language itself is the same as we use today. (Note that it was a Regency custom to call your husband "Mr. ___" instead of by his first name. This is, however, still merely as stylistic and historical difference.)
I hope you're both enjoying the book.
Darcy
(can you tell...?!)
After silence, that which comes closest to expressing the inexpressible is music.
-Aldous Huxley
Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.
-W. A. Mozart
Non scholae, sed vitae discimus.
Not school, but life teaches us.
thank you, yes i am enjouying it so far.
yeah the book is awesome, reading it now for the 4th time. if anyone needs any help on P&P, please give me a P.M. and ill try to help you out.
That book is AWESOME!!! >_<
Yeah im also thru with the three readings of the book and i did an A* grade project on it...so if u need help u cud send in a PM and i'll try to help all i can!
And the gates of this Chapel were shut,
And Thou shalt not, writ over the door:
So I turned to the Garden of Love,
That so many sweet flowers bore. - "The Garden of Love", William Blake.
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