Why is Pride and Prejudice a realistic novel despite it being about love and marriage

[Hawra]

What aspects of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice make it a realistic and practical novel despite it being about love and marriage?

"Even though it is a novel about love and marriage, it is not romantic and emotional, but realistic and practical."

The above quote was from http://thebestnotes.com/booknotes/Pride_And_Prejudice_Austen/Pride_And_Prejudice_Study_Guide05.html

Please explain with relevant examples why it is a realistic novel more than it is emotional and romantic despite it being about marriage and love. If possible identify which area in the novel this is most identifiable in (style of writing/ characters/ plot etc..)

I would appreciate it if you could provide a helpful answer as soon as possible since this is due for a school assignment.

Thank you very much in advance!
:smile5:

[JCamilo]

The problem of this quote is that usually marriage and love happens in real life. If the question is why she isent a typical romantic writer, with idealized love, just pick her irony or how she loves to make the flaws of the character outstand.

[Charles Darnay]

It's not a realistic novel.

[PMLondonderry]

This is a homework assignment? I feel like this teacher made a claim based entirely on an opinion that would be brought on based on a particular experience that isn't always true for everyone and expects you to argue for it. I, personally, don't feel that marriage and love are unrealistic and impractical. Not always. I would say that the Twilight novels are unrealistic and impractical, but a simple love story doesn't always have to be.

I suppose, if you have to write about this, I would write from the perspective of social status and mention that Elizabeth and Darcy are not at the same socioeconomic level. Elizabeth is Middle Class and Darcy is Upper class. It would have been a little impractical and unrealistic to marry above or below your rung on the social ladder. It happened, but it was looked down upon by Bureaucratic society. I, however, would not use this assignment to argue about whether or not love itself and marriage are impractical and unrealistic since that, to me, treads on being a rant on why "love sucks".

[KCurtis]

If it is a homework assignment, we should not be doing it.

[OrphanPip]

I suppose, if you have to write about this, I would write from the perspective of social status and mention that Elizabeth and Darcy are not at the same socioeconomic level. Elizabeth is Middle Class and Darcy is Upper class. It would have been a little impractical and unrealistic to marry above or below your rung on the social ladder. It happened, but it was looked down upon by Bureaucratic society. I, however, would not use this assignment to argue about whether or not love itself and marriage are impractical and unrealistic since that, to me, treads on being a rant on why "love sucks".

Darcy and Elizabeth are technically of the same class, landed gentry. Darcy is much richer than the Bennets, but he is not a peer of the realm so he would still be considered of the middle class. And it is actually Darcy's excessive wealth that makes the match a bit more likely given the lack of dowry for Elizabeth.

[PMLondonderry]

Darcy and Elizabeth are technically of the same class, landed gentry. Darcy is much richer than the Bennets, but he is not a peer of the realm so he would still be considered of the middle class. And it is actually Darcy's excessive wealth that makes the match a bit more likely given the lack of dowry for Elizabeth.

Well, there goes my idea for your homework assignment :)

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

What aspects of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice make it a realistic and practical novel despite it being about love and marriage?

"Even though it is a novel about love and marriage, it is not romantic and emotional, but realistic and practical."

The above quote was from http://thebestnotes.com/booknotes/Pride_And_Prejudice_Austen/Pride_And_Prejudice_Study_Guide05.html

Please explain with relevant examples why it is a realistic novel more than it is emotional and romantic despite it being about marriage and love. If possible identify which area in the novel this is most identifiable in (style of writing/ characters/ plot etc..)

I would appreciate it if you could provide a helpful answer as soon as possible since this is due for a school assignment.

Thank you very much in advance!
:smile5:

Do your own homework.

[Gladys]

"Even though it is a novel about love and marriage, it is not romantic and emotional, but realistic and practical."

Pride and Prejudice is rather a caricature of love and Marriage that is supremely funny. This is best illustrated by the running commentary of Mr Bennet. Elizabeth and Darcy are oh so serious - too real and practical to be true.

[cacian]

it is a work of fiction totally made up.
I do not believe for a minute that the story is build around facts at the time the book was written.
There are too many gaps and it is too clinical.
The problem with Austeen she always portrays the upper class as being bad and not verynice.
There is that running theme of how much her main characters despise and hate the upper class and yet she always manages to bring her main character to fall in love and marry one of the upper classes.
It is contradictive and annoying actually.
You either like a person or you don't .
I don't think class has anything to do with it.
Austin obsession with class and her constant put down of the upper class is a real let down to her stories.
Especially when she always ends up bringing an upper character to marry her main character.
The other is there is no mention of normal people unless they are very poor.
It is either very rich very poor.
There is no middle ground and it is one way situation.
It is always a man and a woman.
what about two men?
Enough said.

[kiki1982]

Darcy and Elizabeth are technically of the same class, landed gentry. Darcy is much richer than the Bennets, but he is not a peer of the realm so he would still be considered of the middle class. And it is actually Darcy's excessive wealth that makes the match a bit more likely given the lack of dowry for Elizabeth.

And that obviously accounts for his friendship with Bingley whose father it was I think, made his fortune in trade (something evidently to be despised judging Emma).

Although he was the son of one (impoverished no dubt) daughter of the Earl of whatever adn his aunt was going to give the money back to the title by marrying him off to her daughter who had a title (and money too). Her poor sister who forfeited it all...