theme statement

[aBIGsheep]

I have to write a theme statement for PnP. It's taking some time but I'm getting there. According to my teacher's instructions for annotating it says that...

A theme statement is not a topic (such as death, love greed, etc.) but a statement about the topic; it is never a cliche expression. Good theme statements express profound insight on a topic, and your success doing so will earn you more points. A good theme statement will be vital to scoring well on the major-grade composition required during the first week back from summer.

[Gladys]

Can you show us a draft of your theme statement for PnP?

[aBIGsheep]

Oh I'm an idiot. I thought I put it in the post.
>.<

Despite each person's faults, whether they be pride or prejudice, true love will appear no matter the circumstance.

I think its kinda lame but I think I could possibly go somewhere with this.

[Gladys]

Despite each person's faults, whether they be pride or prejudice, true love will appear no matter the circumstance.

What's true about the love of Mr Bennet, Charlotte Collins or Lydia Wickham for their respective spouses?

I would prefer the understated 'love of a sort' instead of the high highfalutin 'true love' After all the book is a comedy rather than a romantic melodrama, a 'Mills 'n Boon'. Much is made in Pride and Prejudice on the nature of love. 'Love', for Austen, is not monochromatic but parti-coloured.

[aBIGsheep]

Hrrmmm I think I understand what you're saying. How 'bout this?

As long as a person finds happiness from their soul mate, whether by stability, romance, or beauty, their love's faults won't be as relevant to them.

How 'bout it?

[sprinks]

Hmm.... depends how specific you want to get . Happiness is kind of relative. Mr Bennet is amused by Mrs Bennet's stupidity, and some people would equate amusement with some sort of happiness. And at the beginning we could assume he was happy, for Mrs Bennet was once beautiful. But then it all changed.... (of course this is based on my opinion. The statement is still a good one.) Also, once again Charlotte and Mr Collins; she is happy to marry so as not to become an old maid, and she has security, but she still doesn't love Mr Collins and finds many faults with him.

You could still work with the first one, just change it a little, like something along the lines of:
Despite each person's faults, whether they be pride or prejudice, true love can appear, even in the most unlikeliest situations.

Okay so that would need work, but do you get what I mean?

[aBIGsheep]

Despite each person's faults, whether they be pride or prejudice, happiness can appear, even in an unlikely situations.

Oh I gotcha. How about this?

[Gladys]

...happiness can appear, even in an unlikely situations.

This won't work. Except in fairy tales, 'happiness' is a fleeting shadow: now you see it, now you don't. Our moods can and do change in an instant. By contrast, 'love' can be enduring.

Nevertheless, 'love' takes many forms, varying from self-love to 'true love'. In the narcissistic Wickham, self-love parades as true love, first to Elizabeth and later to Lydia. Mr Bennet loves beauty alone, much to his regret. Charlotte Collins' love is one of faithful partnership, almost devoid of romance or heartfelt passion. Jane's Bennet's unalloyed love is from the heart, to the heart. Elizabeth's love draws heart and mind together.

Despite each person's faults, whether they be pride or prejudice, true love can appear, even in the most unlikeliest situations.

The problem I have here is that "true love" is a cliché, which is hardly suitable in a theme statement. How about something like:

Despite each person's faults, whether they be pride or prejudice, Cupid's darts can penetrate, even in the most unlikely situations.

OR

As long as a person finds pleasure in their soul mate, whether through romance, empathy, intellect, beauty, stability or children, marriage has some foundation.

[JBI]

You seem to be too sentimental with the text Gladys. I don't think Austen means us to take the love between Elizabeth and Darcy as being to the same degree as between Binley and Jane. Jane, of course, loves to a much higher degree; she has the emotional capacity for such things. Austen makes this somewhat clear to us through her text, and especially at the end.

Jane and Binley both are far more sentimental, far more romantic personalities. The reason for their flaw is not because of mind or any other such nonsense (this is all in my opinion, I mean no offense), it is simply because they are too trusting, and too sensible (using it in the Austen sense), and as she puts, will always exceed their income, because people will take advantage of them.

The contrast between Elizabeth and Jane is a rather cynical one; Jane succeeds in marriage because she is less in love, and more compatible with Darcy, who like her, is rather distrusting, and quite stubborn (even after the end of the book). Jane fails because she is more in love, and more trusting of people in general.

Binley in contrast to Darcy is a far nicer person. The worst thing he does during the book, is leave (on the guidance of his friend) when he thought Jane was only interested in him because her family was pushing her towards his money, against her wishes. Darcy, regardless of his "redemption" at the end, is still a cold mistrusting, generally disagreeable snob. He still thinks lowly of the Bennets after the book (Austen doesn't say he doesn't, and the last paragraph shows as much). He still cannot bring himself to forgive people, and he still flaunts his money. In fact, his redemption is brought about by him paying people off, not by any real kindness.

Darcy is clouded with hidden motives. I cannot bring myself to believe that he fixes the Whickam-Lydia situation without being driven by a) a sense of guilt for acting immaturely rather than sensibly during the original confrontation, and b) with a sense that he still stood a chance at Elizabeth. His "good deed" as it should be called, is nothing more than a balance for one of his missteps, with a hidden motive of selfishness. He does no good, he only covers his tracks neatly.

That being said, I am still in agreement with Austen's ending of how Darcy and Elizabeth are the best match, but in retrospect, in terms of being better people, Jane and Binley are far kinder individuals, and will most likely (had they been real people) enjoy life a lot more, the soul reason being that they are driven by a desire for good, rather than a selfish agenda.

[Gladys]

You seem to be too sentimental with the text Gladys.

I plead guilty to oversimplification, although I did say earlier that ‘love’ is parti-coloured. Elizabeth is not Jane, and I intended ‘from the heart, to the heart’ as a reflection of Jane’s ingenuousness, not as irrationality. I would disagree that the openhearted Jane ‘is more in love’ than Elizabeth, unless you mean: more in love with mankind in general. Jane is an angel from heaven.

Bingley has his head in the clouds - a personality trait. Darcy retains a dark aspect to the end, but can he be blamed for his dour and deep personality? I don’t follow how ‘the last paragraph’ shows he ‘still thinks lowly of the Bennets’. Perhaps you are too hard on Darcy: as Hamlet says, “Use every man after his desert, and who should scape whipping?”

[aBIGsheep]

So what does this have to do with Theme Statements? No offense

O' and its Bingley not Binley.

[aBIGsheep]

Despite each person's faults, whether they be pride or prejudice, true love will appear no matter the circumstance.

Despite each person's faults, whether they be pride or prejudice, Cupid's darts can penetrate, even in the most unlikely situations.

These two attempts seem pretty similar.

As long as a person finds pleasure in their soul mate, whether through romance, empathy, intellect, beauty, stability or children, marriage has some foundation.

This one I like. I think I'll write something relatively close to this. Would that be alright?