Pride and Prejudice in Pride and Prejudice
Author(s): Everett Zimmerman
Source: Nineteenth-Century Fiction, Vol. 23, No. 1 (Jun., 1968), pp. 64-73
Published by: University of California Press
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Pride and Prejudice
in Pride and Prejudice
EVERETT
A
ZIMMERMAN
PPROACHING JANE AUSTEN'S
WORK
chronologically,
one
is struckby her analogous methodsof entitlingPride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility,her precedingnovel. The title
Sense and Sensibilitydefineswhatis clearlythe centralmoralconflictof thatnovel,but the simple and repeatedoppositioniof the
titularqualities is one of the marksof Jane Austen'sartisticimmaturity.The relationshipbetweenthe titlePride and Prejudice
and theconflicts
in thatnovel is not so immediately
apparentas in
Sense and Sensibility,but the skill shown in using the titular
qualities to keep the moral frameworkof the novel clear while
presentinga novelisticworld of great complexityis one of the
triumphsof JaneAusten'sdevelopingtechnique.
Althoughthe meaning of the title has attractedconsiderable
comment,the qualities of pride and prejudice have been interpretedso narrowlythatthe full significanceof the titlehas been
obscured.Indeed, R. C. Fox, who regardsthe titleas, primarily,
Jane Austen'sconcessionto the popularityof alliterativeand antitheticaltitles,has warnedus not to be "misled by investingthe
titlewithmoresignificance
thanis warranted."I The usual interpretationis that the title is a referenceto Darcy's pride, which
causes him to reject Elizabeth and her family,and Elizabeth's
resultingprejudice,which is reinforcedby Wickham'sfalsestory
conabout Darcy.2But Fox suggeststhat the morallysignificant
flictis betweenprideand vanity,not betweenpride and prejudice.
This distinctionbetweenpride and vanityis, however,based on
Everett Zimmerman is an assistantprofessorof English, College of South Jersey,
RutgersUniversity,Camden, New Jersey.
1Robert C. Fox in "Elizabeth Bennet: Prejudice or Vanity?" NCF, XVII (September,1962), 185.
2 For example, see Mark Schorer'sintroductionto Pride and Prejudice (Houghton
MifflinCo., 1956),pp. xii-xiii.
[64]
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Pride and Prejudice
65
the wordsof Mary Bennet,a characterwho is satirized,as D. J.
Dooley notes,for makingimperceptivecomments.3And Dooley
also showsthatthe usual meaningsof pride and prejudicedo explain a substantialnumberof the failingsof Elizabethand Darcy.
of the weaknessesof Fox's
Nevertheless,
despitehis demonstration
arguments,Dooley does not entirelydispel all uneasinessabout
the title.Should it not,in the contextof the novel,acquire richer
and more pertinentmeaningsthan the merelyliteral ones that
criticsordinarilysuggest?Even in the lesscomplexSense and Sensibility,thetermsofthetitle,althoughalreadyhavingcomplicated
meaningsin Jane Austen's time,are developed and modifiedso
thattheytake on distinctivemeaningsrelevantto the moral evaluations of the novel. B. C. Southamcorrectlysuggestsa parallel
betweenthe novels:
In therevisionofElinorand Mariannethecontraries
senseand sensithroughout
thebook;
bilitymayhavebeenextendedto findexpression
ofFirstImpressions
theprideofDarcyand the
so tooin there-working
as weakprejudiceofElizabethmayhavebeenmoresubtlypresented,
nessescommonto both,and framedin a schematic
relationship
among
theothercharacters.4
When we followSoutham'shint and examine the schematicarrangementof the characters,we see that in theirexhibitionsof
pride and prejudice these charactersmodifyour understanding
of the titularqualities in sucha wayas to showus clearlythe relationshipof pride and prejudiceto the moral issuesof the novel.5
The meaningsthat"pride" and "prejudice"acquire are related
to the centralthemeof all of Jane Austen'snovels-the limitationsof humanvision.As developedin the book, the qualities of
pride and prejudice contain both an oppositionand an affinity.
Pride is a detachmentfromotherhuman beingsin whichthe self
is not seen as involvedwithothersbut as superiorto them,as unconcerned.However, charactersin Jane Austen's workscannot
"D. J. Dooley in "Pride, Prejudice, and Vanity in Elizabeth Bennet," NCF, XX
(September,1965), 187.
Jane Austen'sLiteraryManuscripts (New York, 1964),p. 60.
6A. Walton Litz in Jane Austen: A Study of Her Artistic Development (New
York, 1965), p. 105, implies that pride and prejudice are organizing factorsin the
novel, and Mark Schorer in his introduction,p. xvii, notes groupings of characters
according to the categoriesof pride and prejudice. Neither of these critics,however,
explains preciselyhow in these categories the entire moral frameworkof the novel
is suggested.
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66
Fiction
Nineteenth-Century
remainaloof:withor withoutintention
theyare drawnintothe
of others.Failureto recognizethisinvolvement
is a
theaffairs
formof moraland intellectual
and a constantresistobtuseness,
ofresponsibility
ancetothisinvolvement
resultsin a renunciation
or happiness.Prejudiceis theoppositeof pride:theselfis comas it
pletelyinvolvedwithothers,and everything
is interpreted
affects
the self.Althoughthe inevitableinvolvement
between
othersand the self is acknowledged,
judgmentis entirelydistorted.Both qualities,pride and prejudice,resultin a severe
in thatthey
limitation
ofhumanvisionand are essentially
selfish
startfroman egoisticattitude;one eitherseversoneselffrom
othersor limitsone'sconcernforthemto narrowself-interest.
Pride and Prejudiceopenswitha conversation
betweenMr.
and Mrs.Bennet,twocharacters
whoconsistently
emphasizethe
salientqualitiesof thefailingsimpliedby thetitle;Mr. Bennet
exhibitsthe detachment
of prideand Mrs.Bennetthe totalinvolvementof prejudice.Mr. Bennet'scharacteristic
speech is
of the ironyreflects
his refusalto
ironic,and thepervasiveness
commithimselfto anyaction.His credo,as he formulates
it, is,
"For whatdo we live,but to makesportforour neighbors,
and
laughat themin our turn."6 Mrs. Bennet'sspeech,in contrast
to Mr. Bennet's,is totallydevoidof ironyand humor.She is entirelycommitted
to getting
herdaughters
marriedand interprets
in the lightof thatover-riding
everything
concern,not being
"backward
to creditwhatwasfortheadvantage
ofherfamily..."
(378).
These twocharacters
in theirbrilliantopeningsceneestablish
as moralpolesaroundwhichmanyof theminorcharthemselves
acterscluster.Mr. Collinsand MaryBennetprovideamusement
forMr. Bennet,but in theirunsympathizing
detachment
from
others'feelingstheyresemblehim. Lydia,as MarvinMudrick
notes,is a youngerMrs. Bennet,7
and Jane Bennetallowsher
judgment
to be distorted
byherinvolvements
and desires,
justas
Lydiaand Mrs.Bennetdo. Findingit painfulto see evil in the
world,Janesimplyrefusesto see it. And Lady Catherinetreats
humanbeingsmerelyas projections
of her own desires.All of
"Pride and Prejudice, ed. R. W. Chapman, 3rd ed. (New York, 1932), p. 364. All
subsequent referencesare to this edition.
7Jane Austen: Irony as Defense and Discovery(Princeton,1952),p. 99.
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Pride and Prejudice
67
thesecharactersreinforcethat oppositionof qualities alreadyestablishedby Mr. and Mrs.Bennet.
As thesecharactersillustrate,pride and prejudiceare qualities
which thwartany moral perspectiveon events.Mr. Bennet uses
human beingsforamusement.Maryand Mr. Collins,even while
moralizingon human behavior,are unconcernedabout morality:
human actionsare forthemonly materialsformakingplatitudes
designed to reveal their own superiority.Mrs. Bennet's and
Lydia's interestin marriagehas displaced any other perspective
theymighthave, includinga moral one. Jane Bennet'scontinual
emotional involvementwith othersmakes her blunt all moral
distinctions,and Lady Catherineregardsnothingbut her own
wishes.These staticcharactersprovide the backgroundfor the
of thecentralcharacters,
maneuverings
Elizabethand Darcy,who,
althoughtouched by pride and prejudice,overcomethe limitationsimposedby thesequalities and become equal to the moral
challengespresentedto them.
An examinationof the novel's narrationand dialogue reveals
clearlythefunctionof Mr. and Mrs.Bennetand therelatedminor
characters.8
Because anyaccuratejudgmentof theactionsof Darcy
and Elizabeth is made quite difficultin the earlier partsof the
book, theseminorcharactersare needed to alertthe readerto the
moral issues.
The characterfromwhose point of view much of the action is
seen is Elizabeth. But authorial verificationof Elizabeth's judgments,even on occasionswhen she is not obviouslymisled,has
an ambiguous quality in the earlier parts of the book. For example,althoughElizabeth'sjudgmentsof Bingley'ssisterstartout
as personal opinions, theyare finallypresentedas authoritative
and not limitedby Elizabeth'spoint of view. However,the support of Elizabeth'sjudgmentrestson the commentthatshe had
"a judgment too unassailed by any attentionto herself" (15)
to be misled,a qualificationwhichsuggeststhat her astutenessis
temporary.
1Reuben Browerin
"Light and Brightand Sparkling:Irony and Fiction in
Pride and Prejudice," in The Fields of Light (New York,1951),pp. 164-181,com-
mentsastutelyon Jane Austen'stechniqueand notes that she uses some of the
as "fools"againstwhomthe "intricatecharacters"
characters
are measured.He arfromthe developingaction
gues,however,thatMr. and Mrs.Bennet'sdetachment
is an artisticfailing;I arguethattheirpositionoutsidethe centralactionis an importantrhetorical
deviceforestablishing
themoralframework
ofthenovel.
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68
Nineteenth-Century
Fiction
At timeseventhecommentary
is so
presented
by thenarrator
ironicalthatthe authority
of any pointof view is
abundantly
as whenWickham's
cancelled,
falsestoryofDarcyis spread:
... every
bodywaspleasedtothink
howmuchtheyhadalways
disliked
Mr.Darcybefore
they
hadknown
anything
ofthematter.
MissBennetwastheonlycreature
whocouldsupposetheremight
be anyextenuating
circumstances
in thecase,unknown
to thesociety
in Hertfordshire;
hermildandsteady
candour
alwayspleadedforallowances,
andurgedthepossibility
ofmistakes-but
byeverybody
else
Mr.Darcywascondemned
as theworst
ofmen(138).
Those who judge Darcyare treatedironically:theyare pleased
tocensurehim.The onlypersonwhosupports
himisJaneBennet,
butalthough
sheis right,
shehasalreadybeenpresented
as unable
to thinkevil of anyone,no matterwhatthecircumstances.
The
authorialvoice hereleads the readerto a positionfromwhich
judgmentis impossible;onlyamusedspectatorship
is possible.
on occasionslikethisone,thereaderis notentirely
Nevertheless,
deprivedof a moralperspective.
Althoughhe is shownthe unresolvablecomplexities
of the situation,he is constantly
made
awareof thecrucialmoralproblemsby the characters
of pride
and prejudice.
In theearlierpartsofthebook,whenever
anypressure
is built
up leadingtoa directclashora seriousmoralchoiceorjudgment,
For
it tendsto be dissipated
in action,dialogue,or commentary.
example,Darcy'sunwillingattractionto Elizabethand Elizato be
beth'sfascinated
butcleardislikeofDarcyseeminevitably
leadingtowarda confrontation
out of whichwillcomea resolution.Fora timewe getclearerthanusualinsightintoDarcywith
of an approaching
thesuggestion
climax,and when,on a walk,
Darcyand MissBingleysuddenly
meetElizabethand Mrs.Hurst,
of changingfeelings.
Darcybehaveswitha politeness
revelatory
declineswalkingwiththemand
Elizabeth,however,
immediately
runs "gaily off"(53). This incidentis characteristic
of much of
theearlyaction.Forcesdo notmeetand resolve.Theyconstantly
shiftanddissipateratherthanclash.
A conversation
betweenDarcyand Elizabethshortlybefore
ElizabethleavesNetherfield
illustrates
theseshifting
qualitiesin
the earlydialogues(57-58). The readercan neveracceptany
attitudeor formulation
as definitive.
As he has no vantagepoint
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Pride and Prejudice
69
fromwhichto evaluatewhatis occurring,he mustconstantlyskip
fromattitudeto attitudejust as the participantsdo. Elizabeth
assertsher detachedattitude,her love of laughingat others.Darcy
respondsseriouslyand morally,pointingout deficienciesin Elizabeth'sattitude:"The wisestand best of men,nay,the wisestand
best of their actions, may be renderedridiculous by a person
whose firstobject in life is a joke" (57). Elizabeth picks up the
moral tone to justifyherself,but immediatelytwistsit to an
ironiccommenton Darcy'sgood opinion of himself:
I hope I neverridiculewhatis wise or good. Follies and nonsense,
do divertme,I own,and I laugh at them
whimsand inconsistencies
I can.-But these,I suppose,areprecisely
whatyouare withwhenever
out.
When Darcy continuesin his moral tone,Elizabeth attacksmore
directly.Then in response,Darcy becomesmoreand morepompously proud of his own deficiencies:"My temperwould perhaps
be called resentful.-Mygood opinion once lost is lost forever"
(58). Elizabeth at this point becomes serious,almost indignant:
"That is a failingindeed!" But soon she changesattitude,and her
exaggeratedchargereturnsthe tone to the earlierwittyone, but
withoutreducingher oppositionto him: "And your defectis a
propensityto hate everybody." Darcy,suddenlytakingall rancor
out of the opposition,smilinglyreplies to her, "And yours. . . is
them."In Elizabeth'stone thereare the
wilfullyto misunderstand
rapid changesfromironic,to serious,to bantering,and in Darcy's
fromtheseriouslymoral,to thepompous,to startlinggood humor.
It is attitudethatis significant,
and the readerwho restson any
one attitudewill distort.In fact,one of the examples of Elizabeth's own prejudiceddistortionsis the versionof this conversation which she later gives to Wickham: "I do rememberhis
boastingone day, at Netherfield,of the implacabilityof his resentments,of his havingan unforgivingtemper.His disposition
must be dreadful" (80). But the entire conversationat Netherfielddoes not bear Elizabethout. What she has done is to fixon
one of the attitudesof the conversation;she simplifiesthe action,
theflux,to a single,understandableattitude.Elizabeth'spropensitiesto subtledistortionare, of course,made morevisible by their
in theconductof the minorcharacters.
magnification
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Fiction
Nineteenth-Century
70
As theplot develops,avoidingclashes,judgments,
and resoluNear theend of Book II
tionsbecomesmoreand moredifficult.
conversation
reappears,but the
the themeof the Netherfield
movement
of theconversation
is quite changed.There is a dis(225cernibledirectionto it, and it leads to a formulation
226). Elizabethis tellingJaneof herchangedopinionsofWickironically
on Jane'scharacteristic
hamand Darcy.She comments
ofDarcy:
attempts
toexcuseboth,andon herowntreatment
cleverin takingso decideda disAnd yetI meantto be uncommonly
liketo him,withoutanyreason.It is sucha spurto one'sgenius,such
an openingforwitto havea dislikeof thatkind.One maybe continjust; but one cannotbe always
uallyabusivewithoutsayinganything
on something
witty
laughingat a manwithoutnowand thenstumbling
(226).
herethatshehas laughedat whatis good,despite
She recognizes
whatshe had previously
therecognition
said to Darcy;however,
is detached,shornof any visiblefeeling.But whenJane asks
specifically
about her feelingswhenshe receivedDarcy'sletter,
enough.I was veryunElizabethreplies,"I was uncomfortable
fromthe moral
comfortable"
(226). And insteadof retreating
tends,she statesit dievaluationtowardwhichtheconversation
is a most
rectly:"But themisfortune
ofspeakingwithbitterness,
naturalconsequenceof the prejudicesI had been encouraging"
(226). The conversation
probesforand findsan attitude;it does
shiftall attitudes.
not,liketheearlierones,kaleidoscopically
it suggests
boththecomJaneAusten'stechniqueis functional:
plexityof Elizabeth'sworldand her innermoraldevelopment.
The reductions
of prideand prejudicealwayscause grief,and
thelimitations
ofhuElizabethlearnsto recognize
and overcome
manvisionwhichthreaten
herhappiness.
Earlyin thebookher
of herfather.
attitudeis frequently
theironicone characteristic
Mr.
Sir WilCollins'absurdity;
She shareshis appreciation
of
liam Lucas'sservilebehaviorto Lady Catherineis "highdiversion" to her (159); and her divisionof characters
into simple
and complexones9revealsa detachedattitudetowardhuman
In herreactions
beingsand an avoidanceofanymoraljudgment.
hermother.
towardDarcy,sheresembles
Darcy'sharsh,although
inflame
Elizabeth's
prejujustified,
comments
on theBennetfamily
9 See
Mudrick'sanalysis of this division,pp. 94-95.
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Pride and Prejudice
71
dices in favorof her familyand againstDarcy. Eventually,however, she learns to judge accuratelywhile deeply involved; she
learns to avoid the limitationsimposed by pride and prejudice.
The narrativetechniquesnot onlymirrorthe worldof the novel,
but also involvethe responsivereaderin thatworld,forcinghim
to adopt,whilereading,thatdegreeofflexibility,
thatwithholding
of judgment when evidence is lacking, which Elizabeth must
adopt.
However,while the rapidlyshiftingpoint of view and attitude,
and the perplexingnarrationcharacteristic
of the earlierpartsof
the book are describing,creating,and, in a sense,mimingElizain thatpartof the book, the readeris not abanbeth'sdifficulties
doned to her point of view. The obvious moral failingsof those
static characterswho surround Elizabeth and Darcy alert the
reader to Elizabeth's failings.Although frequentlythe reader's
vision cannot extend beyond Elizabeth's,and he cannot resolve
of her situation,he can recognizethe distortions
the difficulties
whichoccur when Elizabeth attemptsto resolvethesedifficulties
of pride and
by adoptingthe limitedpoint of view characteristic
prejudice.'0
Later in the book as Elizabeth's irresponsibleattitudesbreak
down, dialogue becomes less frequentbut more decisive; authorialsummarybecomesmorefrequentand reliable; theshifting
of tonal qualities becomesless rapid; and Elizabeth'smoral attitude emergeswith clarity.This emergingattitude,however,is
one thatis based on a recognitionof thecomplexityand deceptivenessof theworld.
Elizabeth's attachmentto Darcy resultsfromthe clarification
of her vision, not fromthe modificationof her values; consequently,the view that the novel suggestsa blendingof two contwo extremessearchingfora middle,must
trastingvalue systems,
be rejected." Early in the book Elizabeth is characterizedas a
woman of sensibility(in the late eighteenth-century
sense) and
10As is impliedthroughout
thisdiscussion,the earlydialoguesof the noveldo
not appear to me to be so decisiveas HowardBabb's meticulousanalysisin Jane
Austen's Novels: The Fabric of Dialogue (Columbus, Ohio, 1962), pp. 113-114, sug-
geststheyare.The ambiguity
earlyin thebookis purposive;it revealsthecomplexity
ofElizabeth'sworld.
11For example,Samuel Kliger's"Jane Austen'sPride and Prejudice in the
Eighteenth-Century
Mode," UTQ, XVI (July,1947),357-370,deals withDarcyand
Elizabethas exemplifying
the oppositionof art and nature.As I suggestbelow,
however,
thisantithesis
is onlyapparent-Darcyand Elizabethsharethesamevalue
system.Elizabeth'soppositionto Darcyis based on her misunderstanding
of him.
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72
Fiction
Nineteenth-Century
nothing,includinghermarriageto Darcy,indicatesthathervalues
have been modified.On her visit to Netherfieldduring Jane's
illness,the narrativecontinuallypoints out the contrastbetween
Elizabeth'svalues and thoseof Bingley'ssisters.They continually
criticizeElizabeth's breachesof decorum,which are committed
out of feelingfor Jane, and Elizabeth dislikes them for their
coldness (35-36). She is pleased to think of the marriage of
Jane and Bingley because it is a marriageof "true affection"
(98) and is disgustedby Bingley'ssisters'attemptsto have him
marry for reasons of "money, great connections,and pride"
(137). She herselfrefusesto marryMr. Collins because her "feelingsin everyrespectforbidit" (109).
The crucialepisode in the transitionof Elizabeth'sfeelingsfor
Darcy fromrespectto love is her visit to Pemberley;she "had
never seen a place for which nature had done more, or where
natural beauty had been so little counteractedby an awkward
taste" (245). The entire descriptionimplies that there is, as
in the novelsof sensibility,
a close relationshipbetweentasteand
thenaturalpicturesque
character;and Pemberleybyexemplifying
(a picturesquewhich interferesas little as possible with nature)
fromthe one Elizabeth thoughtshe
revealsa Darcy fardifferent
knew.In Walton Litz's words:
Everyevidenceof soundaesthetic
judgmentis converted
by Elizabeth
into evidenceof Darcy'snaturalamiability,
and joined withthe enuntilPemberley
thusiastic
of thehousekeeper,
becomesan
testimony
imageofhistruenature.12
But Elizabeth does not at once reach this conclusion with full
consciousness.The immediateeffectof Pemberleyis to reduce
her feelingsand thoughtsto a muddle (265-266). Her oversimplifiedview of Darcy'scharacteris disrupted,and she mustreorientherselfto a new view of past events,a view undistortedby
pride and prejudice.
Pemberleyunmistakably
revealsa man whom a woman of sensibilitycan love, and consequentlyElizabeth'smarriageto Darcy,
aftershe has sortedout herfeelings,is not a rejectionof hervalues
but a fulfillment
of them. Her developmentis in her rejecting
both the pride and prejudice which caused her moral blindness
and made her deal irresponsibly
and unjustlywith others,not in
12Jane Austen,p. 104.
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Pride and Prejudice
73
her movingcloser to the pride which Darcy acknowledgesto be
the cause of his failures(369).
The characterslimited by pride and prejudice cannot understand Elizabeth's marriage.Even her staunchestsupporters,Mr.
Bennetand Jane,are notconvincedinitiallythatthereis anydeep
feelinginvolved.But therelationshipis one thatescapesboth the
irresponsibility
and superficiality
of Lydia and Wickham, and
thelovelessnessof Mr. Collins and Charlotte.It is not just a lesser
degreeof the qualities of both marriages,but somethingentirely
different.
The techniquesof Pride and Prejudice allow Elizabeth'ssubjective inner world to be presentedwith intensity,while at the
same timeher responsesare being evaluatedby the rubricof the
novel,pride and prejudice.The moralconcernsof thisnovel are,
it mustbe admitted,narrowerthan thoseof the later novels,but
this verylimitationleads to the happy resolutionwhich tempts
criticsof Pride and Prejudice to compareit to a Mozartcomposition. Because of the precisefocuson the moral issues,the resolution is tidierthan in Jane Austen'smore somber(althoughperhaps more profound)later novels,MansfieldPark, Emma, and
Persuasion. And in the earlier novels, NorthangerAbbey and
Sense and Sensibility,the resolutionsseem less convincingthan
in Pride and Prejudice because the innerworldsof the heroines
are not presentedso complexlyand intensely.Pride and Prejudice
is the only one of Jane Austen's novels to presentconvincingly
a centralcharacterwho surmountsthelimitationsof humanvision
in all of the areas thatthe novel has made us care about.
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