mck pride&prejudice

8/6/2019 McK Pride&Prejudice

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+PrideandPrejudice:Thought, Character,Argument, and Plot

When we use words like "Pride and Prejudice" as a name they are no longerthree words or one name but a single named-thing, and two or more personsmay undertake to discuss that named-thing with some assurance that they aretalking ab out the same thing. It would not be a discussion if they were talkingabout different things, but, on the other hand, it would not take place if theyhad the same things to say about it. We usually assume, therefore, that one suchstatement about the thing-what it is and why-will be shown to be significantand correct, or that the di{Ierent statements will be shown to have approachedthe same thing from different perspectives and to have disclosed di{ferent as-pects of it. Yet a literary object of discussion is not simply an entity; nor is it avariable entity which t akes its characteristics from the perspectives in which itis considered. It may, however, be variously considered-in itself as an artificialobject, or in terms of the underlying circumstanceswhich condition it and con-stitute its subject matter as a natural object, or in terms of meanings and refer-enceswhich it employs as a communicative object, or in terms of the ideas andvalues which it embodies or adumbrates as an intelligible object.

We have a tendency, which we owe to Aristotle, to think of the literary objectas an artficial object, o radically contrasted to natural objects that we make it afunction of art to create probabilities and necessitiesdistinct from those whichwe encounter in natural occurrences. The plot ofa tragedy, or a comedy, or anovel is the sequence of actions presented on a stage or in a book.

We have no di{ficulry on the other hand, in thinking of the literary object asa natural thing. The interpretation of naturalobjecls, hich includes books, is notcontradictory to the interpretation ofbooks as artificial objects, for the one is aninterpretation of the structure of a plot or argument in a literary work, while theother is an interpretation of a literary work as a product, and as an exposition,of nature and human nature. Literary critics once went to Aristotle for guidancein poetic interpretations of works of art in themselves. They have also gone toLucretius and more recentlv to Freud or Marx for like zuidance in materialisticReprintedrom Critial nquir2spring 979): ll-27, theUniversity fChicago ress.

Pride and Pr{udite ' 7t

interpretationsof literary works asexpressions r sublimationsor suppressionof idols or images,concupiscences r irascibilities,alienationsor disappropria-tions, which contribute to relief or cure of anxietiesand fears.The subjectofconsideration n the one case s the structureof a book, in the other caseawsofnature and human nature.

Since he time of Plato,or of the Hebrew prophets,we havebeen nclined toconsider iterary objectsas ormulationsand appiications f ideasand values.We go for guidance in interpreting them to the revelations of prophets andseers,he visionsof poetsand saints, nd theprinciplesand precepts f philos-ophersand sages. he subjectof discussions the structured osmos f our as-pirations and speculationsand the degradations o which men and societieshave allen and how thosedepartures rom charity and gracehave conditionedthe conception and composition of the book and how they are set orth in it.

We have urned, again and again, rom the considerationof the literary ob-ject asan unnaturalbject,s a natural bject,r as an object f houghtndaspiratnnoregard t as an expressedbjectWe explain iterature by the usesof languageandthe devicesof communication. As a name is not merely words but a named-thing, so he use of linguistics n the interpretation of literature is not an inter-pretation of words or lettersbut of expressed-things. novel, like everythingelse hat s saidor done, s a fictiveargument,an argumentmadeo expressn-tentions, o affectattitudesand actions, o convey nformation and data,and toformulate and structure thoughts.A novel is an episode n an immenseongo-ing conversation.t is constructed f arguments,heir expression,ransmissionand nterpretation, nd reactions nd responseso them.

Di{ferent interpretations of PrideandPrejudicere concernedwith the samenamed-object, ut not with the same iterary-object. he subjects f interpre-tation are di{ferent novels.Once diflerentiated they are seen o have di{Ierentliterary qualities which are uncovered and interpreted by different forms ofliterary .iiti.ir..t. They are all, however, interpretations of the samenamed-object, n itself or in someof the variety of its circumstances, nd are thereforenot in oppositionor in contradiction. In combination theymay serve o disclosqualities f the novel, of experience,of nature, Iife, and thought which mightotherwise go unnoticed. I shall begin by considering Prideand Prejudire s aphilosophicalnovel.

IJustification o readingPrideandPrejudicesa philosophicalnovelmay be foundin its much cited and variously nterpreted opening sentence: It is a truth uni-versallyacknowledged, hat a singleman in possession f a good fortune, mustbe in want of a wife." This universal aw is the first principle of a philosophicanovel, although I shall also nterpret it as the statementof a scientific aw ofhuman nature, a characterizationof the civility of English sociery and as aDronouncementon the manners of an economic class.Pride andPrejudices a

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72 CHAPTERFOUR

philosophical ovelboth in the sense f presenting philosophy n expositioand of embodyinga philosophy n action, and literary crititism exercisestsproper function by expounding that philosophyand by explicating and crarify-ing the houghtand acrionof the noverby means f it. The thouehtof prideandPr{udicemay be uncoveredby interpreting it in accordur,.. *ith a'y of a vari-ety of philosophies, ut it is peculiarlyappropriare,and enlightening, o rec_ognize ts Platonizing echoes ince he dialoguesof plato have gone through ahistoryof interpretation hat hasevolveddistinctionswhich are useful n inter-preting PrideandPrejudice. any interpretersof plato's dialogues, n antiquiryand later, argue hat they are not statements f thoughtsor opinionsbut aresimply exhibitionsof how philosophers alk; others,beginningwith the oldAcademy, nterpret them as he expressionof the truth not of the doctrinesofone philosopher, ut of all philosophers; ome,beginningwith the skepticismof the Middle or New Academy,hold that the method of Socrateswas o dem-onstrate hat all doctrines re alseand therefore, y the same oken, rue; andsome, ollowing he Neoplatonists, ought n them the adumbrationof a truthtranscending uman thought and expression. eoplatonic ruthsare suited otragedy and epic; skepticalAcademic opinions provide a place and expecta-tion proper to comedy.All Platonismsshare hierarchical structuresof being,thought, and aspiration.Plato himselfdescribes hree addersof being, knowl-edge,and ove n theRepublic nd theSltmposium.TheNewcademicskepticismchooses low placeon those adders,which is exceilently amed n the open-ing sentenceof Prideand Pr{udice:knowledge s basedon self-evident ruths,opinioncan riseno higher han "a truth universally ccepted," possessionfagood ortune" is a dubiousdegradation f visionof the ideal Good to possession of material goods,and "want of a wife" is a transformation of charity oragaper love of the good in itself to concupiscenc or eros r matrimony.This is a skeptical hilosophywhich creditswhat is generallyaccepted utdoubtseverything.t reduces nowledge o opinion,being o becoming, ealityto appearance, spiration nd will to needand want, ove o desireand concu-piscenceand cupidity. Platonic ove beginsmidway down the ladder of love atmarriage:ElizabethandJaneclimb up the ladder o a higher evelof feelingand intelligencewhich is charity as ove in marriage, a lower level of charitythan Platonicor Christianagape,whrletherssinkdown to anyof the still owerlevelsof concupiscencend cupidiry-love of money,property,power, plea_sure' reputation (or honor in a degradedsense, ransforming he Good intowhat sgood n the opinion of others).when one of theseevelsselaboratednconscioushoughtand explicit expression,t is a degradation fphilosophy,asin Mr. collins'love of God. other levels ake he form of beguiling ransitionsfrom cupidity o ovewhen he emerging eeling sexpressedot nierms of thenew emotionbut of a universally elt passion, s n Elizabeth'sirst recosnitionof the possibiliry f loving Darcy,during her visit to his estateat pemberley,when ove appears sa oveofproperry and position: Elizabethwasdelighted.Shehad neverseen place or which naturehad donemore, or wherenatural

Prid ndPr{udic 73beauty had been so ittle counteractedby an awkward taste.They were all ofthem warm in their admiration;and at that moment she elt, hat to be mistresof Pemberleymight be something!"

Each of the strandsof the plot is an Academic skepticalparticularization ofbeing, knowledge,and love: Elizabeth's ritical ntelligence,Jane'suncriticallove of everyone,Lydia's sillinessand cupidiry Kitty's dependenceand imita-tiveness,and Mary's withdrawal and defensivepedantry. The final chapterspresent eadjustments f the opinionsofvariouscharactersn the nterpretationofwhat has happened, enteringon the marriages fthree Bennetdaughtersthat s, ealizations flove on three ungsofthe ladder.The chapterdevoted othe reappraisalsof Elizabeth and Darcy, four chapters rom the end,2 s an ex-plicitly philosophicaldiscussionwhich turns on a skepticalAcademicversionofthe opinionofSocrates hatphilosophy s gnorance. he reappraisalsre nter-pretationsof Elizabeth's efusalof Darcy's irst proposaland of Darcy's etter ofexplanation. The philosophy and the love are generatedby the clash and re-adjustment f two philosophiesmplicit n their reactions s eexamined. liza-beth underwenta change ffeelingasshe reedherselfofprejudices. arcyun-derwenta change n his view of the spirit in which the etter waswritten. He hasthought himselfcalmand cool;he now recognizes itterness. lizabeth epliesthat the letter may havebeenbegun n bitterness,but it ends n charity (in theAcademic skepticalversion of the Platoniclove, agape).he goeson: "You mustlearn someof my philosophy.Think only of the past as ts remembrancegivesyou pleasure." Darcy denies hat shehasany suchphilosophy.Her retrospections are so totally void of reproach that the contentment arising from them isnot of philosophy ut of gnorance. he eflectofDarcy's etteron Elizabeth adbeen o removeall her former prejudices radually.Every unpleasant ircum-stancewas orgotten n a hedonisticphilosophyof Platonicreminiscenceimitedto what gives leasureThe accomplishment nd realization f Elizabeth's hi-Iosophywas mpededby prejudices;he obstacle hich Darcy encountered aspride,which edhim to think meanlyof therestof the world and o wish o thinkmeanly of their sense ndworth comparedwith hisown. Elizabeth emoved hatobstacle y humbling him. This is the philosophicmeaning and operationofPrideandPr{udice: tisa philosophyofpleasure eleasedrom unprincipledpr{u-dicesoined to a philosophy of principles released rom unrestrainedpride.Thenovelcloses ith the discovery nd statement fthe philosophywhich tructureit. Philosophical nterpretationof Prile andPr{udiceis ot an analysis r criticismof a book, but an examinationand development f a philosophywhich condi-tioned hewriting of the bookand provideda subjectmatter or expositionn it.

l. Jane Austen, PrideandPrejudicrBoston: Riverside, 1956),p' 181.Since n the Riversideedition the novel is divided into three bookswith separatelynumbered chapters,book and chapter aswell aspage numbers are given; and, to facilitate reference o editions n which chaPtersare num-bered in a singlesequence, he chapter number ofother editions follows n brackets.

2. rbid.,3.l6 [sB].3. rbid.,3.16.27ss8].


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74 CHAPTERFOU

TIThe opening sentence f PrideandPrejudice ay be interpreted as he statemenof a law of nature and of human nature, and the descriptionof the actionsandreactionswhich forms the body of the book derives ts sense,hat is, ts meaningand direction, from the natural lawswhich governaction and reaction"The in-terplay of nature and human nature can be seen n inanimate aswell as n ani-mate nature, as s apparent n Elizabeth'sdescriptionof Pemberleywhere na-ture had done more to realize beauty than in other placesand where naturalbeauty had been so ittle counteractedby human taste.Prile andPr{udicemaybereadasapslchothaapeuticr socioeconomicetributiueoveldescriptiveof the actions

,and reactionsofnatures unchanged n power and nclinationsand ofnatures incircumstances n which natural functionsof perception and feeling, action andproduction are suppressed r distortedor in which they are freed from imped-imentsand superimposed lterations.An epicpresentationof the awsof natureand of the emendation of natures hrown offthe track of their natural modonsis found in Lucretius' DeRerumNatura.Scientistand poet servedifferent func-tions n that depiction:Epicurus'discovery of the a wsof nature and human na-ture in the concourseof atoms s set orth by Lucretius with the adornmentsofpoetry to make the scientific ruths more widely intelligible and readily accept-able n order to provide emotional impetus o curing fears and anxietiesaboutthe godsand death. Comic presentations f naturesoperatingnaturally and un-naturally cannot evoke he authority of human science or the statementof lawsnor the ntervention of gods,of Venusand Mars, or of Cupid and Psyche,o ac-count for the cyclesof love and war, or for the strategies f lovers.The lawsofnature and the udgment of naturesare thereforedeveloped n conversationsnwhich a mistakenudgment about a characterunder discussionstaken as a de-fect n the character fthejudge, and herapyor retribution o cure or readjusnatureswhich havebeen urned,by repression r suppression fthoughts anddesires, r by appropriationor alienationof status r property, o udgmentsoractionsat variance o their natures s e{fectedn conversationswhich reinterpretpastactionsand udgments.Judgesoperate n mutually rectifying pairs;what isjudged is examined n pairs which throw light on one another.Elizabeth'sexamination of Darcy's etter was rendereddifficult by her udg-ment of Wickham and Darcy, which in turn undermined her confidence nherself,

She grew absolutelyashamedof herself.-Of neither Darcy norWickham could she hink, without feeling hat she had been blind,partial, prj udic d,absurd."How despicablyhave I acted!" she cried.-"I, who havepridedmyselfon my discernment!-I, who havevalued myselfon my abili-tieslwho haveoften disdained he generouscandour of my sister,andgratified n my vanity, n uselessr blameable istrust."a4. Ibid.,2.13.156[36] ; tal ics dded.

Pride ndPriudir 7Her reassessmenthen moved from herself oJane to Bingley,and then to thejustice of Darcy's udgment of her family and to the compliment of his udg-ment ofJane and herself.

As shestudied he letter her reaction to the characterof the writer changedbut sheacknowledged he ustice of his udgment of the charactersof her sisterand that they were not changeable.

Shestudiedevery sentence: nd her feelings owards ts writer were attimeswidely diflerent. when she emembered he style of his address,shewas stili full of indignation; but when sheconsideredhow unjustlyshehad condemnedand upbraided him, her angerwas urned againstherself;and his disappointed feelingsbecame the object of compas-sion. His attachmentexcited gratitude, his generalcharacter resPect;but she ouldnot approvehim; nor couldshe or a moment epentherrefusal,or feel the slightest nclination ever to seehim again' In herown pastbehaviour, herewas a constant ourceofvexation and re-gret; and in the unhappy defectsof her family a subjectof yet he av-ier chagrin. They were hopeless f remed2.er father, contentedwithlaughing at them, would never exerthimselfo restrain the wild giddi.reri of his youngestdaughters;and her mother, with mannersso farfrom right herr.f *u. entirely nsensible f the evil. Elizabethhad fre-quenttunited withJane in an endeavour o check he imprudence ofCatherine and Lydia; but while they were supportedby their mother'sindulgence,whai chancecould there be of improvement?.Catherine,weaklspirited, rritable, and completelyunder Lydiat guidance,hadalwaysbeenalfronted by their advice;and Lydia, seltwilled and care-less,would scarcelygive them a hearing.5

whenJane and Elizabethdiscusswickham and Darcy, theirjudgments turnreflexivelyon the credibility of theirjudgments. Elizabeth says hat her own re-gret and compassionare all done awaywith by seeingJane o ull of both' Shegoeson to seek he sourceof the diilerences n their charactersand reputes,th.i. b.i.rg and apparance,not in their naturesbut in their education."Therecertainly was somegreat mismanagement n the educationof those wo youngmen. One hasgot all the goodness, nd the other all the appearanceof it."Janereplies hat shenever thought Mr. Darcy so deficient n the appearanceof it asElizabeth did, and Elizabeth ustifies herself:"And yet I meant to be uncom-monly clever in taking so decided a dislike to him, without any reason. t issuch a spur to one'sgenius,such an opening for wit to have a dislike of thatkind."6

In like fashion Elizabeth'sdi{ferencesrom her father in judgment of the etfects of Lydia's behavior on the repute of the family reflect differencesn theircharacters,as doeshis reaction to her reproach that he did not trouble to rem-edy Lydia's defects, eassuringher that although her sister s ncurable,Lydia's

5. Ibid.,2.l4. l59-60 [37] ; tal ics dded.6. Ibid.,2.17.16840].


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7 CHAPTER FOUR

mannerswill not frighten awayElizabeth's overs,exceptsqueamish outhsnotworthy of consideration.Elizabeth replies:"Indeedyou are mistaken. haveno such njuries o resent. t is notofpeculiar, but of generalevils,which I am now complaining. Our im-portance, our respectability n the world, must be alfectedby the wildvolatiliry the assurance nd disdainof all restraintwhich mark Lydia'scharacter.Excuseme-for I must speakplainly. f you, my dear fa-ther, will not take he trouble of checkingher exuberantspirits,and ofteachingher that her present ursuitsare not to be he businessfherlife, she will soon be beyond the reach of amendment.Her characterwill be fixed, and shewill, at sixteen,be the most determined lirt thatever made herselfand her family ridiculous. A flirt, too, in the worstand mealest degreeofflirtation; without any attraction beyondyouthand a tolerableperson;and from the gnoranceand emptiness f hermind, wholly unable to ward off any portion of that universal con-tempt which her ragefor admiration will excite. n this danger Kitryis alsocomprehended.She will follow whereverLydia leads.Vain, ig-norant, dle,and absolutely ncontrouled!"

Mr. Bennet s convinced hat he can do nothing to a{fect he understandingorthe inclinations of Lydia but he assuresElizabeth that she and Jane will bejudged for themselves nd that the esteem hey arousewill be unaffectedby thebehavioroftheir youngersisters. wherever you andJaneare known, you mustbe respectedand valued; and you will not appear o lessadvantage or havinga couple of-or I may say, hree very silly sisters."The evolution of the relationsof Elizabeth and Darcy from unnatural udg-mentsand feelings ompounded f prideand prejudice o naturalcomprehen-sion and esteem s e{fectedby an emendation of understanding and feelingswhich restores heir charactersby insight nto misconceptions nd dislikes.Thisis brought about not by sympatheticand discerning analysisbut by maliciousintrusionsbasedon misconceptions nd selfish nterestswhich lead to reactionscontrary to those ntended. Lady Catherine callson Elizabeth, seekingan as-surance hat she s not engagedand a promise that she will never becomeen-gaged o Darcy. she sets he tone of the interchangeby contrastingElizabeth,scharacter o her own, setting he insincerity she attributes o Elizabeth againsther own characterwhich has ever been celebrated or its sincerity and frank-ness.Having failed to securea promise rom Elizabeth she eportsher conver-sation o her nephew n an endeavor o securea promise rom him. The wordsand actions reported, in the light of his knowledge of Elizabeth'scharacter,teachhim to hope. "I knew enoughofyour disposition o be certain, that, hadyou beenabsolutely, rrevocably decidedagainstme, you would haveacknowl-edged t to Lady catherine, frankly and openly." on beingassured hat thiswasso he asksElizabethwhetherhis etterhad soonmadeher think betterof him.

7. rbid., . t8.172-73+tl.

Pridt andPrjudi 7and she explainshow gradually all her former prejudiceshad been removed.He fears hat one part of the letter may yet causeher to hate him, but sheob-serves hat although they both have reason o think her opinions not entirelyunalterable, hey are not quite so easilychangedas hat implies.He sayshe hadthought that the etter expressed alm dispassionateudgments,but he now rec-ognizes hat it was an expressionof bitternessand resentment.B he doublemovement of purgation which brought them togetherwas a cure of prejudiceand ofpride, ofignorance and ofpassion.Psychopathologicalnterpretation ofPrideandPr{udices not Iiterary criticism or evaluationof a book, but an exam-ination and formulation of the operations and laws of human nature whichmake availablecritical devicesby which to interpret the occasionof the bookand the matterswhich it treatsIIIThe opening sentenceof PrideandPr{udicemay be read not asa philosophicalprinciple or asa law ofnature, but asa conventionalprecept. So nterpreted tis the prelude to a nouel f mannasn which the charactersare presentednot bystatingwhat they are or recording what they do but by reporting udgments ofthe manners rom which their naturesand habits,and lists of their virtues andvices,are ormulatedand acquireacceptance.he second entence tateshelaw of operation of the precept. However little known the feelingsor viewsofsucha man on first entering a neighborhood, he truth of the precept s ixed inthe minds of the surrounding families.The structure of manners ound by fol-lowing the precept extendsbeyond the novel to the style of life of the timeswhich conditions the novel, in which it appearsalso as he subjectmatter de-picted.Manners are the characterof the styleof speechand action; they are heoutward sign of reported or suspected tatusand possession.

Bingleyand Darcy emerge hrough a series f reportsand rumors in the firsttwo chaptersuntil they appear n personat the dance n the third chapterwheretheir charactersare built up from their manners. "Mr. Bingleywas good ook-ing and gentlemanlike; e had a pleasant ountenance, nd easy, na{Iectemanners."eBut Darcy draws he attentionof the room by his appearance ndby the report of his larger fortune. The testimony of his superiority is dividedinto that of the gentlemen,who think him a fine figure of a man, and the adies,who think him handsomer than Bingley. His manners give disgust,however,and he is discovered o be proud, when he declines o be introduced to or con-versewith the ladies. "His character was decided.He was the proudest, mostdisagreeableman in the world, and every body hoped that he would neverco-e th.r. again." In questions f manners,udgmentsof personsare madein pairs and are reinforced and balanced by other judgments of the personj"dg.a, to establishhe characters fthe tvvo,as he characters fBingley and

8. Ibid., .16.274-7s58].9. rb id. ,1.3.63] .


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7 CHA-PrER FouR

Darcybalanceone another;and theseudgmentsare madeby pairsof personjudging, asJaneand Elizabeth determine the characterof Bingley and give solidiry to their conclusions y balancingudgmentsof oneanother's haracterThe subjectunderexamination n udging theseudgments s a nexusof communication in which individuals emerge with charactersas products and assources.Manners and styles re what is experiencedas ndicesofcharactersandattitudes n action,and as determinants f meanings nd ntentions n speecWhat a man is must be inferred from the impressionhe makes;and what acharactermeans o saycannotbe known simply rom what he sayswithout con-sideration of how he says t, for his manner may make clear that he meanssomethingoppositeor tangential to what he says.Manners and modes reveacharactern actionand give meaning o speech.what Bingleyand Darcy areemergesrom udgmentswhich relateand com-pare them. That developmentof their mannersand revelationof their charac-ters is fastened o a fixed point byJane and Elizabeth's udgment of Bingley.That judgment in its turn has ts fixedpoint in Elizabeth'sudgment ofJane.The objectsofjudgment in turnjudge eachother and uncovercharacters e-terminedby expectation f how they will be udged by others.Betweenhim and Darcy therewasa very steady riendship, n spiteof a_great ppositionof character.-Bingley was endeared-toDircyby the easiness,penness, uctility of his temper, houghno disposi-tion could offer a greater contrast to his own, and though with his

9*" -h. neverappeareddissatisfied.On the strengthof Darcy's regardBingley had the firmest reliance, and of his judgment the highestopinion. In undersranding Darcy was the superior. Bingley wis byno meansdeficient, but Darcy was clever. He was at the same imehaughry reserved,and fastidious,and his manners, hough well bred,were,not nviting. n that respect is riendhad greatly he advantage.Bingleywas sureof being iked whereverhe appeared,Darcy wascon-tinually giving o{fence." oThis establishmentof the mannersand charactersof Bingley and Darcy rel-ative o eachother and n opposition o eachother n the mpressionshey makeon others aysan objective oundation for the changeswhich Darcy's character

undergoes nd he consequent hangesn his mannersand or the constancy fthe characterof Bingleywho from the first pleases. hat pivot of mannersandcharacter,however, s given a further dimensionof variation in the differencesin the udgmentsofJaneand Elizabethwhichare eflexivelyndications f theirown charactersand of the potentialities hey reveal of constancyor change njudgment of the characters nd mannersof Bingleyand Darcy.Jane,who hasbeen cautious n her praise of Bingley, eveals o Elizabeth how much she ad-mireshim: "'He is ust what a youngman ought o be,, saidshe, sensible,goodhumoured, ively;and I neversawsuchhappymanners!-so much ease, uch10 . Ibid., .. t . l l [4].

Pride ndPrejud ' 79perfectgood breedingl"'rr Elizabethadds hat he is also handsome,which ayoung man ought likewise o be. "His character s thereby complete."Janewasflattered by his askingher to dance a second ime. Elizabeth sees n this reac-tion a difference etweenJane's haracterand her own. She grants hat he isvery agreeableand thatJane has iked many a stupiderperson,and goeson tosay hat she s too apt to like people n general;she has never heard her speakill of a human being in her life.Jane will find her udgment of Bingley ustifiedby later events.Elizabeth will move from censure o admiration of Darcy'swords and actions, f hismannersand hischaracter.

The balancedjudgmentsof the Bennet sisters re givenobjectivity n balancewith the udgments of the Lucassisters. he eldestLucas daughter,Charlotte,is Elizabeth's ntimate friend. Mrs. Bennet "with civil selfcommand" compli-mentsCharlotte or beingMr. Bingley's irst choice;but Charlotte eplies hathe ikedhis second, ane,better,and he s eported o havesaid hatshe sbeau-tiful. This overheard udgment iscontrastedby Charlotte to another overheardjudgment, that of Darcy, that Elizabeth s tolerable,but not handsomeenoughfor him to dance with. Charlotte remarks that Mr. Darcy is not so well worthlistening to as his friend, Mr. Bingley,who thought Elizabeth very pretty, andlater adds hat Darcy's pride doesnot o{fend her somuch as pride often doesbecause here s an excuse or it. "One cannotwonder that so very fine a youngman, with family, fortune, every hing in h is favour, should hink highly of him-self. f I may so expresst, he has a right o be proud." Elizabeth says he couldeasily orgive ial, if he had not mortified hers.HersisterMary, who piquesher-selfon the solidity of her reflections,observeshat pride is a very common fail-ing. She distinguishes ride from vanity, although they are frequently usedassynonyms:pride is our opinion of ourselves, anity what we would have othersthink ofus.A brother ofthe Lucassistersindssuchpride n needofno excuseif he wereas ich asMr. Darcy,he would not carehow proud he was;he wouldkeep oxhoundsand drink wine.12

A novel of manners may be tragic, when the udgment of others mpedesormisjudgesself:realizationand ameliorization of individuals or of societyas awhole. It may be comic, when individuals, pairs of individuals, and familiesadapt themselves appily and profitably within the framework of conventionalmorality. It may be utopian,when the ramework of conventionaljudgment andretribution is superseded y a framework of individual morality and social us-tice.As udgment n a novel of manners s checked nd rectifiedby the touch-stoneof other udgmentsor by the udgment of others, oactionsare nitiatedandjudgedby two touchstones:elative o those ctedon, condescensi onr co-operation, and relative o the agent,exertion or activity. Mr. Collins benefitsbyand admires he condescensionf hispatronessady Catherinede Bourgh.Shehad condescendedwice,he tellsElizabethwhen he proposesmarriage o her,

l r. Ibid., .4.94] .12. bid.,.s. l2-14s] .


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CHAPTER FOIJ-R

to advise him that a clergyman like himself must marry; and her civility in invit-ing him and his g"uestso dinner is ust such an instance of her condescension ashe knows not how to admire enough. r3Her condescension o Elizabeth is the ac-tion which provides in the reactions of Elizabeth and Darcy the denouement ofthe action. Relative to the individual, actions are exertion. Elizabeth reproachesher mother for lack of exertion or want of command over herself; Charlottewishes that her mother would exert herself more; Mr. Bennet reviews the reso-lution of his difficulties in terms of the amount of exertion they require. In theabsence of pride and prejudice, action proceeds, in the relations of ElizabethandJane or of Elizabeth and Darcy, by cooperation between the two or by ac-tivity of either one of the pair. Interpretation of Prile and Pre;judices a novel ofmanners is not interpretation of a novel but of manners and styles,of action andspeech,ofwhich the novel is a product and an expression.

IVIndividualsare ormedby societies, nd societies re ormedby individualsbut the character of an individual is inferr ed from his observedmanners, andthe structure of a community manifests tself n its operative civility. The open-ing sentenceof Prile andPrejudice ay be read asa rule of civility rather thana precept of manners, which derives ts force in operation in the second sen-tence rom neither theopinions of the young man of property nor the opinionsformed of him or his manners but from the ustice of consideration hat he isthe rightful property of a daughter of one of the families of the community orthe civility which he enters.The opening sentence s the prelude of a nouel fpktor of narrated civility.

A narrative of plot or of ac tion may be tragic or comic. The hero of a trag-edy,asAristotle observed, s a man not preeminently virtuous and ust, whosemisfortune s brought upon him not by vice or depravity but by someerror ofjudgment. The finest tragic storieswere always he stories of somefew fami-Iies.ra he tragichero seekshe resolution f his predicamentby appeal o thelawsof gods and of states.Comic plots are ikewisebuilt on families, not "fam-ilies of great reputation and prosperiry" such as Aristotle selected or tragicplots,who become nvolved n apparent conflictsof divine and human laws,butordinary families,who seek eputationsand prosperitybut are frustratedby er-rors ofjudgment which are rectified n a sequence f discoveries nd reversalsAll the charactersof Prile and Pr{udiceemerge rom the udgments by whichothercharacters stablishheir mannersand determine hem ascharacters, x-cept wo, who are udged ater.The characters f Mr. and Mrs. Bennet,whosefamily is he sourceof the problematic situationswhich emergeand are resolvedin the course of the action, are set orth in terms of their own understandinss

13. bid., .19.8091;2.6.12129] .14. AristotlePoetics3.1453a7 10. 8-23.

Pride and Pr{udb Band feelings, without intrusion of the opinions of others, at the end of the open-ing chapter.

Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour,reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three and twenty yearshad been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. Hermind was lessdifficult to develope. She was a woman of mean under-standing, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was dis-contented she fancied herself nervous. The b usiness of her life was toget her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news.rs

They produced five daughters, but no son; therefore, the problematic situationwhich is the opening of the novel is a family of unmarried daughters and en-tailed property. Unlike tragic predicaments which arise in a civility of culture,cult, and polity, this is a comic predicament in a civility of business. The busi-ness of Mrs. Bennet is to secure the conjugal felicity of her daughters. Thecomic flaws of the Bennets are the insu{ficiency of the one and the indi{Ierenceof the other to this business. Lydia's inconsiderate and senseless ehavior is sub-ject to reproofand correction because they are not to be "the business ofherlife." 16The community of civility is built on conjugal feliciry compounded ofmarriage, position, and property.

The plot of Pride and Prqjudire akes its beginning in the simple statement ofthe characters of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, unqualified by opinions andjudgments,and other characters take form in the civil exchange ofwhat other people thinkand feel about them. When the uncertainties and irregularities attendant onLydia's marriage seem to threaten or preclude her own, however, Elizabethexamines the feelings and actions which have contributed to the formation oftheir characters and to the constitution of the family:

Had Elizabeth's opinion been all drawn from her own family, shecould not have formed a very pleasing picture of conjugal felicity ordomestic comfort. Her father captivated by youth and beauty, andthat appearance of good humour, which youth and beauty generallygive, had married a woman whose weak understanding and illiberalmind, had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affectionfor her. Respect, esteem and confidence, had vanished for ever; andall his views of domestic happiness were overthrown. . . .

Elizabeth, however, had never been blind to the impropriety of herfather's behaviour as a husband. She had always seen t with pain; butrespecting his abilities, and grateful for his a{Iectionate treatment ofherself, she endeavoured to forget what she could not overlook, and tobanish from her thoughts that continual breach ofconjugal obligationand decorum which, in exposing his wife to the contempt of her ownchildren, was so highly reprehensible. But shehad never felt so strongly

15. Austen, rifu nd r{udicz,.1.31.16 . bid., .18.1734tl .


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as now, the disadvantages which must attend the children of so unsuit-able a marriage, nor ever been so fully aware of the evils arising fromso ill-judged a direction of talents; talents which rightly used, might atIeast have preserved the respectability ofhis daughters, even ifinca-pable of enlarging the mind of his wife.rTFrom this family framework, devoid of conjugal felicity and domestic comfort,the action ofthe plot runs through a sequence ofdiscoveries and reversalsde-termined, Iike the framework in which they arise, by the feelings and decisionsof pairs of characters, Lydia and Wickham, Jane and Bingley, and Elizabethand Darcy, to a resolution in which the impediments resulting from the mar-riage of the younger sister cease o block the marriages of the older sisters.Thedenouement set forth in the finai chapter is a sequential catalog of the changesin the larger civility which contributes to the felicitous resolution of the relatedproblems of those sisters.rB

The denouement presented in the last chapter begins, as did the predica-ment sketched n the first chapter, with Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Mrs. Bennet, weare told, was happy to have got rid of her two most deserving daughters whomshe could now visit and talk to with delighted pride. The accomplishment of somuch of her business, however, did not change her into a sensible, amiable,well-informed woman; fortunately, perhaps, since her husband might not haverelished domestic felicity in so unusual a form. Mr. Bennet missed his seconddaughter exceedingly, but delighted in visiting her. Bingley andJane moved toDerbyshire away lrom the near vicinity of Mrs. Bennet, which was not desir-able even to his easy emper or her a{Iectionate heart, andJane and Elizabethwere then a short distance from each other. Kitty spent the chief of her timewith her two elder sisters and was removed from Lydia's example by Mr.Bennet's refusal to consent to her accepting Mrs. Wickham's invitations. Marywas the only one to remain at home. She was compelled to mix more with theworld, and comparisons with her sisters' beauty ceased.Wickham and Lydiaunderwent no revolution in character from the marriage of her sisters. Theconviction that Elizabeth must now know of his ingratitude and falsehood didnot disturb Wickham, and both he and Lydia hoped that Darcy would assisrhim materially. Recognitions and reversals extend beyond the Bennet familycircle to Miss Bingley who, though mortified, continued to visit Pemberley, toGeorgiana who made Pemberley her home, to Lady Catherine who was thenegative cause of the union of Elizabeth and Darcy, and to the Gardiners whobrought Elizabeth into Derbyshire and were the means of uniting them. LadyCatherine's extreme indignation and resentment gave way, either becauseof af-fection for Darcy or curiosity to see how his wife conducted herself, and she vis-ited Pemberley in spite of pollution by the presence of such a mistress and the

17 . bid.,2.r9.n6 77 1421.lB. rbid.,3.1961].

Pridz and Pr{udice 83

visits of her uncle and aunt from the city. The Gardiners, Darcy and Elizabethreally loved.

Unlike the tragic denouement which results in change in character, thought,and action, a comic denouement results in marriage and change in propertyand position, accompanied by changes in geographical proximity, opportuni-ties to visit and talk, feeling, influence, and financial assistance. Interpretationof a narrative or dramatic plot is iiterary criticism of an art object and not aphilosophical interpretation ofthought, or a scientific analysis ofnature, or aninterpretation of manners and styles of communication and action which influ-ence the composition and contents of an artificial object.

A novel is not a uniquely defined ,*rrst.* object which can be viewed in dif-ferent perspectives, encountered in di{Ierent orientations, andjudged in differ-ent aspects. It may be identified as a named-object, such as Pride and Pr{udice,and when it is so identified we have a tendency to think of it as an artificial ob-ject like a book with its name on its title page and cover. We have a further ten-dency to think of that named artificial object as a narrative novel whose char-acters, plot, thought, language, and incidents may be studied by reading thebook, and may be judged by considering it critically as a structure of action initself or in relation to incidents of life, currents of thought, intentions of authors,or reactions of audiences. When we turn our attention from the artificial object,which we read, to the literary criticism, by means of which it is interpreted andjudged, it is apparent that critics seldom limit themselves to the explication ofthe text or to the structure of the plot of a novel. Schools of criticism from timeto time advocate concentration on the work of art without distraction of exter-nal data and pedantic erudition about circumstances and things related to thenamed-object. Opposed schools of criticism argue that such delimitation to artand the art object is empty and sterile and seek o place products of art in thesocieties and social circumstance in which they are produced or in the world ofideas and values in which they were conceived, or in the world of nature, in mo-tion and reacting to motions, in which they were formed and have their effects,or in a world of expression and communication in which they acquire mean-ings and stimulate emotions. Traditional arts of criticism have identified the artobject by di{ferent characteristics in their controversial oppositions. Poetic,when it continues in the mode as well as the language of Aristotle, is a scienceofartificial objects which studies structures created by art, dependent on prob-abi l i t iesand necessi t ies hich are dist inct rom natural structuresan d mol ions.and separates their aesthetic qualities from moral and scientific analysesof theirnatures and effects.Rhetoric places he art object between the artist as speakerand his audience and seeks ts characteristics in functions such as teaching,pleasing, and moving audiences of di{Ierent kinds. The phenomenal art objectof poetic and rhetoric is placed by dialectic in a context of ideas which tran-scend it and by grammar in a context of material elements and parts. In the


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dialecticaljudgment of the art object the good and the true have places togetherwith the beautiful, and in the grammatical judgrnent the art object is a compo-sition in which natural motions rectify and control deviations from nature.Nonetheless, the arts of criticism, though they treat different subjects andidentify art and art objects differently, all find a place for the consideration ofartificial objects. It is possible, therefore, despite di{ferences in their sources andtheir criteria ofjudgment, to compare what they bring to light in a given work.A poetic of a novel treats plots; a rhetoric turns on places;a grammar corrposeson laws; and a dialectic develops themes. An art of criticism provides a consis-tent language and a continuing subject matter. once an art has been chosen nIiterary criticism, it may concentrate attention on the other arts in controversialopposition to their methods and to the matters they consider, or it may con-centrate attention on common named-things and develop insights concerningthem which may be related harmoniously and fruitfully to each other. Each artborrows from the language and subject matters of the others: there are poeti-cal, rhetorical, grammatical, and dialectical plots, places, laws, and themes.This essayhas used the art ofrhetoric, and therefore I shall use rhetorical placesto relate themes, laws, and plots as they vary in formulation and application inthe four arts of criticism. The commonplace "thought-thing-action" is a com-monplace of "language" which I shall use to explore the variations of meaningsof themelaw-plot. Poetic themes of action and resolution are developed in ac-cordance with civility in plots ofinitial error, discovery, reversal, and resolution.Pride and Prejurlices a comic Agamemnon:he fate of Agamemnon is the assassi-nation of a hero returning from the wars, while the fate of Mr. Bennet is the in-activity of a hero who never went to the wars. Rhetorical themes of action andexpression are developed in accordance with style and manners in plots of say-ing and doing, of understanding and misconception, of presentation and mis-representation, and of exertion and activity. Pride and Prejudices a comic Mar-riageof Mercury and Phikloglt: the handmaidens in the marriage of eloquence andIove of wisdom, the seven liberal arts of words and of things give way to thehandmaidens in the marriages of style and manners-properry elegance, andstatus. Grammatical themes of action and reaction are developed in accor-dance with laws of nature in plots of suppressed desires and distorted thoughts,analysis and reconsideration, and insight and liberation. Pride and Prqjudices acomic De RerumNatura. Dialectical themes of action and thought are developedin accordance with love and ideas n plots ofperception and recollection, ofas-cent and descent, of charity and concupiscence, and of pleasure and felicity.Pride and Prejudices a cornic Diuine Comed2-a Human Comedy.

The places ofrhetoric can be used to difrerentiate and discover four kinds ofrhetorical arguments and to make possible a pluralistic interpretation of prtdeand Prqjudice. di{rerent yet similar pluralism can be established by use of eachof the other arts of criticism. The pluralism of pluralisms is a guarantee, on theone hand, that the controversial opposition of arts of criticism will continueunabated and that it will continue, as in the past, to contribute renewal and

Pride and Prejudice 85

dlmamism to art criticism, when it does not sink into a logomachy, and, on theother hand, that the interpretation of an individual literary work will be en-riched by combining the varieties of literary criticism, since they do not yieldpropositions which may be shown to be true or false of an existent entiry butinsights which draw attention to qualities which make an unqualified named-object a work of art by judgment.

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