3.2 Feminine Consciousness in Pride and Prejudice
3.2.1 Era Background of Pride and Prejudice
Above all, we should get to know the era background of the novel by Austen. Austen lived between the end of 18s and the beginning of 19s, when the society of England was in a transition period from the prophase of capitalism to the industrial capitalism. In an English countryside which was still under serious control of old feudalism and new power of capitalism was still on the way, we can image how humble were women’s social status at that time. Simply speaking, between men and women, there was a relationship like the subject and object. It means that men as the subject had the absolute controlling right to women, the object. Equality between men and women did not exist absolutely. This could be represented in several aspects as below:
Firstly, in the aspect of economy, women didn’t have rights at all. Take the story as an example. Household Bennett is a big family at the local region. Their estate could bring them with an annual average income of 2,000 pounds.
However, according to the additional terms in the testament, this property can be only inherited by a male heir. This has delivered lively a message that at that time, women can either live depend on their fathers’ property at home, or marry a man and live on their husbands’. Because the system at that time has deprived the women of their controlling rights of property.
Secondly, on marriage issue, women were not equal with men, either. Because of the inequality on economy between men and women, women can only live on depend on their husbands after marriage. And this has led to an object consequence that women were forced to attach themselves to their husbands, which was shown on the marriage conception. Therefore, in the society of England at that time, women educated well but with no property had no choice but marry a rich men. This has forced Mrs. Bennett to make her daughters marry rich men eagerly.
Lastly, on social status, women were also inferior to men naturally. Women at that time did not have jobs and lived upon their men at home. Therefore, this kind of sexual relationship which was almost feudal made that situation a certainty that women as the objects controlled by men, the subjects. Therefore under this background, the feminine consciousness of the unique hostess Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice seems particularly valuable. Feminine consciousness refers that women realize that they are not objects that attach to men, but other subjects that were equal with men. This can be shown by their independent ability of thinking and evaluating, their understanding by consistently criticizing, and their self-examination afterwards and then dominating their own destiny in the society of male chauvinism.
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