Friday, February 13, 2015
Preconceived Notions and Why
Pride and Prejudice is the first Austen novel that I've read. I'm not really sure why it has taken me so long to expose myself to her. I guess it is probably because of some preconceived notions that I had about her work, specifically Pride and prejudice. I was under the impression that Pride and Prejudice was nothing more than a silly romance novel. After reading it however, I can't help but feel ashamed of my previous feelings. While on the surface Pride and Prejudice is about love and romance, it's also about much more. The character's push boundaries, learn to judge others not so quickly or harshly, and I just loved the comical quality the text had. My feelings for Pride and Prejudice and Austen in general are now, completely different! I loved the book and suppose that just like Elizabeth, I learned to perceive things in a different, more careful way. I too, like Elizabeth, feel shame for my prior way of thinking. I bought into our societies patriarchal assumptions of Austen and her work. Due to Austen's gender so many people easily write off her works as a woman writing about love. However, Austen's work is full of deeper meanings and symbolism. I'm curious if anyone else had similar preconceived notions? Why these preconceived notions of Austen exist, is it purely because of her gender? And if anyone else went through a similar intellectual growth or "awakening"?
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Morgan, I can definitely see where your preconceived notions of both Pride and Prejudice and Jane Austen came from. Sometimes I think we as readers and students become intimidated by the authors that are deemed as renowned and important by not only our professors but society as well. On the surface it would appear that Pride and Prejudice is merely a silly love story but I think that comes with our over exposure of that story line in today's culture. I live your connection between yourself and Elizabeth, but I do not think you should be ashamed about your past notions! This just emulates our ability as people and readers to grown and learn as we go.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the way that Austen portrayed all of the characters especially the female ones. Normally, I despise the way women are written in a textual context but Elizabeth was the first female protagonist that I could really get behind and empathize with. I like that she is such a strong female character, I think my assumption was that everyone in this book was going to be unlikeable due to the time period but I actually really enjoyed it.
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