The End :(

Looking back through this semester I realize how much fun this class has been. We have had some amazing discussions, and Dr. Hanrahan has introduced us to some wonderful literature. I am being totally honest in saying that this course was by far the class I looked forward to most this semester, so thank you all for making it such a great experience.

Mainly because I just wrote my paper on it, one of the two texts that really stuck with me this semester is Pride and Prejudice (the other being The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao). I am sure I have mentioned before that my introduction to Austen was bred from the movie version of Pride and Prejudice which I absolutely adore, and so I expected to be a bit biased in my preference for the novel. I was a bit worried going into the reading that either the movie was going to be better, or the novel would be completely different that my preconceived notions about the text. If anything I learned that there are three worlds that can exist in the realm of literature: personal interpretation, written perception, and the literal translation through film. While no three of these realms were the same for my experience with Pride and Prejudice they were all similar enough that I was able to enjoy the text and our class discussions even more so.

The one character I find myself not doing justice towards is Charlotte Lucas, Lizzy's best friend. I am extremely sympathetic towards Charlotte, especially for the way in which she defends herself against her best friend's judgmental nature. She is not a particularly lucky character in the sense that she does not get to marry for love, however she is worthy of Elizabeth because she is a strong woman in her own sense. I find myself having to reserve my opinion on Charlotte's not getting to marry whom she pleases, especially because she says, "I am not romantic you know.  I never was.  I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins’s character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state"(Austen 85). Charlotte knew what she was doing and I think both Austen's readers and Elizabeth will do best not to underestimate her!