As I re-read Pride and Prejudice for the third time I couldn't help but remember Dr. Shurbutt's Brit Lit class in which I read the book for the second time. Dr. Shurbutt's reading attributes much of the ridiculousness included in the novel to Austen writing it as satire rather than a straight romance. While I think that this view has it's merits, I'm undecided. The biggest point that it rests on is, I think, the end. Austen spends 200 pages building up a mountain of grievances against Darcy and in 50 tears it down and builds a mountain of love in it's place.
Austen building the saccharine sweet ending of "everyone is happy, even the 'villain' and all of the grumpy people" just doesn't sit right with me, as straight or satire. If it's played straight, why is there no comeuppance for Wickham or De Bourgh? If it's satire, what are we supposed to get from it? I've decided to think about this as played straight, with subtle, and proper, punishments for those who deserve them. Thoughts?
I do not know why, but I cannot picture "Pride and Prejudice" as a satire. I believe that Austen was a completely serious writer in regards to the issues of love and marriage. Were it indeed a satire, though, I probably would have gotten more enjoyment out of the novel.
ReplyDeleteI want to say that the lack of punishment for or vengeance on Wickham or Lady de Bourgh shows the novel's realism because such people aren't necessarily punished in real life. But the extremely happy ending undermines the realism. One of my discussion questions asked about Austen's intention in wrapping everything up so neatly. I still haven't figured it out. I wonder what the book would have been like if she'd ended it earlier. How do you end a novel like this one?
ReplyDeleteThinking of this book as a satire is very interesting. While I can completely see where you are coming from (and part of me wishes that were the case); I just do not think that Austen intended it to be one. I think perhaps a more realistic ending would have been in Darcy and Elizabeth had not gotten married. It just seemed contrived considering that Elizabeth basically feel in love with his house. So, "pretty property = love?".
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, the idea of this novel functioning as a satire has never entered my mind (as the evidence for satire seems insufficient). There are a few moments that resonate a dry sense of humor from Jane Austen, and a few characters seem to be implausibly overdone, but I do not think these elements are enough to classify the work as a satire. I completely agree with you, Kevin. The immediate happy ending seems ridiculous and abrupt. It is almost as if Jane Austen was writing this work and discovered that she only had a few leaves of paper left, so, instead of going out to buy some more, she wrapped it up quickly.
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