Thursday, February 2, 2012
Similarities between Pride and Prejudice and Little Women
As I have begun reading Pride and Prejudice I keep seeing similarities between the characters in this piece and the characters in Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women." I read Alcott's piece many years ago and I know her piece was written many years after Austen's. I can't help but wonder if Alcott was inspired by Austen in her creation of her characters in "Little Women." Some of the similarities that I have noticed so far is that both the Bennet and the March families appear to be lower middle class. Both families have five daughters with the oldest being the prettiest (Meg and Jane). Lizzie and Jo are the second daughters in the family. Lizzie reminds me so much of Jo. They are both outspoken thinkers and independent and determined. I don't know if anyone else has read "Little Women" and noticed the similarities as well. Of course there are some big differences too. Mrs. Bennet does not appear to be anywhere near as inspirational as Mrs. March. Mrs. Bennet is more concerned with getting all her daughters married to wealthy husbands. I guess that may have been a customary desire for women in this era but it seems alittle trifle to me. I am excited to see if I spot any more similarities between the characters of Lizzie and Jo as I continue but I think it's safe to say that I will enjoy this book.
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LITTLE WOMEN! I LOVE LITTLE WOMEN! I WISH WE WERE READING IT! Ahem. Sorry. Little Women is one of my favorite books. Ever. Anyway.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've read enough of "Pride and Prejudice" yet to notice a lot of similarities between Lizzie and Jo, but one thing that they do have in common is that they are not afraid to speak their minds! And now that you've pointed it out, Meg and Jane are very much alike - sweet, content to marry someone who loves them, and happy with domestic things.
Mrs. March is a better mother than Mrs. Bennett, in my opinion. At the very least, I'd rather have Mrs. March as a mother. Mrs. Bennett wants to see her daughters marry well - that is, for money. She's more like the women in "Little Women" who have, as Jo puts it, "plans" for their daughters - plans to set them up with the first "single man in possession of a good fortune" that comes their way. Mrs. March, on the other hand, tells her girls, "To be loved and chosen by a good man is the best and sweetest thing which can happen to a women, and I sincerely hope my girls may know this beautiful experience...Money is a needful and precious thing - and, when used well, a noble thing - but I never want you to think it is the first or only prize to strive for. I'd rather see you poor men's wives, if you were happy, beloved, and contented, than queens on thrones, without self-respect and peace" (103-04). Mrs. March is entirely more sensible - and so much more likable - than Mrs. Bennett.
Oh my goodness, you read my mind, awilliams6369! (Sorry, I can't quite place you in real life.)
ReplyDeleteI thought exactly the same thing.
Also, as long as we're doing cross textual analysis between class and outside reading--SPOILER: what do people think about Beth, Jo's sister who eventually dies of Scarlett Fever? Helen Burns, much? In a book that was otherwise so pro-female agency, Beth's death felt so WRONG to me, like a throwback homage to Victorian notions of feminine passivity and sacrifice, as Beth is such a moral anchor and foil for Jo, giving her tragic material for her book, "My Beth" later on. Sorry, TANGENT. But I'm really excited by this observation.
I was under the impression that "Little Women" is strongly autobiographical fiction, at least to the extent that Jo is basically a fictionalized Louisa May Alcott. I want to say that Alcott's younger sister died at a young age; that's probably why Beth's death was included in the book. I'd wonder, then, if Alcott's real sister was a lot like Beth in her painfully shy, serving nature. I always thought that Beth's death was very sad (especially when I read the passage in which the girls and Laurie agree to meet at a certain spot in ten years). But I have to admit that hers was the character in whom I saw the least of myself. She was almost /too/ good.
ReplyDeleteOops... I just caught my mistake...brain farts can happen when you get to my age! Anyway, there are only four daughters in "Little Women," not five; Meg (1), Jo (2), Beth (3), and Amy (4). Yep, that makes four daughters!lol
ReplyDeleteAnd you know who I am Erin, I sit across from you in class!:)
I like the idea of connecting these books. I am sure that Alcott was an Austen fan and might have found some inspiration there. As Bethany has pointed out, Little Women is somewhat autobiographical, but that, of course, doesn't preclude a paper (perhaps?) about the two novels.
ReplyDeletehi omg im studying little women and pride and prejudice in 2020 wow this blog was 8 years ago and yes i am a random stranger who stumbled upon this discussion............... but u guys talk very sophisticatedly lol ok bye bye
ReplyDeleteIt is not possible fully to appreciate Little Women without reading Pride and Prejudice, and it is not possible fully to appreciate Pride and Prejudice without reading Little Women. Both novels and their authors are among the finest representatives of the cultural joys and mysteries of their native land. Therein lies the secret to understanding the novels at their most intimate and meaningful level. Pride and Prejudice fully and beautifully embodies the personalities, values, character and customs of Britain and Little Women fully and beautifully embodies personalities, values, character and customs of the United States. The novels, plots, and the characters the authors have created are wonderful, precise, and nearly perfect reflections of the cultures from which they arise. Fate, history, and an extraordinary common bond conspired to have Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott communicating with each other and allowing all of us to listen.
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