"Pride and Prejudice", Commentary of Volume II, Chapter 11, « And this », cried Darcy…end of chapter

Fiche de lecture Philosophie & littérature Littérature

Date de publication :

28/04/2008

Langue :

Anglais

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.doc

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3 pages

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avancé

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Sommaire

Darcy's proposal turns into an agonistic moment
Elizabeth's attempt to use a constructed and reasoned language is symbolic of her personal transformation towards knowledge
A non-conformist passage, which gives a frame to a new literary genre

Résumé :

The excerpt, taken from the second part of volume II chapter 11, of pride and prejudice, is located in the middle of Jane Austen's novel and deals with darcy's first marriage proposal to Elizabeth. The author has carefully structured the novel so that darcy's proposal comes at the height of Elizabeth's anger towards darcy. The heroine is still under the shock of Colonel Fitzwilliam's story, according to which darcy saved Bingley from "a most imprudent marriage" with whom she infers is her sister Jane. At the same time, darcy's feelings for Elizabeth have reached the point of compelling him to expose his heart to his beloved. Because the hero belongs to a higher social rank than Elizabeth, he takes for granted that the heroine will accept his proposal, just as Collins did when he proposed to Elizabeth in volume I, chapter 19. Nevertheless, Elizabeth refuses this marriage proposal.
Therefore, one may wonder to what extend the passage functions on a double level, both presenting the plot's climax and the beginning of the denouement. Indeed, after darcy's proposal, the heroine becomes suddenly aware that she has been blind to darcy's affections for her because she has been prejudiced against him. In what sense does this scene appear as a turning point announcing the progress of the two heroes towards self-discovery?
First, it will be analysed how darcy's proposal turns into an agonistic moment. Then, it will be underlined that Elizabeth's attempt to use a constructed and reasoned language is symbolic of her personal transformation towards knowledge. Finally, it will be shown that it a non-conformist passage, which gives a frame to a new literary genre.