What Pride and Prejudice Taught Me About Feminism and Love
Image Source, Elaine Howlin (Unsplash)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is the kind of novel that you’ve probably heard about a million times. Elizabeth Bennet meets rich, single and proud Mr. Darcy. She grows disdainful of him and then, in a twist of passion, they eventually fall in love. It’s been remade into countless films and shows. It’s edged its way into modern tales like You’ve Got Mail and even been zombified. As Jane Austen’s 246th birthday quickly approaches, it feels apt to delve into the most poignant themes of her most famous novel.
The first time I read Pride and Prejudice was my personal era-defining moment. Reading Jane Austen’s polite but distinct prose deepened every tender feeling I’ve had towards love. I would clutch my badly-bent, browning second-hand copy as if it was my holy grail. I have to admit that I’ve read it at least half a dozen times and have seen almost every reiteration of it. Keira Knightley is utterly brilliant in the 2005 film.
Despite my intense fascination, I felt ashamed mentioning it was my favourite book to anyone who asked. Women are so often taught that to be a feminist means to be independent, and honestly, rightfully so. Some of the first waves of feminism came as a direct response to coverture, that a women was legal property of her husband. To be free of man’s control is essentially the foundation feminism is built on. I felt almost ashamed to be so enamored by a somewhat traditional love story. It felt as if I was going against the grain of my own beliefs.
However, after deep reflection, I came to the realization that Pride and Prejudice at its core is not a love story. It’s a feminist one.
Jane Austen writes Elizabeth as an incredibly self-aware and intelligent woman. Elizabeth speaks her mind decidedly. She is unwilling to bend her societal views almost to a fault. She states boldy: “I am determined that only the deepest love will induce me into matrimony” despite the fact that securing marriage was considered vital to a woman’s financial security at the time. She gives no thought to it.
Her meeting with the affluent Mr. Darcy doesn’t change any of that. In fact, it strengthens her resolve. When she sees his moral standards do not match her own, she subverts expectations and dismisses him entirely. She acts as a female foil of the era’s traditional woman who aims to please men, who is expected to be the target of their affections. Elizabeth is aware of Mr. Darcy’s prideful nature and higher station, yet she boldly crosses these social boundaries to vocalize her opinions.
Her departure from these conventional social behaviours, not an adherence to stereotypical ideals, is what draws Mr. Darcy to her. This is the intersection where feminism and love coexist.
Elizabeth’s views on female achievement reflects the understanding that a woman’s sense of accomplishment is entirely her own, and Mr. Darcy admires that about her. This taught me that love can only exist where true respect lies. Love is a partnership. A vital source of empowerment is love, but, as Elizabeth taught me, it is not a source we should give up ourselves for. Love and independence isn’t an either-or. With the right person, it can be both.
by Allyson Cochran
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(also featured in I04)
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