Research Blog #1 - Pride and Prejudice

English 103
Research Blog #1
Pride and Prejudice

The critical lens that I am that I am thinking about using is Marxism. I am using this particular literary lens in which to view my favorite novel, Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen. In our textbook, Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers, complied by John Schilb and John Clifford, it states that Marxist criticism is “based on the political and economic theories of Karl Marx. Marxists think a society is propelled by its economy, which is manipulated by a class system. Most people, especially blue-collar workers (the proletariat), do not understand the complex ways their lives are subject to economic forces beyond their control. This false consciousness about history and material well-being prevents workers from seeing that their values have been socially constructed to keep them in their place” (1602). After reading the textbook’s explanation of Marxist criticism, it is easy to decipher the concerns and interests of this theoretical school. Marxism is a theoretical school of thought that is based mainly on the economy, and held in place by a social class system. Marxism also explains that most people do not understand the “complex ways their lives are subject to economic forces beyond their control,” and that this obliviousness to understanding the strong economic forces “prevents workers from seeing that their values have been socially constructed to keep them in their place” (1602). I studied Marxism a little bit when I was in high school, but I never jumped into what it meant. However, now I what Marxism is, and thus, I am able to use this definition and apply it accordingly to Pride and Prejudice. I think that Marxism is the best methodology for me to use for Pride and Prejudice because it fits perfectly with the ideas that Austen weaves into the story. Mrs. Bennet – Elizabeth’s mother – is constantly concerned for her daughters’ welfare and is therefore always on the lookout for a potential wealthy husbands. Women did not marry for love; rather, they married to secure their financial futures. Women were tied to this strong belief system, and they let it run their lives. They never challenged it, and because of this, women were essentially “kept in their place.” Women could not be independent – they were dependent on men for everything. They had to be – it just was not normal for women to be earning their own paychecks back in the 1800s. Furthermore, men held women up to certain standards as well – once they became husband and wife, they were expected to do their “duties” that a proper wife would be expected to perform, such as being knowledgeable in certain subjects, such as music, literature, fine dining, etc. This “social” and “financial” system that was in place was a common feature of everyday life that Austen observed, and she incorporated this into Pride and Prejudice. Marxism is the perfect critical methodology to use for Pride and Prejudice of the structured, economical order of society that kept “everyone in their place.”