Beyond Pride And Prejudice

In the 18th century, England was still a patriarchal society and marriage wasstill the best way, even the only way for women to gain some social status andrecognition. As a woman writer who focuses on love and marriage, Jane Austenexhibits a particular feminist tendency in her novels which is classified asEnlightenment Feminist by Margaret Kirkham.In Pride and Prejudice, Austen created a female figure, Elizabeth Bennet, whois a little rebellious. She wants to pursue a happy marriage according to her own will.At the end of the novel, both Elizabeth and Darcy overcome their pride and prejudiceand happily get married. By analyzing the process of their happy marriage from thefeminist perspective, the thesis tries to draw some inspiration from Austen andprovides some hints for modem women in their view of marriage.