Prompt Revisions: Prompt #3

1974. Choose a work of literature written before 1900. Write an essay in which you present arguments for and against the work's relevance for a person in 1974. Your own position should emerge in the course of your essay. You may refer to works of literature written after 1900 for the purpose of contrast or comparison.

            Pride and Prejudice written by Jane Austin in 1813 is a timeless piece, but is it still relevant in today’s society? The answer to that question is both yes and no: in modern times we can still see the importance of reputation and normalcy, however social classes and gender roles are much less defined.

            Pride and Prejudice depicts an individual’s reputation as being of the utmost importance, therefore every decision is dependent on society’s reaction. The characters must be very careful in their behavior because stepping out of social normalcy could lead to ostracism. An example of this is when Elizabeth walks to Netherfield. Not only is it socially unacceptable for a lady to walk such a distance, but she has also become filthy in the process. This causes Miss Bingley to think less of her because it is considered unsuitable behavior. This importance of reputation is relevant in today’s society as well. If someone were to show up somewhere prestigious covered in dirt today it would definitely cause others to draw conclusions about their character. If people are to act in ways that are uncommon, others will tend to judge them, alter their opinion, and build his or her reputation around it—just like in Pride and Prejudice.

            In Austin’s novel, there were three very distinct classes—the upper, middle and lower class. Individuals within these classes rarely transitioned between them, and if they were to do so it was typically a downgrade. People in the upper class also tended to dislike individuals below themselves. This is clearly seen in Miss Bingley who had a strong distaste for nearly every character with less wealth than herself. She could do this because at the time, classes were very strictly defined. Today, social distinctions are much broader and easier to transition between. This makes Miss Bingley’s judgment irrelevant in today’s society because she would not necessarily know who would be below herself, and if she were to be critical toward them, it would be her that would be judged for her bad character.

            One of the most important themes in Pride and Prejudice is the portrayal of women as dependent on men. This is virtually irrelevant in today’s society because the role of women has expanded passed the homemaker. Now women have important roles in all areas of work, including highly authoritative positions. During the time of which this novel was written, however, these occupations for women would have been laughable. In fact, a woman’s place in society was entirely based upon the man she married and she would not have worked outside of the home unless she was a member of the lower class. This is clearly seen in the words and actions of Mrs. Bennett who spends the majority of the novel emphasizing the idea to her daughters that their greatest goal in life is wed a wealthy and proper suitor. Since so much of the novel is focused on this theme, it is not relatable to today’s readers.

            Overall, most of the values that Jane Austin attacked in writing this novel are irrelevant in today’s society. Although an individual might find it easy to relate to the importance placed on reputation and social normalcy, the majority of the novel focuses on themes that have long since been extinct; nowadays people are of every level of wealth and are not as distinctly separated as they were in the 1800's. In addition to this, unequal gender roles are much less prominent. Being that the majority of this novel seems to revolve around these two themes, it makes the main idea irrelevant to individuals in today’s world.