Representation of Pride and Prejudice - Paragraph

Write a paragraph in which you discuss the way ideas about class are evident in the novel’s representation of pride and prejudice.

In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the representations of both pride and prejudice portray ideas regarding social class due to Austen’s effective use of narrative voice and dialogue. Pride is recognised as a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own self; prejudice is known as the act or state of holding unreasonable preconceived judgments or convictions. The novel considerably comments on the correlation between Mr. Darcy’s sense of pride and his prejudice towards others of a lower class, particularly through the narrative voice. “He was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased” (p.12). Mr. Darcy feels superior to everyone else around him, consequently taking no pleasure in spending time with such people. Dialogue further positions the reader to respond to the ideas of pride and prejudice and their relationship to social class: upon Mr. Bingley questioning why Mr. Darcy chose not to dance with anyone at Sir William and Lady Lucas’s ball, he responds, “There is not another woman in the room, whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with” (p.13). Mr. Darcy’s pride doesn’t allow him to enjoy conversing with those of a lower class, and as a result he develops a negative, prejudiced attitude towards others. Throughout the novel, social class is a core element of the pride and prejudiced attitudes held by array of characters, in particular, Mr. Darcy, as is made evident through Austen’s manipulation of aesthetic features such as dialogue and narrative voice.