Austen class, SFUAD, Fall 2017

1. Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen’s indelible novel

2. 200 Years of Book Design
 The Atlantic Magazine in 2013 did a
200-year anniversary of Pride and
Prejudice’s publication anniversary
that looked at its cover and design
history. I’ve taken both the covers
and texts to show you in the
following slides.

3. First published in
1813 by Thomas
Egerton
Jane Austen wrote excitedly in November 1812, “P & P is
sold. – Egerton gives £110 for it. – I would rather have had
£150, but we could not both be pleased, & I am not at all
surprised that he should not chuse to hazard so much…”

4. Critics loved it. So did Austen
"I must confess that I think her [Elizabeth] as delightful
a creature as ever appeared in print, & how I shall be
able to tolerate those who do not like her at least, I do
not know." A week later, she admitted to being "quite
vain and well satisfied enough" overall with the book.

5. First edition
auctioned by
Christie’s in
2012
Sold for $68,500

6. Edition from1883, which is going
for nearly $1000 and apparently
includes the inscription "To My
Husband from his wifre 1885."

7. Popular
peacocks
1895
by Hugh Thomson for Macmillan's edition of
Illustrated Standard Novels.

8. 1946 school book
 posted on Etsy. "Throughout this
book are pictures from the 1940
movie of Pride and
Prejudice starring Laurence Olivier
as Mr. Darcy and Greer Garson as
Elizabeth Bennet,"

9. A 1944 cover that
features the film:

10. Austen for the ages

11. Vintage
classics, 2010

12. Marvel Comics

13. Pride and Prejudice: the meta experience

14. Author Helen Fielding
stole the plot of
Bridget Jones’s Diary
from Pride and
Prejudice

15. And more pop
culture

16. Transmedia Adaptations

17. So here’s a starting
question…
Why do you think
Pride and Prejudice
remains so popular?

18. Lizzie
 What are some of Elizabeth’s characteristics
as depicted by Austen? Would she be
considered remarkable in today’s world?

19. Class and Wealth
 In the society Austen depicts, to be in
“trade,” that is make money is considered
inferior in some ways to inheriting money.
 This is beginning to change during the
time period in this novel. For instance,
Elizabeth’s uncle is a lawyer; the upper
class to some degree mingle with officers
in the Navy.
 To some degree, the presence of the
military as an occupation signifies the shift
to a society built more on meritocracy
versus aristocracy.

20. Social/Historical
Context
 Landed gentry: Specific class of people, like
Darcy, whose income derived from rents
from tenants on his land and property.
 Primogeniture: The name for the law that
required that property was passed to the
eldest son.
 Reform Act of 1832: Began changes toward
giving more power to all people, not just
wealthy landowners and aristocracy

21. Great Expectations
 Young Ladies:
 Expected to have an untarnished reputation
 Her sons represent a pure blood line of
inheritance
 Play parlous games, dance, read, sew, draw,
paint, write, sing, play music, shop, call on
friends, never be unsupervised with men
 Gentlemen:
 Land acquisition,
 hunting, shooting, fishing, keeping horses
and dogs, carriage driving, belong to clubs,
dress expensively,
 play cards, dance, dine
 Discretion expected of their adventures with
ladies
 Both list adapted from resource at Jane
Austen House Museum

22. And
now…Charli’s
presentation

23. Now you…
rewrite opening line
with contemporary
reflection and irony

24. Characterization
 Pride and Prejudice is particularly acknowledged for Austen’s skill
at using dialogue for characterization, as well as the other forms
of characterization. In pairs, I am going to ask you to show
examples of how we learn about characters from specific direct
speech:
 Elizabeth
 Mr. Bennet
 Mrs. Bennet
 Mr. Darcy