Wendy's+Essay+Assignment

Essay Questions All essay questions are due on Monday. They must be typed, double-spaced, and at least 3 pages long. Please do not write more than 5 pages, and remember to cite page numbers! 1. Throughout the novel //Pride and Prejudice//, we have seen several characters undergo some kind of transformation. Please select either Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, Lydia, or Mr. Wickham, and tell me what event most changed them. For example, was Mr. Darcy most changed by his arrival at Netherfield, his trip to Rosings, having his proposal rejected by Elizabeth, or his encounter with Elizabeth at Pemberly?

2. Class and social mobility were key themes in //Pride and Prejudice//. Explain how social class restricted marriages and how people might have gotten around such strictures. Remember that “gentlepeople” did not work for a living, but went around visiting, hunting, and other leisure activities.

3. Gender and the status of women is an ever-present issue in all of Jane Austen’s novels, but is particularly prominent in //Pride and Prejudice//. Women such as Elizabeth and her sisters were not allowed to work due to their social class, but had no property or money to induce a man to marry them. Anne de Burgh was a rarity in that she was allowed to inherit property as long as she remained single; if she would marry, her money and property would belong to her husband. How might this fact have influenced Elizabeth and Jane in their choice of husband? Another track you might consider is why Elizabeth’s choice to reject the “stable” Mr. Collins in favor of a yet-to-appear mystery man was such a big deal.

4. Explore the title of this novel and talk about why you think it is or is not appropriate for it. Begin with the dictionary definitions of the words, and go from there. You might also want to consider who was proud and who was prejudiced in the story, or whether these two traits were shared by many characters at different times.