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In this episode, Clare speaks with Kirrily MacRaild about Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'. Both Kirrily and Clare have a long history with this text, first studying it as teenage students, and continuing to engage with it throughout their lifetimes, resulting in a deep appreciation for the characters and their motivations, but also a capacity to reflect on their changing understanding of these characters. The conversation includes an alternate reading of Darcy, once considered rude and arrogant, but perhaps he is just misunderstood.
Some reflections on the conversation:
There is no doubt that Austen constructed the particular romantic pairings of her text quite purposefully in order to highlight and critique elements of her society. Despite the background context of the Napoleonic Wars, and the Industrial Revolution, she is focused on comparatively small matters that dominate the minds of those in rural England. This apolitical style of writing is in many ways the reason the text retains its popularity today - humanity has not changed particularly much, and the traits of pride and prejudice are still as problematic. Further to this, issues of gender disparity and inequity are still prevalent in modern society, so there is some empathy for the five Bennet sisters who, because they are female, are unable to inherit their father's house. While Mrs Bennet is largely a character of ridicule, to some extent the reader can empathise with her deep seated anxiety about being homeless and desititute, as when her (older) husband dies, she becomes reliant on her daughters for an income and a place to live. If her daughters are unmarried, then she has no where to go. While this doesn't excuse her rude and downright pushy behaviour, it does provide some context for it, and highlight the importance of understanding context in reading a text.
To be continued...