Lecture notes
Pride and Prejudice GCSE Detailed Chapter Notes
Notes for the book Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen for GCSE English Literature. Chapters 1-50 included.
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P+P Class Notes Chapters 1-14P+P Chapter 1 Notes (used with ch1 with student notes)
Yellow
‘a truth’ ‘a single man’ is really assertive and makes the man seem like an object. The truth
is from a woman’s point of view. We have satire straight away. Humour is satirical. It’s the
opposite of social expectation. It’s inverted – women were usually the objects of men.
Social expectation of women as mothers
Social expectation that a wealthy man should want a wife, in this case Mr Bingley comes to
Netherfield and Mrs Bennet is confident that he should want to marry one of her daughters
P+P about marriage and relationship between men and women
Jane Austen an author who comments on and is an omniscient author
It satirises the etiquette of the relationship
No sense of physicality – it’s a sense of social and class expectation
Green
People don’t care, there is an irredeemable need to marry
A wealthy daughter should be married to a wealthy man
JA is straight away setting up the situation of the novel
JA is saying Mr Bennett is in for a shock as he doesn’t know he is about to get married – it’s
humorous
There is a pressure on you to love and marry because of a social expectation
JA emphasises that no matter how the man feels, he would be interested in being married to
one of the local women
Style of opening is satirical, ironic and fluffy but the story is about a proper love relationship
Questions in blue
Tone is assumptive – Mrs Bennet is certain Bingley will want to marry one of her daughters
Mr Bennet’s first words - Part of the satire which makes the man seem like an object and not
important – the opposite of social expectations at the time. He chooses his words carefully and is
sharp and mannered in the way he speaks whereas Mrs Bennet is loquacious
‘You want to tell me and I have no objection to hearing it.’ Mr Bennet knows his wife is going to tell
him anyway even if he doesn’t want to hear it so it’s sort of a rhetorical question. He doesn’t care
and isn’t fussed who moves in. Unsensible mother and sensible father. Patience and intolerance –
Mrs Bennet is very impatient to get her daughters married.
‘This was invitation enough’ - They keep going on about satire and the reverse of roles but now the
roles are back to normal and how it should have been at the time. JA leads the reader through this
irony.
,The bold is gossip about other people ‘Mrs Long says that’ ‘was so much delighted with it that’
People are judged and gossiped about. Multiple people have told the story and with each telling it
gets more exaggerated. Everyone knows everyone else’s business. She’s talking about public stuff.
‘What a fine thing for our girls’ ‘A single man of large fortune’ ‘I am thinking of his marrying one of
them’ Mrs Bennet is deeply engrained in social expectations of the time that a rich man should want
a wife and she is confident it will one of her daughters. Mr Bennet is oblivious when he says ‘How
so?’ Social hierarchy in this wealthy society – Bennets are not rich so Mrs B’s soul purpose is to get
her daughters married to a rich man. She is writing about social commentary on women. Need to get
her daughters married off.
‘therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes’ If Mr Bennet goes to visit Mr Bingley, Mr Bingley
has to go back to visit them in turn so he’ll meet all of their daughters. Once the call is made it has to
be returned. Part of the etiquette of the time – when someone moves into the neighbourhood it was
polite for his neighbours to call on him. Relationship between young men and young women and it’s
going to go wrong.
Exchange between Mr and Mrs Bennet - Mr Bennet flatters his wife but it’s part of the etiquette to
do so. Mr B recognises the superficiality in the society he lives in – appears that he stands apart from
the superficial society.
‘Indeed you must go, for it will be impossible for us to visit him, if you do not’ If he doesn’t visit
him immediately it will be impossible to get him later because he’ll have other engagements with
other families such as Sir William and Lady Lucas. The man of the house has to do it – establishment
of relationship between the heads of the households
‘I will send a few lines by you to assure him of my hearty consent to his marrying whichever he
chooses of the girls’ Mr Bennet is carefree whereas Mrs Bennet is very careful and over-alert which
is the definition of ‘over scrupulous’. Mr B is taking the micky and is mocking – he finds the whole
thing absurd and funny.
‘You mistake me my dear…’ - He’s long suffering and his wit is dry. He is reserved
Repeated use of visit
Chapter 1 final paragraph changes style – it’s not like the discussion between Mr and Mrs Bennet
anymore because JA is commenting on them both. It confirms the themes and marriage and gossip.
The way the chapter works is there is a lot of dialogue but it begins and ends on JA’s comment. She
is commenting wittingly and satirically.
‘caprice’ – he is very witty and warm hearted and cruel in a small way. When Mr B speaks he means
it. He prefers his daughter Elizabeth. There are 6 women in the house
Mrs B is thick but Mr B is slightly embarrassed by his wife. His intelligence, reserve and his wit
contrasts completely to her.
‘its solace was visiting and news’ – gives us a reason why she is obsessed with marrying her
daughters off
Themes: Marriage, money, gender, Status, men, financial security and the Bennet family
Mr and Mrs Bennet know that Mr B should visit Mr Bingley
, General notes
Gentry, upper middle class and aristocracy – the Bennets don’t fit this
It’s a small, closed society and has characters representative of the church
Status is crucial when it comes to etiquette
Gender and gender roles – Mr and Mrs Bennet
Mr Bennet is long-suffering because his wife is slightly different – not upper-middle class
Aware of hierarchy and wealth - £4000 per year is a lot
The first theme in the book is marriage – Mr and Mrs B discussing marriage of their daughters
Characters in JA novels tend to watch, judge, comment, gossip
Mrs Bennet does these things but Mr B does not
Elizabeth Bennet: second oldest daughter ‘Heroine’. She is witty, cruel, clever, intelligent and
attractive – she’s a typical JA heroine
JA writes from perspective of women a lot
Chapter 1 establishes the themes of family, gossip and marriage
Chapter 2 establishes the themes of visiting and general convention
JA does not talk about sex
There is a right and a wrong in terms of social rules. At all costs they avoid scandal. Scandal would
reflect on the family. We have a status quo. Younger daughter Lydia is a bad girl
In the novel there are a series of public engagements (balls, dances, assemblies) commented on in
private – judged
Things happen in public but are commented on in private
Bingley – polite, sophisticated and a bachelor – rich and single
Darcy – more good looking and sophisticated and he is also a bachelor
Novel is similar to chess – certain things have to be done. Meanwhile people are commenting
Class, shame and embarrassment and family become important
Darcy and Bennet could not be from further extremes
Novel about Elizabeth and Darcy
Family, bachelors, social etiquette and social expectation
There is a social need for Mrs Bennet
JA might be satirising attitude
Chapter 2
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