IndexIntroductionRealism and Romanticism in Pride and Prejudice ExamplesConclusionIntroductionIn Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen demonstrates a flexibility of genre in which realism and romanticism are balanced through the socioeconomic accuracy of the novel and the characterization of Mr. Darcy, along with Elizabeth Bennet's idealistic approach to marriage. Austen successfully justifies this duality by depicting Elizabeth's social mobility within the confines of the strict class hierarchy of the British Regency. Although romance and realism are the main genres of Pride and Prejudice, the flexibility of the genre goes further, incorporating elements of Gothic literature. Critics have argued about the genre of Austen's novels. For William Dean Howells, his writing exemplifies literary realism, which he considers superior romanticism. In “Writing Novels and Reading Novels,” Howells argues that it is “only the false in art that is bad” and classifies authors as “truthful” or “untruthful.” Yet it leaves no room for Austen's gender fluidity, which is indeed a major source of interest in the narrative as a whole. Regardless, Pride and Prejudice includes the basic attributes of literary realism. No fantasy elements are present, with the characters finding themselves in realistic situations. Each character's social class is clearly defined, providing a nuanced representation of British nobility. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Realism and Romance in Pride and Prejudice Examples Entire chapters of Pride and Prejudice involve the characters sitting down to discuss how to write letters and the kinds of books they read. Much is revealed through letters rather than dialogue; a narrative device of stoic functionality. In "Ventriloquized Views on Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Emma: The Critical Voice of Jane Austen," Katie Gemmill discusses Austen's opinion of her own work. Her research suggests that Austen would consider herself a realist author. He cites Austen's letters to Anna which show how Austen was “opposed to characters who displayed virtue or vice in their absolute forms. He preferred a realistic portrayal of human fallibility” in his novels, achieving “what Mary Waldon described as a 'blurring of moral focus' that 'leaves the reader uncertain whether to approve or disapprove of the characters.' In Pride and Prejudice, it is unclear whether Austen successfully achieves this goal. Few characters are portrayed as perfect and this includes the most favorable characters like Darcy. But others consider Austen's characters more simplistic. Toby R. Benis discusses the BBC miniseries Pride and Prejudice in “The Austen Effect: Remaking Romantic History as a Novel of Manners. Benis quotes Andrew Davies, the writer of the screenplay, who claims that "no other 18th or 19th century novelist equals Austen's adaptability for the screen". Davies cites Austen's “ear for dialogue” and plots that “work”. Benis states that Austen's novels contain "naturalistic and appropriate detail", but disagrees that her novels are entirely realistic in their depiction of social interactions. Despite Austen's opposition to representing vice and virtue in absolute terms, Benis discusses how Pride and Prejudice is a “typical Austen novel” in which the heroine must choose one of two suitors; “one virtuous and one less”. Between Darcy and Mr. Collins, however, there is no clear dichotomy between vice and virtue. Bothcharacters have personality flaws, but neither was as potentially shameful to the Bennets as Wickham. Benis argues that, as a “novel of manners,” Pride and Prejudice created the “Austen effect,” since “conventions historically associated with the novel… re-emerge in films depicting historical figures and controversies in the Georgian language .England, even when there is little evidence to support this reading of history.” This suggests that Austen provides an inaccurate view of her time period, discrediting the realism of her novels. But Austen shouldn't be blamed if directors misinterpreted her work. All of his novels, including Pride and Prejudice, describe a narrow segment of British society. The novel's opening statement, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man of good fortune must be in want of a wife," is ironically idealistic. The narrator scoffs at this generalization by mentioning that the “feelings or opinions of such a man” are “little known.” However, the claim is again described as a “truth” believed by the Bennets and their “surrounding families.” No character expresses this “truth” directly, but if any of them did, it would have to be Mrs. Bennet. Mrs. Bennet is one of the most realistic characters in the novel. She doesn't care how compatible a potential suitor might be with one of her daughters. While discussing Bingley with Mr. Bennet, she states that he is “a single man of great fortune; four or five thousand a year. His utilitarian approach to marriage is appropriate, considering the inheritance laws described at the beginning of the novel. These laws would leave the Bennet sisters in a precarious situation, as the estate can only be left to Mr. Collins. But Ms. Bennet is not entirely grounded in reality. Despite her family's social status, Mrs. Bennet is very optimistic. Placing too much emphasis on how Bingley's fortune would benefit his daughters, he never considers why Bingley might want to marry one of them. Yet he still believes it is "very likely that he could fall in love with one of them." She doesn't care if her daughters fall in love with Bingley. Bingley confirms this optimism when he first meets the Bennets. He immediately tells Mrs. Bennet that he intends to marry one of her daughters, ignoring their social class and his unfamiliarity with the family. But Bingley's mother considers wanting to marry beneath him so shameful that she lectures Darcy on his attraction to Elizabeth. He considers Elizabeth's decision to come to their home an "abominable sort of presumptuous independence" and "indifference to decorum". Miss Bingley points out Elizabeth's dirty petticoat and reminds Darcy that he wouldn't want his sisters to be like Elizabeth. Unlike Mrs. Bennet, Miss Darcy tries to enforce social norms more strictly. This does not mean that Mrs. Bennet does not respect social norms, but she lacks tact and is shameless in her opportunism. The older and younger characters show a generational gap in their attitudes towards marriage. Elizabeth Bennet has a high view of marriage. She refuses to marry just for money and turns down two marriage proposals. Like Bingley and Darcy, she is willing to ignore social class when thinking about marriage. This gives the novel a sense of romance despite an otherwise realistic setting. Anxiety about class difference is presented less harshly than in Persuasion. The heroine of each novel marries her lover, but the rejection of the marriage proposal in Persuasion brings Anne to the situation.