Jane austen`s criticism on marriage motivation in the early nineteenth century england through the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, in austen`s pride and prejudice - USD Repository
PAGE OF DEDICATION
Life is like a book; Everyday has a new page with adventures to tell; Lesson to learn and tales of good deeds to remember .
I dedicate this thesis to my beloved family and all my friends
ABSTRACT
Defifani, Yosefin. 2008. Jane Austen’s Criticism on Marriage Motivation in the
early Nineteenth Century England through the Main Character, Elizabeth
. Yogyakarta: Faculty of Teachers Training
Bennet, in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
and Education, Department of Language and Arts Education, English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.
This thesis discusses Pride and Prejudice, a novel written by Jane Austen. The reason in writing this thesis come from my curiosity to know more deeply about the main character of the novel, Elizabeth Bennet, and Jane Austen’s social criticism implied in the novel. There are two problems that become the focus of this thesis: (1) How is the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, described, and (2) How Austen criticizes the marriage motivation in the early nineteenth Century England through the main character, Elizabeth Bennet. Based on those problems, this study aims to describe the main character of the novel and to analyze Jane Austen’s criticism on the marriage motivation in the early nineteenth century of England through the main character.
The data gathering method that I used to achieve the aims of the study is library study. The Sociocultural – Historical Approach is used for the analysis of the data. The primary data of this thesis were taken from the novel, Pride and Prejudice. Meanwhile, the secondary data used to answer the problems above were taken from some relevant and supporting references and also from internet sources. When necessary, quotations and statements from certain experts were also picked up to clarify some important ideas.
Based on the result of the analysis, there are two conclusions which can be drawn. First, Elizabeth Bennet is described as a beautiful woman with her intelligent face and attractive manners. She has a great affection for her family, particularly her oldest sister, Jane. She is a determined and outspoken woman who likes to be honest and has her own opinion about everything. The second result is I found out there are many values and messages Jane Austen wants to express through Elizabeth’s character. Jane Austen tries to criticize the marriage motivation in British society in the early nineteenth century which is based on money and social status. Jane Austen expresses her view of the ideal motivation of marriage through the marriage of Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.
Beside the suggestion for possible future researchers on Pride and Prejudice, this thesis also proposes strategies to implement teaching English by using a novel, particularly in teaching Intensive Reading II.
ABSTRAK
Defifani, Yosefin. 2008. Jane Austen’s Criticism on Marriage Motivation in the
early Nineteenth Century England through the Main Character, Elizabeth
. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan
Bennet, in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini membahas Pride and Prejudice, sebuah novel karya Jane Austen. Alasan penulisan skripsi ini bermula dari keingintahuan saya untuk memahami lebih jauh karakter utama novel ini, Elizabeth Bennet dan kritik sosial Jane Austen yang tersirat dalam novel tersebut. Dua permasalahan menjadi dasar dari penulisan skripsi ini, yaitu: (1) Bagaimanakah Elizabeth Bennet yang menjadi karakter utama digambarkan dan (2) Bagaimanakah Jane Austen mengeritik motivasi perkawinan di Inggris pda awal abad ke sembilan belas, malalui karekter utama, Elizabeth Bennet.
Berdasarkan permasalahan tersebut, studi ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan karakter utama di dalam novel dan untuk manganalisa kritikan Jane Austen terhadap motivasi perkawainan di Inggris pada awal abad ke sembilan belas, melalui karakter utama.
Untuk mencapai tujuan dari studi ini, metode yang saya gunakan adalah studi pustaka. Untuk menganalisa data yang ada digunakan pendekatan Sociocultural- Historical. Data utama dari skripsi ini diambil dari novel Pride and Prejudice. Sementara itu, data penunjang yang digunakan untuk menjawab permasalahan di atas diambil dari beberapa referensi yang berhubungan dan mendukung dan juga dari akses internet. Jika perlu, kutipan dan kalimat dari beberapa ahli juga disertakan untuk memperjelas beberapa gagasan yang penting.
Berdasarkan hasil analisa, ada dua hal yang dapat disimpulkan. Pertama, Elizabeth Bennet digambarkan sebagai seorang wanita cantik yang memiliki wajah yang cerdas dan sifat yang menarik. Dia mempunyai perhatian yang besar terhadap keluarga terutama kakak perempuannya, Jane. Dia adalah wanita yang keras dan terbuka yang lebih suka bersikap jujur dan memiliki pendapat sendiri tentang semua hal. Kedua, saya menemukan bahwa ada banyak nilai dan pesan yang ingin disampaikan oleh Jane Austen melalui karakter Elizabeth. Jane Austen mencoba mengeritik motivasi perkawinan dalam masyarakat Inggris pada awal abad ke sembilan belas yang didasari oleh uang dan status sosial. Jane Austen menyampaikan pandangannya tentang motivasi perkawinan yang paling ideal melalui perkawinan Mr. Darcy dan Elizabeth Bennet
Akhirnya, di samping saran-saran untuk para peneliti berikutnya, skripsi ini menawarkan strategi dalam menggunakan novel Pride and Prejudice dalam pengajaran bahasa Inggris, khususnya dalam pengajaran Intensive Reading II.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to thank Jesus Christ and Mother Mary who have blessed and always guided me to finish my thesis. I also realize that there are so many people who have encouraged and supported me in finishing my thesis.
I give my deep gratitude to Henny Herawati, S. Pd., M. Hum., my sponsor, who has sincerely spent her precious time not only to read and correct my thesis but also for her suggestions and comments on my thesis. Without her patience and supervision, this thesis would never have been completed.
I also would like to thank the secretariat staff of the English Language Education Study Program and the library staff of Sanata Dharma University and my great appreciation to all PBI lectures who have taken part in my study.
My special thanks and love are dedicated to my parents, Stephanus Sinju and
Emirensiana for their love, affection, support and prayer; and my only big brother,
for taking care of me all this time. ErikI would like to thank all my classmates for the long friendship, especially
Lidya for her help to correct my grammatical mistakes in this thesis. Special thank to
all the Mentari’s friends: Kak Yuke, Novi, Intan, Mbak Prapti, Evi, Ria, Kak
Achiet for the great pleasure and talking that we have in Mentari, my KKN friends:
for our friendship and support, and my friend
Hana-chan, Beni, Ipung, Widya ‘coy’
Tigor for his affection and support. My special gratitude is also dedicated to Mas
Adri who has always assisted me during the hard times, for his support,
understanding, and patience; and his family who has considered me as their own family.
Finally, I would like to thank all the people who have supported me. Without their help, I could not have finished this thesis. God bless them all.
Yosefin Defifani
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PagePAGE OF TITLE…………………………………………………………………. i PAGES OF APPROVAL…………………………………………………………... ii STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY………………………………….... iv PAGE OF DEDICATION………………………………………………………… v ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………. vi
ABSTRAK ………………………………………………………………………... vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………………. x
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the Study……………………………………….. 1
1.2. Problem Formulation…………………………………………… 3
1.3. Objectives of the Study…………………………………………. 3
1.4. Benefits of the Study……………………………………………. 4
1.5. Definition of Terms……………………………………………... 4
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1. Review of Related Theories…………………………………….. 7
2.1.1.Theories of Character……………………………………... 7
2.1.2. Theories of Characterization……………………………... 9
2.1.3. Critical Approach………………………………………… 10
2.2. Review on England Society in Regency Period………………… 12
2.3. Review on Society’s View on Marriage in the early Nineteenth Century England……………………………………………….... 13
2.3.1. The Status of Women in England in the early Nineteenth Century………………………………………………….. 13
2.3.2. Social Classes……………………………………………..15
2.3.2.1. Aristocratic or the Upper Class…………………. 16
2.3.2.2. The Middle Class……………………………….. 16
2.3.2.3. The Lower or Working Class…………………... 17
2.3.3. Materialism……………………………………………….. 18
2.4. Theoretical Framework…………………………………………. 19
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
3.1. Object of the Study……………………………………………… 21
3.2. Approach of the Study………………………………………….. 22
3.3. Method of the Study…………………………………………….. 23
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
4.1. The Analysis of the Main Character, Elizabeth Bennet…………. 25
4.1.1 Social Character…………………………………………... 25
4.1.2. Physical Character………………………………………... 27
4.1.3. Psychological Character…………………………………... 28
4.2. Jane Austen’s Criticism on Marriage Motivation in the Nineteenth Century England through the Main Character, Elizabeth Bennet............................................................................ 33
4.2.1. Elizabeth Bennet’s View on Marriage Motivation in her Society………………………………………………….... 35
4.2.2. Jane Austen’s View toward the Motivation of Marriage in her Society……………………………………………… 41
4.2.3. Jane Austen’s View toward Materialism…………………. 42
4.2.4. Jane Austen’s View toward Education…………………… 44
4.2.5. Jane Austen’s View toward Love………………………… 46
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1. Conclusion……………………………………………………… 49
5.2. Suggestions……………………………………………………... 51
5.2.1. The Suggestion for the Future Researchers……………... 51
5.2.2. The Implementation of the Novel, Pride and Prejudice, in Teaching Intensive Reading II ……………………...
52 BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………………….. 55
APPENDICES
Appendix 1 Lesson Plan and Material of Teaching Intensive Reading II …… 57
Appendix 2 Summary of Pride and Prejudice ………………………………… 64
Appendix 3 Biography of Jane Austen ………………………………………… 75
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION This chapter consists of the background of the study, the objectives of the
study, the problem formulation, benefits of the study, and definition of terms. The background of the study focuses on the topic of my study. In the objectives of the study, I give the explanation of the focus of my study. I also give the general illustration of the problem in the problem formulation and the explanation about the benefit of this study for me and other researchers.
1.1. Background of the Study
Marriage is a goal of a relationship between man and woman who want to live together and build a family. Everybody has their own reason why they decide to get married. For example, because they need a status of their relationship, or because they really love each other and they want to live together or maybe only for money. It is better for some people to know the person who will become his wife or her husband, at least the social status, and education background of the person, before he or she decides to get married.
Some people think that most marriages are based on physical attraction, financial security or love and affection; of all these, financial security is the main reason for marriage. Women are getting married for financial security, because it establishes a secure livelihood and a definite home. The other factor that can become the motivation to get married is to get better social status.
In our situation, there are some cases that a woman who has good social background has to find a husband who has better or at least the same social background. In other words, a marriage should be happened between two persons who have, at least, the same social background. For some people, a marriage between man and woman who have different social background will be considered as breaking the rules of marriage. This case still happens in today life, that we can see, for some parents or people, reputation and social background are very important in a marriage life, no matter if they do not love each other. The important point is they can fulfill all the things needed.
Some people think that it is not a woman’s job to find her wanted husband. That opinion also can be found in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice in which the early nineteenth century England society considers a woman should only wait a man who wants to marry her. Women’s situation was much different from what it is today.
Women did not have autonomy. Their life totally depends on men such as their fathers, brothers, and husbands or in some cases other male relatives.
Based on the explanation above, I like to see that Elizabeth Bennet who has different character than other women in that time even her sisters, finds her beloved man in these society condition. I am also interested in studying the topic about how Jane Austen, the writer of Pride and Prejudice, criticize the marriage motivation in the early nineteenth century England through the main character, Elizabeth Bennet. Jane Austen is well aware of women’s economic and social situation in this paternalism environment. Some critics see her as a feminist who criticized her own society. Through her work, Jane Austen, as a member of society, attempts to express her experiences, knowledge, thoughts, views and ideas about the marriage motivation in the early nineteenth century England.
1.2. Problem Formulation
In this study, the problems will be formulated as follow:
1. How is the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, described?
2. How Austen criticizes the marriage motivation in the early nineteenth Century England through the main character, Elizabeth Bennet? 1.3.
Objectives of the Study
This study is conducted to find out the answers of the questions that are formulated in the problem formulation. There are two major objectives in this literary study. First is to describe the main character, Elizabeth Bennet who is presented in the novel. Second is to analyze Jane Austen’s criticism on the marriage motivation in the early nineteenth century of England through the main character.
1.4. Benefits of the Study
This study is expected to be useful and to enrich the knowledge of the readers. It also provides some information about the story, so that the readers can understand the story easily.
The result of this study is expected to be beneficial for other researchers who are interested in literary study, especially a novel. This study might provide them useful information and guidance to make critical judgments.
1.5. Definition of Terms
Before further discussion of novel, some important terms related to the title should be correctly and completely defined. There are three key terms in the title of this literary study; they are view, criticism, marriage, motivation, motive and
It is actually to avoid the readers’ misunderstanding and confusion in the next main. discussion.
1. View
Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary Unabridge defines view as “Manner of regarding or considering something, judgment, opinion (2168)”. In this study view means someone’s perception about something.
2. Criticism th
Collins Cobuild English Dictionary for Advanced Learner (3 edition) defines as “the action of expressing disapproval of something or someone”. In
Criticism this study criticism means expressing disapproval of something.
3. Marriage
Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridge of English Language defines marriage as “the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc (879)”.
In this study marriage is a condition in where a man and woman have a legal commitment to live together as husband and wife.
4. Motivation th
Collins Cobuild English Dictionary for Advanced Learner (3 edition) defines as “what causes you want to do something”. In this study motivation
motivation is something that makes someone wants to do an action.
5. Motive th
Collins Cobuild English Dictionary for Advanced Learner (3 edition) defines as “the reason for doing something”. In this study motive means someone’s reason for doing an action.
6. Main
th
Collins Cobuild English Dictionary for Advanced Learner (3 edition) defines as “the most important one of several similar things in a particular situation”. In this study main means the most important character.
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE In this chapter, I will discuss four parts or subtitles, namely Review of Related Theories, Review on England Society in Regency Period, Review on Society’s View
on Marriage in the early nineteenth Century England and the last is Theoretical Framework. Review of Related Theories contains the theories or the approaches that are relevant with this study. Review on Society’s View on Marriage in the early nineteenth Century England contains the society’s view of the status of women, the social class, and the materialism in England in early nineteenth century. In the Theoretical Framework, I will discuss or explain the contribution of the theories and review to solve the problem in my study.
2.1 Review of Related Theories
In this study, I use some theories to support her analysis. They are theory of character, the theory of characterization which is used to describe the characteristics of the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, in order to find her marriage reason, and the theory of critical approaches.
2.1.1. Theories of Character
According to Abrams in his A Glossary of Literary Terms defines the character as “The persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who interrupt the readers as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say-the dialogue-and by what they do-the action (20).
E.M Foster in his Aspect of the Novel (1974) classifies the character into two kinds: flat and round characters. A Flat character is the character which is simple and does not change or in other words they always stay the same. It means that they always behave and talk in the same way, so it makes the character become easily predicted. On the other hand, a round character is the one who can make the readers surprised because of his or her action. This is very complex character because they often change.
According to Ian Milligan in The Novel in English, there are two kinds of characters based on their role in a story, namely as Major and Minor characters (155).
The major character is the character who becomes the focus in the story from the beginning until the end, and it plays the important role in clarifying the theme of the story. In other word, if we understand the major character of the story, we also understand the theme of the story. The minor characters are those who appear in a certain setting and just necessarily become the background of the major characters. In other word, their role in the story is less important than the major character is.
Holman and Harmon in their A Handbook to Literature classified characters into Static and Dynamic characters. A static character is one who changes little or does not change at all. The pattern of action reveals the character rather than showing the character changing in response to the actions. A dynamic character is one who very often changes or is modified by actions and experiences and one objective of the work in which the character appears is to reveal the consequences of these actions (83).
2.1.2. Theories of Characterization
Holman and Harmon in their A Handbook to Literature define characterization as “The creation of imaginary person. Even though they are created imaginatively, they are seen to be real and exist for the readers or audience as lifelike (81).”
There are three fundamental methods of characterization in fiction. First, the explicit presentation of the character by the author through direct exposition illustrated by the action. Second, the presentation of the character in action of the expectation that the reader will be able to deduce the attributes of the actor from the actions. The last is the representation from within a character of the impact of the actions and emotions on the character’s inner beauty, with the expectation that the reader will come to a clear understanding of the attributes of the character
M.J Murphy distinguishes nine ways of how an author reveals the characters’ personalities and traits to the readers (161–173). First is Personal Description. In the personal description, the author can describe a person’s appearance, such as face, body and clothes. It is very important because it gives clues to the character. Second,
. In this case, the author can describe the character
Character as seen by another through the eyes and opinion of another. Third is Speech where the author can give some clues to the character through what a person says when he or she speaks in a conversation or puts forward an opinion. Forth, Past life. The author can give the reader a clue to events that have helped to shape a person’s character by letting the reader learn about that person’s past life. The fifth is Conversation with others. The author can give the reader clues to a person‘s character through the conversation of other people and the things they say about him or her. Sixth is Reaction. In this case, the author gives us a clue to a person’s character by permitting us know how that person reacts to various situation and events. Next is Thoughts. The author can give the readers direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about because what is in the person’s mind and what he or she feels are reflected on his or her character. Then,
Direct comment . The author can give comment on a person’s character directly. The
last is Mannerism. The author can describe a person’s mannerism, habits or peculiarities that may also tell you about his or her character.
2.1.3. Critical Approaches
Rohrberger and Woods in their book Reading and Writing about Literature mention five kinds of critical approach (1–15). They are the Formalist approach, the Biographical approach, the Socio-cultural- historical approach, the Mythopoeic approach, and the Psychological approach.
Critics who use The Formalist approach concentrate on the whole of the literary works because each of the esthetic part contributes a harmony to the complete work as a whole. Critics, who use The Biographical approach to judge literary work need to understand the important knowledge of the author’s personal life. A better understanding could be facilitated by some useful information taken from the biography of the writer and the biographical provision itself. To understand The
Socio-cultural- historical approach we need some assertions as references such as
socio, cultural and historical background. According to Rohrberger and Woods, those assertions are based on; firstly, literature is not created in a vacuum, secondly, literature form significant ideas to the culture that produced it. Critics, who use the to judge literary works, attempt to find particular recurrent
Mythopoeic approach
patterns of human thought, which are considered sharing the same universal belief to certain community mind. The Psychological approach involves various theories of psychology to explain the characters’ personality in a story. Each character’s behavior could be referred to the psychology of human being.
Each approach which is described above has its values and limitations. The important task that has to the readers and the analyst done is to choose the best approach or approaches that suit for their appreciation on a certain piece of literature. In this study, the writer employs the socio-cultural approach to judge the novel by Jane Austen.
2.2. Review on England Society in Regency Period
Pride and Prejudice took place in England in the early nineteenth, during a time known as the Regency period. The term refers to England’s ruler between 1810 and 1820 (defined by Donald A. Low as 1800-1830 and by Venetia Murray as 1788- 1820) when George IV served as regent to substitute his father, George III who suffered from serious mentally ill.
The Regency period is sometimes called the age of elegance. By the early nineteenth, the industrial revolution had been in full swing for several decades and was transforming English society. Technology made commerce and manufacturing more efficient and profitable. As a result, many middle-class business owners and professionals became wealthy. The newly rich displayed their wealth in large country homes with landscaped ground, fine carriages, and elegant fashions.
The upwardly mobile middle-class generally gave little thought to what was going on outside their world. The economic system that had made them prosperous, however, had left others struggling to survive. In the age of industrialism, work that had previously been done manually was now being done by machines, so it created unemployment. The country was living near starvation in which a situation that fueled social unrest.
2.3. Review on Society’s View on Marriage in the early Nineteenth Century
EnglandSince this thesis is going to study how Jane Austen criticizes the marriage motivation in the early nineteenth Century England, a review on society’s view on marriage in the early nineteenth is needed. So, it is necessary to know the cultural and historical background of the society, especially the society’s view toward the status of women, social classes and materialism of the early nineteenth century in England, which have a close relation to marriage.
2.3.1 The Status of Women in England in the early Nineteenth Century
In early nineteenth century of England, women were not regarded as whole individuals in the society. Women at that time were considered to be the second class people after men and their position were limited only at home to control the household. They even could not go to the world of business and talk about social problem such as politics, trade and technology. Women could never become better until their position was improved and until the laws were made more just, as well as until a wide field were opened for women (Wollstonecraft 530-534).
People in England believed in paternalism, which considered women less important than men. The consequence of this system was that women could not bequeath their family name to their children and they had no right of inheriting the wealth of their parents (Walter L. Arstein 177-189).
In the nineteenth century, few middle-class women could choose not to marry or to marry simply for love. In Jane Austen’s time, there was no real way for young women of the genteel classes to strike out on their own independent. A woman of the genteel class would be respected when she had a thorough knowledge of music, singing, playing the piano, drawing, dancing and speak a little French and Italian. The purpose of such accomplishments, that we consider as the ladylike arts, was often only to attract a husband. Reciting well-known poems, embroidering, and painting designs on the tables were other “accomplishments” for young ladies. Because their adult lives would be spent in the domestic sphere, a well-rounded education was not considered essential for girls. Girls seldom received the systematic education as their brothers did.
Education in the early nineteenth century England was not equal, not between the sexes neither the classes. A lady’s education was taken, almost entirely, at home.
There were boarding schools, but no university, and the studies were very different.
Women were not allowed to attend the institutionalized rags on the educational ladder. Profession, the universities and the politics were not open to women. Only few occupations were open to them and these occupations were not highly respected (being a governess or a live-in teacher for the daughter of a family), and did not generally well paid and have very good working conditions. A few middle-class women earn money by writing, as Jane Austen did, but they seldom made enough to live on. Most of genteel women could not earn money except by marrying for it or inheriting it. By tradition, property and money were passed down through the male side of the family. For most women, marriage was the only path to the financial security or as “the only honorable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune”. Only a rather small number of women could be called professionals.
Margareth Kirkham, in David Greg’s The Jane Austen Handbook says that unmarried women also had to live with their families, or with family-approved protectors (154-156). When a young woman left her family without their approval, such as running away to marry a disapproved husband or entering into illicit relationship, it was a symptom of a radical break and this situation was always very serious
It can be concluded that the status of women in the early nineteenth century England was that the social position of women was lower than men. Women could improve their position only by learning many things to reach the quality of women in the early nineteenth century England.
2.3.2. Social Classes
“True” marriages were connected to social status in Jane Austen’s time. It was like a business contract, joining and strengthening families, wealth and status, providing heirs and giving women financial security. Marriage partners were often chosen according to their background, so the partner with the inferior status could achieve a higher status as a result of the marriage regardless of from family he or she came.
Generally, there were three social classes in England society, namely the aristocratic or upper class, the middle and the lower or working class. Beside those three main classes, there were still many subclasses which were hold their own status in social order.
2.3.2.1. Aristocratic or The Upper Class
The upper or aristocratic class was the richest class that had the big influence upon the economic, politic, military and intellectual policy. A prosperous English family or the upper class people spent more than $ 10,000 a year. They spent their income on ten servants: a man servant, a cook, a kitchen maid, two housemaids, a serving maid, a governess, a gardener, a coachman and a stable boy. Social parties and balls were held often and dancing was a favorite pastime among most upper-class men and women. Spending on food was also great because the dinner party was this class’s favorite social occasion.
2.3.2.2. The Middle Class
The next-highest class was the middle. The middle class was divided into three subclasses. They were upper-middle class, middle-middle class and lower- middle class. The upper middle class composed mainly of the most successful business families from banking, industry, and large commerce. The larger number of servant was very important indicator of wealth and standing for the middle. The sign of real wealth in a middle class household was a male servant; two or three were mark opulence (Hill 847). The middle classes were closely united by a certain lifestyle. Food was the largest item of the household budget. Those food and servants absorbed about a half of the income. They usually would settle the dinner party once a month (Hill 849-850).
Below the wealthy upper middle class was much larger, much less wealthy and increasingly diversified middle class. Here one found the moderately successful industrialist and merchants, as well as profession in law and medicine. This was middle-middle class, solid and quite comfortable but lack of great wealth (Hill 848).
Below the middle-middle class was the lower-middle class who were composed mainly of independent shopkeepers, small trades and tiny manufactures.
The lower-middle class expanded modestly in size with economic development. Industrialization also expanded and diversified the lower-middle class.
2.3.2.3. The Lower or Working Class
The last was the working class. This working class divided into two subclasses. They were the upper working class and the lower working class. The upper working class which was composed mainly people whose livelihood depended on physical labor, who did not employ domestic servants as the upper and middle class had and who had levels of livings and education. They were usually recent migrants who were come from rural areas to the city.
The popular employment for the lower working class was domestic service. Domestic service was hard work at low pay with limited personal independence. For the full-time general maid in a lower-middle class family, there was an unending routine of babysitting, shopping, cooking and cleaning (Hill 852-854). Domestic servants worked seven days a week, twelve hours at least each day because they were expected to work hard to support themselves (Landow 1).
2.3.3. Materialism
The economic life changed constantly and rapidly since Industrial Revolution in 1760. It did not only bring the advantages, but also the disadvantages to England society. Generally, the disadvantages were recent arrivals from agricultural area where they had driven off the land. They kept trying to be able to support their living even though they had to be servants and laborers in factories, workshops, mines and miles. Unfortunately, since human laborers were replaced with machines, their lives were become more depressing because they lost their job and income which supported their lives. Only the upper and middle classes had benefited material wealth. It means that the sense of prosperity was not shared by all the people.
This inequality was very apparent in London. The upper class wanted to gain money in order to be richer. By having a lot of money, they would be more respected by other people, especially people who had lower status. The high class people satisfied with their position while the working class merely wanted to gain money in order to improve and support their financial life. This condition also influenced upon the society’s view toward the reasons of marriage. Their view of the reasons of marriage mostly based on the economical factors and it based on the most profitable one. In England, this opinion is supported by the paternalism system in their society.
It is so, because there is a rule that any property that a woman possess before her marriage automatically become her husband’s unless it was settle on her. There were many unhappy women lost all what they have because of this rule of marriage, and when their property and money were gone, their husband would leave them.
2.4. Theoretical Framework
This study is conducted to find the answers of the problems stated in the problem formulation. I use some theories to answer those problems. For the first problem, I use the theories of character and characterization. The theory proposed by Abrams helps the writer to understand the meaning of character. The types of character stated by Foster, Milligan, Holman and Harmon help to classify the character that will be discussed in this study. The theory of characterization by Holman and Harmon gives the definition of characterization and three fundamental method of characterization. Then, Murphy’s theory is used to find out about the characterization. It is necessary to apply the theories to know what kind of characteristics Elizabeth Bennet has.
Since this study deals with the social and culture literary work, I apply the theory of Socio-cultural approach from Mary Rorhberger and Samuel H. Wood. The theory would help me understand the social life and culture of the main character.
Beside those theories, the writer also uses some information about marriage life in the early nineteenth century of England. It examines the status of women and the social class condition in England in the early nineteenth century. It can help me to understand the society condition and women’s position in that time, and understand how the writer of the novel criticizes the marriage motivation in the early nineteenth century England
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY This chapter consists of three main parts namely, Object of the Study, Approach of the Study and Method of the Study. Object of the Study concerns with
the object or data of the study in the literary work that I analyzed. Approach of the study contains the approach used in analyzing the work. Method of the Study describes the way or the procedure taken in analyzing the work.
3.1. Object of the Study
The title of the novel analyzed in this study is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Jane Austen began to write the novel which original title was First Impression in October of 1796 and finished it by August of the following year; she was then twenty-one years old. Her father submitted it to a London publisher the following year, but the publisher rejected it without ever having seen the manuscript. It was accepted for publication and was presented to the world on 28 January 1813 during the Regency period. It was published by T. Egerton and Whitehall. After her success with Sense and Sensibility in 1811, Jane Austen began to rewrite Pride and Prejudice, which is recognized as her greatest achievement; it was quickly reprinted in that time. Pride and Prejudice has always been Austen’s most popular novel and perhaps her greatest novel since its publication in 1813. In 2003 the BBC conducted the largest ever poll for the "UK's Best-Loved Book" in which Pride and Prejudice . came second, behind The Lord of the Rings In popular culture, Pride and Prejudice has been adapted in a great number of film and television series, varying greatly in its faithfulness to the original. This is the story of sparkling, irrepressible heroine, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, a very rich and seemingly rude man. Pride and Prejudice is a novel about how a man changes his manners and a woman changes her mind.
3.2. Approach of the Study
A certain approach is needed to analyze a work because the way we use to view the work is based on the approach. In her book Approach to Literature, Barbara Garlick says “there is no studying a subject without having an approach to it” (1-7).
I decide to employ the Socio-cultural approach in analyzing the novel in this study because the approach puts the work of literature as the product of civilization.
This approach helps me to understand the social life and culture of the character, specially the main character Elizabeth Bennet, who becomes the focus of this study also the society situation in the Regency period of England.
The Socio-cultural approach is important because some novels will lose their value if the readers do not know and understand the society and culture background of the novel. It means, to analyze and criticize the characters’ marriage motivations in Pride and Prejudice, one must has good understanding about the society of the early nineteenth century England and culture of English marriage in the early nineteenth century.