Abstract

I watched the movie “Pride and Prejudice” a few of years ago and I have had
a deep impression on the movie. Therefore, when doing the thesis, I choose it to be
able to understand the novel more. The main topic of the work “Pride and
Prejudice”, written by the female author Jane Austen, is love and marriage in the
eighteenth century. Among a large number of love stories in the work, the love
between Mr. Darcy and Ms. Elizabeth is the most cherished love affair in my mind
and I want to discover the author’s implication as well as her own opinions through
the couple.
In order to fulfill my research, I use certain research methods such as
searching the Internet, reading review books, discussing with people who like this
work, including my supervisor, and exchanging opinions on literature forum. In
general, I hope that in these way, I can listen to more ideas, acknowledge more
reviews and have a more critical and multidirectional view on the topic.
In the work, there are a number of marriages symbolizing some types of
marriages in the eighteenth century society. However, just the love between Mr.
Darcy and Ms. Elizabeth can impress the readers and me. It is because their love
goes beyond the context of the eighteenth century and is ideal love human beings
want to have. In my mind, their love is not only passionate but also intense. The
more ardent their love is, the more powerful it is. The intense love helps them
overcome both internal barriers- their pride and prejudice and external barriers
formed by their relatives and friends. Specifically, their powerful love overcomes
the prejudices of the eighteenth century. In addition, the ardency in their love
impresses me very much because it has hidden inside them for a long time and not
expressed outside until the end of the work. In my thesis, I exploit the details in the
work to make clear how intense and passionate their love is.
I hope that my thesis, to some extent, can help you feel the extraordinary
power and ardency in their love. Furthermore, you can realize what true love is and
how to build up a true love such as the love between Mr. Darcy and Ms. Elizabeth
Table of content

3.1.1 Their love overcomes the internal barriers…………… 21
3.1.2 Their love overcomes the external barriers……… 29
3.2The love between Mr. Darcy and Ms. Elizabeth is passionate
3.2.1Their love is passionate at Netherfield…………… ………34
3.2.2 Their love is passionate at Rosings……………………… 38
3.2.3Their love is passionate at Derbyshire . …………… …….40
3.2.4 Their love is passionate at Longburn ……………… … 42
Part 3: Conclusion…………………………………………….
………….43
Bibliography…………………………………………………… 45
Part 1
Introduction
1. Rationale
There are a great number of reasons that are both subjective and
objective for my choice in studying the masterpiece “Pride and prejudice” by
the famous English female writer Jane Austen. At first, I asked my friends for
certain suggestions of my research topic and one of the suggestions is the
work “Pride and prejudice”. Two years ago, I watched the film adapted from
this novel by chance and it actually appealed to me as well as persuaded me
although it is a classical movie. Until recently, when holding the novel “Pride
and Prejudice” by the female writer Jane Austen on my hands, my eyes
sticked to a range of its ranks. I had an extremely special impression on the
fact that it was the book helping women change their viewpoint of themselves
most and ranked twelfth in twenty of the most beautiful love stories over the
world. This encouraged me to read the novel because of both my admiration
with the female author and my curiosity in exploring the love story in the
novel.
After finishing my reading, my interest in the work pushed up my
decision in studying it. First of all, the work mentions a topic that is simple,
familiar, but never timeless, even in our modern society. The novel answers

their opinions or beliefs. Moreover, I want to make comparison between
women and people’s conception of love and marriage in nineteenth century
and nowadays, then identify whether the author‘s message is valuable or not
and in which aspect.
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3. Significance
I hope that my research will be significant to readers thanks to its
practicality. Literature is not simply a scientific subject, but it is useful
lessons for human being, especially a masterpiece like “Pride and prejudice”.
Through my research, according to my deep belief, you can think critically
and draw out lessons, especially lessons about moral, love and marriage for
yourselves.
4. Research Methodology
In order to fulfill my research, I use certain research methods such as
searching Internet, reading review books, discussing with people who like this
work including my supervisor, and exchanging opinions on literature forum.
In general, I hope that in these way, I can listen to more ideas, acknowledge
more reviews and have a more critical and multidirectional view on the topic.
5. Scope of the study
In my thesis, I research the content: “The love between Mr. Darcy and
Ms. Elizabeth” in the work “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen.
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Part 2
Chapter 1: Literature review
1.1 Definition
The knowledge of “what is a literary fiction” varies owing to different
approaches as well as senses from individuals. Among a great deal of the
knowledge, it is objective that literary fiction is understood based on the origin of
the word “fiction” itself. It is derived from the Latin “fictum”, meaning invented. In
fact, literary fictions are products of imagination by which writers can create make-

In a literary fiction, theme is the representation of its controlling idea. It
can be considered as its root as well as its soul. It means that all of aspects of a
literary work are imagined and presented around the central theme. The theme is
not simply a topic, but it is the author’s idea or conception about the topic that she
or he would like to impart to readers through the fiction in a non-didactic way. In
other words, the theme is the authors’ message as well as valuable morals that the
readers can obtain from the fictions. They may be the morals about life, society,
period, human nature. The literary masterpieces can be said that their vitality is
timeless owing to what readers are taught through the works are extremely
meaningful and valuable in every period. Nevertheless, writers do not expose the
theme explicitly and directly to the readers. Instead of that, writers let readers
extract it actively themselves and keep them thinking about it in their own ways.
The role of writers is their attempt in conveying the theme to readers through their
using characters, literary style, and different figures of speech like similes,
metaphors and personification. The art is situated in that how the writers can
express the theme underlying literary fictions to readers cleverly, effectively and
affect them magically. In another meaning, a successful literary fiction is created
thanks to not only a good theme but also an interesting exposition of the theme.
Moreover, the theme is evaluated as a special ornament. This results from its role
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in weaving the literary fiction together. When, all of the aspects of the fiction are
built based on a theme, the work become unified and coherent. In general, a theme
is the soul of a fiction because it gives a purpose, a reason for readers and writers:
writers want to express a message and readers like to discover the message. A
successful work is a work whose theme is left to the readers as long as possible.
1.2.2 Plot
Plot is defined as the organization or the arrangement of main events,
incidents from the beginning to the end of a literary fiction in a certain pattern. The
events need to be related to each other; moreover, in a close relationship with main
characters. In particular, the events must affect characters, enact them struggle

Moreover, settings play an important role in a literary fiction. Along with a
theme and a plot, settings may initiate the conflicts in a work that characters deal
with, solve, discover and express their feelings. It is easy to realize that settings
refer to any social milieu, culture features, historical period, geography, and hour.
In summary, setting not only is an integral part of a story but also reappears a
picture reflecting a specific period, a space, or an atmosphere that maybe existed
long decades ago.
1.2.4 Point of view
Point of view mentions the method that an author narrates. In specific, it is
writers’ choice of the narrator in a literary fiction, which depends on that from
whose viewpoint writers want readers approach to and comprehend the work.
There are three modes of narration: first- person view, second-person view,
and third- person view. In first- person view, the narrator is a character in fictions.
Thus, the pronoun is used throughout the work is “I”. The narrator may be a major
character or a minor one, but she or he is often a major character. In this way, a
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character can reveal a lot of his or her own thoughts, emotions, conceptions, even
prejudices, and spiritual life. Moreover, readers can figure out the nature of the
character through his or her narration. Nevertheless, it is disadvantageous for
readers because of that it is challenging readers to comprehend all of the
character’s thoughts, senses as himself or herself. In the second-person view, the
narrator is a character whose position is like a reader. This mode often matches
with first-person view in order to make comparisons between the narrator and the
central character in terms of thoughts, opinions, and emotions…The last mode of
narration that is also the most popular is third-person view. In this type, the
narrator is an imagined character who relates the characters in a story to readers.
This mode is easier and more flexible for writers, especially beginners.
1.2.5 Characters
Characters can be regarded the most important element of a literal fiction
since writers can not communicate their message with readers without characters

dynamic one while a flat one may be a static one.
The writer expose characters’ features through their thoughts, speech, action,
appearance themselves or through other characters’ thoughts, opinions of the
character.
In general, readers should evaluate characters from a great number of different
angles of a fiction in order to understand characters deeply and give more love for
their favorite characters. The last aim is how to discover the theme, the message or
the implied morals from the characters.
Chapter 2
9
English literary trends in the 19
th
century
2.1 Historical background
The social milieu of Austen’s Regency England was particularly stratified,
and class divisions were rooted in family connections and wealth. In her work,
Austen is often critical of the assumptions and prejudices of upper-class England.
She distinguishes between internal merit (goodness of person) and external merit
(rank and possessions). Though she frequently satirizes snobs, she also pokes fun at
the poor breeding and misbehavior of those lower on the social scale. Nevertheless,
Austen was in many ways a realist, and the England she depicts is one in which
social mobility is limited and class-consciousness is strong.
Socially regimented ideas of appropriate behavior for each gender factored
into Austen’s work as well. While social advancement for young men lay in the
military, church, or law, the chief method of self-improvement for women was the
acquisition of wealth. Women could only accomplish this goal through successful
marriage, which explains the ubiquity of matrimony as a goal and topic of
conversation in Austen’s writing. Though young women of Austen’s day had more
freedom to choose their husbands than in the early eighteenth century, practical
considerations continued to limit their options.

the world in a realistic way. The writers expressed deep sympathy for the working
people and described the unbearable conditions of work and life. They voiced a
passionate protest against exploitation and described the persistent struggle for the
rights of the working people.
Some of the great writers of this trend are William Makepeace Thackeray,
Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Charlotte Bronte.
2.2.3 End of the 19
th
century English literature
2.2.3.1 Writers of the progressive trend
Writers of the progressive trend continued the realistic tradition of their
predecessors and presented in their creative works a truthful picture of their
contemporary life. Compared to the critical realists of the mid- 19
th
century, their
criticism of life is not as sharp and the social panorama drawn in their works is not
as grand, but their greatness is by no means lessened. They are great in their own
ways, in a deep psychological analysis of their characters, and a detailed description
of their characters’ inner world. Writers of this trend are George Eliot, George
Meredith, Samuel Butler, Thomas Hardy, and William Morris.
2.2.3.2 Writers of the regressive trend
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Writers of the regressive trends behaved as victims of the crisis of bourgeois
culture at the end of the 19
th
century, they found their escape from the harsh and
severe reality in a self- constructed or imagined world of unearthly sighs and
beauty. They denied the function of art and literature as a tool for recording and
reflecting social reality. They proposed a school of art. Known as Art for Art’s sake
according to which art is no longer art if it is not aimed at giving pleasure to people.

twenty-eight were considered old maids and followed their parents. Leaving her
friends and rural roots in Steventon, she abandoned her literary career for a decade.
In the December in 1802, Jane receives her one and only known proposal of
marriage from Mr. Bigg-Wither because of his well-being and inheriting a sizeable
amount of real estate, not love. Nevertheless, Jane revoked her acceptance the next
day and was greatly upset by the whole episode. In 1809, she along with her mother
and her sister moved back to their beloved countryside Hampshire countryside
when her brother Edward provided them with a permanent house on his Chawton
estate. Here, she is interested in her writing again.
At the beginning 1816, Jane noticed a decline in her health. On July 18,
1817, Jane Austen died in Winchester in her sister’s arm and with her; she took the
conclusions of her unfinished works. Henry worked to have his sister buried at the
Winchester Cathedral.
Actually, her works are nameless at the beginning without her brother’s
revelation. Nevertheless, she is loved and memorized forever by the readers of
every time with her immortal works created by her literary talent. Today, the
museum at Chawton is visited by Jane Austen admirers from across the Globe.
There are many mementoes of her life on display. Jane's mother and her beloved
sister, Cassandra are buried in the churchyard.
2.3.2 Jane Austen’s literary career
Beginning in her teen years, Austen wrote poems, stories, and comic pieces
for the amusement of her family. She compiled several of the pieces written
between 1787 and 1793 into three bound notebooks, which are now referred to as
Austen’s “Juvenalia.” Austen was also exposed to drama and comedy; the younger
children in the family often staged theatrical productions at home. Among her early
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works, certain well-known works are: “Love and Friendship” at the age of 14 which
is the first novel, then a satirical “History of England, by a partial, prejudiced and
ignorant Historian” and the epistolary work “Lady Susan.” During this time, Austen
also planned ideas for the novel that would later be reworked and published by

propose her but his proposal hurting her self- respect makes her refuse him and
blames him bitterly. On an expedition to the north of England with her uncle and
aunt- Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, she visits Derbyshire and he suddenly comes back
with the considerable change in his behaviors shocked her and making her love
him. On returning Longburn, he proposes her at the second time and Mr. Bingley proposes
Ms. Jane after obstacles. Eventually, two couple holds marriage at the same time and have
a happy family life.
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Chapter 3
3.1 The love between Mr. Darcy and Ms. Elizabeth is intense.
The love between Mr. Darcy and Ms. Elizabeth in the work “Pride and
Prejudice” which is so intense that the “no wall that enough love will not throw
down” (Emmet Fox) helps them overcome the strong barriers that not every love
can triumph. Human beings may have known two possible types of barriers in love
and marriage: external barriers and internal ones. The external barriers are the
oppositions of relatives, family, friends, acquaintances, and the society under which
most love affairs become more intense, more passionate. The immortal love story
between Romeo and Juliet is such one. The internal barriers are the oppositions
originating from lovers themselves under which love may either survive more
powerfully, more ardently or may die forever.
The love between Mr. Darcy and Ms. Elizabeth encounters both of the types
of barriers mentioned above but it is opposed more by the internal barriers - their
own pride and prejudice. Although at the beginning of the work, both of them make
great effort in holding their rational will firmly and acting on it, they eventually fail
because of their burning love. In other words, in the fierce struggle between the love
and the rational will, ultimately rational will has to surrender to their intense love.
And once defeating or breaking the most difficult barrier - their own pride and
prejudice, their love can overcome the other obstacles coming from the people as
well as the society around them easily to achieve the perfect goal of love - marriage.
Therefore, the writer of the thesis analyzes their love’s triumphing over the internal

people present, especially the women during the first half of the evening with his
large fortune, he is hated, and later on, even despised by the majority. The people in
the ball make critical remarks on him: “he was the proudest, most disagreeable man
in the world, and everybody hoped that he would never come there again”. He is
claimed to be the wealthiest men in England with ten thousand pounds a year and
this is appreciated in the eighteenth century society putting money above anything.
Were he not too proud, he would have been an idol in the people’s eyes. However,
even Ms. Bennet always showing her preference for propertied men detests him at
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all. This proves that his pride is too much for most of the residents in Netherfield to
accept him. Perhaps, great as his fortune is, it cannot compensate for his
shortcomings. Therefore, it is impossible for him to create a good impression to a
woman who is full of self-esteem and pride like Ms. Elizabeth.
In addition, his degrading comment on Ms. Elizabeth’s beauty filled with his
pride hurts her pride: “she is tolerable, but not handsome enough to temp me”. His
careless comment on Ms. Elizabeth’s appearance shows that he thinks too highly of
himself and does too meanly of other people. In other words, he gives himself the
right to scorn the people and maybe nobody out of his class is evaluated highly
through his proud prism. Moreover, his unhesitating comment turns his pride into
his selfishness when he does not care for anybody’s emotions but his.
Prejudice, ground of pride, has a close relationship with pride. Unless he had
his own prejudices against lower-class people, he would not be proud. Therefore,
not only is he proud but he is also extremely prejudiced. The prejudice is expressed
indirectly through his opinions of a perfect woman: “have a thorough knowledge of
music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, possesses a certain
something in her air, manner of her walking, the tone of her voice, to all this she
must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by
extensive reading”. His criteria of a perfect woman implicitly indicate his prejudice
that such tiptop women can only be found in his high class. With such bigotry,
perhaps, he never wants to get married to a woman out of his class. In addition, he

However, he has to experience a thorny struggle between his rational will
and his heart later. As soon as his sentiment motivates him more ardently than he
expects and he is aware of this, he has to hold back his affection for Ms. Elizabeth
by himself: “She attracted him more than he liked. Steady to his purpose, he
scarcely spoke ten words to her through the whole of Saturday, and though they
were at one time left by themselves for half-an-hour, he adhered most
conscientiously to his book, would not even look at her”. Obviously, he tries to
stick to his rational will that never allows himself to love a woman whose
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background is as low as that of Ms. Elizabeth. It looks as if his rational will were
successful in preventing him from affecting her. In fact, his conforming to the ration
will just makes him miserable inside. He is torn by the two inner powers: his strong
radical will and his intense love. His mind voices up and torments him as soon as
his heart beats fast for love. Nothing is more pitied than forcing his own heart to
stop loving. Therefore, it can be seen how hard the struggle between his love and
his will is inside him!
His affection for her does not fade away at all through time and distance.
This is like a famous love quotation by Francois de la Rouchefoucauld: “Absence
diminishes small loves and increases great ones, as the wind blows out the candle
and blows up the bonfire”. Moreover, when he meets her again at Rosings, his
powerful love forces him to betray his rational will and propose her. One more time,
he witnesses the struggle between his mind and his heart. The love burns more
ardently inside him whereas his rational will still does not allow him to get married
to a low class woman like her. The more he tries to forget his love, the more
passionate his love is. As a result, in order to release himself from misery, he must
propose her reluctantly with his proud expressions. Specifically, even though he is
accused of his impoliteness, pride, and mistakes with Ms. Elizabeth’s
straightforward and harsh words, his love would not die. Anyway, his rational will
partly becomes powerless under the power of love. Indeed, after her insulting words
of his pride, his sentiment for her becomes more intense than ever.

Elizabeth has to conquer her strong rational will. In fact, like Mr. Darcy, it is her
powerful affection for him that helps Ms. Elizabeth overcome all of her own pride
and prejudice. The letter that Mr. Darcy sends to her after proposing is a turning
point resulting in changes of both her sentiment for him and her characteristics.
Before receiving his letter, she looks extremely proud and prejudiced.
Indeed, her pride results from both his degrading comments on her beauty and his
pride itself. In addition, along with her prejudice against socially superior people,
the pride results in her serious prejudice against him. She always thinks quite ill of
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him, even groundlessly and keeps a fierce opposition against him leading her to
challenge him, to despise him with as many the unacceptable words and behaviors
as possible at any time. Such is her deep prejudice against him that she believes
blindly in Mr. Wickham’s lies. The climax of her pride and prejudice is shown
clearly and straightforwardly through her bitter accusation of him at the first time he
proposes to her: “Long before it had taken place my opinion of you was decided.
Your character was unfolded in the recital which I received many months ago from
Mr. Wickham”. Actually, her words themselves are a clear evidence for her own
pride and prejudice. With her strong rational will, it is impossible to image that she
loves him passionately later, and eventually gets married to him.
After she receives his letter, her pride and prejudice are all gone for she
realizes that owing to her prejudice against him, she misunderstands him.
Moreover, the love hidden inside her is intense enough not only to allow her to
forgive his pride and faults easily but also to innovate completely the image of Ms.
Elizabeth. She is no longer proud, gentler, less stubborn and even shy in the love
with Mr. Darcy. When facing him at Pemperly and in her house, she is embarrassed
a lot by her intense love in spite of her belonging to the type of woman who can
control her mind. In addition, she gets less prejudiced when believing that Mr.
Darcy’s opposition to the love between Mr. Bingley and Ms. Jane is reasonable.
She seems to put herself in his position to think about the problem more objectively
and sympathize more with his act and thought. In addition, she feels ashamed of