Domestic Chronotope in Pride and Prejudice Essay Example

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In this text, there are no fast-paced events or advancing historical movement of time. Instead, time moves in narrow circles - the circles of the day, the month, and a person's entire life. This 'everyday' pace falls under the category of the 'Domestic Chronotope', one way of organizing the relationship between time and space. In Pride and Prejudice, time and space are depicted as being quite small. The novel covers a span of only a few months, leaving little room for the past and future. However, the present actions of the characters will determine their future.

The social life of Austen's time is portrayed in the novel "Pride and Prejudice" through characters who frequently journey between London, country villages, and estates. Despite leaving their homes, these characters remain connected to these locations as their destinies are intertwined with them. The story centers around the characters' endeavors to find suitable marriage partners, with events in the narrative intricately linked to facilitate their unions. As a result, "Pride and Prejudice" offers vivid and authentic portrayals of social life during Austen's era.

The novel vividly portrays the conventions, manners, and lifestyle of the era. Courtship takes center stage in Pride and Prejudice, as evidenced by the famous opening sentence: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." This theme continues to dominate the first chapter, which focuses entirely on Mrs. Bennet and her relentless pursuit of finding suitors for her daughters.

According to Alistair Duckworth, "Pride and Prejudice" progresses from a state of possible social division to a resolution in

which the foundations of society are rebuilt through the marriage of the main characters. The story begins with the arrival of four unfamiliar individuals in the town of Meryton, and it is not concluded until each one is wedded: Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, Bingley and Jane Bennet, Wickham and Lydia Bennet, and Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas.

Stuart Tave suggests that Jane Austen cleverly includes the progression of time in her works without directly highlighting it. The dates play a vital role in the story, establishing crucial aspects of life. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen does not overtly mention specific dates for the events occurring in the novel. Nevertheless, conversations between Bingley and Jane imply that over eight months have transpired since their previous encounter on November 26th at Netherfield, where they had initially met and danced together.

The ball party, where Bingley and Jane met for the first time, took place on November 26th. There were no significant events during the following eight months as time passed slowly. The story of Elizabeth Bennet's twenty-first year starts in October and concludes in October.

Jane Austen extensively explores the domestic life during her time in Pride and Prejudice, with a particular focus on courtship and marriage. This theme is highlighted through the initial conversation of the Bennet family in the first chapter, where parents play a crucial role in laying the foundation for courtship among young individuals. The pursuit of finding suitable partners for their five daughters amidst uneasy parenthood adds prominence to the issue of marriage. It shapes all events in the novel. Alongside this, we discover an assembly that takes place

approximately one mile away from Longbourn in Meryton. This social gathering attracts respectable families from both the town and neighboring villages.

The assembly serves as a gathering place for representatives from different social classes, such as the gentry, middle-class, and aristocracy. They come together to converse, dance, and even search for potential spouses. In Austen's novels, she emphasizes that dancing is a form of enjoyment that requires grace and precise movement within a limited area. These parties depicted in Austen's novels offer a space where people can have a good time together, albeit within certain constraints. Mr. [Last Name] is introduced at this assembly.

Bingley and Jane meet, while Darcy and Elizabeth also meet. Mr. Bingley is strongly drawn to Jane and everyone at the assembly notices his preference for her, revealing future events. The distinction between partners for the evening and partners for life becomes blurred. Another occurrence at the assembly is that Mr. Darcy speaks disrespectfully about Elizabeth, causing her to develop a dislike for him.

The elements of Pride in Darcy and Prejudice in Elizabeth begin to manifest themselves early on. Duckworth comments that the distance between them in the drawing-room reflects the social distances outside. In addition to the growing distance between Darcy and Elizabeth, there is also a divide between different social classes in the novel. The aristocracy is represented by Darcy and Lady Catherine, the gentry by the Bennets, and trade by the Philipses and the Gardiners. The Lucases and the Bingleys serve to bridge these different class levels. However, true continuity is unlikely until the hero and heroine of the novel are united.

Darcy's dislike for

Elizabeth is rooted in her humble background. As the story progresses, Jane is invited to dine at Netherfield Park by the Bingley-sisters but falls ill and has to stay there for a while. Elizabeth later joins her sister at Netherfield Park, where Jane's connection with Bingley strengthens and Mr. Darcy's attitude towards Elizabeth starts to change slightly. Getting to know her better, he finds her quite charming, hinting at a potential romantic relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth in the future.

Despite her continued prejudice against Darcy, Elizabeth's feelings begin to change during the dinner party at Netherfield Park. This gathering not only brings the Bingleys, Darcys, and Bennets together, but also serves as a pivotal moment for the future of Austen's major characters. The love story between Jane and Bingley intensifies, moving from the ball party at Meryton to the dinner at Netherfield Park. Additionally, Elizabeth and Darcy's misunderstandings seem to diminish as they spend time together at Netherfield Park, contrasting their earlier interactions at Meryton.

Meanwhile, Wickham, another character, appears and further separates Elizabeth from Darcy. At a ball in Netherfield, Darcy tells Elizabeth not to judge him solely based on the Meryton incident or Wickham's story. Elizabeth chooses to delay her judgement, which annoys Darcy. They part ways until they meet again at Hunsford later in the story. However, forming relationships is not as easy as Mrs. Bennet thinks.

Miss Bingley sent Jane a letter instead of a marriage proposal, informing her that everyone at Netherfield Park was leaving London and that Mr. Bingley was considering marrying Mr. Darcy’s sister, Georgiana. Elizabeth, while at Hunsford, is proposed to by Darcy

but rejects him. The next day, she receives a letter from him which marks a turning point in her perspective of Mr. Darcy. Her prejudice begins to crumble as she reads through the letter. Later, she visits Pemberley, Darcy’s estate, where she becomes aware of his innately admirable character.

In light of her reply to the letter, Elizabeth's trip to Derbyshire signifies an important shift in her perspective. It is during this visit that she becomes acquainted with the true essence of Mr. Darcy through interactions with Gardiners and Darcy's servants. While exploring Pemberley and observing Darcy's vast properties, Elizabeth gains insight into what her future could hold with a man like him. As she traverses various rooms and the park, she recognizes the enduring nature of the estate and how it parallels her upcoming life.

Stuart Tave argues that the significance of Elizabeth's experiences lies not in carefree adventures, but in the thrill of new encounters. Throughout the novel, Elizabeth's perspective on the main character shifts as her surroundings transform. Eventually, she develops romantic feelings for Darcy. At this stage, she has chosen to blend their time and space together. As readers, we observe Elizabeth's progression across various settings and witness her biases fade away while Darcy becomes more modest.

Leaving his ideal center, he enters a less perfect world where he can now remove the blind-fold that had prevented him from seeing the true love between Bingley and Jane. Thus, a compromise must be made between the past and present, as well as between perfect material life and perfect social life. After the Wickham-Lydia marriage episode and Darcy's intervention to

save the Bennet family's reputation, Elizabeth's attitude towards Mr. Darcy undergoes a complete transformation. In the end, she accepts Mr. Darcy's proposal, while Bingley also returns to Netherfield and proposes marriage to Jane.

The union of Darcy-Elizabeth and Jane-Bingley in marriage happens on the same day, symbolizing the completion of their love stories. This occasion also acts as a unifying gathering where individuals from different social classes come together to witness the joining of two people. Not only do the physical bodies of the couple merge, but their space and time also become forever intertwined.

When considering the historical context depicted in the novel, it is important to address the criticism against Austen for supposedly ignoring the pivotal events of 18th century England in her domestic stories. Despite accusations made by critics, these claims are not entirely accurate as there are various references to soldiers and regiments with regard to Wickham, who serves as a soldier, and Brighton, the town from which Wickham's regiment is set to depart from Meryton. Although war does not play a central role in Pride and Prejudice, this era marked significant changes such as the French revolution and shifts in the social structure.

Thus, in the novel, Brighton symbolizes the intersection of historical time. The latter half of the 18th century also saw advancements in transportation, such as improved roads and faster coaches, making travel easier. This is reflected in Pride and Prejudice when Darcy refers to covering fifty miles of good road in half a day as a "very easy distance," highlighting the improved spatial-time relationship where travel takes less time. Austen's depiction of actions in

common life with clarity in Pride and Prejudice, along with her other novels, makes her stories unique even if similar themes are present. Stuart Tave observes that her world is timeless, where life repeats and rejuvenates in each individual's well-lived life, creating a sense of spaciousness. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen employs spatio-temporal sequences consistently throughout the novel by changing the heroine's surroundings to allow her time and space to make decisions about her future and rectify her past in the present.