Monday, October 8, 2012

Elizabeth's Consciousness in Pride and Prejudice

"Her sensation is on a second order of apprehension, the consciousness of someone else's consciousness. Mrs. Bennet 'sees' her eldest daughter; Jane is 'gratified'; Mary 'hears' herself mentioned; Catherine and Lydia 'dance.' But Elizabethe 'feels' Jane's 'pleasure'--so that, in the friefest of sentences, Austen depicts the essential process of consciousness moving beyond itself. We will see that it is this aspect of depth--ultimately a depth of self-consciousness, or a consciousness of her own consciousness...that is the underlying quality of Elizabeth's singularity." 
-Alex Woloch, The One vs. the Many

"She grew absolutely ashamed of herself.--Of neither Darcy nor Wickham could she think, without feeling that she had been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd. 'How despicably have I acted!' she cried.--'I, who have prided myself on my discernment!--I, who have valued myself on my abilities!...How humiliating is this discovery!"
-Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice p. 226


Alex Woloch argues throughout The One vs. the Many that the flat characters in Pride and Prejudice are just as crucial to Elizabeth's development as a protagonist and that Austen creates a situation in which Elizabeth depends on the flatness of other characters in order to stand out and be distinguished as one with a sense of self-consciousness. The quote from Pride and Prejudice shows Elizabeth's epiphany, in which she was able to step back and evaluate herself and realize that she was wrong wherein she previously believed herself to be right. Epiphany here, then, is not simply a sign that someone is, in fact, the protagonist, but shows that Elizabeth is self-conscious and self-aware, a standout from the other characters who continue on without an evaluation of self. Elizabeth sees how "despicably" she has acted, as well as realizing that her discernment was wrong and she feels humiliated. Elizabeth becomes distinctly aware here of her wrong behavior and attitude, a sign that she is "conscious of her own consciousness".






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