Monday, October 29, 2012

If Elizabeth Bennet was on Twitter

Lizzy Bennet's Twitter

For the digital treasure hunt assignment, I chose to investigate Twitter for accounts that told an old story. In this case, the first story that popped into my head was Pride and Prejudice since it was assigned in class and it is also among my favorite books.

So I took to Twitter and searched for Elizabeth Bennet. I looked at quite a few accounts before choosing the one that is linked above. The great thing about that particular account is that even though there are not very many tweets, it is very well done. The language sounds as if Jane Austen or Lizzy herself logged onto Twitter and began telling the story entirely from Lizzy's perspective. Unfortunately, the hunt for a Mr. Darcy twitter was unsuccessful, and what a shame, for the story told from his perspective via Twitter would be fascinating.

Incorporating an old classic novel into technology, or re-telling the story to include zombie killing, is an interesting way to get this literature into the hands of individuals who might not read it otherwise. Essentially, it makes the story more accessible. If someone watches the movie, or reads a silly twitter account, it might intrigue them enough to read the book itself. Sometimes people are fooled by the language into thinking that they wouldn't understand the story and therefore not like it, or find it boring. But classics are classic for a reason, they are well loved and analyzed to dig deeply into their value, and getting literature into people's hands is a wonderful thing.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Minor Characters and Commentary

"...a number of minor characters who occupy places in the social hierarchy well beyond the gentry and professional classes where Austen's major characters are situated. She writes no explicit analysis, but by passing details, she fills in the large social picture and provides indirect commentary."
-Juliet McMaster, Class

"...it is sometimes a disadvantage to be so very guarded. If a woman conceals her affection with the same skill from the object of it, she may lose the opportunity of fixing him...a slight preference is natual enough; but there are very few of us who have heart enough to be really in love without encouragement. In nine cases out of ten, a woman had better shew more affection than she feels. Bingley likes your sister undoubtedly; but he may never do more than like her, if she does not help him on."
-Charlotte Lucas in Pride and Prejudice p. 59

This quote from Juliet McMaster's essay, Class, sounds similar to the Woloch's The One vs. Many but the essay provides an informative analysis of class in Austen's world. McMaster says that certain minor characters in Austen's books provide commentary on society and fill in the "large social picture" through said commentary. Great examples of this are the few times that Mary speaks and the quote from Charlotte Lucas above. Charlotte's discussion is about how a woman should conduct herself when a woman feels affection for a certain man (in this case, the situation between Mr. Bingley and Jane) but ultimately, this discussion is about propriety. In this society, propriety should dictate one's actions and keeps individuals from being perceived as too bold or impolite. Propriety dictates how Jane conducts herself around Mr. Bingley and prevents her from giving a clear message of affection to him because that it would be improper. It is clear that Jane likes Mr. Bingley, but not clear enough. If she wants Mr. Bingley to be aware of how she feels, according to Charlotte, she must show "more affection than she feels". While this is the ideal, Jane is prohibited by being of a lower class than Bingley and obligated by propriety. Austen does not directly say that this is the case, rather it is said through Charlotte and the idea of the importance of propriety is inferred by the reader from the text. 

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".