Topic Eight (1.8): The Set Novel (1)

It is helpful and important to gain an overview of the social, historical and political context of the novel before studying. One of the Assessment Objectives asks for students to “demonstrate their understanding of the ways in which understanding of a text is informed by their understanding of context.” Understanding a bit of background will also help you to gain a deeper insight into the novel’s themes and the issues it addresses. It will also help you to gain a greater understanding of Austen’s purpose and message.

 Links

Before you start reading, then, take a look at the following websites, which will introduce you to some of this key information, and give you a feeling for the period of history when Jane Austen lived and wrote her novels.

READ - Jane Austen (Wikipedia) Links to an external site.

READ - Jane Austen: A Life (Jane Austen’s House) Links to an external site.

Watch this Memory Seekers video on the Life of Jane Austen:

Watch this Memory Seekers video on Jane Austen House – Room by Room Tour:

Watch this video on At Home with the Georgians:

Make notes on the following key points (using your own words as far as possible):

  • Austen’s life and background.
  • Her other novels and their major themes.
  • The social and political context of the novel.

 Read

Now read Volume I of Pride and Prejudice (pp.3-100) once more. (Make sure you refer to the notes at the end of the book, as these will explain unfamiliar words and concepts.) You should make notes on your impressions of the characters and story as you go along. The questions below will help guide your notes, but you can develop these further if you wish.

 Download

You can use this summary table Download summary table to keep your notes organised.

 Interact

At the end of each chapter, write a brief summary of what has happened and what you have learned about each character. It will be helpful to consider the following ideas:

  • The key plot points in that chapter.
  • First impressions of the characters and key quotations that help support those impressions
  • The main characters of the novel include:
    • Elizabeth Bennet
    • Mrs Bennet
    • Mr Bennet
    • Jane Bennet
    • Mr Darcy
    • Mr Bingley
    • Mr Wickham
    • Mr Collins
    • Lydia Bennet
    • Kitty Bennet
    • Mary Bennet
    • Lady Catherine de Bourgh
  • How your impressions of each character change/develop as you read each chapter and reasons for this. Why are so many characters unnamed? What is the effect of this?
  • Your impressions of the setting.
  • Your impressions of the author’s style.
  • How the novel’s key themes are introduced and developed.

It is helpful to get into the habit of writing down short quotations from the novel that you can use as evidence to support your ideas

Links

To consolidate your knowledge, read the summaries of Volume I (Chapters 1-23) found in Spark Notes.

READ – Pride and Prejudice: Sparklet Chapter Summaries (Spark Notes) Links to an external site.

Use the information to add more detail to your chapter summary table.

In addition to commenting on the language Austen uses, you will be expected to refer to her authorial techniques. You can find out more about this here:

EXPLORE - Styles and themes of Jane Austen (Wikipedia) Links to an external site.

READ – Pride and Prejudice: Style (Spark Notes) Links to an external site.

READ – Pride and Prejudice: Language (Revision World) Links to an external site.

READ – What is Free Indirect Discourse? (Jane Austen Centre) Links to an external site. This will help you with Assignment One.

Assignment

When you are fully prepared and feel confident with the material, you should complete Assignment One and submit it to your tutor for marking and feedback. 
Remember that you must not copy directly from any resources you use in your research. You may use the information to help shape your ideas, but copying or lifting material counts as plagiarism and this will result in being awarded zero for your work.