Historicism, Lori Fernandez Lopez
New Historicism is a theory applied to literature that suggests literature must be studied and interpreted within the context of both the history of the author and the history of the critic. It is a fairly new theory of literary criticism and helps to maintain the validity of the work as the reader (in any time period) is supposed to adopt the mindset of the era presented in the book as well as that of the author, allowing the reader to step into the author’s shoes. However, as Prestwick House cites, “a common tendency in the study of literature written in, and/or set in, a past or foreign culture is to assume a direct comparison between the culture as presented in the text and as that culture really was/is. New Historicism asserts that such a comparison is impossible.” This is because, first, it is impossible to know what the culture then was actually like. As of now we have only representations of a period such as art, literature, and music, which are not necessarily accurate models of history. Secondly, the piece is a part of the culture it depicts and thus influences the culture simply by existing.
Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, was and is culturally iconic. As such it helped define Regency England (1811-1830) since it was published early on (1813). Austen’s novel depicts a society ruled by social niceties and even dares to challenge this norm to an extent by making the basis of Jane and Bingley’s and Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriages love rather that land, property and necessity which was considered to be the most important factors in choosing a mate. In contrasting their marriages with Lydia’s to Wickham, Austen is criticizing her culture’s idea that marriage is essentially a business transaction. By depicting Lydia as ridiculous as seen in Chapter 7 where Lydia and Kitty are described as having minds "more vacant than their sisters,” Austen is in a sense reflecting that the people who marry for less than love are as ridiculous as Lydia. For these views, Austen was heavily criticized, and even labeled as a bluestocking, especially because she had the effrontery to write and publish a novel as a woman in a male dominated society.
It is also important to consider that New Historicism acknowledges that the reader and the author are influenced by their society’s social structure,
beliefs, etc. Both the work and the reader are corrupted by everything that has influenced them. New Historicism thus represents a significant change from
previous critical theories like New Criticism, because its main focus is to look at things outside of the work, instead of reading the text as a thing apart from
the author. From the novel we can clearly deduce the emphasis 19thcentury England (and the centuries preceding it) on the importance of marriage, especially for women, as well as the importance of socioeconomic status. From the actions of Mrs. Bennet and the opening of the novel which asserts, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife... this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters” (Austen 1),we can learn that many in Austen’s society felt that a woman lived for motherhood and being a dutiful wife. However, like with Lydia, Austen makes these marriage-minded people appear to be the fools that we 21st century scholars perceive them as. Throughout the novel, Austen highlights the dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and economic security. This is seen primarily in Mr. Collins’s search for a wife. When proposing to Elizabeth he uses the argument,
“My reasons for marrying are, first, that I think it a right thing for every
clergyman in easy circumstances (like myself) to set the example of matrimony in
his parish; secondly, that I am convinced that it will add very greatly to my
happiness; and thirdly...that it is the particular advice and recommendation of
[Lady Catherine]” (Austen 65).
This statement confirms Austen’s biting commentary on her society’s emphasis on marriage as a part of a successful life especially after Charlotte Lucas was willing to accept Mr. Collins’s proposal simply because she felt she had no other prospects.
Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, was and is culturally iconic. As such it helped define Regency England (1811-1830) since it was published early on (1813). Austen’s novel depicts a society ruled by social niceties and even dares to challenge this norm to an extent by making the basis of Jane and Bingley’s and Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriages love rather that land, property and necessity which was considered to be the most important factors in choosing a mate. In contrasting their marriages with Lydia’s to Wickham, Austen is criticizing her culture’s idea that marriage is essentially a business transaction. By depicting Lydia as ridiculous as seen in Chapter 7 where Lydia and Kitty are described as having minds "more vacant than their sisters,” Austen is in a sense reflecting that the people who marry for less than love are as ridiculous as Lydia. For these views, Austen was heavily criticized, and even labeled as a bluestocking, especially because she had the effrontery to write and publish a novel as a woman in a male dominated society.
It is also important to consider that New Historicism acknowledges that the reader and the author are influenced by their society’s social structure,
beliefs, etc. Both the work and the reader are corrupted by everything that has influenced them. New Historicism thus represents a significant change from
previous critical theories like New Criticism, because its main focus is to look at things outside of the work, instead of reading the text as a thing apart from
the author. From the novel we can clearly deduce the emphasis 19thcentury England (and the centuries preceding it) on the importance of marriage, especially for women, as well as the importance of socioeconomic status. From the actions of Mrs. Bennet and the opening of the novel which asserts, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife... this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters” (Austen 1),we can learn that many in Austen’s society felt that a woman lived for motherhood and being a dutiful wife. However, like with Lydia, Austen makes these marriage-minded people appear to be the fools that we 21st century scholars perceive them as. Throughout the novel, Austen highlights the dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and economic security. This is seen primarily in Mr. Collins’s search for a wife. When proposing to Elizabeth he uses the argument,
“My reasons for marrying are, first, that I think it a right thing for every
clergyman in easy circumstances (like myself) to set the example of matrimony in
his parish; secondly, that I am convinced that it will add very greatly to my
happiness; and thirdly...that it is the particular advice and recommendation of
[Lady Catherine]” (Austen 65).
This statement confirms Austen’s biting commentary on her society’s emphasis on marriage as a part of a successful life especially after Charlotte Lucas was willing to accept Mr. Collins’s proposal simply because she felt she had no other prospects.
Austen writes Pride and Prejudice from a similar perspective to that of Elizabeth Bennet. She grew up in very similar circumstances. She came from a large, close-knit family (six brothers and one sister) which was a part of the landed gentry, though, like the Bennets, they were at the lower end of it. As such, many of her Realistic ideals are reflected in her characters such as intellectual ambition and independence. Elizabeth can be thought of as a literary version of Austen who sought intellectual challenges and was, by some accounts, unwilling to marry solely for economic security and social wealth. Her sister Cassandra can be likened to Jane in that she was beautiful, talented and did not want for suitors. The remaining sisters in the novel (Mary, Kitty, and Lydia) each represent certain follies of Regency society. Lydia is frivolous and flighty, and gains excessive confidence when she becomes a matron because she feels secure in her position in society. Kitty is overly dependent on others in that she seeks approval from all and wants to be as involved as all others around her in order to have companionship (i.e. when she throws a temper tantrum after not being invited to go to Brighton with Lydia and the Foresters). Lastly, Mary, who tends to overestimate her artistic and intellectual abilities and be overconfident (to the point of obnoxiousness), represents the attention seekers and those who presume to have knowledge beyond what they actually possess. She also pushes her attitudes and beliefs unto others without consent and without being solicited for advice.
Austen’s novels will live on as works that defined her world. They helped shape it through her comic criticism of society as it was and helps the readers understand her world from her perspective. These books have even created a
culture all their own in the modern era, transcending time, as Jane Austen book clubs proliferate, movies are made, and present day authors continue her legacy with continuations and rewrites such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
as well as Sharon Lathan’s Pemberly series that continues Elizabeth and Darcy’s love.
culture all their own in the modern era, transcending time, as Jane Austen book clubs proliferate, movies are made, and present day authors continue her legacy with continuations and rewrites such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
as well as Sharon Lathan’s Pemberly series that continues Elizabeth and Darcy’s love.