Kevin McGrath's X084 Intro to Lit Sec 002

As I have been reading "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, I have been consistently struck by how Austen manages to make the process of writing a novel seem so deceptively easy. Her characters seem so understandable and recognizable that they often feel somewhat predictable and one-note, despite the fact that I know this not to be the case. Perhaps this is because in our current literary and artistic realm, people are more easily impressed and caught off-guard by characters and situations that surprise us with seemingly unorthodox or out of character actions. Look at current movies, like, for example, “Jerry Maguire” and the recently released “A History of Violence,” or a television show like “Felicity,” in which the events of the story unfold because of an unusual decision made on the part of a main character. Themes like this, when a protagonist that seems to fit a certain character shows characteristics that reflect otherwise, is an essential part of modern fiction. Compared to these current examples, seeing Austen create situations like when Charlotte chooses to accept Mr. Collins’ proposal for marriage, or when Elizabeth rejects Darcy’s, evokes the idea that since we get these characters, we could already guess what they’re going to do. It is a credit to Austen that she makes these true-to-character decisions still interesting. I often feel the same way when I read Shakespeare or see movies based on his writings, like “Macbeth” or the two film versions on “Dangerous Liaisons,” the same-titled one and “Cruel Intentions.”However, that being said, there was one particular instance in which I felt that Elizabeth was acting rather unusually, and I suspect that it will have unfortunate results in the future. After Darcy reveals in his letter the true character of Wickham to be deceitful and conniving, Elizabeth decides with Jane to keep this revelation private rather than reveal it publicly. As a result, Lydia and the rest of the Bennetts remain unaware of Wickham’s seedy past, even as Lydia embarks on a relationship with him. I thought that this was an odd decision on Elizabeth’s choice. I am not surprised that the easygoing Jane would let such a potentially troublesome secret go unrevealed, but Elizabeth has shown such attentiveness and hindsight in the earlier chapters of the book that it seems strange for her to withhold this information even after Wickham becomes so involved in a member of her family’s life. Unfortunately for the Bennetts, this will likely end up unhappily for Lydia, who is so easily won over by most any male. Though the well-intentioned but ultimately careless Mr. Bennett would likely not put a stop to this relationship, the interfering Mrs. Bennett would see this as excuse for Lydia to avoid the unwealthy Wickham.