Pride and Prejudice and Letters to Alice work as reflection of each other. How has your understanding of these reflections been enhanced by the comparative study of texts and contexts? The comparative study of Fay Weldon’s epistolary novel, Letters to Alice: On First Reading Jane Austen, is a reflection of Jane Austen’s earliest novels, Pride and Prejudice, enriches the reader’s understanding of the effects of context through the questioning of moral values of the time.
This is a very wordy first sentence that is quite hard to follow, you may wish to adjust your expression and streamline it a little! Each composers intention is to teach their readers a specific lesson pertinent to their respective contexts. Whilst Pride and Prejudice, constructed in the 1800’s, employs a narrative style and is more subtle in its approach due the contextual constraints placed on female writers. Weldon’s fragmented letter-style text, constructed in the mid 1980’s has the political freedom to be more overt in its didacticism. Despite the shift in context from the 18th and 20th century, the role of marriage and role of women remains a common connection between the two texts. Additionally, the contrasts between the two texts reshapes these values allowing the reader to understand the values presented contextually and how these are shaped overtime according to societal influences.
I think this introduction is covering the right things! However, I think they are in the incorrect order. I'll chat about this below. An examination of Pride and Prejudice and Letters to Alice enriches the readers understanding of the values and attitudes towards marriage during the Regency period.
Nice topic sentence, very clear and very focused. Austen introduces the novel with an ironic intrusion, ‘it is the truth universally acknowledged, that a single man is in possession of good fortune must be in want of a wife’. This opening sentence establishes contextual expectations of the time and fundamental social value of the Regency England.
Fantastic. The societal values and expectations are made evident through Charlotte Lucas, who holds a pragmatic view on marriage, ‘Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance’, as she marries Mr Collins for financial security and social advancement. Furthermore, Mrs Bennet echoes Charlotte’s attitude towards marriage as, ‘the business of her life was to get her daughter’s married’.
These few sentences have shifted to "textual retell", you are just re-telling me what happened in the text. Remember, your marker has read your text, they only want to know how techniques create meaning, no plot details necessary! The satirical comment further exemplifies the necessity for marriage and the perception of marriage for wealth and connection rather than love. Furthermore, Fay Weldon in the interview, ‘Jane Austen on the 200th Anniversary’ comments, ‘Jane Austen worked from first principles, that is what she would write a novel about that is what consumed her society’.
Nice inclusion of quote! You could probably just say "Fay Weldon has stated..." Jane Austen formed her novel Pride and Prejudice of the 1800’s from fundamental aspects of her society. Hence, emphasises the context of the Regency period allowing the ideas in Fay Weldon’s text to develop enhancing the reflection on Pride and Prejudice.
A solid paragraph! You've got the right idea, but I think you need to shift the focus to the composer a little bit more (again, I'll chat about this below.Furthermore, Fay Weldon’s, Letters to Alice, through the didactic library form of an epiglottic novel, serves to encourage a heightened understanding of the values and contemporary issues of Jane Austen’s cultural context.
I think you should be a little more specific in this introduction, what sorts of values? Weldon asserts that before reading Jane Austen, Alice, ‘must understand, the world in which Jane Austen was born’, to deepen the understanding of the values and the significance of the context enhancing the study of Jane Austen.
Technique? Furthermore, Weldon, uses statistics and factual detail to effectively highlight the importance of marriage during the Regency era, ’the trouble was that you had to be able to afford to marry… for this great reason ..only 30% of women married’. Weldon, urges the reader not to underestimate marriage during Austen’s time contextualising societal acceptance of the values of marriage and its importance.
This is good stuff, however, I'd like to see you do more to make it clear WHY this is important. What new informations/understandings do we gleam? You are hinting at things, but be more direct! A new outlook of Charlotte’s character is presented in Weldon’s text, creating a sympathetic regard to her decision to marry Mr Collins. The juxtaposition reveals the change of view on marriage due to the shift in context through the hyperbolic expression, ‘It is the stuff of our women’s magazines but it was the stuff of their life, their very existence’. This further exemplifies the contrast between the Regency period for the necessity of marriage and the ‘outmoded institution’ view on marriage in the 1980’s. Therefore, Weldon’s reflect on Pride and Prejudice can be emphasised through her new perspective on the context of pride and prejudice making them relevant to contemporary readers.
But HOW was this achieved? Moreover, Fran Leibowitz further suggests the reasons for her popularity in today’s society, ‘The main reason why Jane Austen remains popular is because of the enormous extent to which is misunderstood… people seem to think Austen was later in history, she has an image of a victorian and there is a love for Victorianism… I don’t think she is popular for the right reasons’. Leibowitz proposes that the historical context thought to be Jane Austen’s time generates her popularity, changing the values and attitudes conveyed in the text. Thus, Weldon directly refers to events and characters in Pride and Prejudice to illustrate her view, reshaping our understanding of Austen.
Through Jane Austen’s context and attitudes towards roles of women, Weldon enhances the reader’s understanding of the expectations and values of the role of women explicitly highlighted in Pride and Prejudice. An ‘accomplished woman’ during the Regency Period for an upper class women was highly expected as Mr Bingley states, ‘A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing and the modern languages to deserve the world..’.
Warning bells immediately sound for me when you say "A character said ____," this proves that you've gone into textual retell, describing characters and plot details. You must stay abstract, focus on the choices of the composer and how they reflect on the choices of the other. The repetition of the motif of what was expected from women highlights the lack of respect for educated women, due to the dominance of men throughout society. However, Austen presents the reader with an alternative approach on the role of women and their role in marriage. Thus, advocates for the independence of thought in women through Elizabeth Bennet’s character. Elizabeth challenges the societal conventions through the refusal of Mr Collins proposal, ‘I do assure you that I am not one of those young ladies..who are so daring to risk their happiness…you could not make me happy…’.
Technique? Through Elizabeth’s persistent tone, Austen attempts to influence societal change encouraging women not to marry for financial security. Elizabeth symbolises the emerging rebellion against the extreme expectations of women, encouraging women to be respected for their differences.
How does this relate to the work of the other composer? What does the audience learn? Furthermore, Austen subtly mocks flaws within women of the upper class through their self obsessed nature.
How, do you have a technique/example? Although, Austen has a subtle approach to the didacticism in her text it deepens our understanding of the significance of context and how it influenced Austen’s way of implicitly examining her values and attitude of society. Additionally, Rebecca Smith affirms the subtle nature of Jane Austen’s writing style, ‘One of the things that writers have inherited from Jane Austen was her use of the free indirect style of narration…it was Jane Austen who really pioneered it’. Therefore, Jane Austen works to be subtle in her approach due to the historical context of her time, allowing Weldon to be more overt about the aspects of Pride and Prejudice.
Whilst Pride and Prejudice is a narrative and subtle in its approach, Letters to Alice, reflects on social constraints within her society in the 1980’s. Weldon provides a holistic perspective on the role of women during the 1980’s, comparing it to the context of Pride and Prejudice. The extended metaphor of the ‘City of Invention’, reveals Weldon’s affirmations of the values presented in Pride and Prejudice.
Which values? Devil is in the detail! The climax of the changing society demonstrates the impact of literature and its importance as a moral compass in society. Moreover, the feminist movement in the 20th century influenced the lowering of male dominance in society allowing women the equality of education and to express their opinions. However, through Fay Weldon’s text male figures were of dominance, hence, encouraging Alice to break away from the patriarchy societal expectations.
Again, be careful of textual retell! Never focus on the characters. Weldon argues, firmly believing that independence of a women is important, ‘If you are in a Committee meeting ….or a protest meeting, speak first’. Weldon, implicitly emphasises Austen’s ideas and attitude towards society through her epistolary form of writing. Through Weldon’s epistolary form, she emphasises Austen’s ideas, reinforcing how Austen wrote ‘out of tradition, if only she broke away from it’. Fay’s didactic tone is reinforced by the absence of Alice’s responses to her letters, therefore, is represented through Fay’s reaction to Alice’s response. Thus, it can be observed Weldon’s didactic text lies through its reflection to Pride and Prejudice enhancing the comparative study of these texts.
Therefore, the contextualisation of the significance of marriage and role of women in Jane Austen’s, Pride and Prejudice and Fay Weldon’s, Letters to Alice, serves to enhance the understanding of the values attitudes conveyed in the texts. Through their texts, both authors critique and present their view that they perceive is detrimental to their society, providing the reader to a new appreciation of each context. Despite the differing contexts, the themes of marriage and role of women is evident in both their time periods allowing a new perspective of the values to be presented in Letters to Alice, explored through the changes in context and in form. Hence, the comparative study of both texts explicitly enhances the reader’s understanding of these key issues in each of their social contexts.
This conclusion is nice! Succinct, it covers all the bases, packs a nice punch! 
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Topic: English Advanced Essay Marking (Modules Only) (Read 607550 times)