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#moodboard #elizabethbennet #nature #landscape #prideandprejudice

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A common theme during the Romantic time period was writing that focused on nature. A lot of works that were studied particularly in this class from this time period had very apparent emphases on nature, frequently having it be the subject of the piece.  Austen’s Pride and Prejudice differs from these other writers’ works because her use of nature is not as evident and requires some analysis.  Austen’s main use of nature and landscape is used in the characterization and development of her protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet.  Though some uses may be subtle, they are completely intentional and help the reader better understand not only Elizabeth as a character but her also her actions and turning points in the novel.  

The picture in the top right corner was chosen to represent the Bennet family home in the country.  This is important because their small, rustic home represents Elizabeth’s family’s social class, which is a big factor in her upbringing and identity.  As opposed to Mr. Darcy and the Bingleys who live in the city and are extremely wealthy, Elizabeth is poor and has an entirely different view of life.  This in turn ties in with the bottom left picture in the mood board.  This is a picture of a woman walking through the fields in the country and is symbolic of Elizabeth’s walk on foot to Netherfield. This is a major insight in the novel to Elizabeth’s social upbringing but also to her character and strength as a woman.  Her willingness to walk all that way to see her sister rather than take a horse or carriage like many other women would at that time speaks for itself.  While her sister Jane, had the same upbringing, this shows the differences between the sisters’ makeup.  Jane is frail and fragile.  She gets very sick from riding on horseback over to the Bingleys in the rain and becomes too ill to come back home. Elizabeth wants to be with her sick sister and does not even hesitate to come to her aid even if it is a three-mile walk away.  Elizabeth says herself “the distance is nothing when one has a motive”(Austen, 33).  In the picture there is no path and that’s symbolic of Elizabeth’s independence and not needing a path to follow at that particular moment or in life in general. This shows her strength and determination to not be afraid to deviate from a common route and create her own path in life even if it isn’t easy.  

The source “The BBC’s Pride and Prejudice: Falling in Love Through Nature” addresses the importance of this walk to Netherfield as well.  It states that “Elizabeth’s fondness for walks and association with the outdoors carries important implications for her character not just in terms of temperament, but also in terms of social standing.”  In the novel she is said to have been running through puddles and showing up to the Bingley house wet and muddy and looking wild. Miss Bingley makes a comment on her arrival saying “It seems to me to shew an abominable sort of conceited independence, a most country town indifference to decorum” (Austen, 36).  This part being included in the novel is what shows the difference in social class and typical behavior of a woman at this time that Lady Catherine, the Bingleys, and Mr. Darcy are accustomed to as opposed to Elizabeth’s actions.  

Socially during this time a woman’s place was in the house.  They were expected to be quiet, reserved, and be in the search of a potential suitor.  This is exactly what her mother expected of Elizabeth and her sisters but is something that she did not follow.  After her walk to Netherfield, it is clear to the reader that Elizabeth is in no sense prim and proper or a typical woman at this time.  Elizabeth instead is like nature.  She is free-spirited, down to earth, and wholesome.  Though she may not be as pretty as Jane and maybe a little rough around the edges, she has her own sense of beauty.  She behaves naturally, saying and doing whatever she feels and never tries to be anything she is not.  She says what she thinks and is unapologetically herself.  This relates to the bottom right picture on the mood board, which is an image from the movie.  In this image and throughout the whole book Elizabeth is imagined to look and dress naturally and wear simple, earthy clothes.  She is not over the top and her dress and appearance is not something that is important to her character.

Going off of the source, “The BBC’s Pride and Prejudice: Falling in Love Through Nature”, Elizabeth has many other times where she walks off into nature, though they are not as significant as her walk to Netherfield.  The book mentions, “not a day went by without a solitary walk, in which she might indulge in all the delight of unpleasant recollections” (Austen, 206).  These walks are a staple for her character and usually were where she would go to find an outlet or a source of comfort.  For example, in the book, she runs off into nature after Mr. Collins proposed to her, after an unpleasant encounter with Lady Catherine, and after she received the horrible news that Lydia had run off.  Elizabeth’s fondness for walks and nature is represented by the picture in the middle row on the far left side of the mood board.  This picture is of a woman holding leaves in her hands and is meant to show Elizabeth’s love for nature and represent the comfort she finds surrounding herself in it.

The top left picture is what is described as Pemberly and symbolic of how powerful the effects of landscape and nature have on an individual.  Elizabeth’s visit to Pemberly is the turning point for her in the novel.  “Looking at the Landscape in Jane Austen” says, “the sequence of descriptions in the chapter creates a sense of ascent, multiplicity, and expansion which defines not only the landscape but also the widening of Elizabeth’s vision of Darcy, and the increasing intensity of her feelings.” Here she falls in love with Darcy’s taste for nature.  Austen’s description of his home is exquisite and Elizabeth is in awe saying, “she had never seen a place for which nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste” (Austen, 235).  It is through her visit to Pemberly and seeing the upkeep and simplicity of the space where her feelings toward Darcy have changed. Elizabeth’s view of the “landscape suggests a process of social discovery or corrected perception” (Bodenheimer).  The image of them holding hands and then them face to face on the mood board is meant to represent the change of attitude and passion after the visit to Pemberly.  The image of them holding hands was when they had danced together for the first time and she viewed him as condescending and arrogant.  Afterward seeing his home, she sees that she had misjudged him and loves this man and wants to be his wife.  Them face to face and the two rings symbolize their new relationship that has formed and the future that they will spend together.

Nature represents who Elizabeth is in terms of social class, but also her personality and where she finds her freedom and comfort.  Austen’s use of nature and landscape not only helps the reader better understand who Elizabeth Bennet is, but also how she changes throughout the story.  This is evident with the power of landscape at Pemberely which completely changes her view of Darcy.  Elizabeth even said herself that before she thought of Darcy as “the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry” (Austen, 188).  One visit to Pemberly completely changed everything.  

Citations:

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Penguin Classics, 2003. Print.

Bodenheimer, Rosemarie. “Looking at the Landscape in Jane Austen.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, vol. 21, no. 4, 1981, pp. 605–623. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/450229.

“The BBC's Pride and Prejudice: Falling in Love through Nature.” Exposé Magazine, projects.iq.harvard.edu/expose/book/bbc%E2%80%99s-pride-and-prejudice-falling-love-through-nature.