Comparing Pride And Prejudice And The Power Of Myth
Conceptual Comparison between Pride and Prejudice and The Power of Myth In his work, The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell postulates that people are "so engaged in doing things to achieve purposes of outer value" that they "forget that the inner value, the rapture that is being alive, is what it's all about" (5). This statement, along with other underlying concepts of Campbell's work, holds true, not only for modern readers, but also for the characters of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. By viewing Pride and Prejudice through the lens of American mythologist, Joseph Campbell, one is given insight regarding the flawed thought processes and ideals of Jane Austen's characters, primarily in matters of marriage and love. One of the concepts
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In Pride and Prejudice love is seen as a nuisance. For example, while explaining to Elizabeth the nature of his feelings and intentions, Mr. Darcy remarks, "Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your connections? To congratulate myself on the hope of relations whose condition in life is so decidedly beneath my own?" (Austen 224). Mr. Darcy battles to resolve the dissonance between his two concepts of Elizabeth for much of the first half of the novel. In his mind, it is treason for him degrade himself through an association with her and her family. But his affection towards her proves to be much stronger than his attempt to be logical. Campbell's impression of the essence of love mirrors this incident. He believes that "what destroys reason is passion" (36). This means that love and its close sibling, anger, are two of the only emotions capable of completely incapacitating ones attempts at logic, turning a rational person into a rash person. Understanding the fundamentals of love through the eyes of Campbell, provides the reader with a heightened comprehension of how and why Mr. Darcy's ambivalence toward Elizabeth turns into
In Pride and Prejudice love is seen as a nuisance. For example, while explaining to Elizabeth the nature of his feelings and intentions, Mr. Darcy remarks, "Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your connections? To congratulate myself on the hope of relations whose condition in life is so decidedly beneath my own?" (Austen 224). Mr. Darcy battles to resolve the dissonance between his two concepts of Elizabeth for much of the first half of the novel. In his mind, it is treason for him degrade himself through an association with her and her family. But his affection towards her proves to be much stronger than his attempt to be logical. Campbell's impression of the essence of love mirrors this incident. He believes that "what destroys reason is passion" (36). This means that love and its close sibling, anger, are two of the only emotions capable of completely incapacitating ones attempts at logic, turning a rational person into a rash person. Understanding the fundamentals of love through the eyes of Campbell, provides the reader with a heightened comprehension of how and why Mr. Darcy's ambivalence toward Elizabeth turns into