Jane Austen Quotes

Like Character, Like Estate
In the novel Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen gives more meaning to the estates belonging to each character instead of allowing the reader to only see them as Background information. Austen is able to paint the personalities and values of each character in the minds of the reader by describing the outer appearance as well as the interior of the houses, this is applied particularly well to both Mr. Darcy of Pemberley and Lady Catherine of Rosings. Both appear proud and of high self-esteem, yet as the reader travels though the houses along with the main character, Elizabeth Bennett, it becomes clear that the two characters are extremely different.
Upon sight of the house, Elizabeth Bennett sees Rosings as a large and
proud home with great importance and high standards. Its outer appearance is strong and tall. When Lizzy first arrives at Rosings she describes it as a handsome, modern building, yet Elizabeth also mentions she was all "but slightly affected" by Mr. Collins's "enumeration of the windows in front of the house, and his relation of what the glazing altogether had cost Sir Lewis de Bourgh" (Austen, 158). Auden intentionally shows Lizzy in this scene as above Lady Catherine’s pride and she clearly does not respect Lady Catherine the way she should, or even the way Mr. Collins does. When first introduced to Lady Catherine, much like the way the building was described from the outside, she was a “tall, large women” (159). In one sentence Austen is able to show the audience the relationship between the house and Lady Catherine. She is also able to show the transparency of her Ladyship’s fake egotism and state bluntly that Lady Catherine’s “strongly-marked features…might once have been handsome”(159). The estate’s title, Rosings, reflects Lady Catherine as well. Rosings seems to have a loose root word of rose, or higher up. While being a large building on higher ground, this building reflects Lady Catherine’s impression on others as well as appearance of the estate. This is a showcase of its owner's enormous wealth and is noticeable symbols of social prestige.
Elizabeth's reaction on first seeing Mr.
Darcy is directly related to the way she views Pemberley. Austen first directs the attention to Darcy by stating that he “drew the attention of the room by his fine tall, handsome features” (12). In the same way, Austen reflects this appearance in the estate as well. “It was a large, handsome stone building, standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills; and in front, a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance” (235). At this point, Elizabeth is forced to think about her decisions and opinions of Darcy. She believed Darcy to be a man of excessive pride, before her visit to Pemberley. Along with Lizzy, Austen allows for the reader to also challenge the assumptions made previously regarding Darcy. Austen’s description of Darcy’s estate gives the reader more information about Darcy's character. The beauty of the house and grounds implies that perhaps Darcy has a reason for all of the pride he shows and the real beauty of his character. Elizabeth sees Darcy with many flaws at first, and later, in this moment of realization, Lizzy sees none in the estate, telling the reader that Lizzy has changed her mind. Elizabeth sees the beauty of it all,, she sees everything from the beautiful building “standing well on rising ground” to the wooded area surrounding it and even the “stream of some natural importance” below it (235). She has previously accused him of
excessive pride, but, this understanding that Pemberley is a symbolic description of Darcy's character creates a moment of illumination for Lizzy.
This realization Elizabeth finds outside of Pemberley is strengthened as Elizabeth enters the home to find the housekeeper “less fine, and more civil” than expected and the furniture “with less of splendor” than that of Rosings which appears more stiff and certainly an overly expensive investment (236).
These insights into Darcy's character are only heightened by the housekeeper's praise of his character and appearance when Lizzy sets sight on the picture of Darcy. On the other hand, Rosings shows off wealth and power in an obvious way. The parks and gardens are taken care of daily and the plants are trimmed to perfection. The windows are numerous, and the furniture is luxuriant. Much like her home, Lady Catherine loves to show off her wealth both in and out of her house for everyone to
see. Jane Austen does an amazing job as presenting the estates as symbols for each character’s unique traits and morals in the story Pride and Prejudice through two specific characters, Lady Catherine and Mr. Darcy both of higher class, appear alike in many ways. Austen is able to crate a moment of realization and show the reader that theres more to Darcy than his arrogant seeming outer shell which is an incorrect assumption. This illumination is shown through the description of Mr. Darcy’s home. Much like Darcy in the beginning, Lady Catherine is shown as bitter and full of pride. Unlike Darcy, this assumption could not be more right, and there is no wrong in that statement. Elizabeth Bennett is able to judge both characters fully through their home because each house is a symbol for the characters’ traits and standards.