Jane Austen and Novels of Purpose

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Both of the following Jane Austen novels, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, are novels of purpose. These novels utilize the elements of love, individual rights, and moral perfection throughout the stories. These elements of love, individual rights, and moral perfection are shown mostly from the perspective of relationships. There are people who try and tamper with the elements of love, others individual rights, and some who suffer from moral imperfection. All in all this elements together make a novel of purpose.

The element of love plays a major role in both Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. In Pride and Prejudice love plays a big part. Elizabeth Bennet wants to marry for love while most others marry for money. Elizabeth happens to meet Mr. Darcy at a ball and falls in love with him. Elizabeth forms a love/ hate relationship with Mr. Darcy throughout the novel. Elizabeth meets Mr. Wickham who is a soldier. Mr. Wickham tells Elizabeth about how he was mistreated by Darcy. Elizabeth feels that this is another reason to hate him. Another reason that Elizabeth hates Mr. Darcy is because Mr. Darcy sabotaged a relationship involving Elizabeth’s sister, Jane, and Mr. Darcy’s best friend, Mr. Bingly. Mr. Darcy, thinking that the love between himself and Elizabeth is unconditional, proposes to Elizabeth. Elizabeth promptly rejects the proposal because of how she thinks Mr. Darcy treated Mr. Wickham and because of Mr. Darcy’s supposed involvement in the breaking up of Jane and Mr. Bingly. Saddened by Elizabeth’s rejection, Mr. Darcy, writes Elizabeth a letter. In the letter Mr. Darcy explains to Elizabeth how Mr. Wickham tried to obtain part of Darcy’s fortune by marrying Darcy’s younger sister, Georgiana. Mr. D...

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...al imperfection. John Willoughby has an illegitimate child that not many people know of at first. Edward Ferrars is secretly engaged with shouldn’t have to happen. If he loves someone he should be able to marry whom he pleases. Marianne appeases the sense part of the title. Marianne feel for John based on her senses only to find out he wasn’t the man she thought he was. Marianne smartened up when she married the Colonel, a man who is actually good for her.

Both novels, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, meet the criteria for a novel of purpose. The purpose of these novels was to convey the elements of love, individual rights, and moral perfection. Most people can relate to at least one of those three things at some point or another in their life. In the end most can relate to both or one of these stories making them great examples of novel of purpose.

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