James Sherry’s article “Pride and Prejudice: The Limits of Society” raises interesting points ranging from the differences between society and companionship to the differences between detachment and extreme dependence on society. I enjoyed his opinion on Mr. Darcy’s letter in which his personal form of pride and reserve from society could very well be mistaken for snobbishness; however I’m not sure I agree with his views on the misunderstanding between “society” and “companionship.”
Sherry defends his theory on Jane Austen’s definition of “society” as nothing to do with laws or traditions but rather as companionship. His examples do fit his definition of companionship, but they also agree with the widely-accepted definition of tradition and law. The first quote stating that younger sisters should have their share of society and amusement could very well mean that they should have experience in learning the rules of life. The next quote states that “Society has claims on us all,” but this could clearly mean that the rules of the community soon take their toll on the people, whether it be through stress or obsession with tradition. Although Sherry’s idea sounds logical within these examples, the common definition of society as “traditional laws” also agrees with the context of the sentences; therefore, Sherry should no be so quick as to disregard more common ideas.
Sherry does, however, make a very interesting point as to why Elizabeth despises the prideful in the novel. As seen in the first ball, Elizabeth did not think anything of Mr. Darcy’s pride and arrogance, rather she laughed at his indecency. Once she begins to listen to outside voices, such as her mother or Wickham, she rapidly transforms her laughter into dislike for Mr. Darcy. Sherry states that Elizabeth dislikes the upper class not for their detachment from society, but rather for their dependence on society’s unwritten laws and traditions. This can easily be found in her heated conversation with Lady Catherine, when Elizabeth directly and logically attacks the upper-class views on society and marriage.
Lastly, Sherry defends Mr. Darcy’s personality by stating “there may be a form of pride and reserve which differs from that of mere snobbishness.” This idea was sparked by Mr. Darcy’s letter to Elizabeth explaining his initial actions at the first ball. I found this very interesting because Sherry is indeed correct. There is a difference in Mr. Darcy’s behavior and the behaviors of Ms. Bingley and Lady Catharine. Mr. Darcy may have pride, but his personality in his first appearance was due to his quietness and the fact that he knew no one at the ball. Ms. Bingley and Lady Catharine, on the other hand, had pride as well as cruelty towards the lower classes. Clearly, there is more than one form of pride.
