The Phenomenon of Gossip in 'Pride and Prejudice'

Seminar paper from the year 2002 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,5, University of Freiburg (Anglistik), 25 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Jane Austen, however, decided to focus on the phenomenon of gossip in Pride and Prejudice and that is why I want to write this paper about the same topic. In the beginning of my paper, I think it is necessary to give some general information about gossip and take a look at the introduction and the setting for gossip in Pride and Prejudice. I want to show that gossip has important functions in society and will explain those by giving examples from the text. Then I want to focus on the development of the relationship between the two main characters, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. I predominantly want to concentrate on the influence of gossip on the development of their relationship. As we will see, both Elizabeth and Darcy have to deal with strict social norms, codes and stereotypes of their society. In the end, I want to draw a line and verify if or to what extend Jane Austen was able to overcome these norms and values of her time.