A Look at Jane Austen's Pride and PrejudiceThe Picturesque and Sublime

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice demonstrates a great number of the social changes brought about in the Romantic period. The most notable of these changes is the introduction of the ideas of the picturesque and the sublime. Austen presents these ideas in the form of the relationships between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, and between Lydia and Mr. Wickham. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship is a representative of the picturesque, while the relationship between Lydia and Mr. Wickham is representative of the sublime.

For the purposes of this paper, a picturesque relationship will be defined as one that displays practicality and is realistic in nature. It is a relationship that is beneficial in some way for both parties financially, socially or emotionally speaking. A picturesque relationship is one that isn't based upon the absurd notion of romance; Romance, if there is any present in the relationship, is merely a bonus for all parties involved. However, a sublime relationship is just the opposite. A sublime relationship is one that involves frivolous and impulsive people. Romance for romance's sake, or some other grand ideal, is the main focus. It does not necessarily hold benefit for both, or either, party other than the satisfaction of striving for something fantastic.

Volume II of the Longman Anthology of British Literature defines picturesque as an aesthetic mean between "beautiful" and "sublime," and is the "best angle" of a scene (Longman 3142). Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's relationship is an excellent example of this artistic concept. Darcy is Elizabeth's "best angle" in life socially, financially and emotionally. By marrying him, Elizabeth would belong to a higher class. The new social sphere would be, at least on the surface, more refined and cultured. Darcy, with his substantial income, would be better able to support her than she ever could on her own with an inheritance or business interest. The two are also emotional compliments of one another. Both are free, independent spirits, but not excessively so. The both recognize that they need and depend on each other to survive the precarious socio-economic world of the Romantic era.

Darcy is an extremely proud man, and is acutely aware of socio-economic differences between people. During his first meeting with Elizabeth, he allows his immense pride to color his assessment of her and fledgling relationship with her. He describes Elizabeth as "tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt [him]" (Austen 15). It is conceivable that Darcy would have used more flattering language when speaking of Elizabeth had she been of the same social class. But, since she is socially inferior to him, Darcy is obliged to downplay his physical attraction to her. Elizabeth is Darcy's "best angle" in life, even though he would be marrying down. If he allowed Elizabeth to get close to him, emotionally speaking, she could help him discard his overbearing pride and become a more sympathetic person. Darcy would have the same personality-altering effect on Elizabeth as well. He would help her, as her emotional counterpart, to overcome her strong prejudices against him and others of his socio-economic class; he could teach her, and vice versa, that first appearances aren't everything.

Longman defines the idea of the sublime as "a quality attributed to lofty or noble ideas, grand or elevated expression, or an inspiring combination of thought and language" (Longman 3147). Lydia and Mr. Wickham's relationship, prior to their marriage, is a prime example of the concept of the sublime. Lydia's promiscuous behavior throughout much of the book suggests that she is striving for a lifestyle that grants her much more freedom than the conventions and traditions that society gives her.

In chapter 15, Lydia is introduced to Mr. Wickham by a family friend. Austen describes Wickham as a very handsome man, saying, "his appearance was greatly in his favor" (Austen 70). Lydia is immediately taken with him and begins to flirt, much to the embarrassment of Elizabeth. Her open flirtation with Wickham shows that Lydia doesn't care about what other people may think of her, and that she sees nothing wrong with publicly displaying her physical attraction to a man.

Through innocent, by modern standards, flirtation, Lydia expresses a longing for female sexual freedom, and this longing is reinforced in chapter 46 when she elopes with, but does not immediately marry, Mr. Wickham. In family letters to Elizabeth, there seems to be no remorse on Lydia's part for maintaining a scandalous relationship with Wickham, and why would there be? Her elopement with Wickham has given her every freedom she has dreamed of. A relationship with no attachments and free of the constricting rules of society, at least at first, allows Lydia to live out at least an illusion of independence. Being the youngest of four daughters at this time in Britain meant that Lydia would have had everything decided for her, first by her father and later by her husband. By eloping and carrying on an impure relationship with Wickham, Lydia ensures that she can at least decide one thing for herself. Lydia's sexual immorality may have forever tarnished her own reputation and that of her family, but, in exchange, she has obtained the man she loves.

Unfortunately, the concept of the sublime is supported in this relationship almost entirely by Lydia, though a twisted and perverse version of it is displayed by Mr. Wickham. When the couple is found living together in London, it has been revealed that Mr. Wickham is notorious for only being interested in women with money. The "lofty ideal" that Wickham strives to fulfill would be a portion of Mr. Bennet's estate. He believes that if he marries Lydia, he would become an heir, and it would be him, not Mr. Collins, that would get at least a percentage of the estate when Mr. Bennet passes. Of course, this isn't true; Wickham discovers this while Mr. Darcy is trying to convince him to marry Lydia. Wickham demands that his five-thousand pound debt be settled, and that he should be paid one hundred pounds per year out of the estate funds for the rest of his life. He believes that this course of action is the next best thing to an inheritance, therefore, he fulfills, if only partially, his "lofty goal."
Lydia's elopement threatens Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship. As a man of higher class, Darcy would not want to be associated with a family that had a sexually immoral member, no matter how immaculate the others at least pretended to be. Darcy's convincing of Wickham to marry Lydia can be seen as an attempt on his part to achieve picturesque and sublime states for both relationships respectively. If Wickham married Lydia before word of their scandalous elopement spread, Lydia would reach her state of freedom and peace, while Darcy would be free to propose to Elizabeth a second time without the stigma of being connected to a family in such a state of disgrace.

Throughout the entirety of the novel, Austen presents the institution of marriage as an artistic coin. On the one side, it can be used to elevate one's socio-economic status and to secure one's future through a well-planned nuptial. On the other side, marriage can be viewed as a means to realize a romantic dream. The relationships between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth and Mr. Wickham and Lydia are clearly commentary on the beliefs of many people during this time in Britain. It seems as if Austen uses Wickham and Lydia to show that the idea of romance is being lost upon, or perverted by, those who only think of elevating themselves in society. Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship suggests that practicality can be useful in a relationship, making sure that both people do not rush into anything that they are not fully prepared for. Austen's comparisons of the two relationships near the end of the novel show that there must be a balance between practicality and romance for a truly happy couple to exist. Eventually, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth find this balance and transform their relationship from picturesque to sublime.

Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Longman Publishers, 2003.
Damrosch, David. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. 2. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006.