THE REFLECTION
OF JANE AUSTEN’S LIFE
BACKGROUND ON THE MOVIE PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
A THESIS
Submitted to the English Department, Faculty of Languages and Arts, State University of Medan, In Partial of the requirements for the
Degree of Sarjana Sastra
By:
LENNY R. SITUMORANG
209520010
ENGLISH AND LITERATURE DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND ARTS
vi ABSTRACT
Situmorang, Lenny Rosanty. The Reflection of Jane Austen’s Life Background on the Movie Pride and Prejudice. Faculty of Language and Arts, State University of Medan.
vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
First of all, the writer would like to express her thankfulness to the
Heavenly Father for the blessings, love and unexpected chances given to me to do
this thesis to fulfill one of the requirements to obtain the Degree of Scholar of
Applied Linguistic at English Department, Faculty of Languages and Arts, State
University of Medan.
The writer admits that in writing this thesis, she faced many difficulties
therefore she needed helps, corrections, and invaluable suggestions from a great
number of people. Due to these problems, the writer would like to extend her
deepest gratitude to:
1. Prof. Dr. Ibnu Hajar Damanik, M.Si, as the Rector of State University
of Medan.
2. Dr. Isda Pramuniati, M.Hum, as the Dean of Faculty of Languages and
Arts, Vice dean I, II, and III and all the administrative staff.
3. Prof. Dr. Hj. Sumarsih, M.Pd. as the Head of English and Literature
Department.
4. Dra. Rahmah, M.Hum as the Secretary of English and Literature
Department, Dra. Meisuri, M.A as the Head of Applied Linguistics, and
also her Academic Consultant for her guidance and advice during her
academic years at this faculty and also to Dra. Masitowarni, M.Ed, as the
Head of English Education for all suggestions and administrative help
during her study and time in conducting this thesis.
5. Dra. Yunita Agnes Sianipar, M.Hum as her supervisor, in guiding,
giving comments, support, motivation, invaluable suggestions and
precious time she had given during the process of writing this thesis.
6. Thanks are addressed to all Lectures of the English and Literature
Department for transferring the invaluable information in terms of
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7. Special thanks are due to her beloved parents L. Situmorang (+) and N.
Manalu, as well as her sisters Herlina Situmorang and Christina
Situmorang, her brothers Rano Situmorang and Jhon Henry
Situmorang who have patiently given their moral financial support,
mutual understanding, spiritual assurance, helps and love during her
academic year and the completion of this thesis.
8. Great thanks are also given to her friends Safriana Silitonga, Sartika
Tampubolon, Eva Nurtyapul, and Nindi frameswary for everything
which they had experienced together in happiness and sadness during her
academic years.
9. Special thanks to Oktavianus Sembiring for his supports and prayers.
10.Thanks finally given to her friends in Applied Linguistics A and B 2009,
Lusi, Jimi, Fransiska, Seftiani, Hana, Juniar, Ingrid, Irham, Lutfi,
Elizabeth, Harna, Siswantia, Sisna, James and others that she can not
mention one by one for the togetherness during her academic years.
Finally, the writer admits that this thesis is still far from being perfect,
therefore the writer would like to invite the readers to give some suggestions, and
responses for the improvement of this thesis in the future.
Medan, Maret 2013
The Writer,
Lenny R. Situmorang
ix
G. The Life Background of Jane Austen.….……....…. 15
H. Jane Austen background and her relationship Character behavior…..…..……… 32
I. The Manners and Customs of life in Jane Austen’s time………... 33
CHAPTER III METHOD OF RESEARCH……….. 36
A. Research Design……….. 36
B. Data Sources……… 36
C. Technique for Collecting Data………. 37
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CHAPTER IV DATA AND DATA ANALYSIS………... 38
A. Similarities between Jane Austen and Elizabeth Bennet………... 38
B. Research Finding……….. 53
CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS……… 55
A. Conclusions……….………. 55
B. Suggestions……….. 56
REFERENCES………. 58
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LIST OF TABLE
Page
xi
LIST OF APPENDIX
Page
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. The Background of the Study
Literature has played an important role in human life. It gives such a
depiction of human experience. Literature in the true sense of the term is that kind
of writing which is charged with human interest, and characterized by
permanence, coloring or imagination and artistic embellishment. It deals with the
life of man and his destinies on earth. It expresses, though feeling, emotion and
attitudes towards life, which are permanent and universal, which, in others words
do not change with the change of time and place. (Klarer, 2004).
As the social creation, Literature usually reveals the situation or the
problems that accurately occurs in social life. The primary aims of literature are to
give pleasure and to entertain those who voluntary attend to it.
Klarer (2004:1) state that most of people like reading a piece of literature
because in it, the readers can find the reflection of our own joy and sorrows, love
and hate. It is expected to find a good literature which entire sincerity to oneself,
to one’s own experience of life, and the world. Its suggestiveness has a power to
appear our emotions and imagination rather than to our intellectual.
The writers somewhat draw their own experience in most of their work
for example, DH Lawrence’s in his novel Sons and Lovers.
According to Yaputri (2007:1), Biographical approach is an approach to
2
The biographical approach allows one to better understand elements within a
work, as well as to relate works to authorial intention and audience.
Pride and Prejudice movie is a 2005 British romance film directed by Joe
Wright and based on Jane Austen's 1813 novel of the same name. Keira Knightley
stars in the lead role of Elizabeth Bennet, while Matthew Macfadyen plays her
romantic interest Mr. Darcy. Produced by Working Title Films in association with
Studio Canal, the film was released on Sept 16th 2005 in the United Kingdom and
Ireland and on Nov 11th in the United States.
The writer chooses Pride and prejudice Movie because it is based on
Jane Austen’s 1813 novel of the same name, It tells a story about Jane Austen’s
love life as reflected in Elizabeth Bennet. Her life became her inspiration in
writing the novel to criticize about the marriage problem. The problem of finding
a man in her own social class whom she can love and who love her is the vital
problem Elizabeth faces as a young woman. The writer also can study directly to
think about how a film works, to hear what people say to each other, and to see
them doing things like the characters’ feelings are shown in action. Based on the
description above, Pride and Prejudice is one of autobiographical novel, because
Jane Austen was inspired by her own experience in writing the novel. She
becomes a famous novelist and her literary work was made into a film.
The writer is inspired by the previous researcher named Yaputri Widya
Ningsih (2007) who was done the same research, it was about The Reflection of
Charles Dickens’ Life Background on His novel Oliver Twist. In her study, the
3
Twist’s experience. She finds out that Charles Dickens and Oliver Twist have
similarity experiences, but in different scene they are: experiences of his
childhood life, his living in Revolution Industrial era, and his hobby.
The writer is very interested in analyzing Pride and Prejudice Movie by
using Biographical approach because the movie is based on Jane Austen’s 1813
novel of the same name and that tells a story about Jane Austen’s love life as
reflected in Elizabeth Bennet. Since there are similarities between Elizabeth
Bennet as the main character and Jane Austen as the author, the writer will try to
describe the life of two figures by using the biographical approach.
B. The Problem of the Study
The writer formulates the problem of the study as following: “How far
Jane Austen’s life background reflected in Elizabeth Bennet?”
C. The Objective of the Study
The objective of this study is to describe how far Jane Austen’s Life is
reflected in Elizabeth Bennet as the main Character of the movie “Pride and
Prejudice.”
D. The Scope of the Study
Historical (Biographical Approach) see works as the reflection of an
author's life and times (or of the characters' life and times). it is necessary to know
4
her times in order to truly understand his or her works. This study will focus on
the life background of Jane Austen that tells a story about her love life as reflected
in Elizabeth Bennet.
E. The Significance of the study
It is expected that findings of the study are:
1. Helpful for the readers who want to understand and appreciate literary
analysis in general and the works of Jane Austen in particular.
2. Giving information for the reader about the Historical (Biographical
Approach).
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1. Conclusions
After doing the research, the writer concluded as the followings:
Jane Austen active in her writing in the twentyth century. There are some situation of
culture of England that influenced her works
1. Politic
There are the social class differentiation for women in Britain 1800s. The
divisions of the classes were very distinct, and although none of the women in any of
the classes had much power, there were differences in the daily life, family life and
working life. This situation are showed in Austen’s Work. Lady chaterine as an aunt
of Darcy intervened their relationship. She look down Elizabeth Bennet and
announced that Darcy is a rich man got a good education is suitable engaged to her
daughter .
2. Economic
Her mother (Elizabeth’s mother) has a big ambition to marry her sisters. She
knows that the only one way to make her daughters life better is to marry them to rich
3. Social Cultural
At that time still in the influence of the world war II, Austen bring that
situation in her literary work. She described the soldier and the manners of the society
perfectly and naturally.
Jane Austen put her life experiences as the material of her literary work. Both
of Jane Austen’s experiences and ElizabethBennet’s experiences have six similarities
as following:
1. Both Jane Austen and Elizabeth Bennet must face marriage problem.
2. Both Jane Austen and Elizabeth Bennet were displeased by inheritance law.
3. Both Jane Austen and Elizabeth Bennet have close relationship with their
elder sister.
4. Both Jane Austen and Elizabeth Bennet love a man, but their relationship
intervened.
5. Both Jane Austen and Elizabeth Bennet interested in book.
6. Both Jane Austen and Elizabeth Bennet live in the life forms of gentry.
5.2. Suggestions
1. It is suggested for literary class to develop the appreciation toward literary
2. It is better for the readers of literary class to explain to the students to
recognize the background of a literary work, such as the biography of the
author would be helpful.
3. Those, who want to analyze the movie, can refer to this study to help them
understanding about the author’s life background and the author’s life
58
REFERENCES
Austen, J.E .1882. A Memoir of Jane Austen. London: R. Bentley & Son.
Boyle, Laura. 2012. The influence of Jane Austen’s social background on two of
her novel. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from http Atlantic Publishers and Distributors (P) LTD.
Hughes, Simon Peter.2012. Literature. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from http://literature.wikia.com/wiki/Literature.
Klarer, Mario. 2004, An Introduction to Literary Studies, London: Rouledge.
Marsh, Nicholas. 1987. How to begin studying English Literature. London: Macmillan Education Ltd.
Mitton, G.E. 2002. Jane Austen and her time. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from http://mask.rozet.ru/ Literature-Blackmask/British Irish/ Austen Jane/ Jane_Austen_and_Her_Times.pdf.
Moggach, Deborah. 2004. Pride and Prejudice screenplay. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from http:// special features. mrsdarcy. com/page 1.html.
Nasution, Yahdinaddinayah. 2004. A Biographical Approach on James Mathew
Barrie’s Novel Peterpan. Unpublished Thesis. Medan: Universitas Negeri
Medan.
Neaele. J. E. 2007. ‘The Biographical Approach to History’, Journal of the Historical association.
Poplawski, Paul. 1998. A Jane Austen Encyclopedia. United States of Amerika: Greenwood PressWestport, Connecticut.
