Jane Austen’s original title for this novel, First Impressions, makes sense as it relates to how Darcy and Elizabeth must overcome their original judgments of each other. Elizabeth must learn to try to better understand who she believed to be “the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world” (Austen 13). Darcy must overcome the social class differences between the two, as well as having to learn to look at Elizabeth in a different light, having at first considered her as merely “tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt [him]” (Austen 13).
While the title First Impressions is fitting, it does not entirely encompass the whole of the novel. To me, the first impressions serve only as a starting point, as the events that occur later on have a higher implication in the resolution of the novel. Apart from her first meeting with Darcy, Elizabeth must also overcome her judgments of Darcy after his attempt to separate Jane and Bingley and Wickham’s severe claims about him. On the other hand, Darcy must learn to continue his fierce pursuit of Elizabeth’s despite her self-admitted behavior and attitude that “was always bordering on the uncivil” (Austen 359).
Overall, Pride and Prejudice is a more fitting title for the novel as it better encompasses the entirety of Darcy and Elizabeth’s respective journeys to love through the mending of their biases. Darcy’s change of mind comes as he learns to look beyond class differences to rather appreciate Elizabeth for “the liveliness of [her] mind” (Austen 359). He overcomes his upper-class arrogance and pride that is exemplified by Lady Catherine, who very well represents how Darcy acted at the beginning of the novel. By the end, he goes against his aunt’s hierarchical mentality and considers her attempts to hinder the marriage as unjustifiable, although Darcy at the beginning would have considered such a relationship to be improper. Alternatively, Elizabeth moves past her initial resentment and prejudice towards him when his selfless action to help Lydia clears all of her preconceived notions about him, seeing that his “feelings were always noble and just” (Austen 359).
While the characters’ first impressions play a major role in the development of the plot, it is various other events throughout the novel that truly set the stage for Elizabeth and Darcy’s romance. Additionally, the title Pride and Prejudice is more explicit in the specific struggles that the characters must overcome, rather than the more vague premise that first impressions are of utmost importance. As it turns out, overcoming preconceived notions has everything to do with the testing of character and one’s flawed traits, such as pride and prejudice, through experiences that lead to a change in mind.
I completely agree with your point about the novel's purpose of overcoming the preconceived notions that were a result of the character's first meetings and that Pride and Prejudice fits it a lot better. While Darcy's and Elizabeth's first impressions of each other is the start of their story, it is the conflicts that follows that makes it worth reading. Darcy's pride is the thing that pushes Elizabeth from him in the start. He refuses to dance with her because she isn't worthy of it. He ignores her because he doesn't believe that she has any of the characteristics that he considers makes a good woman. Only when she proves her intelligence and character does Darcy get over his pride. Likewise, Elizabeth's prejudice prevents her from understanding Darcy and makes her underestimate his character when Wickham belittles it. After getting the letter and seeing the many good things that Darcy has done for her, she sees him past her own prejudice. As proven through your examples, it is pride and prejudice that ultimately runs the novel so I think that the name is also more appropriate.
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