Ashton and I are in an English class called Women in Fiction. We are currently reading Pride and Prejudice, and we just finished reading a bunch of fairy tales/fairy tale re-writes. In class on Friday, we were talking about the section in Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth admits she never knew who she truly was until she met Darcy. She realizes this after reading a letter from Darcy to herself explaining how she has been wrong in all of her judgments against him.
While most of the other students in the class (an all girls class--something which could be an entirely different discussion post) thought this to be a turning point in the novel in which Elizabeth matures and develops. Ashton, however, so keenly pointed out the opposite. Elizabeth admits to not knowing herself at all until she is known by Darcy. While this isn't in a sexual manner, it does reflect issues regarding the male gaze that we have discussed in this class. Elizabeth didn't know who she was until the male gaze had "seen" her. I found it really interesting to take these Victorian novels in a different direction from the typical discussion topics. It expands and develops our ability to analyze novels and create new ideas instead of limiting us -- even in a novel -- to societal and cultural expectations.
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