Pride and Prejudice

            In Nina Auerbach's essay Waiting Together, she emphasizes the male dominance of the novel Pride and Prejudice.  She does this by arguing that any given setting lacks substance until a dominant male enters the picture. “We are not allowed to see Longbourn House until a man does; for the readers as for its inhabitants, it is an unsubstantial place that exists to be left.” The example that is given is when Mr. Collins graces the Bennet’s table; some descriptions of the meal, as well as details about Longbourn are filled in. While prior to this readers did not receive any descriptions of the household. I find this point a bit reaching. Drawing a connection between a general description and a certain gendered character shows a loose correlation and hardly proves her specific point of, “Men alone endow female existence with this physicality.” I would agree that the men do dominant the attention of the room when they enter, but as for arguing that they bring “domestic substance” to the room seems an odd point to belabor. But while arguing the actual physicality may lead nowhere, she does have a point when saying that the women of Pride and Prejudice are constantly “waiting” on the men. The whole reason for women’s existence at this time is basically for men. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” A man is in want of a wife, like she is an object desired and to be obtained.  Do you agree with Auerbach’s theory on the substance of setting in correlation with male presence? Would you consider Lizzy a strong feminine character? Is Lady Catherine a strong character?