Pride, Prejudice, and Carpe Diem!

Last night I became possibly the last person on earth to watch the movie Dead Poet’s Society, and unlike my unduly cynical movie buddy, thought it was just great. The timing also could not have been more perfect, as I have just begun teaching Jane Austen’s classic tale of restrained, civilized affection- Pride and Prejudice.



DP Society starts off with one of those famous movie moments- gathered around some sepia pictures of long dead alumnae of an elite boys high school, a group of students are encouraged to make the little time they have on earth mean something. "Carpe Diem" their teacher whispers, make every moment matter. And throughout the move, Mr. Keatings (Robin Williams) enjoins his students to shirk conventionality, eschew conformity, and “suck the marrow out of life” without a fear of consequences. It’s a powerful message - tempered, to be sure, by a sobering tragedy - but all in all, a convincing testament to the beauty and power of throwing away inhibition and really “living.”


Yet its remarkable how, from a different vantage point, that powerful message can morph into something flimsy and imprudent. Elizabeth Bennet, the heroine of Pride and Prejudice is, of course, a vital, exciting character. Everyone she encounters is struck by her independence of spirit, whether they approve of it or not, and modern readers often point to Lizzie (or really Jane Austen) as a kind of proto-feminist, living the life she wants to live despite societal pressures pointing her elsewhere. These readings are often misdirected however, as Pride and Prejudice really isn’t about saying “to hell with convention, I’m going to be myself!” If anything, P&P is probably one of the most compelling arguments in favor of subdued domestic conformity I’ve encountered. Nowhere does Elizabeth even entertain the possibility that happiness can be found anywhere but in a prudent and satisfying marriage. The only character that would have been at home in the Dead Poets Society is Lydia Bennet, Lizzie’s youngest sister who throws a way any shot she would have at happiness by running away with a dashing but awful fellow named Mr. Wickham. This difference is not only a consequence of P& P emerging from a different time-period. The poets invoked and championed in Dead Poets Society are Romantic poets, living at the exact same time Jane Austen was penning her works. This was, in certain literary circles, an era of unbridled passion, of rejecting inhibition, of beating ones chest and screaming to an unknowable, transcendent God.

But Jane Austen begged to differ. She said, whoa there, calm down folks, passion is great, but unwise if it doesn’t have the appropriate social sanction. We have to live in this world, we have to make peace with its conventions, and frankly, maybe there is even wisdom behind its conventions. Maybe if everyone in society tells you to find a husband, support your family, have good manners etc…then they’re on to something. Pride and Prejudice thus points toward a model of doing those things without losing your soul. It’s a charming, rich and complex book, and in being so, makes the point that even a relatively conventional life can be a charming, rich and complex thing.

It’s an important point I think, because in DP Society when Robin Williams shouts out, “Make your lives EXTRAORDINARY” he sending a very confusing message. What on earth does that mean, really? Broken down to its component parts, what really is the difference between an ordinary and an extraordinary life? (Please answer- it’s a real question). I mean, you want to find something you do well, interact with people, make a little money, leave something for the kinder. What else is there, on a basic building block level? Yes, of course we can all point to people who made a significant dent in the world, but sometimes that’s an accident right? Right place, right time, or they had all the opportunities presented to them. In other words, while its clear that from the outside that an extraordinary life is quite distinguishable from an ordinary one, when you are in the process of living can you really tell the difference?

What Pride and Prejudice reminds us, I think, is that even the most mundane of country villages can have vibrant, multivalent experiences contained within. Elizabeth Bennet did NOTHING, she made fun of silly people around her, married a rich guy, and went off to live in his mansion. But she thought and she felt and she loved, so the book works, it feels exciting. Is it possible that the young men of the DP Society would be satisfied with that level of extraordinary living? I highly doubt it. And a part of me, the part of me that swoons over music and poetry, looks askance upon it as well. But conversely, the notion of “Carpe Diem,” of “seizing the day” as viable alternative to everyday living, is pretty vague. I wouldn’t give up on it entirely, but I think, as a concept, it needs a little more tweaking to really feel significant.