According to what we have been reading and discussing in class on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, I have come to realize how much it actually relates to what other authors in different disciplines refer to as different kinds of love.
From a classical --or Plato's-- perspective, we could consider this slippery term we call love to be divided in eros (mainly related to a more physical type of relationship, though not always necessarily sexual), agape (considered the highest form of love a human being in --allegedly-- able to give to someone else), and phillia (normally defined as the love between close friends or siblings). Along this post I will attemp to explain which of these visions seem to be more important on Jane Austen's novel and why I perceive it that way.
First of all, becuase of the era they lived in, the more physical aspects of love were mainly restricted to dances and to the obvious physical attraction that could happen between characters (like in Jane's case, who could easily get some attention because of her external beauty). However, I do not think this is the most clear form of love Jane Austen wants to share with us in this book.
Austen was a really clever woman who was certainly ahead of her times. Additionally, she also did not have the intention to present us to perfect characters who would willingly give up on their own life and interests for any other random person in the story. For this reason, I do not believe that agape is the type of love she highlights the most then. So, what then?
I believe phillia, the type of love normally related to "friendship", is the one she encourages the most in the novel, which can be clearly seen in the relation between Lizzy and Darcy. Provided that men and women were given totally different roles that somehow subordinated women to men, a romantic relation that considered phillia must have been totally revolutionary back in the Victorian age. However, this is exactly what Austen wants us to see: a romantic relation in which both members can talk like equals, can really trust in each other and believe in each other capacities.
For this reason, I believe the kind of relation that brings Lizzy and Darcy together in Austen's story clearly has a strong component of phillia into it.
Had you ever thought about the different types of love and how they are represented in this story?
Do you think it is important for a romantic relation to have a strong component of "phillia"? why/ why not?
References
Fromm, E. (2000). Art of loving. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
Interesting point you have here. I never thought of different kinds of love as the way you presented it in your post on P&P. Actually, to me when love has to be justified or needs to satisfy me personally, that is not love; it is selfishness. It is the love to oneself, in a way.
ResponderEliminarThat is why I think that Darcy loves Lizzy more than she loves him back. Because he realizes that the relationship will not be at all advantageous, that socially speaking they shouldn't be together. But that didn't matter to him. On the other hand Lizzy had to overcome her pride and preconceptions about a gentlemen that obviously annoyed her for the simple fact of being higher than her in terms of social position.
Well, but getting back to your question, I agree with you and think that in this case the phillia component is the most relevant (without denying the others) in terms of friendship.