In the supplemental reading for today, Pamela Regis discusses the evolvement from the male hero to the female heroine in the romance novel. Regis states that the heroine "rejects various encumbrances imposed by the old society to arrive at a place where society stops hindering her" (30). She further explains that during the course of a romance novel the heroine moves from a "state of unfreedom to one of freedom" (30).
To me, it seems that Regis is describing a feminist character. Although feminism was not a part of the vernacular during Austen's time, women have always (consciously or subconsciously) sought the right to make their own choices. To me, this means that in order to be a valid romance heroine, a woman needs to embody feminist actions; at some point in the story she is oppressed - often by societal influences - and throughout the book she gains enough self-assurance and self-understanding to liberate herself from whatever has been holding her back. By the end of the romance novel, the heroine feels free to choose her own choice.
In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet is this character. At the beginning of the story she is oppressed by the structure of her society as well as her own self-imposed restraints. Throughout the novel, she is able to examine the world around her as well as her own self, and by the end of the novel she is able to choose the man and the life that she truly knows will make her happiest.
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