This
paper reviews, compares and contrasts the headstrong
women presented in Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice" and Shakespeare's play "Taming of the Shrew." The paper first discusses the different intentions of the two authors, explaining that "Pride and Prejudice" was a sort of comedy of manners, written by a maiden lady, while "The Taming of the Shrew" was intended for the bawdy audience of the Globe Theatre, willing to get a good laugh at the sight of a
prospective suitor paddling his prospective bride. The paper looks at the characters of Elizabeth -- who was quite proper -- and Katharina, who was not.