All of the characters come alive through dialogue, Mrs Bennet’s hysterical nature oozes from each sentence: “Nobody can tell what I suffer! But it is always so. Those who do not complain are never pitied,” whereas Mr Bennet’s emotional detachment is presented along with his sarcastic nature, “depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty, I will visit them all.” Mrs Bennet’s only aim is to get her daughters married, yet Mr Bennet does not so concerned with this issue, despite it being seen by society as essential for young women to marry during the early 19th century. Through dialogue the reader is able to understand, not only the true nature of the characters, but also the differing opinions and relationship of Mr and Mrs Bennet. Furthermore, Austen uses dialogue to present society’s expectations of young women and men which is symbolised by the characters in the novel.
Many of Jane Austen’s novels centre around irony, and in Pride and Prejudice ironic tone is essential for the theme, character and narration. Pride and Prejudice opens with an ironic statement “it is the truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Austen’s ironic tone adds emphasis to the statement, which the entire novel in shaped around, it is the irony which accentuates the need, in the late 18th and early 19th century, for women to find a wealthy man in order to have a stable future. This stereotypical idea is evident through the characters throughout the novel. In the conversation between Charlotte and Elizabeth, it is revealed that Charlotte has a very pragmatic view of marriage which is for wealth rather than love, which foreshadows her later commitments to Mr Collins. Whereas Elizabeth believes that she will only marry for love, which could be seen as being naive during this period where the role of a woman was to marry and to children, and therefore marrying for love was not always seen as necessary.
Austen uses irony throughout the novel in various ways to present both Mr Bennet and Elizabeth. The use of verbal irony, the saying one thing, yet meaning the complete opposite, is used to convey Mr Bennet. Mr Bennet’s clear sarcastic manner is humorous for the reader; he amuses himself by pestering Mrs Bennet with cruel remarks, “you are as handsome as any of them, Mr Bingley might like you.” In a different way, Elizabeth is critical of Jane for being “blind”, yet this criticism is filled with irony, as later in the novel Elizabeth is blind in her perception of Darcy because of her prejudice against him, and therefore ignorant of his attraction towards her. Whilst Elizabeth is playing the piano, Darcy comes to stand by her to listen, yet Elizabeth mistakes his attraction for an attempt to unsettle her. Consequently, Austen’s use of irony shapes the readers opinions of the characters, as well as shaping the relationship between the characters themselves.
Another ironic event in the plot which takes place in the novel is Lady Catherine’s visit to Elizabeth. In her prevention of Darcy’s and Elizabeth’s marriage, Lady Catherine results in the exact opposite of what she had planned. Lady Catherine intended for Elizabeth to promise to never accept a proposal from Darcy, to which refuses, therefore causing Darcy to realise that Elizabeth’s feelings must have altered. Austen sums this ironic result up through Elizabeth in one of her humorous statements: “Lady Catherine has been of infinite use, which ought to make her happy, for she loves to be of use.”
Austen conveys many of the characters through descriptions, mainly through the voice of the narrator, who has an essential role right the way through the novel. Austen presents Mrs Bennet as a very simple character, describing her as “a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper”, which is suggestive that she is a very simple woman, which adds humour to Mrs Bennet’s comments. The narrators’ descriptions are able to change the perspective of the reader, as there is no evidence to support the point; the audience takes the narrator’s word to be the truth. Mr Darcy is initially presented to be handsome and wealthy by the narrator’s descriptions: “Mr Darcy soon draw the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mein”, despite these positive descriptions of Darcy, the narrator automatically changes the reader’s opinion of Darcy through the description: “he was the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world.” Therefore presenting how influential Austen’s descriptions are to convey character’s to the audience and alter the reader’s opinion of them.
Austen use of different styles of writing allows the reader to gain some intimacy with the characters and understand more about them, therefore meaning that through the use of writing styles Austen has conveyed the characters to the audience successfully, by allowing the reader to relate to each of the characters.
by
amyb123 (student)
