Irony and social commentary in “Pride and Prejudice”
Like any other society, nineteenth-century England had its share of foppish fools and
fawning leeches, hot-blooded lovers and garrulous, gossiping women. While few people exhibit
these failings with abandonment, few escape their taint altogether. In the novel “Pride and
Prejudice,” the author Jane Austen satirizes these instances of – not social evils– rather,
unpleasant social peculiarities, via a most careful use of irony in the dialogues and thoughts of
some of her most delightful characters. The main character indulging in this precious commodity
is Mr. Bennet, whom Austen considers important enough that a razor-sharp wit forms a
necessary part of his personality. The irony is chiefly exhibited in two ways: a general ambience
that results from a frequent use of satirical language (as for instance, the incessant use of
antithesis in the conversations) and brief but concentrated attacks by Mr. Bennet against all
forms of foolishness – harmless or otherwise. All the formulaic mannerisms affected by the
people in his society as well as the social obligations that create them become the target of Mr.
Bennet’s criticism. However, it is clear that Mr. Bennet is very much a part of the society that he
so readily despises. That he persists in making fun of it is what makes his ripostes so rife with
incongruity.
The novel contains a large array of conversations between different characters; these
conversations are, in keeping with the style that prevailed in that period, quite elaborate, indeed
sometimes to the point of tedium. Austen portrays an attitude of unflagging boredom in Mr.
Bennet when confronted with such speeches, through his incessant ironic asides. T...
... middle of paper ...
...eaning in these seemingly innocuous words, for the former implies prostitution and the latter –
a dishonorable pregnancy with a bastard child. Given the venomous character of such fairly
commonplace gossip – even among the presumably ‘respectable’ rural middle-class – ’tis no
wonder that Austen rallies against such a harmful form of frivolity.
Austen therefore uses the difficult tool of irony to great effect in portraying the
foolishness – both harmful and harmless – which afflicts most people. In doing so, she
effectively delivers social commentary presumably for the purpose of correcting these defects in
character of her fellow Englishmen. Along the way, the reader is delightfully entertained by the
fools inhabiting “Pride and Prejudice” as well as the personalities that persist in denouncing it, in
a manner that is at times more farcical than satirical.
6
appealing to him. It is not that he has no regard to society as a
In the short story, “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, Poe uses two types of irony, dramatic and verbal. Dramatic irony is when the reader perceives something that a character in the story does not. Poe uses this type of irony in the character Fortunato. Verbal irony is when the character says one thing and means something else. This type of irony can be recognized in the statements that the characters, Fortunato and Montresor, say to one another.
Throughout the whole short story “The Story of an Hour” the reader sees’ irony but the best usage of irony occurs toward the end of the story in the last few paragraphs. As the reader reads the story they notice that Mrs. Mallard’s husband Brently Mallard died in a railroad disaster. The reader also finds out that Mrs. Mallard has a heart trouble, and great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death. (157) There ar...
Two cheerful children ran down the hallways of the (Insert Last Name Of Isamu's Family) family home.A fire red haired girl slammed the door behind her and it was open again by her best friend.Without looking back the girl loaded her vow with a regular arrow and shot it backwards towards her unsuspecting friend.A quick slice later and the arrow was cut in half by Isamu's sword.Daylight danced around them as the true neck wearing boy pulled ahead and ran full speed to the door of their school.
Characters in Pride and Prejudice and The Rape of the Lock are necessary tools in establishing satire within the stories. Austen uses a range of different character types in order to highlight the absurdity of society. For example, Elizabeth Bennet differs greatly from her other sisters and young ladies of Hertfordshire because h...
In trying to show this however, it is necessary to first establish a viable alternative to the notion that those who fail to "get" irony are inferior and less sophisticated than those who do. This is to undermine a rather insidious line of logic that consequently supports o...
“excessive” belief in her own superiority to others and her own attractiveness, leading her to the
One of the first ways Chopin embodies various ironies in “The Story of an Hour” is the representation of verbal irony. Verbal irony is defined as “irony in which a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning” (“verbal irony”). This type of irony
In the stories “Story of an Hour”, “Everyday Use”, “The Necklace”, and “The Lottery” it is evident that irony was quite a large part of the short story. There is situational irony, which is when the situation turns out differently than expected. Also, dramatic irony is present, which is when you as a reader knows more than the character. The authors seem to base their whole story around irony to surprise their readers.
This novel is mainly focused on Elizabeth Bennet as she struggles to overcome her prejudices about Darcy, a rich and handsome suitor who has taken a liking to her, while the tales of the other Bennet sisters as they grapple with their own prejudices and search for the truth unfolds concurrently. Jane Austen suggests through events in the novel that structuring the truth to fit one’s personal idealism and prejudices can unfairly color one’s opinion of another and inhibit one from finding self-fulfillment. The interplay between truth and idealism will be explored in this essay by analyzing how idealism influences truth, the difference between the idealistic interpretation and reality in Pride and Prejudice, and the effect of using idealism to construe the
Pride and Prejudice is a very complex and detailed book that illustrates dramatic love stories that develop between three girls within the Bennet family. The author of Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen. Jane was born and raised in Steventon, England from 1775 through 1817; she was the youngest of seven children (Wikipedia). She was very tall, slender, outgoing, and much admired. She was proposed to many times, but she refused all of her marriage offers. She spent her short life living with her family. Jane received a typical education, and she began to write at a very young age (Introduction ?). Jane mainly composed romantic fiction, and all her books included “intense realism and biting irony”. Pride and Prejudice is romantic fiction, and it was composed in 1813 within the Romantic Era (Wikipedia). The Romantic Era was mainly focused on the individual and their relationship with nature. Considering this, Pride and Prejudice did not really fit the time era considering the characters spent most of their time indoors and only developed relationships within each other. Jane composed Pride and Prejudice as a romantic fiction because when she wrote it she was just thirty eight. She had never been married but most likely loved love. She was also a very realistic and ironic writer, and with Pride and Prejudice being this genre she brought a lot of realism and irony considering the period it was written in. Pride and Prejudice is the second book publish by Jane Austen, but it is her most popular work for many, many different obvious reasons (Wikipedia).
Pride and Prejudice, the novel, written in 1813, presents two major themes of “first impressions” and “marriage”. The movie, Pride and Prejudice in 2005, also displays the two major themes of “first impressions” and “marriage”. Though, both pieces of work represent “first impressions” and “marriage”, there are some differences between both pieces of work. Both, Pride and Prejudice, the novel and Pride and Prejudice, the movie have similarities and differences between them.
Within the novel, Jane Austen’s exploits of irony are shown linked throughout Emma’s notions of love and the real within her own society. Emma’s lack of education on the concepts of love is quite evident within her apathy towards Frank Churchill as her opinions are deeply rooted within her own affections, as she states, “Emma continued to entertain no doubt of her being in love. Her ideas only varied as to the how much. At first, she thought it was a good deal; and afterwards, but little. She had great pleasure in hearing Frank Churchill talked of; and for his sake, greater pleasure than ever in seeing Mr. and Mrs. Weston; she was very often thinking of him. But, on the other hand, she could not admit herself to be unhappy, nor, after the first morning, to be less disposed for employment than usual; she was still busy and cheerful; and, pleasing as he was, she could yet imagine him to have faults,” (Austen 264). Emma’s sketch of Harriet is another illustration of irony surrounded by Emma’s arrogance as it does not portray an accurate depiction of Harriet as Emma has altered ...
The roles of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice are contrasted between a father who cares about what’s inside of people and a mother who only worries about vanity and appearance. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s parental guidance is unique to their personalities. Because of their two opposing personas, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s ideas of marriage are contradictory for their daughters; Mr. Bennet believes in a loving respectful marriage whereas Mrs. Bennet values a marriage which concerns wealth and social status. Their aspirations for Lydia, Jane, Mary, Kitty and Elizabeth mirror their conflicting ideologies. Mr. Bennet seems to have a quiet deep love for his daughters while, on the contrary, Mrs. Bennet’s love is over-acted and conditional. Both parents help to shape their daughters’ characteristics and beliefs: Lydia reflecting Mrs. Bennet’s flighty and excessive behavior while Elizabeth inherits Mr. Bennet’s pensive and reflective temperament. Looking past their dissimilar personality traits and contradicting convictions, both parents hold the family together and play an integral role in the household structure.
This well written novel shows that having pride and being prejudiced is not always a bad thing. Works Cited Austen, Jane. A. “Pride and Prejudice.” Cyclopedia of Literary Characters, Revised Third Edition 1996:n. pag.