...The Use of Irony in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: “The most unlearned and uninformed female who ever dared to be an Authoress” Irony serves as a fundamental literary tool for authors. It enables them to express their themes and views through characters whose words are often inconsistent with their actions, and in situations where the intended result differs from the actual result. Irony works in a clever manner by showing the reader what the author wants to express by making these inconsistencies apparent to the reader, if not to the characters themselves, and exposing it, more often than not, in a satiric fashion. Yet, while irony works with satire, the power it holds for those who wield it well is no laughing matter. Famous writers such as the sardonic H.L. Mencken and Jonathan Swift, a true satiric master, have used irony to promote real, legitimate change. In Swift’s case, his famous piece, “A Modest Proposal,” used extreme satire and irony to promote change in Irish policy. Perhaps the greatest satirist of all time, William Shakespeare used irony in almost every piece he created. In his play Julius Caesar, the speech he has Mark Antony give in which he repeats the phrase “but Brutus is an honorable man” when he is trying to convey the exact opposite serves as a truly timeless example of this literary tool. It is unique in that it does not simply throw the author’s point of view directly in the reader’s face, but rather enables the reader to discover the author’s...
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...Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen Jane Austen opens her story with one of English literature’s most infamous lines; ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of wife.’ This immediately indicates the author’s twist of irony- does she refer to the idea as ‘universally acknowledged’ or simply just in reference to Mrs Bennet for thinking so, simultaneously highlighting the questionable concept of their class/period that marriage and money are directly linked. This is interesting for the reader as it sets the tone for much of the novel- and the theme, being courtship and marriage. Whilst it may be true that mothers and daughters see this as ‘truth’, it is unlikely that ‘the single man’ would have entertained the thought. It is the competition for acquiring the man, especially among the mothers with unengaged daughters, which forms much of the humour of the novel later on. With hindsight, it becomes doubly ironic; since Mrs Bennet was indeed correct thinking that Mr Bingley was in want of a wife, the cliché is shown to be a ‘universal truth’. Furthermore, Austen sets the period clearly with the emphasis on wealth and social status ‘he is considered as the rightful property...a single man of large fortune...what a fine thing for our girls!’ It is also interesting to see that Mrs Bennet is the first to speak in the novel. The beginning dialogue introduces the characters of Mr and Mrs Bennet and their seemingly...
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...On Jane Austen’s Point of View of Marriage in Pride and Prejudice Acknowledgements This thesis has finally come into being to meet critical eyes through two months of hard work. From the very beginning when I chose the topic till the completion of the thesis, I have benefited from many people . First of all I would like to show my sincere gratitude to my tutor, Shen Guozheng. Without his sincere and trustworthy guidance，valuable suggestions and critical comments，it would be difficult for me to accomplish this thesis．His loyalty to teaching and punctilious work style has profoundly impressed me. Moreover, I heartily thank all the teachers who have helped me in the past four years, who have provided me with incentives and direction for my study. Thanks are also due to my classmates and friends for their constant encouragement and their ways of assistance in the course of writing. Last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family members, for their selfless support，thoughtfulness and encouragement． Abstract Jane Austen was one of the distinguished realistic novelists in the nineteenth- century-English literature．Pride and Prejudice is a world wide popular novel published in 1813．Austen set the story in the first decade of the nineteenth century．At that time，marriage was the only way for women to gain social status and recognition. The author of the present thesis will analyze the five marriage patterns from the perspective...
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...Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen takes place in 19th century England. The story revolves around Elizabeth Bennet and her love interest Mr. Darcy. While Pride and Prejudice is certainly a love story, Austen subtly underscores many different aspects of English society through the text. What does Jane Austen reveal about women in 19th century England through this novel? To some extent Austen affirms Virginia Woolf’s quote as most of the women in Pride and Prejudice are depicted as insignificant and dependent upon men, and certainly not depicted as equal to men. Austen paints a society of women who are entirely dependent on marriage and money to better their situations and achieve a suitable life style. However, Austen’s main character is Elizabeth Bennet, a woman who is an exception to the rule. She turns down a marriage proposal from Mr. Collins and has a rather contentious relationship with Mr. Darcy who she does finally marry. But she marries on her terms, not for money or land or because she fears not being wed. Yet the focus of nearly all the woman characters is marriage. In 19th century England, it was essential that all women marry because women who did not marry had no future on their own. At the beginning of the story, Mrs. Bennet stated, “If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield, and all the others equally well married, I shall have nothing left to wish for.” (11) This quote illustrates how essential marriage is at...
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...she died in July in 1817 at the age of 41 years old. But the exact reasons of her death remain vague, some say it was Addison syndrome, other say Hodgkin’s disease, there are several hypotheses. The famous English author is buried in the North aisle of Winchester Cathedral. * Main works She started by writing poems when she was 12 years old. By the time she was 18, she started creating longer and more sophisticated pieces of writing. Around 1795, at 20 years old, she composed, Elinor and Marianne, which is known today as Sense and Sensibility, a work of romantic fiction which portrays the life and loves of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne. In 1796, Jane began a second novel First Impressions, which has become today Pride and Prejudice and which she completed one year later....
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...Pride and Prejudice Before Reading 8 TALKING ABOUT THE COVER • Can you tell from these two faces which character will be proud, and which will be prejudiced? • In your opinion, which of the two characteristics – pride or prejudice – would be more damaging to a relationship? • Which of these two characters do you expect to feel more sympathy for in the story? 9 10 11 12 BEFORE READING ACTIVITIES (PAGE 108) ACTIVITY 1 BEFORE READING Encourage discussion about types of pride and prejudice, and speculation about the kind of story students are expecting to read. Do not tell students if their guesses are right. They will find out as they read that the best answers are 1b, 2a, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3e and 3g. walk across the muddy fields to visit Jane’s sick-bed at Netherfield Park. Mr Collins to Mrs Bennet, referring to the fact that he might propose to one of her daughters, to make amends for inheriting their house when Mr Bennet dies. Elizabeth to Mr Wickham, about Mr Darcy. Mr Wickham to Elizabeth, about the post of rector of Pemberley which Mr Darcy had failed to give him. Elizabeth to Mr Darcy, mocking him for his lack of conversation, by suggesting to him the kind of boring comment that he should be making. Mr Darcy to Elizabeth, about Wickham and whether he was able to keep the friends that he found easy to make. BEFORE READING CHAPTER 5 Encourage speculation and discussion, but do not confirm or deny students’ guesses at this stage...
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...removed they become from the community around them. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen illustrates when people overcome their pride or prejudice, they encourage improvement and can marry based on true love and not on social pressures. Elizabeth Bennet is an intelligent, funny, and prejudiced young woman from a middle-class family who is not afraid to speak her mind and is not intimidated by the upper class. Elizabeth refuses to marry for convenience even if it means she will never marry....
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...part of your book (beginning, middle, end) | | 4. Create an outline for your essay by using the template below. | | 5. Write your first draft. Follow the instructions closely, Blueprint B, pp. 234-239 | | 6. Do the ”Checkpoints for Revising” on page 239, Blueprint B. | | 7. Receive peer response from a classmate or two. Use the “Peer Response Sheet” and the ”Rubric” below. | | 8. Reflect on your progress so far and ask yourself; “How can I improve this text?” Make notes in your “Self Assessment Sheet” below. | | 9. Improve your text! Turn it into a final draft – 700-1200 words. Remember to use the ”Kulturama Manual of Style". | | 10. Complete the ”Self Assessment Sheet", the ”Source Evaluation Sheet" and fill in your ”Rubric". | | 11. Export this file as ZIP and upload in Schoolsoft. | Reading Logs | Log1Explain how the novel begins in order to get a clear idea what the novel is about. Does your protagonist follow any of Campbell’s first 5 steps? | Campbell’s first steps-Call to adventure: When Elizabeth intends to visit Charlotte and Mr. Collins...
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...Pride and Prejudice By Jane Austen Download free eBooks of classic literature, books and novels at Planet eBook. Subscribe to our free eBooks blog and email newsletter. Chapter 1 I t is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters. ‘My dear Mr. Bennet,’ said his lady to him one day, ‘have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?’ Mr. Bennet replied that he had not. ‘But it is,’ returned she; ‘for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it.’ Mr. Bennet made no answer. ‘Do you not want to know who has taken it?’ cried his wife impatiently. ‘YOU want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.’ This was invitation enough. ‘Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it, that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his Pride and Prejudice servants are to be in the house by the end of next week.’ ‘What is his name?’ ‘Bingley.’ ‘Is he married or single?’ ‘Oh! Single, my dear, to...
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...desirable or undesirable in a particular culture” (668). These terms can be used fairly interchangeably; they both mean basically the same thing, with norms being the actual behaviors that are dictated by values. Such norms and values are shown in a multitude of ways throughout Pride and Prejudice. There are norms associated with most every aspect of society, including the norms for class, money, gender, and marriage most commonly explored in Austen’s novels. Austen shows society’s values both through satire and through presenting what she considers to be the better alternative. The society of Austen’s time no doubt differs from today in many ways; however, when the actual values of society are closely examined, it becomes apparent that there are some fundamental similarities. Money and class had a very strong influence on what was deemed ‘proper’ during the 19th century. The higher one’s class and economic level, the more highly respected one would be in society. Darcy, with his £10 000 a year and landed gentry background, is the social superior of the Bennets, who make only £2000 a year and have connections to relations in the lower class. This social superiority is part of why Darcy initially considers Elizabeth to be an unsuitable match for him. In his first proposal to her, he asks her “Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your connections? To congratulate myself on the hope...
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..."Jane Austen: Irony and Authority" Critic: Rachel M. Brownstein Source: Women's Studies 15, nos. 1-3 (1988): 57-70. Criticism about: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1775-1817) Nationality: British; English [(essay date 1988) _In the following essay, Brownstein focuses on several of Austen's novels, including Pride and Prejudice, to support her argument that Austen uses irony to convey a "discursive authority" from which women can derive pleasure in a patriarchal society.] It is a truth universally acknowledged, right now, that language is involved in giving and taking both power and pleasure. Whether we begin by asking if the pen is a substitute for the penis, or think about why we read stories of love and adventure, or consider, from any point of view, pornography or psychoanalysis, we end by analyzing ways people please themselves and assert authority over others by using words. (To observe that critics writing about pleasure and power have managed to get what measure of the good stuff they can is to state the merely inevitable.) Claiming that women writers are powerful--i.e. effective and influential--has been a focus of feminist critics concerned to dispute the canon, to rehabilitate forgotten writers, and to revise women's relation to the languages of power. That Jane Austen, unforgotten, canonized, and stunningly authoritative, has been a problem for feminists is not surprising: in the struggle for power between politically radical and conservative critics...
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...PRIDE AND PREJUDICE ANALYSIS Love theme Love never gets old. So does every problem that comes with it. The “pride” and “prejudice” that once hindered the love of Elizabeth and Darcy have not ceased to cause troubles to lovers until nowadays. It is the love theme that makes Pride and Prejudice famous and widely read for many decades. Love in late 18th and early 19th century must be more difficult than today. Social standings and class could become a huge barrier. Early in the book, this barrier is poitrated when Darcy, being a wealthy noble, snubs Elizabeth (he refused to dance with her). Elizabeth’s pride immediately judged Darcy on that bad first impression, and keeps her away further from him later. Just like that, Elizabeth and Darcy were distant from each other because of their prejudice. Elizabeth and Darcy, however, eventually married. But how? Through a serie of events, and through many experiences, they understood each other. Darcy begins to admire Elizabeth, captivated by her fine eyes and lively wit. Elizabeth continues to impress Darcy during her time nursing Jane at Netherfield. But she, unlike him, did not grow such sudden change of heart that quick. She remained cold to Darcy for a long time, even angry at him once. But things change after Darcy gave her a letter to explain everything. And with some important events after that, Elizabeth slowly fell to Darcy. In the end both admitted that they were wrong. Aside from Elizabeth and Darcy, other couples contribute...
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...Concept of Self-realization in Pride and Prejudice, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Great Expectations and Lord Jim. The words self-realization is often used in literature to refer to the liberation of an individual from the sense of limitation brought about by identification with conditioned beliefs, opinions, fears, desires, and habits. The main objective of this paper is to show concept of self-realization in Pride and Prejudice, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Great Expectations and Lord Jim. It has also been tried to add some new concepts regarding these novels. Necessary and related information has been collected from various books and internet. Austen's serene world, in Pride and Prejudice which harbours dynamic action, goes unnoticed by the readers who read her novels on the surface level. But the readers who fathom the depths of her creativity can realize that active forces are working, reforming and psychologically molding the characters in her novels. Tess of the D’Urbervilles is one of the most famous novels of Thomas Hardy. In this novel we see a tragic end of Tess with an ultimate realization. Great Expectations was one of Dickens’ best-known novels and was written in 1860. Great Expectations is a Bildungsroman and follows the progression of Pip from child to adult; from humble blacksmith to gentleman; from innocence to experience; from rags to riches and on his journey, Pip meets a range of interesting characters, from the comical Wemmick, to the cruel Estella....
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...Dennis C. Ramdawah ENG 4300 Professor J. Desalvo March 30, 2012 In writing about the literary styles of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Jane Austen, there are subtle comparisons and contrast the reader draws upon to decipher the ideological content of these two writers’ works. Rousseau’s, The Confessions and Austen’s Pride and Prejudice exhibit the sensibility of nature in one perspective and the hierarchy of an aristocratic culture too long forgotten. Moreover, these writers draw upon natural life experiences to showcase their thoughts on humanity, life, love and nature as a whole. They both employ these two definitive factors throughout their respective works. Their writing reflects their passionate relationship during the Romantic period and why they became influential artisans of that era. Rousseau’s most influential work, The Social Contract, discusses the origins of government and states emphatically that laws cannot be made if the people do not agree upon them. These thoughts on government were light years ahead of his time and for citizens of the Romantic period. Additionally, Rousseau argued that children should live and play and enjoy the outdoors and their learning should coincide with them during these stages of development. He bore his development as a child emotionally through his experiences with nature. He thought nature should have an impact in literature. These same influences are the kindling flames of the Romantic movement that spread from England to abroad....
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...Pride or Jealousy We’ve all done it, seen someone flaunting something that we don’t have, or boasting about an achievement, only to instantly dismiss them as a prideful, pompous person whom we harbor a dislike for from then on out. Less often does a person who makes this impression on someone wind up marrying them, spending the rest of their time with them, happily ever after. There is a fine line between being rightfully proud of accomplishments, and being over the top about how you choose to inform people about them. With this being said, often times being accused of being “too proud” can be a sign of jealousy on the part of the accuser. What is pride, a label or an action, or is it a flaw? Jane Austen carefully develops the aspects of her characters that could be deemed prideful in her novel, and in doing so, gives us clues as to her feelings about pride and what it really is. In the novel, Pride and Prejudice, the main characters, Darcy and Elizabeth, are the two most often accused of being too proud. The fact that Darcy is a well off, good looking young man makes him a likely candidate to be accused of being too proud. Every person that Darcy is “better” than is a person who could possibly accuse him of being too proud. Because of how Darcy’s first impression he made on Elizabeth made her feel, it is obvious that she has no intention of complementing him when she says he is too proud, but rather to criticize him. For her, telling herself and other people that he is excessively...
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