Irony is the very soul of of Jane Austen’s novels and “Pride and Prejudice” is is steeped in irony of theme, situation, character and narration. Irony
is
the
contrast
between
appearance
and
reality.
As one ex exam amin ines es “Prid “Pride e and Preju Prejudice” dice”,, on one e is struck struck with with th the e fa fact ct of th the e ir iron onic ic significan signi ficance ce tha thatt pride leads leads to prejudice and prejudice prej udice invit invites es prid pride e
and both have their corresponding virtues bound up within them. Each has its virtues and each has its defects. They are contradictory and the supreme irony irony is is that intricacy which is much deeper carries with it grave dangers unknown to simplicity. This type of thematic irony runs through all of Jane Austen’s novel.
In “Prid “Pride e and Preju Prejudice dice” ” th ther ere e is much much
provides a twist to the story. !r.
irony of situation too which which
"arcy remarks about Eli#abet Eli#abeth h that$
“tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me…” %e relish the ironical flavour of this statement much later when we reflect that the woman who was not handsome enough to dance with was really good enough to marry marry.. &e removes 'ingley from (etherfield because he considers it imprudent to forge a marriage alliance with the 'ennet )amily but himself ends up marrying the second 'ennet sister. *ollins proposes to Eli#a Eli#abeth beth when her heart is full of %ick %ickham ham and "arcy "arc y propo proposes ses to her
exactly at the moment when she hates him most. Eli#abeth tells !r. *ollins that she is not the type to re+ect the first proposal and accept the second but does exactly this when "arcy proposes a second time. The departure of the militia from !eryton was expected to put an end to ,ydia-s flirtations it brings about her elopement. The ,ydia%ickham episode may seem see m lik like e an ins insurm urmoun ountab table le bar barrie rierr bet betwe ween en Eli Eli#ab #abeth eth and "arcy "a rcy but is
actually instrumental in bringing them together together.. ,ady *atherine attempting to prevent their marriage only succeeds in hastening it . Irony in char characte acter r is eve even n mo more re pro promin minent ent tha than n
irony iro ny of
situation. It is ironical that Eli#abeth who prides herself on her perception is /uite blinded by her own pre+udices and errs badly in +udging intricate characters. %ickham appears suave
and charming but is ironically unprincipled rouge.
"arcy appears proud and
haughty but ironically proves to be a true gentleman when he gets %ickham to marry ,ydia by paying him. The 'ingley 0isters hate the 'ennets for their vulgarity but are themselves vulgar in their behaviour. "arcy is also critical of the illbred 'ennet )amily
but ironically his Aunt *atherine is e/ually vulgar and illbed. Thus the novel abounds in irony of characters.
The narrative of “Pride and Prejudice” too has an ironic tone which contributes much verbal irony. Jane Austen’s ironic tone is established in the very first
sentence of the novel. “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”
0he uses
irony to shake her major figures of their self-deception and to
epose the hypocrisy and pretentiousness, absurdity and insanity of some of her minor figures. It is definitely possible to deduce from her works a scheme of moral values. Andrew II %right rightly points out that irony in her hands is !the
instrument of a moral vision".
Literature Guide IV
Appears in
THEMES AND CHARACTERS
Jane Austen is a keen observer of u!an beaviour" Se so#s tat #i$e !en and #o!en often tink too i%$& of te!se$ves' de(eive or )atter oters' and a(t stupid$&' te& are a$so (apab$e of $ove' kindness' and !ora$ %ro#t" *it tis !in%$in% of positive and ne%ative traits' er eroes and eroines see! deep$& u!an" Te nove$ist is reputed to ave (onsidered E$i+abet ,ennet er favourite (reation" Indeed' te -./&ear/o$d possesses brains' beaut&' !usi(a$ ta$ent' (on0den(e' and1for te era1rare independen(e" At ever& turn E$i+abet disp$a&s te $atter trait2 se
#a$ks severa$ !i$es a$one to visit er ai$in% sister Jane at Neter0e$d3 se de($ines Mr Co$$ins4s !arria%e o5er despite er !oter4s outra%e3 se an%ri$& re6e(ts Dar(&4s (ondes(endin% proposa$" ,ut tis independen(e1peraps inerited fro! er !oter1$eads er to !ake !istakes2 se 6ud%es *i(ka!' Dar(&' and oters too asti$&' and ten ($in%s stubborn$& to er pre6udi(es" 7it+#i$$ia! Dar(& 0rst appears as an e8(eedin%$& se$f/i!portant 0%ure" Ear$& in te nove$' as e rude$& refrains fro! dan(in% at a ba$$' E$i+abet overears i! ta$kin% dero%atori$& about er and te oter #o!en" At te ne8t dan(e' e 4!ust4 ad!it to i!se$f' a$tou% e sti$$ (onsiders i!se$f superior' tat E$i+abet4s inte$$i%ent e8pression is 4beautifu$4" He fa$$s in $ove #it er a%ainst is #ises1despite detestin% er bu!ptious !oter' despite erroneous$& distrustin% er o$der sister Jane' despite disdainin% er fa!i$&4s !odest !eans' and despite dete(tin% E$i+abet4s tin$& vei$ed osti$it&" Dar(&4s atte!pts to approa( E$i+abet su((eed on$& in o5endin% er !ore' and' to (o!p$i(ate !atters' is arro%ant Aunt Caterine e8pe(ts i! to !arr& #itin te aristo(ra(&" Pride and Prejudice deve$ops oter (ara(ters ski$fu$$& if $ess fu$$&" Car$es ,in%$e& and Jane ,ennet fa$$ in $ove 9ui(k$& and tastefu$$& at te nove$4s outset" ,ot respe(t so(ia$ for! and refuse to #rite or visit te oter i!proper$&" ,in%$e&4s intrusive sisters and Dar(& re!ove i! to London in an atte!pt to break up teir re$ationsip" Te sisters be$ieve tat teir broter sou$d !arr& so!eone of e9ua$ #ea$t' #i$e Dar(& be$ieves tat Jane' $ike er !oter' favours Car$es on$& for is !one&" Jane' a tou%tfu$' se$f/den&in% #o!an1te opposite of Mrs ,ennet1tries to ide er eartbreak and u!i$iation fro! er fa!i$&' parti(u$ar$& er !oter' for #o! teir en%a%e!ent ad been a (ertaint&" Mean#i$e' te &oun%est ,ennet' L&dia' #ose sa$$o#ness points to er parents4 de0(ien(ies' ruses into an i$$/advised ro!an(e #it *i(ka!' an o:(er #o at 0rst appears (ar!in% and trust#ort&" *i(ka! re(ounts1to E$i+abet4s satisfa(tion1o# Dar(& un6ust$& kept i! fro! re(eivin% te $ar%e ineritan(e Dar(&4s fater ad $eft for i!" Later' after tis is e8posed as a $ie b& Dar(&' *i(ka! fai$s in a rut$ess atte!pt to !arr& a ri( nortern #o!an and i!pu$sive$& e$opes #it te naive L&dia" Te ;&ear/o$d %ir$ speaks re(k$ess$&' a(ts o5ensive$&' and !ust %ratif& er i!pu$ses instant$&" L&dia fai$s to see tat runnin% o5 #it *i(ka! s(anda$i+es er fa!i$&" Pride and Prejudice depi(ts a $eadersip (risis in te ,ennet fa!i$& and in te (o!!unit& as a #o$e" Mrs ,ennet4s ta(t$ess !edd$in% in Jane4s a5airs (reates te appearan(e tat er dau%ter is untin% ,in%$e&4s fortune" Mrs ,ennet a$so fai$s to anti(ipate te disastrous possibi$ities of er &oun% dau%ter4s )irtations #it !i$itia!en" Her un%er for attention da!a%es te fa!i$&
reputation at ever& pub$i( o((asion" Mean#i$e' as $ikeab$e as er usband !a& see!' e as no sto!a( for dis(ip$inin% is (i$dren" He is not serious$& en%a%ed in teir $ives e8(ept #en L&dia4s )i%t 6eopardi+es te fa!i$&" Ten e re$u(tant$& assu!es is paterna$ duties and !akes for London to re($ai! is dau%ter' on$& to return in fai$ure" Severa$ !e!orab$e !inor (ara(ters a$so (ontribute to tis $eadersip void" Lad& Caterine de ,our%' Dar(&4s aunt' is a ri(' do!ineerin% #o!an #o sti)es oters4 spirits at ever& so(ia$ %aterin% and (onsiders E$i+abet a poor !at( for er nepe#" Sir *i$$ia! Lu(as' Car$otte4s 4e!pt&/eaded4 fater' $ives in(onse9uentia$$&' over$& (on(erned #it is o#n i!portan(e" Mr Co$$ins' te &oun% ($er%&!an' does not strive for an& ro$e of substan(e in te (o!!unit&' instead (onsiderin% is on$& ur%ent dut& to fo$$o# Lad& Caterine4s orders 9ui(k$& and pre(ise$&"
Pride and Prejudice so#s te ,ennet fa!i$&1and b& inferen(e te (ountr& $ife tat Austen $oved1to be in a state of (risis" *it no stron% adu$t in)uen(es' te best &oun% peop$e step for#ard" Dar(& so#s is true !ett$e b& se(ret$& e$pin% Car$es return to Jane' b& ensurin% tat *i(ka! and L&dia return to Lon%bourn as a !arried (oup$e #it an in(o!e' and b& proposin% a%ain to E$i+abet #it ne# u!i$it&" Sa!ed' E$i+abet re(o%ni+es !an& of er !is6ud%!ents and a((epts Dar(&4s proposa$" Teir persona$ities soften and b$end beautifu$$&" Like an& !ora$ist' Austen so#s tat foo$is or evi$ a(tions do ave adverse (onse9uen(es" A$tou% Jane ends up appi$& !arried to ,in%$e&' te s(e!in% of er !oter and ,in%$e&4s sisters (auses er rea$ pain" More severe$&' L&dia ends up $ivin% 6o&$ess$& #it er indi5erent usband' a$#a&s !ovin% about and never 0nan(ia$$& se(ure" Dar(&4s intervention preserves er reputation' but er $ife a!ounts to $itt$e" Te nove$ ends on te opefu$ note of t#o Crist!as/ti!e #eddin%s for te e$dest ,ennet dau%ters" E$i+abet bui$ds a friendsip #it Dar(&4s sister Geor%iana' o((asiona$$& sends !one& to L&dia' and %radua$$& !oves er usband to re(on(i$e #it is aunt" ,& teir a(tions and teir sared sense of dut&' E$i+abet and Dar(&1a union of te %entr& and te aristo(ra(&1 so# te!se$ves to ave be(o!e $eaders in teir so(iet&"
V
LITERAR= TECHNI>?E
Austen #rites su((in(t$& and stru(tures a ti%t p$ot' !akin% for a suspensefu$ narrative" Te stor& is based on a series of (on)i(ts2 te (entra$ one bet#een E$i+abet and Dar(&' and s!a$$er ones
(on(ernin% te oter (ara(ters" Ever& (apter bui$ds to#ards te nove$4s ($i!a8' E$i+abet4s visit to Dar(&4s o!e in Derb&sire' and te reso$ution is bot p$ausib$e and satisf&in%" Pride and Prejudice is #ort rereadin% be(ause of its foresado#in%1subt$e ints of up(o!in% events" Dar(&4s 0rst proposa$ to E$i+abet' L&dia4s e$ope!ent' and Car$otte4s !arria%e are a!on% te nove$4s !an& foresado#ed o((urren(es" Austen a$so uses $an%ua%e superb$&' but not in e8a%%erated or ostentatious #a&s" Rater' se #rites #it %reat ($arit& and pre(ision' and e!p$o&s iron& for (o!i( e5e(t" Iron& a$$o#s a #riter to (o!!uni(ate !ore tan te $itera$ or e8pe(ted !eanin%s of is or er $an%ua%e" 7or instan(e' upon Dar(&4s entran(e to a dan(e in Capter @' Austen #rites tat 4te report #as in %enera$ (ir(u$ation #itin 0ve !inutes""" of is avin% ten tousand a &ear4" Here Austen pokes fun at te %ossip& nature of te peop$e and so#s #& Dar(& !i%t be 6usti0ed in fee$in% out of p$a(e" Austen a$so 0$$s te nove$4s dia$o%ue #it iron&' !akin% peop$e su( as Mrs ,ennet and Mr Co$$ins revea$ teir foo$isness to te reader trou% teir ridi(u$ous (o!!ents" Man& (riti(s (onsider te nove$ a satire' #i(' in %enera$ ter!s' is a $iterar& #ork tat uses iron& and u!our to e8pose u!an or so(ia$ fau$ts" Tus' L&dia e!bodies vanit&' *i(ka! disonest&' Mr Co$$ins obse9uiousness' and Mrs ,ennet a !u$titude of fo$$ies" Austen does not tear do#n (ountr& $ife or fo$k3 rater' se dire(ts te reader4s %a+e to so!e of te u!an i!perfe(tions tat treaten te virtues of er (u$ture" Pride and Prejudice possesses oter $iterar& 9ua$ities" Austen renders sp$endid (ara(ters' so#in% o# teir errors resu$t fro! teir )a#s" Se uses s&!bo$is! sparin%$& but su((essfu$$&3 for e8a!p$e' te ordered' austere beaut& of Dar(&4s %rounds and o!e at e!ber$& represents is rea$ nature" 7ina$$&' Austen e!p$o&s an o!nis(ient point of vie#' #i( !eans tat er a$$/ kno#in% narrator as (o!p$ete kno#$ed%e of te stor& and (an revea$ an& (ara(ter4s tou%ts and fee$in%s to te reader" Most of te ti!e' te narrator so#s te #or$d as E$i+abet sees it"