Essay on Irony, Values and Realism in Pride and Prejudice

Irony, Values and Realism in Pride and PrejudiceThe focus of Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice is the prejudice of Elizabeth Bennet against the apparent presumption of her future suitor, Fitzwilliam Darcy, and the blow to his pride in falling in love with her. The key elements of the story are the caustic remark, values and realism of the characters as they develop. Jane Austens irony is devastating in its exposure of foolishness and hypocrisy. Self-delusion or the attempt to fool other people are usually the object of her wit. There are different forms of exquisite irony in Pride and Prejudice, sometimes the characters are unconsciously ironic, as when Mrs. Bennet seriously asserts that she would never accept any entailed property, though Mr. collins is willing to. Often Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth serve to directly express the authors ironic opinion. When Mary Bennet is the only daughter at inhabitation and does not have to be compared with her prettier sisters, the author notes th at it was suspected by her father that she submitted to the change without much reluctance. (Austen 189) Mr. Bennet turns his wit on himself during the crisis with Whickham and Lydia let me once in my life feel how much I have been to blame. I am not afraid of being overpowered by the impression. It will pass away soon enough. (Austen 230) Elizabeths irony is lighthearted when Jane asks when she began to love Mr. Darcy It has been coming on so gradually that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberly (Austen 163). She can be bitterly cutting however in her remark on Darcys role in separating Bingley and Jane Mr. Darcy is uncommonly kind to Mr. Bingley, and takes a prodigio... ...kling Irony and Fiction in Pride and Prejudice, in The Fields of Light An Experiment in comminuted Reading. untried York Oxford University Press, 1951 164-81. Brownstein, Rachel, M. Getting Married Jane Austen. Becoming a Heroine R eading About Women in zero(prenominal)els. 2nd ed. New York Penguin Books, 1984. 81-134. Fein, Ellen and Schneider, Sherrie. The Rules Time-tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right. New York Warner Books, 1995. Menand, Louis. What Jane Austen Doesnt Tell Us. New York Review of Books 43.2 1 Feb. 1996 13-15. Moler, Kenneth. Pride and Prejudice A Study in Artistic Economy. Boston, MA Twayne Publishers, 1989. Newman, Karen. Can This Marriage be Saved Jane Austen Makes Sense of an Ending. ELH 50.4 (1983) 693-710. Ryle, Gilbert. Jane Austen and the Moralists, Oxford Review, No. 1, Feb., 1966, pp. 5-18.