Jane Austen's contribution to English novel

An objective and impartial estimation of Jane Austens contribution to the development of the
English novel involve comparisons which are, also, likely to undermine her self-imposed
limitations as an artist.
Austens range is very narrow. The plots revolve around three or four families in the countryside,
consisting mostly of a few typed characters. There is only one theme the theme of love and
marriage repeated in every novel. Deep philosophy of life is conspicuously absent and there are
no hidden meanings to be discovered. There are no adventures to thrill, no violent passions to
ruffle, no sensations to tickle and tease. Yet she is one of our major novelists. Safely emerging
through two centuries and severe criticism, today she enjoys secure reputation.
Austens first important achievement is to bring to the English novel dramatic plots. She has the
genius of a great dramatist. Baker successfully verified the plot of Pride and Prejudice, in its
various stages of development, to the pattern of a five-act play. The unity of purposes, the
complete inter-dependence of the main plot and the sub-plots, the perfect association of the
action and the characters, dramatic irony and short, engaging dialogues render her plots highly
dramatic. To this may be added the objectivity of narration, the complete withdrawal of the
creator from the creation, for she hardly speak in her own person to give a direct comment.
Jane Austen has given us a multitude of characters. All of them are commonplace such as we
meet everybody.
Yet they are al perfectly discriminated from each other as if they were the most eccentric
of human beings.
Remarkably, no two villains are alike, nor two fools for even the greatest novelists are guilty of
repetition. However, her real achievement in characterization is the ironic exposition of the
follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies of human conduct. She excels in the depiction
of the ridiculous and of the hiatus between a reality and an appearance, between a purpose and a
pretence that amuses and entertains, but also perplexes and exasperates.
Another of her important preoccupations is the theme of self-education. Her protagonists are
often self-deceived. They undergo a painful process of self-discovery but they have the humility
and honesty to admit their earlier illusionment and the courage to give a new direction to their
life.
Austen represents feminization of the English novels. She draws her men as they appear to
women and not to men. Her Darcy and Bingley, Knightly and Frank Churchill are seen through
the eyes of her women, Elizabeth, Jane and Emma. The men never appear alone; they are always
in the company of women, engaged in such activities as women can participate in balls,
dinners, card sessions, or just walks. This accounts for the lack of masculinity in her novels. It
imposes a serious limitation on her art as a novelist, but it need not be regretted; we praise it for
its rarity.
The artistic excellence of Austens novels deserves high praise. The plots are contrived and
executed with consummate skill. There are no digressions and no loose ends are left dangling.
Among her characters, there are hardly any superfluous. The dialogues are natural, yet lively,
they help in the development of plot as well as the evolution of character. Her style is balanced,
even epigrammatic. Ruben A. Brower thinks that many pages of Pride and Prejudice can be
read a sheer poetry of wit. Sir Walter Scott concedes that though her subjects are not often
elegant and certainly never grand, they are finished up to Nature and with a precision. He further
says:
The young lady had a talent for describing the involvements, feelings and characters are
ordinary life but the exquisite touch which renders commonplace things and characters
interesting from the worth of the depiction and the sentiment is denied to me.
Jane Austen has often been called a pure novelist for her art is only for arts sake and is a source
of great aesthetic pleasure on account of its artistic exquisiteness. Besides, it is also the vehicle of
her moral vision that being based on common sense is pretty sound. A. J. Wright comments:
Working with materials extremely limited in themselves, she develops themes of the
broadest significance; the novels go beyond social record, beneath the didactic, to moral
concern, perplexity and commitment.
At one level, her novels present an authentic record of the life of the upper middle classes in
Southern England at the end of the eighteenth century, while at another level, her novels can be
considered as broad allegories. Pride and Prejudice displays and illustrates the dangers of
excessive Pride and overweening Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility vindicates Sense and
exposes the dangers of Sensibility. Emma deals with self-deception. Persuasions describes the
dangers of over-persuasion.
Her most important contribution to the English novels is her ironic world view. This view lies in
the recognition of the fact that man is confronted with the choice of two things that are mutually
exclusive. The two are equally attractive, equally desirable, but ironically, incompatible. Sense
may be more desirable but Sensibility too is not without attraction or desirability and its claims.
The irony is that the claims of Sense and Sensibility are conflicting.
Ironically, the theme of Pride and Prejudice is the contrast between Intricacy and Simplicity.
Both the qualities have their own attractions and dangers in them. Darcy and Elizabeth are
intricate and attractive but they are prone to the dangers that accompany such an intricacy. Jane
and Bingley are simple, and they are free from such dangers but they are dull and lifeless.
Perhaps one would like to be simple and intricate all at once, but that is not possible; which is the
irony. Jane Austen projects this ironic world view practically in all her novels
Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen's Moral Vision
Jane Austen is not a proclaimed moralist. Unlike Fielding, her aim is not to propagate the
morality. She believes in art for the sake of art. She is the pioneer of the novels. Therefore, her
plots are well-knit. Her main interest lies in irony and there is a hidden significance of morality
as we come across her moral vision in her novels through irony.
Jane Austen is in a favour of social prosperity than individual. She upholds the organic unity of
society. She stresses that the duty of human beings owe to others, to society and maintains that
individual desires have to be sub-ordinate to the large scale. Lydia-Wickham elopement is
passionate and irresponsible. It shows that how societys harmony is disrupted and how others
lives are ruined by the selfish act of the individual. On the other hand the marriage of Elizabeth
and Darcy, Jane and Bingley bring happiness and stability to everyone, not simply to themselves.
She discusses individuals short comings. Even the hero and heroine have no exception.
Elizabeth blinds herself absurdly because of prejudice whereas Darcy is full of pride.
... tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me.
But we can see that both learn and understand each other. Their pride and prejudice are vanished.
But the shortcomings of the other characters are not changed. Mr. Bennet is careless and
irresponsible man. Mrs. Bennet is vulgar and stupid. Charlotte is very much economic. Lydia is
lusty and Wickham is a deceiver.
Society is divided into classes. Pride and Prejudice is an attempt to harmonize the two
extremes of middle class lower end and the top end into one. Bingleys marriage with Jane
and Darcys with Elizabeth. It is her moral approach to rub the class distinction-line of society.
She also discusses the institution of family which is disturbed. The heads of Bennet family are
not mentally bound. This is a matchless couple. Their role as a parent is not active. The
disadvantages of such an unsuitable marriage attend the daughters also. On the other hand
Bingley family is betraying because there is no head for them but only guided by Darcy.
Jane Austen is concerned with the growth of an individuals moral personality measured by the
most exacting standards of 18th century values. Popes dictum know thyself underlines the
theme of her novel. The conclusion of her novel is always the achievement of self-respect and
principal mean of such an achievement is a league of perfect sympathy with another, who is
ones spiritual counterpart. Jane Austen traces Elizabeth's prejudice and her anguished
recognition of her own blind prejudice before she is united with Darcy in a marriage based on
mutual respect, love and understanding. As she says,How despicable have I acted! I, who
have pride myself on my discernment! I who have valued myself on my abilities.In the
end she says,There can be no doubt of that. It is settled between us already that we are to
be the happiest couple in the world.
Main theme of her novel is marriage. She tries to define good reasons for marriage and bad
reasons for marriage. Her moral concern though unobtrusive, is ever-present. The marriage of
Lydia-Wickham, Charlotte-Collins and of the Bennets serves the show by their failure the
prosperity of the Elizabeth-Darcy marriage.
There is corruption in landed class. Jane Austen reflects this problem in her novel also. The
Bingley sisters hate the Bennet for their vulgarity but are themselves vulgar in their behaviour.
Lady Catharine is equally vulgar and ill-bred.
Army men in her novel are only for flirtation. They come only for enjoyment. They have no love
in them. Some of them are deceiver like Wickham who elopes with Lydia not for love bur for
money.
Then she discusses the degeneracy of clergy. Mr. Collins is a clergyman. He comes at
Neitherfield in search of life partner. But he is rejected by Bennets daughters. Then he turns
towards Charlotte. He has some reason for marriage.My reasons for marriage are, I think it
right thing for every clergy (like me) in easy circumstances to set the example of
matrimony in parish
Jane Austen throws light on the materialism and economic concern of society. Charlotte is more
concern with money than man. She is lusty. Her materialistic approach is judged by her remarks.
I am not romantic, you know, I never was. I ask only for a comfortable home.
Collins also has materialistic mind. Mr. Wickham is always thinking about money. He elopes
with Lydia only for money.
Pride and prejudice, is in fact, corresponding virtue. Pride leads to prejudice and prejudice
invites pride. Darcy is proud, at the beginning. As he says: my good opinion once lost is lost
forever
His first appearance is appallingly insolent and we tend to agree with Mrs. Bennets
complaint:He walked her and he walked there, fancying so very great.Darcys remarks
prejudiced Elizabeth. At ball-party, when he firstly sees her, he says:
... tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me.
Wickhams biased account about Darcy increased the hatred of Elizabeth. But we can observe
that both earn when they go through the process of self-realization. Then Elizabeth thinks
that:Darcy was exactly the man, who in disposition and talents; would suit for her.
We may say that Jane Austens main concern was irony. She uses irony to shake the major
figures of their self-deception and expose the hypocrisy and pretentiousness, absurdity and
insanity of some of her minor figures. It is definitely possible to deduce from her work a scheme
of moral value. Andrew H. Wright rightly points out that irony in her hand is the instrument of a
moral vision. As Walter Allen comments:She is the most forthright moralist in English.
Pride and Prejudice: Love and Marriage Theme
Though, marriage is the end of Jane Austens novel, yet it evolves more than the conclusion of a
simple love story. There is a depth, variety and seriousness in Janes treatment of these topics.
Marriage was an important social concern in Jane Austens time and she was fully aware of the
disadvantages of remaining single. In a letter to her niece, Fanny Knight, she wrote:
"Single women have a dreadful propensity for being poor - which is a very strong
argument in favour of matrimony."
The only option for unmarried woman in Jane Austens time was to care for someone elses
children as Jane Austen herself did; as there were no outlets for women.
The novels of Jane Austens especially Pride and Prejudice dramatize the economic
inequality of women, showing how women had to marry undesirable mates in order to gain some
financial security.
The theme of love and marriage is one of the major themes in Pride and Prejudice. Through
five marriages, Jane Austen defines good and bad reasons for marriage. Charlotte Collins,
Lydia Wickham, Jane Bingley and Elizabeth Darcy are the four newly-weds. The old
marriage is that of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet.
Mrs. and Mr. Bennet are poles apart in their natural attitude. Mr. Bennet is sharp and witty. Mrs.
Bennet is vulgar and discreet. Together they constitute a very ill-matched couple.
Her father, captivated by youth and beauty had married a woman whose weak
understanding
and liberal mind had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affection for
her.Mr. Bennet married for beauty. Soon he realized that Mrs. Bennet, due to her intellectual
bankruptcy and narrow vision, would not make him an ideal wife.
Mr. and Mrs. Bennet never enjoyed the marital bliss of emotional and intellectual understanding.
The gulf between them had widened. Mr. Bennet becomes lazy and irresponsible and an odd
mixture of sarcastic humour, and caprice. He mocks Mrs. Bennet and exposes her to the scorn
of their five daughters. The disadvantages of such marriage attend the daughters also. Elizabeth
and Jane become what they are almost. Mary becomes a vain. Lydia grows into a selfish and
deceitful flirt who elopes with a selfish and corrupt rake. The stupid and weak-spirited Kitty
follows Lydia's example and flirts with the military officers.
Charlotte and Collins are the first to get married. Collins, after, having a very good house and
very sufficient income, intends to marry. He visits the Bennets to choose a wife among the
Bennet girls. He sets out in detail his reasons for marriage:
First it a right thing for every clergyman in easy circumstances to set the example of
matrimony in his parish. Secondly it will add very greatly to my happiness, and thirdly
that is particular advice and recommendation of the very noble lady whom I have the
honour of calling patroness
Mr. Collins does not have any respect and affection for the girl he intends to marry. So, Elizabeth
declines the proposal. Collins shifts contentedly to Charlotte who is herself eager to accept his
proposal.Mr. Collins was neither sensible nor agreeable But still he would be her
husbandmarriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for
well-educated young women of small fortune.Obviously Charlotte also does not think of
love. She accepts Mr. Collins under economic pressure, knowing that she is going to marry an
ass. Elizabeth is shocked at Charlottes engagement. Charlotte defends herself by saying:I am
not romantic you know. I never was. I ask only a comfortable home.
The next to be married are Wickham and Lydia. They elope before they get married.
Compatibility and understanding are once again absent. Lydia is captivated by the external
glamour of Wickhams personality. She thinks, she is in love with him but she is only infatuated.
They were always moving from place to place in quest of a cheep situation, and always
spending more then they ought. His affection for her soon sunk into indifference; hers
lasted a little longer.
J ane and Bingley are sincerely in love with each other. Between them exists a great emotional
compatibility. By nature, both are sweet and gentle, free from malice, ill will, affectation and
duplicity, calm, unsuspecting, simple and willing to forgive readily. There is every likelihood
that they will lead a happy married life.
Still, their marriage is timidly weak. Bingley is too weak-willed that in spite of loving Jane
deeply, he does not take any initiative. Their temperamental harmony lacks the strengthening
support of intellectual understanding and maturity.Still they will be happy because Bingley is
too good to offend consciously and Jane is too good not to forgive even any offense.
Elizabeth marries last and most desirably. When Darcy makes his first proposal, he had no
doubts of a favourable answer. He acted as if he was offering prize which no sensible woman can
refuse.All the other characters believe Darcy to be a prize and that Elizabeth is falling for his
wealth. Elizabeth rejects his proposal but accepts it for the second time.
Elizabeth and Darcy begin with prejudices and gradually move towards understanding. Elizabeth
helps Darcy to shed his pride and be really the gentleman. Darcy in turn acts nobly and
generously to win her love. Mutual affection and regards developed between them that form the
basis of a sound marriage. It was a union that must have been to the advantage of both.
Elizabeth has to assure that she loves and respects Darcy. Love and respect count most in a
marital union, and having secured both, Elizabeth does not make any false or exaggerated
statement when she says half-mockingly:It is settled between us already that we are to be
the happiest couple in the world.
Thus it is true that the chief preoccupation of Jane Austens heroines is getting married and life is
a matrimonial game as women in her times had no other option of business or profession open to
them. However, marriage is not treated merely as a romantic end. Rather it is dealt with a depth
variety and seriousness to highlight good marriage based on mutual understanding, love, good
sense and respect.
Pride and Prejudice: Title
Pride and Prejudicewas first written in 1797 under the title First Impressions. It was later
revised and published under the titlePride and Prejudice in 1813.
In the novel, first impressions do play an important part: Elizabeth is misled in her judgment and
estimation of both Darcy and Wickham. Her regard and sympathy for Wickham and her hostility
and prejudice against Darcy are due to the first impressions. But when we study the novel
deeply andseriously we can easily see that the title Pride and Prejudice is more apt and more
befitting to it. The first impressions which the character gets of each other take up only the first
few chapters. The novel is more about the pride of Darcy and the prejudice of Elizabeth and the
change of attitude in Darcy and Elizabeths correction of her first impression.
At the apparent level, we see that Darcy embodies pride he is possessed by family pride. As
Wickham tells Elizabeth that he has a filial pride, in his father and brotherly pride in his
sister Georgiana Darcy himself says that his pride consists in caring for none beyond his own
family circle, thinking mean of all the rest of the world.
There is no doubt that Darcy is a proud man. Nothing can excuse his remark about Elizabeth,
tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me
nor, indeed, the statement thatmy good opinion once lost is lost for ever.
His first appearance is insolent and we tend to agree with Mrs. Bennets complaint that
He walked here and he walked there, fancying himself so very great.
The set-down comes at Hansford personage, which is the climax of Darcys pride and
Elizabeths prejudice. In this scene, Darcy lays his proud heart at her feet and learns what she
thinks of him. He admits that he remained blind to the faults of Lady Catherineand Miss
Bingley and was thinking mean of those beneath him in social standing.
Elizabeth feels that Darcy is all pride. Having been prejudiced against him by his refusal to
dance with her, she willfully misinterprets all his utterances, all his actions. Her prejudice clouds
her usually clear judgment and she listens to Wickhams biased account of Darcy with complete
belief and declares Darcy to be abominable (thoroughly unpleasant). Blinded by prejudice she
rejects his proposal.
It is at Rosings that their process of self-discovery starts. At Netherfield Park,Elizabeths
family her mother and her sisters have seemed vulgar and ill-bred. At Rosings, Darcy is
embarrassed by the vulgarity of his aunt Lady Catharine and realizes that refinement of
manners is not the monopoly of the elite. His lesson is complete by Elizabeths rejection of his
proposal and her rejection makes him realize his misplaced pride. This excessive love for
Elizabeth forces him to write an explanatory letter to Elizabeth.
Elizabeths moment of self-awakening comes on receiving of Darcys letter. Learning the truth
about Wickham, she realizes her own blindness and prejudicein judging Darcy and Wickham
on mere fist impressions. Now she is also able to see the validity of some of his objections to
J ane and Bingley marriage. At Pemberely, she learns about Darcys austerity of manner. Now
the Lydia-Wickhamepisode brings the final reconciliation. This overwhelms Elizabeth and she
recognizes that Darcy is exactly the man who, in disposition and talents, will most suit her.
However, to say that Darcy is proud and Elizabeth is prejudiced is to tell but half the story. The
fact is both Darcy and Elizabeth are proud as well as prejudiced. The novel makes clear the fact
that Darcys pride leads to prejudice and Elizabeths prejudice stems superiority and refinement
and this leads him to have a general prejudice against people beneath him in he social hierarchy.
Elizabeths prejudice on the other hand stems from his pride. Both suffer from the faults of pride
ad prejudice, but they are also the necessary defects of desirable merits: self-respect and
intelligence.
It is true that Jane and Bingley are not the part of the theme of Pride and Prejudice but their love
is an important link in the novel and without it the story cannot be complete. J ane is the
specimen of faultless beauty and she is free from willing to see good in everyone. Similarly
Bingley is easy going and friendly. Both Jane and Bingley are simple characters and are not
sufficiently profound. It is the intricate characters of Darcy and Elizabeth that hold our interest
and exemplify the title of the novel, Pride and Prejudice.
Darcy and Elizabeth are of course, the pivotal characters but the subsidiary characters also tend
to demonstrate further aspects of the main themes. Lady Catherine de Bourgh is a hilarious
caricature (extremely funny) of the same faults of pride and prejudice. Mr. Collins is a mixture
of obsequiousness and pride. He is a sycophant, and out and out flatterer of Lady Catherine. Mrs.
Bennet has a pridein her daughters and in her stupidity develops a prejudice against Darcy.
Miss Bingley herself and her sister Mrs. Hurst are the mixture of pride and impertinence.
The title Pride and Prejudiceis thus, very apt and points to the theme of the novel. The novel
goes beyond a mere statement of first impressions and explores in depth the abstract qualities of
pride and prejudice. This theme is worked out not only through the characters of Darcy and
Elizabeth but also through various minor characters. It is a title which does complete justice to
the theme and subject of the novel.
Pride and Prejudice: Art of Characterization

The range of Jane Austens characters is rather narrow. She selects her characters from among
the landed gentry in the countryside. Sir Walter Scott very accurately describes this range:Jane
Austen confines herself chiefly to the middling classes of society and those which
are sketched with most originality and precision, belong to a class rather below that
standard.
She omits the servants and the labourers. They appear wherever they are needed but they are
usually not heard. Aristocracy also is hardly touched and if taken, it is only to satirize. Lady
Catherine in Pride and Prejudice is arrogant, pretentious, stupid and vulgar. Austen finds
herself at home only with the country gentry and their usual domestic interests.
In spite of such a limited range, Austen never repeats her characters. Lord David Cecil says:In
her six books, she ever repeats a single character There is all the difference in
the world between the vulgarity of Mrs. Bennet and the vulgarity of Mrs. Jennings.
Though these characters are so highly individualized, yet they have a touch of universality. Thus
Marianne becomes the representative of all romantic lovers while Wickham represents all
pleasant-looking but selfish and unprincipled flirts.
Austen usually presents her characters dramatically through their conversation, actions and
letters. Darcy and Wickham, Lydia and Caroline are much revealed through their actions, while
Collins and Lydia are revealed through their letters. A direct comment is sometimes added. The
mean understanding of Mrs. Bennet and the sarcastic humour of Mr. Bennet have already been
revealed in their dialogues before the direct comment of the novelist. Similarly before she tells us
about Mr. Collins, we have already become aware from his letter that he is not a sensible man.
Though Jane Austen does not conceive her characters in pairs yet her characters are revealed
through comparison and contrast with others. Lady Catherine and Mrs. Bennet balance each
other in their vulgarity and match-making drills. Wickham serves a contrast to Darcy while
Bingley is a foil to him. Elizabeths is compared and contrasted with Jane and Caroline Bingley.
Austen builds character through piling an infinite succession of minute details about them. In
Pride and Prejudice, the Elizabeth-Darcy relationship is traced through minute details,
details which look trivial and insignificant in the first instance but whose significance is realized
only after reading the novel. Sir Walter Scott makes a fine comment:The authors knowledge
of the world, and the peculiar tact with which she presents
characters reminds us something of the merit of the Flemish school of painting.
Austen is a great realist in art. Her characters are creatures of flesh and blood, pulsating with
vitality. She studies her characters kindly but objectively. Regarding their appearance, she treats
them quite generally, fixing them with a few bold strokes. She is constant in providing details
about their outlook, attitude, manner and accomplishments. Lord Cecil says:Her lucid knife-
edged mind was always at work penetrating beneath such impressions to disown their
cause, discover the principles that go to make up his individuality.
Austens characters are neither embodiment of virtue nor pure villains but real human beings
both pleasant and disgusting. Elizabeth is perceptive but her perception is sullied by her initial
prejudices. In contrast Wickham has so much charm that it is rather difficult to detest him.
Austen often mingles knavishness with folly making villainous characters a source of rich
comedy.
Jane Austens minor figures are flat. They do not grow and are fully developed when we first
meet them. As the action progresses our first impressions of them get confirmed. Mrs. Bennet
seems to be stupefied and vulgar right from the first scene. Her appearance at the Netherfield
Park or her reaction to Lydias elopement confirms her stupidity and vulgarity. This is true of
almost all of her minor figures.
But her major characters are ever changing, ever growing. Usually self-deceived in initial
stages, they are capable of understanding, growth and maturity. They are complex, dynamic and
intricate. Her heroines, blinded by ego, vanity or over-confidence, commit gross errors and suffer
bitter reverses. But by virtue of their insight they are gradually disillusioned and, thus, grow.
Minor or major all characters created by Jane Austen may be described as round inasmuch as
they are all three-dimensional. E. M. Forster brings out this point quite admirably:All her
characters are round or capable of rotundity They have all their proper places and fill
other several stations with great credit All of them are organically related to their
environment and to each other.
Dull characters are made interesting. An eminent critic, describing Jane as a prose Shakespeare
remarks:What, in other hands, would be flat, insipid becomes at her bidding, a
sprightly versatile, never-flagging chapter of realities.
Thus touched by the magic wand of Jane Austens art, even the fool and bore of real life became
amusing figures. The pompous stupidity of Mrs. Collins and the absurdity and vulgarity of Mrs.
Bennet should in real life, prove as irritating to us as to Elizabeth and Darcy. But even these
characters become such a rich source of mirth and entertainment.
Still there are a few characters that do not look enough life-like or relevant. Mary Bennet fails to
impress, nor is she even vital to the story. Jane Fairfax in Emma is shadowy. Margaret is
Sense and Sensibility never comes to life. But these minor failures do not detract much from
her reputation as one of the greatest delineators of characters.
Pride and Prejudice: Irony
I rony is the very soul of Jane Austens novels and Pride and Prejudice is steeped in irony of
theme, situation, character and narration. Irony is the contrast between appearance and
reality.
As one examines Pride and Prejudice, one is struck with the fact of the ironic significance
that pride leads to prejudice and prejudice invites pride 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 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 Austens
novel.
In Pride and Prejudice there is much irony of situation too, which provides a twist to the
story. Mr. Darcy remarks about Elizabeth that:tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt
me
We 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. He removes Bingley
from Netherfield because he considers it imprudent to forge a marriage alliance with the Bennet
Family, but himself ends up marrying the second Bennet sister. Collins proposes to Elizabeth
when her heart is full of Wickham and Darcy proposes to her exactly at the moment when she
hates him most. Elizabeth tells Mr. Collins that she is not the type to reject the first proposal and
accept the second but does exactly this when Darcy proposes a second time. The departure of the
militia from Meryton was expected to put an end to Lydia's flirtations, it brings about her
elopement. The Lydia-Wickham episode may seem like an insurmountable barrier between
Elizabeth and Darcy, but is actually instrumental in bringing them together. Lady Catherine,
attempting to prevent their marriage only succeeds in hastening it.
I rony in character is even more prominent than irony of situation. It is ironical that Elizabeth
who prides herself on her perception is quite blinded by her own prejudices and errs badly in
judging intricate characters. Wickham appears suave and charming but is ironically unprincipled
rouge. Darcy appears proud and haughty but ironically proves to be a true gentleman when he
gets Wickham to marry Lydia by paying him. The Bingley Sisters hate the Bennets for their
vulgarity but are themselves vulgar in their behaviour. Darcy is also critical of the ill-bred
Bennet Family but ironically his Aunt Catherine is equally vulgar and ill-bed. Thus, the novel
abounds in irony of characters.
The narrativeof Pride and Prejudice too has an ironic tone which contributes much verbal
irony. Jane Austens 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.
As Dorothy Van Ghent remark, what we read in it is opposite a single woman must be in want
of a man with a good fortune. There is much verbal irony in the witty utterances of Mrs.
Bennet. He tells Elizabeth:Let Wickham be your man. He is pleasant fellow and would jilt
you creditable
In the words pleasant fellow is hidden a dramatic irony at the expense of Mr. Bennet, for
Wickham is destined to make a considerable dent in Mr. Bennet's complacency.
Jane Austen did not show any cynicism or bitterness in using her irony to draw satirical portraits
of whims and follies. Rather her irony can be termed comic. It implies on her side an
acknowledgement of what is wrong with people and society. It is interesting to note that
ironically, in Pride and Prejudice, it is the villainous character Wickham and lady Catherine
who are responsible for uniting Elizabeth and Darcy.
She uses irony to shake her major figures of their self-deception and to expose 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 Wright rightly points
out that irony in her hands is the instrument of a moral vision.
Pride and Prejudice: A Novel With Limited Range
Jane Austen confines her creative activity to the depiction of whatever fell within her range of
personal experience. While her range of observation in life is not so wide her work has been
variously called as the Two inches of ivory and three or four families. All these titles
exhibit the excellence as well as the limitations of her craft and outlook.
Although she works on a very small canvas, yet she has widened the scope of fiction in almost
all its directions. Her stories mostly have indoor actions where only family matters especially
love and marriages are discussed. However, her plots are perfect and characterization is superb.
All of her six novels, including Pride and Prejudice, have been controversial since their
publication, on account of Austens limited range. The critical view is divided in two groups
detractors and admires. The former group had criticized her on various points.
Critics object that her novels present a certain narrow physical setting. It was the period of
American War of Independence and of Napoleonic Wars, but the characters of Austen are
blissfully unaware of all these tumultuous events. Whole of the story of Pride and Prejudice
revolves around Neitherfield Park, Longbourne, Hunsford Parsonage, Meryton and Pemberley.
Nature does not play any specific role in her novels. It seems to be an irony of the history of
English literature that when writers like Wordsworth, Byron, Coleridge and others were
discovering the beauties of nature / outer world, Austen confines her characters within the four
walls of the drawing room or Hall. Edward Fitzgerald states:
She never goes out of the Parlour.
Austen avoids the sense of passions described by the romantics, because of her classical views of
order and control. Bronte condemns her: the passions art completely unknown to her.
Critics have complained that her subject matters are very much the same in all her novels and she
writes the same sort of story and also that she does not introduce any great variety in her
characters.
All of her six novels deal with same theme of love and marriages. There are pretty girls waiting
for eligible bachelors to be married to. The opening line of Pride and Prejudice is the theme of
her six novels. She writes:It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in
possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
Another limitation of Jane Austen is the feminization of her novels. Men never appear except in
the company of women. All the information about Darcy is proved through Elizabeths point of
view. Hence, the reader looks at Darcy through Elizabeths eye.
Even in her limited world, Austen restricts herself to the depiction of a particular class of country
gentry. She excludes the matters of lower class and hardly touches aristocracy. For instance she
has discussed Lady Catherine only for the purpose of satire.There is no terrible happening in her
novels. Everything happens in a civilized manner. The extreme severity in Pride and Prejudice
is elopement of Lydia with Wickham.Wickham may elope with Lydia.
A famous critic, Charlotte Bronte believes that Austen has no concern with the morals and she is
an author of the surface only:Her business is not half so much with the human heart as with
the human eye, mouth, hands and feet.
A. H. Wright remarks that there is very little religion in her novels. Politics is not mentioned too.
There are no adventures found in her books, no abstract ideas and no discussion of spiritual or
metaphysical issues.
The defence of Jane Austens limited range comes from the nature of her novels, the situation of
her time and her physical surroundings. Austens novels are termed as domestic novels. She
belongs to the era when neither the girls were allowed to be admitted to universities nor to be
intermingled freely with men. So it is natural that her range is limited.
Austen was a daughter of a country clergyman. She has very less exposure to the world except
her short visits to London and a few years study at Bath. Hence the world she experienced was
very small. In a letter to her niece, Austen wrote:There are four families in a country village
is the very thing to work on.
Though Austens limitations are very self imposed yet within her deliberately restricted field, her
art is perfect. Realization of ones limitations is a positive virtue. The restricted social setting and
purely interests, lend a sense of discipline to her art.Within the limits she is superb.
She gains in depth, what she loses in broadness of canvas. Her characters stem from a class
which she knows well and hence they are very realistic and life-like. Elizabeth Bennet is one of
the most delightful heroines one could come across in literature. Wordsworth remarks:
Her novels are an admirable copy of life.
It would be wrong to say that her novels lack passion and profundity. Her themes are love,
courtship and marriage and it is impossible to keep the feelings out from such a novel. Besides
love, there are also significant emotions, like jealousy of Bingleys, cunningness of Wickham,
snobbery of Lady Catherine all are depicted by Austen with perfect sincerity and conviction.
She also holds a definite moral concern in her novels. She laughs at the shortcomings of people
to correct their behaviours. Beneath the theme of love and marriage, she deals with manners to
correct the conduct of the middle class country gentry. She preaches the dictum of know
thyself. Hence she aims at high morality. She also depicts the merits and strength of a marriage
based on understanding through the wedding of Elizabeth and Darcy. The nature of her craft is
defined by Austen herself as:With bit of irony on which I work with so fine brush to
produce little effect after much labour.
Within her theme and subject matter, Jane Austen is unparalleled in her skill and plot
construction. The sub-plots of Jane-Bingley, Lydia-Wickham, Charlotte-Collins all are closely
linked to the main Elizabeth-Darcy plot and highlight the theme of good marriage. Even in her
limits, no two of her characters are repeated. G. H. Lewis remarks:
Her circle may be restricted but it is complete. Her world is perfect orb and vital sphere.
Thus it may be concluded that within her limited range Austen handles all the characters, events,
dialogues and the plot of her novels in a very exquisite manner. Her art is fine, perfect and
distinguishable. No doubt she is a fine flower of the expiring 18th century.