Date : 27th January 2018

First Name : Bogdan - Alexandru

Last Name : Burican
University : Vasile Alecsandri , Bacau
Faculty : Faculty of Letters – Professional Conversion , 2nd year

Assignment – English Literature

“ Pride and prejudice “ - by Jane Austen

Irony has three types in “Pride and prejudice “ : valid, dramatic and situational, used in Austen’s wit .
Sarcasm is the main structure remembered in the valid irony, notably in Austin’s use of wit , in which
hypocrisy is involved when the matter of doing something else after you actually say another thing and
things get disingenuous. Starting with “ It is a truth universally acknowledged … “ – represents all the
more peculiarly instance or a perfect illustration of the verbal irony : character , situation or circumstance
that are usually the opposite of what it appears to be in which actions have an effect that is antagonistic
from what was intended and outcome is contrary to what was expected.

a. What general theme does the incipit of the novel announce ?

The act itself for the absolute whole novel is based on the theme of marriage ( that of inexperienced,
yet promising representatives of the society ) .
Even as it briskly introduces the arrival of Mr. Bingley at Netherfield – the event that sets the novel
in motion – the sentence “ It is a truth … “ also offers a miniature sketch of the entire plot, which
concerns itself with the pursuit of a “ single man in possession of a good fortune “ by various female
characters.
The preoccupation with socially advantageous marriage in the 9th century , English society manifests
itself here , for in claiming that a single man “ must be in want of a wife “ , the narrator reveals that
 the revers is also true : a single woman , whose socially prescribed options are quite limited , is in (
perhaps desperate ) want of a husband.

b. Was marriage-making the object of both parents ? What discrepancy is anticipated here ?

According to this fragment , marriage-making is not to be the object of both parents. Mrs. Bennet
gains interest with the Netherfield Park , insisting on her husband twice about it’s story,
highlighted in : << “ Do you want to know who has taken it ? “ cried his wife impatiently >> .

The first shread of the novel reveals and also proclaims an anticipated discrepancy between the
awarenesses of enjoyment gathering feelings and the marriage itself and the classic concept :
inheritance and wealth vs the devotion of love ; all characterics to the Victorian Age when
arranged marriages were a peculiar tradition so that a social climb would be in order.

c. Can we interpret the first sentence of the fragment in light of irony ? What does the narrator
ironize ?

Well , we can sense a tone if irony in the first sentence considering how Jane Austen personally
felt about the social expectations bestowed upon women , which mostly reduced then to the roles
of surservient wives.
The first line 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"--is among the most famous first lines in literature. It
not only calls the reader's attention to the central place that marriage will have in the plot of the
story, but also introduces the reader immediately to Austen's use of irony. While the focus of the
line is on "a single man . . . in want of a wife," the real emphasis in the noveland in the society of
the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuriesis the need for young women to find a husband
in possession of a good fortune. The purely economic, utilitarian motive for marriage will come
under attack in the novel, as will, implicitly, the societal constraints which leave many women
with little choice but to marry for the sake of economic survival.

d. What does the narrator mean by asseting that a man was considered to be the “ property “ of
someone ?

The typical view of men and women in 19th century England assumes sole male dominance and a
female role almost to the point of slavery . It is true that it was the tendency of the society to almost
entirely favor males, and to associate women with the men they are tied to (for example, Elizabeth is the
sum of her father, her uncle, her cousin, and her brother-in-law). However, this is not to say that only men
could be a master. In social relationships involving status and debt, a man was typically judged based
upon his material worth. Additionally, and counter-intuitively, despite the 'marriage market' environment
and lack of legal rights for wives, women sometimes managed to act with surprising autonomy from men,
and even frequently directly influence their actions. Men could be owned, either by women or through
debts, both monetary and social, and they could willingly give up their all-powerful masculine
appearances in exchange for the right material life. The prolific 19th century author Jane Austen explores
this radical idea in her body of work. Her novel Pride and Prejudice overturns the traditional notion of
inherent male superiority by exploring men as property in both romantic and social relationships.

With the opening lines of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen overturns the most basic tenet of western
gender roles: she claims that the man is the property of the woman. This contrary and anti-normative
statement is implied in many of the romantic relationships present in the book. Austen expresses the idea
that the male characters are romantically bound to their ‘inferior’ females, going against the social
considerations of the time. For example, Elizabeth gains the monetary advantage of Darcy’s proposal, but
Darcy is only bound to her because of love, a consummately irrational conception, and a slight but
grudging respect for her impressive mental faculties, which also tends against her social status. This idea
of irrational romantic attachment is also found in Mr. Charles Bingley’s relationship with Miss Jane
Bennet. The two share a naive amiability.

e. What promises are considered for marriage ? Can we think of fortune hunting or of the
affectionate union of two persons ?

Regarding the process of marriage , promises are more likely to be as guarantees or commitment
gaining assurance for a conventional agreement : parents of a young girl are to inquire a man with
exceptional wealth , possessions , resources and a continuous evolving capital , in order to relieve
doubt that their daughter will have a favorable and honorable position in the society.