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Irony in 'Pride and Prejudice': How the Diverse Materials are Welded into a Coherent Whole by Jane Austen?

Unifying Diverse Elements: Exploring Irony in Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'

Jane Austen's Moralistic Vision: Self-Knowledge and Irony in Her Works

 Jane Austen was a moralist of eighteenth century who had escaped the infection of sensibility and sentimentalities. The attainment of self Knowledge on the part of the heroine is always part of Austen's theme. Irony is her weapon for display and developing distends.

Pervasive Irony:  Humor and Artistic Effect in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

In Pride and Prejudice irony of every kind prevails. The great deal of the humour and artistic effect of the novel is to be found in its delicious irony. The opening sentence of the novel is ironical. “It is a truth universally of a good fortune must be in want of a wife ". The irony is made clear what follows immediately. It refers to Mr. Brinkley’s arrival in the neighbour hard of Bennet and a few other families with other marriageable girls. The conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Bannet is full of irony. The wooing of Elizabeth by Collins provokes laughter and totally ironical.

From Dislike to Devotion: Exploring Irony in the Progression of Love and Marriage in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Irony is deeply involved in the very structure of the novel. The central situation of the plot exposes how the hero and heroine progress from mutual dislike to love and marriage. The pride and prejudice that built up barrier between Elizabeth and Darcy proved to be ironic illusion at the end. Irony is implicit in the style of Austen's novel.

In depicting the progress of the romance between Darcy and Elizabeth the novelist shows us a fundamental ironic element in life. Elizabeth in spite of her skill in studying characters can not judge Darcy rightly; party from accident and partly from an unconscious fear of falling to in love with him. It is an accident that she overhears Darcy's reference to her as tolerable but not tempting to him. Her readiness to believe Wickham's slanders against Darcy and her failure to understand Wickham both seen to spring from her unwillingness to allow her feelings to be involved with Darcy. Darcy also misjudges her intelligence and beauty Later when marks his first proposal his assessment of her character is inadequate. Elizabeth's unexpected refusal shocks him into self discovery. Thus the theme of pride and prejudice is basically ironic. It underlines the conflict between feeling and intelligence the contrast between illusions and reality. In the ultimate analysis the pride of Darcy and prejudice become illusion. As a matter of fact labour under misapprehension. Irony profuse the novel.

Interweaving Irony: Exploring Contrasts and Mercantile Themes in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

A. W. Wright points out another element in the rich texture irony in the novel. Elizabeth and Darcy are constructed with Jane and Bingley. This contrast searches the ironical situation to the novel. Not only this Austen uses a number of elaborate epithet which are quite ironical as --------- " your honoured father " or " the melancholy event "

Dorothy Van Ghent highlights a number of words in the novel that demonstrate a mercantile and materialistic theme, as well as ironic undertones. These words include 'venture,' 'capital,' 'manner,' and 'marriage,' among others. The language used in Austen's novel provides us with cultural constraints. Therefore, Pride and Prejudice is an entertaining novel due to its irony, which is evident in various aspects such as themes, structure, words, and expressions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is a masterful work that thrives on the power of irony. From the contrasting characters of Elizabeth and Darcy to the cleverly crafted epithets, irony permeates the novel, adding depth and humor. The use of words associated with mercantile and materialistic themes further enhances the ironic undertones. Austen's skillful manipulation of irony, evident in various elements, ensures that Pride and Prejudice remains an entertaining and enduring literary masterpiece.

Ardhendu De  

Reference:
1. Jane Austen’s Novels A Study in Structure : Andrew H. Wright : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/janeaustensnovel0000andr
2. Pride and prejudice : Austen, Jane, 1775-1817 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/prideprejudice00aust

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