SECTION 4
Jane Austen uses a variety of literary techniques that have created Pride and Prejudice to be the classic novel we know and love today. She deals with themes such as love, pride, prejudice, and reputation. We see love throughout the novel, and how it ultimately overcame all the obstacles in the end. Pride is seen as well through many characters, but especially Darcy. Darcy in the beginning was the most prideful man anyone had met, which led Elizabeth to turning down his proposal. Prejudice is also discussed and most evident in Elizabeth because she had made preconceived opinions about Darcy without even knowing him, which led her to treating him with contempt. Reputation was another theme most evident. We see reputation having a large impact on all the characters as those who were high in class looked down upon those less wealthy. We see this treatment the most in Lady Catherine de Bourgh as she tries to stop the relationship between the two main characters. When speaking to Elizabeth she says “ True. You are a gentleman’s daughter. But who was your mother? Who are your uncles and aunts? Do not imagine me ignorant of their condition.” (Austen, 392) Lady Catherine exposed that she thought just because Elizabeth was not born into a wealthy family, she wasn’t good enough to be engaged to her nephew.
Jane Austen uses a variety of literary techniques that have created Pride and Prejudice to be the classic novel we know and love today. She deals with themes such as love, pride, prejudice, and reputation. We see love throughout the novel, and how it ultimately overcame all the obstacles in the end. Pride is seen as well through many characters, but especially Darcy. Darcy in the beginning was the most prideful man anyone had met, which led Elizabeth to turning down his proposal. Prejudice is also discussed and most evident in Elizabeth because she had made preconceived opinions about Darcy without even knowing him, which led her to treating him with contempt. Reputation was another theme most evident. We see reputation having a large impact on all the characters as those who were high in class looked down upon those less wealthy. We see this treatment the most in Lady Catherine de Bourgh as she tries to stop the relationship between the two main characters. When speaking to Elizabeth she says “ True. You are a gentleman’s daughter. But who was your mother? Who are your uncles and aunts? Do not imagine me ignorant of their condition.” (Austen, 392) Lady Catherine exposed that she thought just because Elizabeth was not born into a wealthy family, she wasn’t good enough to be engaged to her nephew.
Symbolism is also another literary technique seen through the novel. When Elizabeth finally starts to fall for Darcy, she is about to visit him. Once seeing his house, she seems to describe him in her mind as “in front, a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance. Its banks were neither formal, nor falsely adored.” (Austen, 269) The home of Mr. Darcy appeared to be symbolizing the type of man he was. Darcy was naturally important based on his wealthy status, but sometimes his pride “swelled” him, but without any masks. He was who he was from the beginning and was “neither formal, nor falsely adorned.”
Many literary techniques were used by Jane Austen to create this classic novel. She used themes and symbols that encourages readers to read on with the knowledge that some of these major themes, relate to our society, even today.
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