Literary Devices in Pride and Prejudice

Brooke Koerner
AP Literature
October 22, 2018

In Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” we see a very strong criticism on how women are
expected to behave and live to get by in Victorian society. With the need for marriage to survive
and support family, a woman is required to set everything aside to find a husband. The class
structure itself and the reputation a woman must attempt to uphold through her life are
questioned severely by Austen, as she seems to find the odds often stacked against women.
Austen is clearly very critical of the unspoken rules of her time, and this is something she uses
irony and tone to get through to the reader. These devices make the delivery of her theme much
more impactful and meaningful, the wry sarcastic tone and the intriguing use of irony help
further her message.

One of the devices we see most commonly used in Jane Austen’s novel “Pride and
Prejudice” is irony. She uses this literary device to help her criticize the society in which she
lives, and the society and which the novel is set. There are three types of irony you see employed
in this novel, dramatic, situational and verbal. Situational and verbal being the most commonly
used by far, we still see dramatic irony being used in the very beginning. It is very apparent how
necessary it was in the setting of this novel that a woman find a well-off husband, so that not
only will she be supported, but also her sisters and any other female relatives. They were not
allowed in on anything when it came to inheritance when their fathers passed away, so they were
responsible for securing their own futures through marriage. This importance is shown very
clearly in how Mrs. Bennet reacts to hearing her husband has no interest in meeting a new single
wealthy man who recently moved into their neighborhood. Her intention, of course is to
introduce one of her many daughters to this Mr. Bingley to attempt to arrange a marriage. Mr.
Bennet had already thought ahead to this and had arranged a meeting, but to his wife’s dismay
had not disclosed the news. This is why there is a sense of dramatic irony, as we know something
our protagonist and the rest of the characters we have been introduced to do not. “Mr. Bennet
was among the earliest of those who waited on Mr. Bingley. He had always intended to visit him,
though to the last always assuring his wife he should not go; and till the evening after the visit
was paid, she had no knowledge of it.” The reader gets a sense of how important such a thing
must have been to Mrs. Bennet and her daughters, as her frustration and anger with her husband
was apparent through her nervousness. Through this we also get to see what king of a character
Mr. Bennet will be, and in turn what kind of a character Elizabeth is. They both have a very
strong wittiness about them, with common retorts and sarcastic but well thought out responses.
This is why there is such a strong sense of verbal irony in this novel, as we see Elizabeth use this
to take out her frustrations with Darcy through it. After the party where he quickly dismisses her
for not being of high enough class and esteem to be worthy of a dance, she sets of disliking him
for his arrogance and pride. This is why later in the novel we see Elizabeth call him out and
mock his opinion on a woman and what they should need to accomplish. “Then,” observed
Elizabeth, “you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplished woman…I am no
longer surprised in your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your
knowing any…I never saw such a woman, I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application,
and elegance, as you describe, united.” This discussion we see take place on page 39 shows
Elizabeth’s initial bitterness at Darcy and his ridiculous standards. We see this bitterness hit its
boiling point at the turning point in the novel, when a surprising twist catches both the readers
and the protagonist Elizabeth off guard. Darcy decides to propose to Elizabeth, despite us being
told by Elizabeth how much she believes Darcy despises her for her lack of accomplishments
and her social standing, as well as her attitude and sarcasm. However, this appears to have only
drawn him in as it makes Elizabeth stand out amongst all of the rest of the women trying to win
his affection. In this, he seems to swallow his pride, admitting he has feelings for her. On page
185 we see him admit this to her, “In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be
repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” Throughout the
entirety of the book we have been shown how much Elizabeth resents him, and how much she
thought he felt the same. No reader should have expected this because it was very rare for Darcy
to allow himself to swallow his pride enough to ever truly compliment her, especially not in her
presence. It was also unexpected for the initial hatred and prejudice Elizabeth harbored in her
hasty misjudgment of what kind of a man Darcy is.

The tone in Pride and Prejudice amazingly conveys the theme of the novel, that the
reputation and class of women in Victorian society had to be upheld for their own survival. The
attitude we see presented through our main character reflects exactly how the author, Jane
Austen, felt about the world she lives in. The novel almost comes off as mocking in its nature,
not only in how Elizabeth Bennet mocks Darcy and his feelings towards women, but towards the
upper class itself. How a woman must fight to remain in high opinion as to not end up homeless
and impoverished, and that finding a husband was done out of necessity in many cases and not
love is one such area Elizabeth comments on. One of the ways we see this is how Elizabeth
disagrees with Charlotte and how society has made her sister Jane desperate for marriage through
an argument on page 23. “Your plan is a good one,” replied Elizabeth, “where nothing is in
question but the desire of being well married; and if I were determined to get a rich husband, or
any husband, I dare say I should adopt it. But these are not Jane’s feelings; she is not acting by
design. As yet, she cannot be even be certain of the degree of her own regard, nor of its
reasonableness…This is not quite enough to make her understand his character.” This idea is
quite unusual, as Elizabeth believes Jane is seemingly expediting her feelings for Mr. Bingley for
the purpose of a speedy engagement, and Elizabeth believes her sister should conceal her
feelings towards him a bit more until she truly understands what he is like. Charlotte’s reaction
shows us the default idea most women of the time had, where you should seek out the affection
of a man to more quickly be engaged, as knowing him is not as necessary as marriage, if you are
already captivated by him. Elizabeth’s sarcastic response seems to capture Austen’s feelings
towards the women in the upper class, questioning their motives and commenting on them wryly.
The class of a woman is very important in who she will be likely to marry, and what others will
feel about her. This aspect of society was greatly mocked by Austen, as one of the things that
initially set Elizabeth off was a remark made by Darcy towards her, refusing to ask her to dance.
On page 13 he says to Mr. Bingley “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me…”
This is of great significance as it is Elizabeth’s first interaction with him and is what set up her
prejudice towards him. Elizabeth’s discontent towards how women are regarded due to their
class is reflected by Austen’s. We later see just how important reputation is as word spreads of
Lydia’s running away, when a letter arrives from Mr. Collins on page 281. The letter states “The
death of your daughter would have been a blessing in comparison of this. And it is the more to be
lamented, because there is reason to suppose, as my dear Charlotte informs me, that this
licentiousness of behavior in your daughter, has proceeded from a faulty degree of indulgence…
Howsoever that may be, you are grievously to be pitied; in which opinion I am not only joined
by Mrs. Collins, but likewise by Lady Catherine and her daughter, to whom I have related the
affair. They agree with me in apprehending that this false step in one daughter will be injurious
to the fortunes of all the others; for who, as Lady Catherine herself condescendingly says, will
connect themselves with such a family?” Mr. Collins character in it of itself seems to be mocking
of the nature of the very wealthy, saying such a rude and incredulous thing such as saying Lydia
would be better off dead than having to marry due to wedlock. Not only this, but Mr. Wickham
is considerably poorer than the Bennet’s, so even their marriage would seem embarrassing. Not
only is this a reflection of the division of classes, but the importance of reputation. One
embarrassment in a family can deconstruct the credibility and importance of all members of it.
This is very important as it may interfere with Elizabeth and Jane’s possibility of marriage.
Collins disposition and attitude towards this seem to reflect how ridiculous Austen seems to
think this concept was.

“Pride and Prejudice” stands out as it takes the point of view of a woman who fails to see
the faults in her own prejudice judgements while looking for the faults in others. This initially
gets in the way of marriage, which Elizabeth knew she needed to survive. Only through growth
and looking past the stereotypes she was all too familiar with in men from the upper class, could
she find love. This along with the clear criticisms she held for society and the world Austen was
involved with, is what you truly should take away from this novel. We are shown the struggles of
women surviving in a world where class and reputation mean more to the upper class than
intelligence and wit. Through her use of irony and tone this is very much apparent. Austen’s
beliefs and criticisms echo through her literary devices and the subtle details she has masterfully
crafted and added into her work.