Contents

Write a note on Irony of Jane Austen with special reference to Pride and Prejudice

What do you understand by ‘Irony’? Illustrate Janei Austen’s use of it in Pride and Prejudice

Irony is one of the most important and significant tool of Jane Austen. She used it very carefully in her novels. Her employment of Irony is excellent. It is not boastful to say that irony is an essential element and soul of her craftsmanship. Although her irony pervades her novels form beginning to end’ but it must be said that irony does not obtrude upon the aesthetic taste of the reader because of excellent craftsmanship of Jane Austen. Before assessment of Irony of Jane Austen it is essential to understand what irony is.

1. Irony: Irony can be defined as a contrast between illusion and reality, between two incompatiable view of life, the contrast between illusion and reality, the ideal and the actual, the deed and the profession, the appearance and the truth, the expected and the unexpected, serious and comic, the virtue and the reward or any sort of incongruity. The realization of his incongruity by the author and its communication to the readers constitute the irony which is so common in life.

2. Kinds of Irony: Irony is an essential ingredient of Jane Austen’s craftsmanship. Her irony is are perversive and we come across it everywhere in her style, story and characters. The irony may be of following kinds

(i) Irony of Character: The irony of character means the contrast between reality and appearance of a particular character. In Pride and Prejudice’ it can be seen in case of Elizabeth Jane. She prides on her perception but she is ignorant on account of her prejudices of her own faults and almost invites disaster of her own prospects. Similarly, Wickham appears as graceful, polished and cultured. But actually he is not so. He presents a remarkable contrast to Darcy. Thus both Wickham and Darcy also are examples of irony of character.

(ii) Irony of Situation: In ‘Pride and Prejudice, there are innumerable instances of ironical situations. Miss Bingley teased Elizabeth for her fascination for Wickham, but this rebounds on her and the emotion of love for Elizabeth arouses in Darcy’s bosom, thus, wrecking Miss Bingley’s own prospects. Similarly, the movement of the regiment was considered to result in the end of flirtation of Lydia, but it resulted in her elopement. Next, this elopement was thought to result in blasting Elizabeth’s chance of union with Darcy, but actually it expedited their union.

(iii) Irony of Life: The life itself consists of ironies of all kinds. We expect something and get something else. We seen unexpected things like vice is rewarded and virtue is punished. The incompatibilities and incongruities of life constitute the irony of life. The novels of Jane Austen are replete with the irony of life.

(iv) Irony of Speech: Irony of Speech implies that a meaning opposite to what is expressed in language, is intended. The dialogues and descriptive sentences in Jane Austen’s noveles are mostly full of verbal irony. Mr. Bennet is always ironical in his conversation with his wife. We can observed it in the opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice’ as follows –

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

The fact revealed as the novel proceeds, is quite the contrary. It is not the “single man in possession of a good fortune” in want of life, but the mothers and aunts and even girls themselves who care striving and even plotting and conspiring to trap such eligible bachelors for matrimonial alliances. There are innumerable similar illustrations of verbal irony scattered throughout the novel.

3. Irony of Jane Austen: Irony is the most potent and powerful weapon of Jane Austen. His irony is gentle and humane. He uses this to expose and ridicule affections, foolishness, pride, prejudice, snobbery, illusions sham etc.. But it must be concluded to the credit of Jane Austen that her irony is not biller like that of Dean Swift, but cultured and humane like Addison. He irony does not inflict wounds. It is always accompanied by humour. She uses it to bring out the inconsistencies of character and action by ironical treatment.