最新OnIronyinPrideandPrejudice《傲慢与偏见》中的反讽

On Irony in Pride and Prejudice

Abstract: Jane Austen is a British woman novelist in the 19th century. In her masterpiece Pride and Prejudice, the use of irony is the biggest artistic feature. The thesis first introduces the definition and function of irony. Second, it analyzes the application of irony in the characterization of the novel, which not only makes the novel filled with wit and humor, but also proves the author’s thorough understanding of human nature; Third, it expounds the irony in the marriage plot, whereby the author criticizes the British marriage value that money matters most and puts forward that the happiness of marriage consists in emotional communication, independentpersonality and good character. Finally, the thesis concludes that Jane Austine’s irony contains her understanding of life and society and so it is the sharpest weapons used in her novels.

Keywords:Jane Austen, irony,Pride and Prejudice, characterization, plot

《傲慢与偏见》中的反讽

摘要：简奥斯丁是一位英国19世纪杰出的女性作家。在她的作品《傲慢与偏见》中，对于反讽的写作手法是对于文学最大的财富。和功能；其次，从人物塑造方面

本论文首先介绍了反讽的定义

,分析了人物刻画中反讽的运用，不但使小说充

论证了小说中婚提出感情的沟

奥

满了智慧和幽默，还体现出作者对人性的透彻的洞察力。再次，姻情节中的反讽，借此，作者批判了当时只重视金钱的婚姻观念，

通，独立的人格和高尚品格才是幸福婚姻的保障。最后得出反讽体现出了简·斯汀对生活和社会的理解，因此反讽也成为她作品中一个利器。

关键词：简奥斯汀；反讽；《傲慢与偏见》，人物塑造，情节

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Contents

1 Introduction........................................................................................................... 12 The Introduction to Irony................................................................................. 2

2.1 Definition of Irony ........................................................................................... 22.2 The Function of Irony ..................................................................................... 22.3 Expressions of Irony in Pride and Prejudice ................................................. 2

3 The Appreciation of Irony in Characterization........................................ 3

3.1 Elizabeth .......................................................................................................... 33.2 Mr. Darcy ......................................................................................................... 43.3 Mr. Bennet ....................................................................................................... 43.4 Mrs. Bennet ..................................................................................................... 43.5 Mr. Collins ....................................................................................................... 53.6 Miss. Bingley .................................................................................................... 63.7 Mrs. Catherine ................................................................................................ 6

4 Application of Irony in theMarriage Plot ................................................... 7

4.1 Mr. Collins' Proposal to Marry Elizabeth .................................................... 74.2 The Marriages of Lydia Bennet and Mr. Wickham ..................................... 74.3 The Marriage of Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas ...................................... 84.4 The Marriage of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth ................................................... 9

5 Conclusion............................................................................................................ 10

.............................................................................................................. 11References:

................................................................................................. 12Acknowledgments

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On Irony in Pride and Prejudice

1 Introduction

Jane Austen is an outstanding British woman novelist in the 19th century. Her literary works have far-reaching influences not only on posterity, but also on the development of society and literature. Through analysis of the plot and the characterization of figures in Pride and Prejudice, the thesis will explore irony used by Jane Austen. Her novels are filled with snide tone and sarcastic words. More than that, Jane chose to use irony in shaping characters, arrangement of the plot and the theme. Therefore, the analysis of the irony is the key to understanding this novel.

In recent years, many domestic and foreign scholars devoted to Austin's fiction studies, in which ironical art is generally talked. Monaghan, David and Willis, Jane, they share the same idea. In their paper, the theme is to analyze expressions of irony in Pride and Prejudice. It focuses on irony in the three areas of characterization and character relationships. Jane Austen focus on the five marriages in the novel, applies irony at different aspects, and uses humorous words to show us her own progressive view on love and marriage. The opening sentence ofPride and Prejudice directly pointed out the most popular view on marriage in society “It is a truth well known to all the world that an unmarried man in possession of a large fortune must be in need of a wife.”Ｔhe content of this sentence is really ridiculous and stupid while the sentence pattern is neat and formal. The sharp contrast between the content and form makes a great effect of irony. And irony is used many times in this novel. This thesis will discuss how irony is employed in terms of the characterization of the figures, the plot in Pride and Prejudice in the hope of better understanding the novel.

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2 The Introduction to Irony

2.1 Definition of Irony

“Ironyis a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is an incongruity between the literal and the implied meaning.”　(Huang, 2010)“It is a universal phenomenon of natural language used in our daily communication. Irony is a broad term referring to the recognition of a reality different from the masking appearance. It is a contrast or a difference between the way things seem and the way they really are.” (Willis, 2006)That is to say, one says a thing but means the opposite. Irony can be divided into the following several: Verbal irony, Dramatic irony.(Skehan, 2004) No written method for indicating irony exists, though an irony punctuation mark has been proposed. In the 1580s, Henry Denham introduced a rhetorical question mark or preconditions point which looks like a reversed question mark. This mark was also proposed by the French poet Marcel Bernhardt at the end of the 19th century to indicate irony or sarcasm. 2.2 The Function of Irony

The use of words that say the opposite of what you really mean, in order to be emphatic, amusing, sarcastic, etc.(Hu, 2008).Irony is a figure of speech that achieves emphasis by saying the opposite of what is meant, the intended meaning of the words being the opposite of their usual sense. It can be amusing or can show annoyance. Irony have a deeper meaning and can arouse people's sympathy. 2.3 Expressions of Irony in Pride and Prejudice

In thePride and Prejudice, there is always a gap between what she says and what she means, between the surface meaning and her real intention. Irony is the most striking feature in Jane Austen’s novels. As an ingenious work, the master piece of Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice employs the ironic technique in characterization and structure, which has made a great realistic comic work of the novel.

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