Free Pride and Prejudice Essays: Narrative Techniques :: Pride Prejudice Essays

Narrative Techniques of Pride and Prejudice    This essay will focus on Chapter 53 or Vol III, Chapter 11, depending upon the edition of the novel.  This passage is taken from Bingley and Darcys first see to Longbourn after their return to Meryton. The passage focuses on Mrs Bennets foolishness and Elizabeths feelings about the proceedings.   Mrs Bennets speeches in the passage point to her ignorance, which is part of Austens narrative technique of allow characters reveal themselves through their speech. The effect is particularly comic due to Mrs. Bennets utter ignorance, which manifests itself in moral insensitivity, as seen in her belief that Lydia is well married in her disgraceful union with Wickham, and in lack of simple knowledge, as seen in her commenting that Newcastle is a place kinda northward, it seems. Because of this, she manages to be obsequiously polite yet quite rude, as we can see from the contrast between her invitation for Bingley to shoot bi rds on Mr Bennets manor When you have killed all your own birds and her insult to Darcy that Wickham has not so some(prenominal) friends as he deserves. Austen uses a similar treatment for Mr Collins, whose sycophantic language is even used when he is criticising Elizabeths class ? in his proposal to her, and whose excessive value makes him utterly ridiculous. The length of Mrs Bennets speeches betrays the fact that although she says much, she thinks and means very little, very good. a technique which is repeated in Mr Collinss speeches and letters and on Lady Catherines argument against Elizabeth marrying Darcy on her visit to Longbourn. This is emphasised here by the fact that she is the only one quoted in direct speech as speaking aloud in the whole passage. contempt Elizabeths sense, her own feelings are kept to herself while her mother chatters away indiscreetly on anything that enters her mind.   Elizabeths poor reasoning as she listens to her mother disgrace herself sh ows the extent of her take down and misery. Although this scene is largely seen from the viewpoint of Elizabeth, Austen sometimes speaks as the omniscient narrator to reveal little ironies about Elizabeth herself. For example, after Elizabeth feels that The first wish of my heart... is never more than to be in company with either of them, which the reader should know to be silly, especially with regard to