In the novels Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens the reader explores themes of marriage and social class structure common in nineteenth- century England. The novels offer contrasting views on marriage, love, and social expectations. In the novel Pride and Prejudice the author focuses on portraying an almost arbitrary marriage between the characters. On the other hand in Our Mutual Friend, Dickens chooses to focus on the more obscure emotions of love, focusing on loneliness and the expectations of a social class system. This paper will examine and compare the two proposals exploring the rhetorical choices that coincide with emotions and obligations of nineteenth century England.
Charles Dickens as an author writes in a more direct and dramatic approach, using descriptive terms that at some point come across as exaggerated from the reality of the story. Through this rhetorical style in Our Mutual Friend
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While Austen's use of irony and satire highlights the absurdity of societal expectations around marriage, Dickens' use of vivid imagery and repetition underscores the dangerous and destructive nature of love when it is driven by obsession and power. Austen's novel presents a romanticized ideal of love as a transformative force that transcends social class, where Dickens' novel portrays love as a darker, obsessive force that perpetuates social inequality. Both authors use rhetorical devices to reveal the complexities of love and marriage in 19th-century England, shedding light on the societal norms, power dynamics, and emotional tensions that shape romantic relationships. Revealing how societal expectations and power dynamics influence romantic relationships in complex and nuanced ways, ultimately shedding light on the complexities of love and marriage in Victorian