Irony In Jane Austin's Pride And Prejudice

In the early nineteenth-century social class was everything that mattered and society in those times was not very forgiving. The famous author, Jane Austin writes a novel published in 1813 called Pride and Prejudice. In this novel she describes society at that time through the lives of different characters that all live in the same small town. She focuses on the development of the relationship of Elizabeth and Darcy. These are two characters from different social classes that struggle with their own pride and prejudice. The author uses irony as a tool through which she views and expresses her thoughts about society in general. In Jane Austin’s novel, the audience can see the author’s use of irony through her ironic tone, the relationship of Elizabeth’s parents, and Elizabeth’s wit and cleverness. In the beginning of the novel the author sets the ironic tone by describing what she thinks about women and marriage. She starts the book by saying, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” (Austin, 3). In her times woman searched for men that had fortunes in order to marry them and be secure financially. The author is being sarcastic as she says that man with money search for woman. She is using verbal irony as

She uses her opinions in her narration and reveals her thoughts about society through the use of an ironic tone. The author also uses her characters to add irony to the story. Elizabeth and her father are the main tools that Austin uses to include irony in the novel as they are the most sarcastic characters of the story. Other purpose to include irony in the novel is to entertain the readers and she does this by using dramatic irony in scenes with the main couple, Elizabeth and Darcy. Jane Austin writes this novel as a form of entertainment for the readers, but also as a social commentary of the society at the