Satire in Pride and Prejudice Essay -- essays research papers

Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen satirizes the entire premise of social statuses and how they affect the people around them in her book Pride and Prejudice. To make her characters look ridiculous she evinces the folly of them by using satirical tools: irony of situation, verbal irony, and dramatic irony. Jane Austen utilizes these distinct satirical tools throughout Pride and Prejudice tools to help point out the ridiculousness of the characters and to point out how the different social statuses affect how the characters act around the each other. Irony of situation is one of the most prevalent tools of satire used in Pride and Prejudice. Mrs. Bennet is full of ridiculous statements that contradict what she should actually be saying or doing. One example is after Elizabeth had declined the marriage proposal of Mr. Collins, her mother went on to say, ?I told you in the library, I should never speak to you again, and you will find me as good as my word. I have no pleasure in talking to undutiful children? (99). The irony in the situation comes from the fact that Mrs. Bennet makes such an effort to tell her daughter she doesn?t want to talk to her daughter, yet she goes on and on talking about how she is the target of so many complaints from her daughters. Verbal irony is also widely used throughout the book. After Charlotte marries Mr. Collins she is introduced to Miss Catherine de Burgh, who is regarded in the highest form by Mr. Collins, but unfortunately Charlotte merely tolerates her and her husbands? seemingly obsessive interest in her wealth and dignity. This tolerance is evidenced when Catherine has just heard her husband speak extravagantly about his benefactress she says to him, ?Lady Catherine is a very respec... ...rs. Bennet?s ridiculousness comes from the scene where Jane has become ill and is at the Bingley residence, learning of this Mrs. Bennet says, ?As long as she stays there, it is all very well? (26). This shows that Mrs. Bennet is completely serious when she says that it isn?t a big deal if her daughter is sick as long as she is in the company of a rich man who could possibly marry her. The characters take a completely serious tone towards things that the reader knows to be irrational and ridiculous. Jane Austen uses various satirical tools?irony of situation, verbal irony, dramatic irony?to point out the many issues that her characters have. Pride and Prejudice uses these tools to show how ridiculous the characters really do become in their pursuit of either a higher social status or to show the absurdity in the way the characters interact with each other.