Pride and Prejudice by Jane Au

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Literary Devices
  Allusion
Definition: an indirect and short reference to someone or something that is not described
in full detail but is expected by the writer for the reader to figure out.
Example: an example of allusion would be when Darcy says, "I have been used to
consider poetry as the food of love," which is a line from William
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

 Anaphora
Definition: a device in which a speaker or writer repeats the first part of a sentence for
an artistic effect.
Example: an example of anaphora would be when Austen uses Elizabeth, her, and
she, all in the same sentence or in a couple sentences for although she does not state it
directly, we know that she is referring to Elizabeth.

Aphorism
Definition: a statement that is expressed in a very truthful manner but with a hint of
humor.
Example: an aphorism can be seen in the famous opening line of the book, "It is a truth
universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in
want of a wife,” which is the truth to the speaker and adds a hint of humor.
 Authorial Intervention
 Definition: a part of the novel in which the narrator seems to speak directly to the
reader.
Example: when in the thoughts of Elizabeth and Darcy, it seems like they are
venting to the reader about how they feel about each other and as if they were
speaking directly to the reader.
  
 Balanced Clauses
 Definition: much like parallelism, a sentence contains two or more components that
are similar but never exactly the same.
Example: an example would be when Austen writes, “A lady's imagination is very
rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.”

 Bathos
 Definition: describing the anticipation of something you think is significant
but turns out to be insignificant.
Example: an example of bathos is when Lydia goes away with Colonel
Forster and Mrs. Forster and tells Kitty that she will definitely write long
letters to her every single day but when the letters come they are always
short and are within a great period of time from each other.
 Caricature
 Definition: in literature and visual arts, this term is used when one
exaggerates the nature features to create a silly effect.
Example: an example of caricature would be Mr. Collins because of the
fact that he thinks he is better than everyone because he is a priest and will
be inheriting the Bennets' home after Mr. Bennet dies which causes his
personality to swell up with a conceited effect.

 Center of Consciousness
 Definition: the reader is able to be let into the inner thoughts of the
character that the story is based on.
Example: an example of the center of consciousness would be the fact that
we know everything about Elizabeth for she is the center of consciousness
since the entire story is from her point of view and although we are let in to
other character's thoughts, we know about Elizabeth so much more.
 Circumlocution
 Definition: the act of not expressing what one wants to say about their
ideas or views directly.
Example: an example of circumlocution would be when Mr. Bennet hints
at the fact that he already met Mr. Bingley to his daughters and wife
without directly saying that he met him.
  
 Coquettish
 Definition: a woman that possesses a teasing and flirty character.
Example: a great example of this would be Lydia's character for she thinks
she falls in love with every man she sees, especially soldiers, and does not
find any shame in flirting with many men.
  
 Didactic
 Definition: refers to a literary text that is filled with information and may
be dull but is also entertaining at the same time.
Example: ” First Impression is the last impression”
 Dramatic Irony
 Definition: irony that is used in a play where the audience are aware of what is
happening or what will happen next while the character do not.
Example: an example of dramatic irony would be when Darcy starts to take a
sudden interest in Elizabeth but she still thinks he is being rude to her and dislikes
her as much as she dislikes him so when he asks her to dance at the second ball
they see each other, she feels like it is just out of pity.
  
 Epistolary Novel
 Definition: a literary genre in which the author uses letters, diary entries,
newspaper clips, etc., in their works.
Example: there are plenty times in which letters were used in this novel, such as
letters from Jane, Elizabeth, Darcy, Mrs. Hurst, Charlotte, and many others.
 Euphemism
 Definition: referring to a polite and indirect expression that replaces an impolite
and unpleasant remark.
Example: an example of euphemism would be when Mr. Collins introduces
himself to Darcy which was a very unacceptable thing to do in their society
without a formal introduction but Austen does not directly say how rude and ill-
mannered he is.
  
 Horatian Satire
 Definition: a satire used to mock society’s ways; although not negative, it makes
the readers connect to the fact that we as a society act in ridiculous ways and
makes them laugh at themselves and others for behaving in those manners.
Example: some examples of Horatian satire are in the characters of Darcy,
Wickham, and Collins for they all portray parts of this society that are very wrong
such as taking a girl's virginity away without any intention of marrying her,
thinking you are better than everyone else because you have more money than
them, and thinking that the world owes you something.
  
 Hyperbole
 Definition: an exaggerated figure of speech that allows a speaker or writer to
emphasize how they feel or what they think.
Example: an example of hyperbole would be when Mrs. Hurst writes Jane a letter
asking her to dine with her and her sister for if she does not, they will end up in a
huge fight because that seems to be all women can do. This is an exaggeration
because if Jane were not to dine with them, they most likely would not have
gotten into a fight over it.
 Irony
 Definition: expressing one’s words which conveys the opposite of your actual
meaning.
Example: an example of irony would be when Darcy proposes to Elizabeth and
insults her in every possible way while proposing to her and telling her that he loves
her. She absolutely hates him at this moment and it is ironic because he is trying to
show his love when she hates him most. 
 Metonymy
 Definition: a figure of speech in which a new name is given to something that
originally means something else but is closely associated with another concept.
Example: an example of this would be Elizabeth's feeling towards Mr. Darcy and
how she starts to like him after them met at his estate. 

 Motif
 Definition: a literary device in which a specific idea is repeated through the entirety
of the novel.
Example: the idea of marrying well and being rich is repeated throughout the entire
novel. Frankly, it is one of the main points in the novel and is the reason that
everything in the novel that happens is an outcome of this idea in some way. 
 Neoclassicism
 Definition: a type of literature that combined Greek and Roman literature with a
new type of literature. 
Example: Austen's writing style is a mix between Neoclassicism and Romanticism. 
  
 Novel of Manners
 Definition: a literary device in which class and social status are clearly shown and
used throughout a novel.
Example: Pride and Prejudice is a perfect example of the novel of manners for it
shows all the class in the society that the novel is based on and shows things such as
having to marry well, how scandalous simple things were, not being able to speak to
someone you do not know until you are introduced, etc.
  
 Parody
 Definition: the imitation of a certain author, society, etc. which is used to make fun
of that certain someone or something.
Example: an example of parody is practically the fact that Austen is completely
making fun of the 18th century society that the characters in her book live in for they
are a bit ridiculous in the way they rely on money, are obsessed with the idea of
having to marry well, and just trying to impress wealthy men.
 Pedantic
 Definition: when someone corrects one that has just "insulted" them when it actually may
not be a big deal at all.
Example: Mr. Darcy has a very conceited and pedantic character to him in the beginning of
the book where he feels the need to think better of himself than everyone else and to defend
himself over things that may not even be an attack towards him.
  
 Romanticism
 Definition: a point in literature in the nineteenth century that brought out all the fine arts that
ignored the rules and were filled with passion and imagination. 
Example: Austen's writing style is a mix between Neoclassicism and Romanticism. 

 Sarcasm
 Definition: a speaker uses this when trying to make fun of or hurt someone by making a
remark based on satire and irony but the meaning of the actual remark is understood by the
tone the person is using.
Example: an example of sarcasm would be when Mrs. Bennet starts to throw a fit and cry
because Elizabeth refuses to marry Mr. Collins and Mr. Bennet tells Elizabeth that if she does
not marry Collins, her mother will never speak to her again and if she does, her father will
never speak to her again but in the beginning he makes it seem like he is on his wife's side
when really, he is in favor of Lizzy and just wants to annoy his wife.
 Satire
 Definition: a writing technique used to identify a person or society’s stupidity by
making fun of them using irony, exaggeration or humor.
Example: an example of satire would be the whole character of Mr. Collins for he
thinks that he is better than most people and deserves so much so his character is
made out to be "a conceited, pompous, narrow-minded, silly man," according to
Elizabeth which is very accurate.

 Sentimental
 Definition: a genre that expresses the emotional and intellectual concepts.
Example: the way that Darcy talks about Elizabeth \when he realizes that he is in
love with her is a great example of the sentimental genre. 

 Theme
 Definition: a theme is the main idea that a literary work is portraying. 
Example:  one of the themes in Pride and Prejudice is women for the novel
portrays how women were treated unequally and had to obey to their family's
wishes about everything, especially to the men in their lives and they were not
allowed to go to school.
 Situational Irony
 Definition: irony in a situation where the opposite of what was expected happens;
unlike dramatic irony, both the characters and the audience are unaware of what is
happening in the play or what will happen next.
Example: an example of situational irony would be when Darcy refuses to dance
and Mr. Lucas is trying to convince him to dance with Elizabeth while Darcy is
insulting her and the dancing that is going on right when Elizabeth walks up to
them and the whole mood changes because Darcy seems to get uncomfortable and
a bit embarrassed.
 Three Volume Novel
 Definition: in the nineteenth century, this was a very popular form of publishing a
novel in three separate volumes in Britain.
Example: Pride and Prejudice was published as a three volume novel.

 Tone
 Definition: the attitude of a writer or speaker that can be understand by the choice
of words or a viewpoint.
Example: there is a very sarcastic tone throughout the whole novel, for example
when Mr. Bennet tells Mrs. Bennet that he has mercy on her nerves but he truly
does not mean it.
 Understatement
 Definition: when one speaks or writes about a situation in which they try to make
it seem as though the situation is not as important as it actually is.
Example: an example of an understatement would be when Mrs. Bennet
complains about her "poor nerves" and Mr. Bennet tells her that he does have
respect for her nerves for he has had to put up with them for such a long period of
time. This is an understatement because he makes it seem like it is not a big deal
when truly he has had to put up with outbursts over simple things or things that do
not go Mrs. Bennet's way.

 Verbal Irony
 Definition: irony in which one says or writes something that means one thing but
actually means the opposite.
Example: an example of verbal irony is when Austen writes in the very first line
of the book that “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in
possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” which is not entirely true
because although women of the time would like to believe this so they can flaunt
themselves and try their hardest to marry well, the first thing on a wealthy man’s
mind might not be marriage and even if it is, they most likely would not want
someone to marry them just for their money unless they have no heart and do not
care at all.
The End