PRIDE AND PREJUDICE-JANE

AUSTEN
Narrative Techniques
MOTIF
This is any element which recurs throughout and
contributes to or creates other aspects of the narrative
such as mood or theme. A motif is used consistently
throughout the text and has a highly symbolic
significance within it. There are a variety of ways in
which motif can be referred to, this could be through
imagery, diction,or simply how the literary work is
structured. The motif itself can be an item, a place or
idea, amongst other things.
COURTSHIP

 In a sense, Pride and Prejudice is the story of two courtships—

those between Darcy and Elizabeth and between Bingley and
Jane. Within this broad structure appear other, smaller
courtships: Mr. Collins’s aborted wooing of Elizabeth,
followed by his successful wooing of Charlotte Lucas; Miss
Bingley’s unsuccessful attempt to attract Darcy; Wickham’s
pursuit first of Elizabeth, then of the never-seen Miss King,
and finally of Lydia. Courtship therefore takes on a profound,
if often unspoken, importance in the novel.
 Marriage is the ultimate goal, courtship constitutes the
real working-out of love. Courtship becomes a sort of
forge of a person’s personality, and each courtship
becomes a microcosm for different sorts of love (or
different ways to abuse love as a means to social
advancement).

JOURNEY

 Nearly every scene in Pride and Prejudice takes place

indoors, and the action centers around the Bennet home in
the small village of Longbourn. Nevertheless, journeys—
even short ones—function repeatedly as catalysts for
change in the novel. Elizabeth’s first journey, by which she
intends simply to visit Charlotte and Mr. Collins, brings her
into contact with Mr. Darcy, and leads to his first proposal.
Her second journey takes her to Derby and Pemberley,
where she fans the growing flame of her affection for Darcy.
 The third journey, meanwhile, sends various people in
pursuit of Wickham and Lydia, and the journey ends
with Darcy tracking them down and saving the Bennet
family honor, in the process demonstrating his
continued devotion to Elizabeth.
MISJUDGMENTS

 Characters' misjudgments of each other based on

shallow first impressions drive much of the conflict of
the novel. Appropriately, these misjudgments often
stem from the characters’ personal pride or societal
prejudices. Most notably, of course, Elizabeth bases her
understanding of Mr. Darcy on his initial rudeness. .
Because he has injured her pride, she reads the worst
possible interpretation into his every action, mistaking
his attraction for scorn, and instantly believing
Wickham’s lies.
 Her misreading of Mr. Darcy’s intentions heightens the
romantic tension of the novel, while her trust in
Wickham, another poor judgment, brings him closer to
the Bennet family, and therefore Lydia.
 Mr. Darcy misjudges Jane’s feelings toward Mr. Bingley
based on the way the Bennet family’s behavior bolsters
his class-based prejudices, leading him to mistake Jane’s
shyness for a cold disinterest in Mr. Bingley as a person.
 His discouragement of the match deepens the rift
between him and Elizabeth. However, not only the
protagonists demonstrate these lapses in judgment. Mr.
Collins, for example, pride fully assumes that his
financial security will be enough to woo Elizabeth. Lady
Catherine de Bourgh, clouded by both pride and
prejudice, does not recognize that it is Mr. Darcy, not
Elizabeth, who has initiated their courtship. 
PICTURE OF AN ESTATE
PEMBERLEY

 Pemberley, Darcy’s estate, sits at the center of the

novel, literally and figuratively, as a geographic symbol
of the man who owns it. Elizabeth visits it at a time
when her feelings toward Darcy are beginning to warm;
she is enchanted by its beauty and charm, and by the
picturesque countryside, just as she will be charmed,
increasingly, by the gifts of its owner. Austen makes the
connection explicit when she describes the stream that
flows beside the mansion.
 “In front,” she writes, “a stream of some natural importance was
swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance.”
Darcy possesses a “natural importance” that is “swelled” by his
arrogance, but which coexists with a genuine honesty and lack of
“artificial appearance.”. Like the stream, he is neither “formal,
nor falsely adorned.” Pemberley even offers a symbol-within-a-
symbol for their budding romance: when Elizabeth encounters
Darcy on the estate, she is crossing a small bridge, suggesting
the broad gulf of misunderstanding and class prejudice that lies
between them—and the bridge that their love will build across it.
PICTURE OF MARRIAGE
 Instead of simply being an expression of love or the
creation of a couple, marriage for the novel’s women
characters represents their prospects for the future. In
Regency England, women could not hold property, and
so after the passing of their father, the Bennet sisters
will have to rely on either husbands or male relatives for
security.
 Therefore, marriage for them represents long-term
stability. While it may be easy to read Mrs. Bennet’s
excitement over Mr. Bingley’s leasing of Netherfield as
shallow, she suggests that marrying Mr. Bingley would
lead to one of her daughters being “established,” a word
that implies permanent comfort.
 Charlotte Lucas makes a calculated marriage to Mr.
Collins because it will assure her a comfortable life. In
contrast, Lydia rushes into marriage with Wickham
because she focuses on her strong passion for him
without accounting for reputation or financial issues.
Elizabeth, in considering Lydia’s fate, sees little prospect
for long-term happiness, even though Lydia is in the
moment overjoyed. Both Jane and Elizabeth’s
marriages take into account chemistry with their
spouses and financial security, assuring the readers of
their future happiness.
PICTURE OF OUTDOORS
 Outdoor settings in Pride and Prejudice usually signify
authenticity and clear judgment. When the characters are
indoors, the demands of society, hierarchy, and reputation cloud
the characters’ judgments, as with Elizabeth’s first impression of
Mr. Darcy. In addition, during Darcy’s first proposal, which takes
place indoors, he focuses primarily on the social challenges to
their marriage, such as Elizabeth’s lower status and
embarrassing family, instead of who he and Elizabeth are as
people. Instead of a sincere expression of feelings, these
concerns turn Darcy’s ridiculous proposal into an insult.
 In contrast, the outdoors, further from societal norms, allow
characters to see each other for who they really are. For example,
when Elizabeth walks the three miles to Netherfield, Darcy begins
to notice her beauty. Seeing the outdoor grounds of Pemberley
helps Elizabeth truly understand Mr. Darcy as a person. Finally, Mr.
Darcy’s second proposal takes place on a walk around Elizabeth’s
home. Here, his words focus solely on their feelings toward each
other, even though their social circumstances have not changed.
Being outside allows for them to clearly see and express
themselves to each other, unhindered by society’s biases and
judgment.
CLASS ACTIVITY

 Comment on the significance of Austen’s use of

TWO motifs and TWO symbols in her te xt Pride
and Prejudice
ALLUSIONS
 Volume I, Chapter I
 [H]e is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end
of next week.
 This is an allusion to the Christian festival that occurs on September 29 and celebrates the Archangel Michael,
who, according to the Christian faith, defeated Satan in the war in heaven.
 Volume I, Chapter III
 Then, the two third he danced with Miss King, and the two fourth with Maria Lucas, and the two fifth
with Jane again, and the two sixth with Lizzy, and the Boulanger.
 The term “Boulanger,” meaning “baker,” is an allusion to a French dance often danced as the last dance of a
formal ball.
 Volume I, Chapter VI
 “Yes; these four evenings have enabled them to ascertain that they both like Vingt-un better than
Commerce; but with respect to any other leading characteristic, I do not imagine that much has been
unfolded.”
 Volume I, Chapter IX
 "I have been used to consider poetry as the food of love," said Darcy.
 This is an allusion to a line in Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night: “If music be the food of love, play on; / Give
me excess of it[.]”
 Volume III, Chapter VI
 All Meryton seemed striving to blacken the man, who, but three months before, had been almost an
angel of light.
 This is a biblical allusion to 2 Corinthians 11:14, which states, “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light,”
a reference to Satan’s propensity to deceive.
 Volume III, Chapter IX
 He did every thing best in the world; and she was sure he would kill more birds on the first of
September, than any body else in the country.
 This is an allusion to the first day of partridge-shooting season in Europe.
 Well, I was so frightened I did not know what to do, for my uncle was to give
me away; and if we were beyond the hour, we could not be married all day.
 This is an allusion to a law at the time of the novel that stated that all marriages
had to be performed between 8 a.m. and noon to be legal.
 Volume III, Chapter XVII
 "Oh! my sweetest Lizzy! how rich and how great you will be! What pin-money,
what jewels, what carriages you will have!"
 The term “pin-money” is an allusion to the money wives at this time were given
for their private expenses.
FORESHADOWING

 However, Austen is also interested in showing how characters can be blind to

important information, and the use of foreshadowing allows her to show
individuals failing to notice clues that were right in front of them.
 The marriage of Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins
 When Elizabeth learns that Charlotte is going to marry Mr. Collins, she is
completely shocked. However, Austen has actually foreshadowed this event.
Charlotte has already shown a very practical and possibly even cynical perspective
on marriage.
 When Charlotte and Elizabeth discuss Jane’s desire to
marry Bingley, Charlotte explains that she does not think it
is important for a woman to love a man when she marries
him, saying, “When she is secure of him, there will be
leisure for falling in love as much as she choses.” Charlotte
also explains that she believes that “Happiness in marriage
is entirely a matter of chance.” This attitude foreshadows
Charlotte’s decision to marry Mr. Collins by showing that
she is not picky about who she is willing to marry.
LYDIA’S ELOPEMENT

 The shocking event of Lydia running away with Wickham is

foreshadowed when Elizabeth learns from Darcy that
Wickham had previously tried to elope with Georgiana
Darcy. Learning this part of Wickham’s history
dramatically changes the way Elizabeth thinks about his
character. However, she does not see this information
about his past as a clue to how he might behave in the
future and does not take this information seriously enough
to share it with people other than Jane.
 revealed his true character. The foreshadowing of
Lydia’s elopement is significant not only because of how
Austen hints at events to come but also because she
shows Elizabeth ignoring those hints and therefore
failing to accurately interpret the character of those
around her.