The Texts I Studied
How Austen Writes Her Stories
The two texts I studied were Emma and Pride & Prejudice. While reading and studying these texts, it became clear that Jane Austen uses FID (Free Indirect Discourse) and a large amount of dialogue in her novels; both help in incorporating the thoughts and personalities of her characters making the seemingly mundane things that happen in her novels to be interesting.
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Jane Austen was one of the first authors to use FID as a way to show her characters. FID is basically, "...a way of writing narrative that incorporates the thoughts, opinions or general set of vocabulary that the character in question would use." - (Qwiklit, 2014); This is used in a third-person perspective. An example of when Jane uses this is in Pride & Prejudice;
As for Elizabeth, her thoughts were at Pemberley this evening more than the last, and the evening, though as it passed it seemed long, was not long enough to determine her feelings towards one in that mansion; and she lay awake two whole hours, endeavouring to make them out. She certainly did not hate him. (Austen, 2005, pg. 210)
By writing the perspective in this way, it gives the reader moments where we can identify with the characters and feel as though we can see the world the way they are seeing it, as well as allowing the author/s to have access to their characters' consciousness without it needing to be in first-person.
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Continuing on, the way Austen uses large chunks of dialogue in her stories can help move the narrative along as well as reveal the personalities and traits of the characters. While she reserves the description to set up the characters, places, and circumstances, Jane uses her skill in dialogue to reveal things about characters that can be unexpected at times. An example of this is in Mr. Darcy's letter to Elizabeth, revealing the true nature of Mr. Wickham, "But whatever may be the sentiments which Mr. Wickham has created, a suspicion of their nature shall not prevent me from unfolding his real character." (Austen, 2005, pg. 162).
Review of The Novels
Pride & Prejudice
(1813)
When reading Pride & Prejudice, I found the text to be a wonderfully put-together and sophisticated read. I particularly like how Austen uses a wide range of vocabulary to show specific actions or feelings of her characters, which I believe gives the story more depth. An example of this is when Mr. Darcy tells Elizabeth his love for her, using lots of vocabulary to express this,
"In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." (Austen, 2005, pg. 153).
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Furthermore, I find Pride & Prejudice to be very influential when it comes to the showings and representations of different approaches to marriage, which can help show how having a healthy balance of passion and advantage is the best way to choose a partner. From this, we can see that Austen's views of the different approaches to marriages are clear in her writing.
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It's seen in the texts how Austen favours marriages that balance passion and advantage, as opposed to ones purely based on passion or advantage. She tells us this when we see how she treats the characters depending on the marriages they pursue. For example, in the marriage between Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Bennet is very sarcastic and cynical. At the same time, Mrs. Bennet is very impulsive and short-tempered, which doesn't precisely mark a happy match. looking back on why they married it's revealed that they married each other based on carnal and physical desires they have for the other person - which is a marriage of passion. In the novel, this pair is seen to be squabbling and constantly fighting, which is how Austen shows that this marriage would be a failure.
“Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character, Her mind was less difficult to develop. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous.” - (Austen, 2005, pg. 11)
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Comparing this with the marriage of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth shows a sharp contrast of balance and stability, showing how this marriage is superior. I find the way that Austen represents this and how she can show the typical beliefs in Georgian society regarding marriage through her characters and story to be very compelling.
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Emma
(1815)
Emma is a novel littered with romantic misunderstandings and character developments which I found very humorous and compelling. In the beginning, Emma herself was someone I found to be quite quirky and interesting, however, I wasn't fond of her need to force others into relationships they don't want. Later on when she realizes her mistake through her friend - Harriet - taking a liking to Mr. Knightly and when the plan to get Mr. Elton and Harriet together fails, it makes her character grow and lets the reader (me) able to sympathize with her more.
"The first error and the worst lay at her door. It was foolish, it was wrong, to take so active a part in bringing any two people together. It was adventuring too far, assuming too much, making light of what ought to be serious, a trick of what ought to be simple. She was quite concerned and ashamed, and resolved to do such things no more." (Austen, 2021).
The way that Austen makes Emma her own antagonist was a point that I found very intriguing and different from some of her other works (ex. Pride and Prejudice). Typically, there would be different characters that portray different roles in Georgian society and/or roles in the story itself. In Emma, they make Emma Woodhouse the protagonist while at the same time making her the antagonist to herself. This changes the story's flow from a regular Jane Austen novel as well as gives the character more depth, as we see how she develops.
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At the end, when the three main pairings (Emma & Mr. Knightly, Harriet & Mr. Martin, and Jane & Frank) get together they show marriages that aren't mainly based on society and more about whom they love, unlike the marriage with Mr. Elton & Mrs. Elton, which seems to have little love and based on how suited they are for each other. This can be a representation of how marriages were typically based on social standing in the Georgian period with little need or merit for love. Jane uses Emma as a way to look into the eyes of most prejudiced nobles during this time and shows through her character developments and the events she goes through how that isn't everything in marriage - showing how love is something to be cherished.
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