Learning from Fiction about Representing Reality - Essay Example

Jane Austen The uniqueness of Austens novels is her ability to reveal the truth about society and human nature through her characters. The society inwhich Austen was raised held to traditional conventions that she sought to speak out against by allowing her characters to live within those conventions while at the same time demonstrating its absurdity. Austen examine that society in her novels by forcing the readers to see how things really are beneath the surface of convention. In the society in which Jane lived, the only aspiration of a young girl is to get married. So Jane Austen selects the theme of marriage in all her novels. Even Emma ends in the celebration of three marriages. Jane Austens novels are called drawing room novels. Emma is a typical drawing room novel. Almost all incidents in the novel take a place in the drawing room of Emma. Emma Woodhouse is the daughter of a valetudinarian. Her governess Miss Taylor assumes the role of a guide and friend to her in moments of loneliness. Jane Austens 1816 novel, Emma reflects the detail of nineteenth century England and therefore the values of the context in which it was written. The setting of Emma is that of the world in which Austen lived. The text explores the themes and values of romance and marriage, social order, feminism and moral dimension. Austen has employed several techniques in order to convey these, such as literary context and social microcosm, satire and a number of narrative techniques. Austen provides exploits the contrast between how things seem to be and how they really are through these literary techniques. Austen typically writes novels that focus on social conventions. Her societies demonstrate these conventions are collapsing as the world is evolving and that what people believe to be conventional is really eroding. Characters of fortune and education who speak in accordance with the rules of pragmatics and social decorum are, in turn, rewarded through matrimonial bonds with characters of similar communicative merit. Gubar notes, “There is always the sense too that we owe to her narrators art the significance with which such scenes are invested: Jane Austen seemed to know about the burdens of banality and the resulting, often inconclusive pressure to invest even the most trivial gestures with meaning.”(246). In Austens texts, disparate classes utilize the same language, but their effectual use of that language is a measure of their social and moral value. Language becomes the site through which the class struggle is articulated and the question of how communication operates becomes central to an understanding of social relations. “Because the closed design of her novels seems to contradict her attack on the female imagination, Austen sometimes emphasizes the difference between arts practiced and lives depicted. Yet the possibility of living life artfully is always there, implied and affirmed by the writers sympathetic craft. If she calls attention to the literariness of her own fiction, thereby proclaiming its limits and saving it from her own moral sanctions, she also holds out the hope that (with some juggling) we can successfully speak what we feel and what we ought to say.” (Gubar, 259). The characters in Emma are difficult to pigeonhole because their places in society are not often determined by or reflected in their inherent worth. Some characters possess a moral integrity and perspicacity equal to his or her birth and education--others fall short of or exceed expectations: “Surely the novel use of charades in Emma offers more than a mere record of the contemporary craze for such word games, which the Austen family itself indulged in, but is a reflection of the novel’s self-consciousness about language and individual word-choice.” (Barchas, 314). As language acquisition is a result of the socialization process, it can be utilized as a fairly accurate indicator of social competence. In Emma, Mr. Knightley represents the nonpareil of gentility. In turn, he is the most articulate character in the novel. He unites fortune and education with delicacy and sense; his linguistic aptitude is paramount. Diametrically opposed to Mr. Knightleys eloquence is Mrs. Bates, who serves as foil to his refined erudition. She resides in the lowest social sphere and possesses inadequate linguistic ability. Between these two tiers, the "tittle-tattle of Highbury" interacts as a unified body by participating in conversation. Though certainly an exaggeration, Mr. John Knightley criticizes the bulk of this discourse as "nothing...that was not said and heard yesterday and may not be said and heard again to-morrow" (134). In Sense and Sensibility, John Dashwood declares ironically, "I am convinced that there is a vast deal of inconsistency in almost every human character" (249). The narrative voice in Emma observes a similar quality manifested in language. Inconstancy of character has been translated effectively into speech ability. Regardless of intent, the potential for miscommunication is inherent in language--words do not necessarily reflect truth. Because both the words constituting a speech act and its manner of delivery influence the interpretation of the act, a direct statement of truth may inevitably fail to communicate that truth. Conversely, a deceit, intentional or otherwise, may falsely be perceived as truth. This miscommunication is central to the novels primary conflict. The source of this conflict is class struggle. The dialogue in Emma is essential to an understanding of character. For Austen, the language of dialogue is indispensable. In her oeuvre, it is the primary means of characterization and plot advancement. Specifically in Emma, language has a further goal of distinguishing characters according to a linguistic hierarchy that reflects their social status. Each significant character in the novel possesses a specific linguistic failing. Emmas linguistic shortcoming is her tendency to interpret speech according to her own fancy. Every character (with the exception of Robert Martin) has a voice in the novel. A characters use or misuse of that voice establishes the degree of social merit for which that character qualifies. Also, the root cause behind the misuse of language is an important determining factor. An infraction of language rules based on ignorance is a lesser violation than an offense based on profit and self-aggrandization. For example, Harriet lacks command of language and violates grammatical rules of usage, yet her language errors are based on innocence and ignorance; her intentions sincere, however misguided. The Eltons, on the other hand, use excessively florid language that is self-congratulatory, though technically inviolate, and are guilty of the greater transgression because their speech has its basis in self-promotion--the Eltons speak mellifluously to inflate appearance or conceal baseness. According to these and other verbal measures, the characters in Emma are organized into a linguistic hierarchy, which functions parallel to the social hierarchy. Austens rejection of the unconditional breaching of social barriers and her consequent endorsement of societys strict adherence to rigid class boundaries is illustrated through the novels dialogue. Characters are distinguished from one another and categorized according to this ability. However, ambiguity of class has a further effect on a characters linguistic ability. Austens attempt to demonstrate the relationship between language and class is epitomized by the conversational inadequacies of the novels socially ambiguous characters. With the obvious exceptions of Mr. Knightley and Emma, the most socially established figures in the novel, the characters in Emma are socially obscured. A rapidly changing economic environment is creating a community in which social roles are obfuscated by the acquisition of quick fortune. Families once well outside society now demand recognition and equal footing. Again, the Eltons epitomize such parvenus. Austen denounces Mr. Eltons heightened perception of both himself and his social standing, because he is "without any alliances but in trade" (155). Mr. Eltons behavior and speech are befitting to his ambiguous social status. Forced into retrospection by Mr. Eltons unwelcome advances, Emma communicates Austens position. Emma observes that Mr. Eltons "manners [are] unnecessarily gallant" and that "true elegance was sometimes wanting" and proclaims this "as one proof among others that he had not always lived in the best society". Emma attributes Mr. Eltons affections toward her as merely an attempt to "aggrandize and enrich himself." Emma has learned her first linguistic lesson; she will not be so easily fooled next time by such "thick-headed nonsense." Mr. Elton, however, does not see himself "inferior in talent, and all the elegancies of mind" (153-155). Rather, he considers himself Emmas social equal--if not her superior--and as a man, in charge of social situations. Mr. Eltons status in society is incongruent with his minds conception; his perception is obscured by self-interest. Consequently, his language is obscured. There are plenty of language faux pas in Emma (again, only Mr. Knightly is exempt from defect). By far, Frank Churchill is responsible for the greatest abuses of language. Franks intentional deceits are an infraction upon a fundamental standard of communication--truth. Jane Fairfax participates in the same sophistry as Frank, but employs tactics that circumvent the necessity of equivocation. By avoiding speech altogether, Jane avoids the abuse of language. Despite her righteous intentions, Jane is not free from fault; she fails on a social level because she disrupts the course of communication through her calculated silence. While conceding that Franks is the greater crime, Austen objects to both behaviors. Both Frank and Jane are the product of a mixed upbringing--their speech inadequacies a direct result of inferior birth confused by and advantaged rearing. Unsure of social standing and, in theory, speaking two separate languages, Frank fails to use language according to the rules of pragmatics and propriety. “Emma is overwhelmingly dialogic: characters are revealed largely by what they say, and a talkative, engaging heroine condemns herself and others through her own mouth.” (Ireland, 216). Janes upbringing almost mirrors Franks, excepting that her benefactor is not a relation. She, likewise, is confused in regard to her social standing. Janes confusion is further obfuscated by her secret engagement to Mrs. Churchills nephew. Because of this ambiguity of class, Jane is also necessarily unclear of her linguistic role. Admirably, she does not corrupt the language in order to conceal her engagement as Frank does. Instead, Jane develops a third language--silence, a self-articulated pidgin necessitated by her dubious position--to bridge the linguistic gap between truth and falsity. Unable to speak of her engagement, Jane chooses not to speak at all. Understanding the importance of conveying truth in discourse, Jane conveys nothing. Her, however, is a highly limited language that is often misunderstood. In Emmas opinion, Janes idiolect offends more than it pleases. On the other hand, Frank intentionally perverts language to create a façade behind which he may safely hide. Franks deceit has virtually no limits; all his relationships in the novel are tainted with duplicity. Franks liaison with Jane is hidden from even those to whom he is most indebted: his father and his benefactress, Mrs. Churchill. Franks friendship with Emma is built on fraudulent claims and intentions. Not only does he fail to speak honestly, he willfully misrepresents his intentions and entraps her into speaking indecorously of his fiancé. Whereas Franks objective was to "blind all about him" (415), Jane was merely trying to remain invisible. “Austens artis- tic technique, they suggest, could serve as a model of non-positivistic ethnographic writing, writing which would avoid privileging any one voice and instead offer a dialogue between alternative, sometimes contradictory, voices and perspectives.” (Barber, 477). Ambiguity of class further exacerbates an individuals linguistic ability; nowhere in the novel is the relationship between class confusion and miscommunication more apparent than in the situations of Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax. Austens rejection of the unconditional breaching of social barriers and her consequent endorsement of societys strict adherence to strict class boundaries is illustrated through the dialogue. The characters in Emma are distinguished from one another through their use of language; they are categorized according to linguistic ability and then placed within a corresponding hierarchy that extends to their position in society. If the unifying force of society is conversation, and conversation is reliant on an equality of understanding, then what we have is a paradox. How can discourse exist, in its true sense, within an entity that is inherently unequal? The fact is, it can only exist in a bastard form; conversation can only produce miscommunication and misunderstanding . It is Emmas task, then, to discern between these forms of discourse--conversation versus communication--and form her social relations accordingly. “activity-Jane Austen explored the theme that ones unwillingness or inability to articulate carefully and precisely inevitably produces comical but also, in the end, gravely serious effects.” (Stone, 32). This symbiosis between intercourse and discourse is the underlying theme of Emma, but because the ostensible action involves marriage, the merit of ones conversation is inexorably connected to status and marriage partner. Four marriages take place during the course of the novel (the fifth is merely implied), all of which are based on equity of class and equality of understanding. The texts last reference to Jane and Frank finds them separated. It is most likely they will wed; Austen, indeed, intended for them to consummate their engagement. However, their distance at a time in the novel when other couples are being united is symbolic of their moral incongruity. They have been matched as social equals, but will never intersect on an emotional or intellectual level. In Emma the narrative style offers the reader the opportunity to see the world and events through Emmas eyes. The narrative voice in Emma is technically third person omniscient, yet Austen uses Emma as her focaliser. This works in turn with dialogue to sustain an ironic depiction of Emmas character, allowing the readers to see for themselves what Emma cannot as she makes her mistakes and begins her inner journey. When reading Emma we create imaginative representations of the characters, building on Austens descriptions. The very first sentence in the novel, "Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her," conveys to the reader the context and therefore the values of the society in which Emma lives. Jane Austen chose to reflect the social context and values of the period of time in which she was writing. Her writing “presents a rhetoric of feeling which, when transmitted from author to reader, becomes a cliche- ridden substitute for real feeling.” (Stone, 48). She uses many techniques to deliberately position the reader to understand the values and context of the period of time in which Emma is set, in order to achieve her purpose. “The voices in her novels are not only never equal in the readers estimation but also always very carefully framed and synthesised in a way that does give the "final word" to one, highly complex point of view.” (Barber, 478). Throughout her classic novel Emma, Jane Austen portrays a set of values entirely specific to the social context of Eighteenth-Century England. This is done through her establishment of in-depth characters, recognisable themes and unique settings, bound up in the matchless language that has fixed Emmas place in classic historical literature forever. Works Cited Austen, Jane, and Fiona J. Emma. London: Penguin Classics, 2003. Print. Austen, Jane. Sense and Sensibility. Ann Arbor: Borders Classics, 2006. Print. Barber, Karin. "Learning from Fiction about Representing Reality." Current Anthropology 33.4 (Aug. - Oct., 1992),. 477-78. JSTOR. Web. 13 May 2011. . Burchas, Janine. "Very Austen: Accounting for the Language of Emma." Nineteenth-Century Literature 62.3 (December 2007),. 303-338. JSTOR. Web. 13 May 2011. . Gubar, Susan. "Sane Jane and the Critics: "Professions and Falsehoods"." NOVEL: A Forum on Fiction, 8.3 (Spring, 1975). 246-259. JSTOR. Web. 13 May 2011. . Ireland, K.R. "Recollections of Immortality: Temporal Articulation in Jane Austens "Persuasion"." NOVEL: A Forum on Fiction 13.2 (Winter, 1980). 204-220. JSTOR. Web. 13 May 2011. . Stone, Donald D. "Sense and Semantics in Jane Austen." Nineteenth-Century Fiction 25.1 (Jun., 1970). 31-50. JSTOR. Web. 13 May 2011. . Read More