Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Essay Example

Linguistics - structure and meaning in literary dis Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Introduction Literary dis s in the modern literary theory focus on the significant role of linguistics in finding the meaning and structure of literary pieces. The complete meaning and interpretation of literary genres become possible only through a profound analysis of its linguistics aspects as well. In the comprehension of the literary meaning of a piece readers may need to engage in complex and intricate methods of literary reading which calls for a detailed analysis of several aspects of the literary creation. There are different accepted strategies of finding the literary meaning of a piece in literary discourses and they are mainly information driven, story driven, and point driven in nature. It has been maintained that "the reading of literary narratives is best characterized as point driven-a process in which the reader considers what the narrator is getting at [and] that point-driven reading involves a sense of an author seeking to make a point." (Miall, 339) One of the most effective strategies of attaining the literary meaning of piece is reading for point which includes different components such as coherence, attention to surface features, and the transactional stance. It is possible and largely illumining to engage in a literary activity of reading for point in order to arrive at the meaning of the literary creations. The significance of the structural elements in the creation of a cohesive and coherent narrative discourse in fiction is often emphasised. This paper focuses on a profound and reflective analysis of the structural elements in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen with close reference to the novel, which make the piece a cohesive and coherent narrative discourse. Structural Elements in Pride and Prejudice and the Narrative Discourse Though different in objective and function, structure and meaning are interconnected and it is the relation between the two which make a literary discourse meaningful. The important relation between structure and meaning in literary discourse needs to be clearly comprehended. Structure and meaning are two different objects which point to different activities. According to Todorov et al, "every work possesses a structure, which is the articulation of elements derived from the different categories of literary discourses; and this structure is at the locus of the meaning." (Todorov et al., 141) An evaluation of the relation between structure and meaning in literary works through the years confirms the significance of readings in literary discourse which focus on these elements. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen provides one of the best illustrations of the pertinent relation between structure and meaning in literary discourse. It is obvious that the structural elements in the novel make it a cohesive and coherent narrative discourse and an analysis of the novel's narrative structure substantiates the point. The structural elements include narrative structure as well as constituents and linkage. In Pride and Prejudice, the best known and probablythebest liked novel by Austen, the narrative structure, the relation among story, plot, structure, system, rules, the cohesion, coherence and congruence in story etc contribute to the structural elements, which ultimately bring about the meaning to the novel. An analysis of the narrative structure of the novel is important and the sociolinguist Labov's Model of Natural Narrative, which is a prolific model of analysis in stylistics, provides with an effective tool in this regard. As Labov's model focuses on the everyday discourse practices of actual speakers in actual social circumstances, it has a great validity in literary analyses. Labov made use of the various stories by informers from many diverse backgrounds and "isolates the core, recurrent features that underpin a fully formed natural narrative. Six key categories are rendered down from this body of data." (Simpson, 114) According to the model, there are six narrative categories which include abstract, orientation, complicating action, resolution, evaluation, and coda. These six narrative categories present the various central aspects of every narrative which in turn bring out the narrative strategy of the novelist. Each of these narrative categories involves a particular narrative question which focuses on the central concern of each category, the narrative function which elaborates on the chief function of these categories, and linguistic form which points out the evident manifestations of narrative categories through essential structure of the narrative. The utility of this sociolinguistic model of narrative in a profound recognition and awareness of the narrative strategy of Austen's novel is immense. One of the characteristic features of Pride and Prejudice is the development of the story through the various narrative categories which are easily identifiable in different parts of the narrative. It is important to comprehend that the first category, abstract, which is expressed through the linguistic form of a short summarising account before the narrative inaugurates, deals with the question what the novel is about and pronounces the beginning of the story. Therefore, one identifies the first sentence of Pride and Prejudice as the abstract of the novel. "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." (Austen, 1) Having effectively presented the abstract of the novel, Austen engages in an attempt to provide an orientation to the readers which demonstrates the people and the events entailed in the story as well as their 'when' and 'where'. Her narrative style of free indirect speech helps the author present the narrative category of orientation which ultimately finds useful to the reader in recognizing the time, place, persons, action and circumstances of the story. The linguistic form of the novel, which involves several past continuous verbs as well as many adjuncts of time, manner and place, indicates the narrative category of orientation. Thus, a reader finds the novelist introducing Mr Bennet and his wife through this narrative category. 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. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news. (Austen, 4) Next, the author involves in an endeavour to demonstrate the 'then what happened' element of the story through the narrative category of complicating action. This narrative category which is spread through a vast area in the novel makes use of the linguistic form of temporally well-organized narrative clauses by means of a verb in the simple past. Elizabeth awoke the next morning to the same thoughts and meditations which had at length closed her eyes. She could not yet recover from the surprise of what had happened: it was impossible to think of anything else; and totally indisposed for employment, she resolved, soon after the breakfast, to indulge herself in air and exercise With no expectation of pleasure, but with the strongest curiosity, Elizabeth opened the letter, and, to her still increasing wonder, perceived an envelope containing two sheets of letter-paper, written quite through in a very close hand. (Austen, 243-44) Significantly, the complicating action, developed through the several temporally structured clauses, leads the novel to the narrative category of resolution which sums up the ultimate central event of the story. The linguistic form of the resolution is presented as the final narrative clauses which started the earlier narrative category. In the novel, Elizabeth's trip to Derbyshire along with the Gardiners illustrates the resolution where she once more comes to contact with Darcy and her prejudice starts to melt away. "Elizabeth's spirits soon rising to playfulness again, she wanted Mr. Darcy to account for his giving ever fallen in love with her." (Austen, 470) Evaluation, the next narrative category, involves significant linguistic forms such as intensifiers, modal verbs, negatives, repetition, evaluative commentary, embedded speech, comparisons with unrealised events etc and "functions to make the point of the story clear." (Simpson, 115) Austen has been successful in developing a narrative structure accordingly which also suggests her mastery over the art of writing. As it happened that Elizabeth had much rather not, she endeavoured in her answer to put an end to every in-treaty and expectation of the kind. Such relief, however, as it was in her power to afford, by the practice of what might be called economy in her own private expenses, she frequently sent them. (Austen, 478) The final narrative category in the Labov's Model of Natural Narrative is coda which takes the reader back to the earlier mental status that he or she had been in and indicates the end of the novel. Here, the linguistic form will be universal statements rendering a feeling of timelessness. In the novel Pride and Prejudice, Austen has been effective to implement coda. "With the Gardiners they were always on the most intimate terms. Darcy, as well as Elizabeth, really loved them; and they were both ever sensible of the warmest gratitude towards the persons who, by bringing her into Derbyshire, had been the means of uniting them." (Austen, 478) Therefore, it becomes apparent that the narrative structure of the novel constructs the plot tightly and fully developed which helps the novelist in establishing the ultimate meaning of the narrative to her readers. The fundamental theme of marriage suggests the meaning of the novel which naturally ends with Jane's marriage to Bingley and Elizabeth's marriage to Darcy. The plot and the subplots as well as the plot and the story are intertwined by the theme of marriage and the narrative strategy greatly substantiates this connection. Narrative structure: Pride and Prejudice One of the most essential structural elements that contributed to the success of the novel Pride and Prejudice is its narrative structure which demonstrates the skill of the novelist. At its best, the narrative structure of the novelist suits the theme and meaning of the novel and unties the plot and subplot, offering cohesiveness to the narrative. The consistency between the sequential order of events and the order of their arrangement in relation to the plot also has significant effect on the overall success of the narrative. "Few novels," remarks Morris, "construct a more convincing impression of fully known and realised characters interacting with an authentic social world than those of Austen. However, this effect of naturalness is achieved by means of superb artistic organisation, which exploits to the full potential of the novelistic prose and form." (Morris, 34) A profound analysis of the narrative structure of the novel also calls for a greater understanding of its story and plot as well as the relation among the structure, system, rules that underlie the narrative strategy. The story and the plot in the novel need to be distinguished and there is clear distinction between these two aspects of novel in Pride and Prejudice. The story is general in nature which incorporates plot along with characters, setting, and other such elements. To make the relation between story and plot, the conflicts in a narrative created by the plot contributes to the development of the story, as in the case of Austen's novel. The story of a narrative may be driven by either plot or character. It may be realised that the plot mainly contributes to story. In the words of Simpson, "the term plot is generally understood to refer to the abstract storyline of a narrative; that is, to the sequence of elemental, chronologically ordered events which create the 'inner core' of a narrative." (Simpson, 115) The novel Pride and Prejudice presents the relation between story and plot in the most convincing manner. Here, the underlying plot structure develops the story of the novel and there are several subplots which together make up the main plot of the novel. The success of a narrative depends mainly on the internal coherence among the structural aspects of the work and a structural analysis of the Austen's novel indicates the structural coherence in the novel among its various aspects including story and plot. The cohesion and coherence/congruence in the overall story of the novel may be comprehended in terms of its structure plot and subplots. Coherence may chiefly mean the logic and consistency in a narrative and one may find a work coherent when the different elements of its narrative stick together to make a complete story. Therefore, one says a narrative stricture is cohesive and coherent when the various aspects of the novel such as the story, plot, subplots etc are plausibly coupled and consistent with each other. The unified and connected structure of a narrative suggests its cohesion, otherwise known as texture. In other words, the structured elements of a narrative hang up to each other to form a meaningful text and structural units of a narrative such as subplots, plot, story, structure, system, rules etc determine the coherence and cohesion of the work. Structure is the most important unifying factor in a narrative and it may be realised as the order of events as offered in the narrative. Morris made insightful analysis of the narrative structure which, according to him, skilfully unites the theme, characterisation, plot, subplot etc to make the novel an artistically organised whole and this coherence in structure makes the novel a great success. To him, "artistic organisation operates as effectively in terms of the overall structure of the work as it does with the word-by-word precision of the prose. Since structural irony reflects the underlying scheme of a work, consideration of the narrative of the narrative of Pride and Prejudice would suggest that the novel manifests a carefully balanced formal design." (Morris, 46) The plot structure in the novel: linkage between plot - subplots and plot - story The plot structure of the novel Pride and Prejudice makes a remarkable contribution to the overall narrative structure and illustrates how the novel achieves artistic coherence and organisation. A striking result of the reflective analysis of the novel's narrative structure is that there is an apparent coherence among the subplots, plot and the story of the piece. The plot which is the sequential order of the various actions of the narrative may incorporate the various verbal or physical actions of the different characters. In the novel, the main plot relate to the verbal or physical actions of Elizabeth and Darcy who are the protagonists of the work. Along with this main plot, there are several subplots which are closely related. "Elizabeth and Darcy are clearly at the centre of the main plot in Pride and Prejudice." (Study Guide for Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen) The various actions related with these characters are presented in a coherent way which is provided by the chronological order. Along with this main plot, the narrative also has several interrelated subplots and the most important of these is the one connecting Bingley and Jane. The subplot concerning the charming young soldier George Wickham as well as the one which relates to the pretentious clergyman Mr. Collins also plays significant role to the coherence of the narrative structure. Where as the development of the love relation between Elizabeth and Darcy is the central plot of the novel, the novelist, through her majestic narrative structure, skilfully interlinks and organises this main plot to the other three stories of courtship and marriage. The relationships between Jane and Bingley, Lydia and Wickham, and Charlotte and Mr Collins form the other stories of courtship and marriage and these subplots are effectively linked to the main plot of the novel. Austen's self-conscious mastery of the narrative technique contributed to the coherence and cohesiveness of the plot and the subplot. According to Jenkyns, the characteristic feature of the narrative structure of the novel by Austen is its plot which is a fabulous piece of machinery putting together the distinct subplots. It is an excellent example of the complex plot structure which links together a variety of subplots and a main plot in a cohesive unit of story. "Pride and Prejudiceis," Jenkyns comments, "a masterpiece of complex plotting: its special beauty lies in the craft with which the primary plot and the various subplots are woven together." (Jenkyns, 14) The different subplots and the main plot of the novel are closely linked to the narrative's main story. Therefore, the different elements of the narrative such as plot and subplots together contribute to the development of the overall story. "Pride and Prejudicehas often been depicted as a simple story of love between a wealthy, proud aristocrat and an intelligent, beautiful young woman born into a family of five sisters with little financial security The interrelated issues of financial security and marriage are, therefore, at the heart of the novel." (Teachman, 1-2) The main plot and the subplots stick to each other in order to provide a meaningful story relating to marriage and relations. The story of the novel which explores the moral and social conditions of life in the period is closely linked to the subplots of the narrative which are the concrete means to present the novel's main concerns. The various sub plots of the novel relate to the five Bennet sisters and the related characters. The obsession of their fanatically mundane mother to marry off the daughters immediately in the most advantageous way underlies one essential element of the plot. However, it is Elizabeth and Darcy who "drive the plot through a combination of their seeming compatibility and their total inability to get together, thanks to their mutual low opinions of one another--or at least the belief on the part of each that the other has a low opinion of them." (Thornton) There is a recursive plot pattern evident in the novel and "some event, usually of no more apparent consequence thanthereading of a letter or a conversation during a dance, sendstheheroine into a period of reflection, perhaps aided by memory; her mental recapitulation of events often supersedesinimportancetheevents themselves." (Thornton, 176) It is also important to recognise that the author has a clear idea of the development of the plot and the plot strategy links to the development of the inner parts of different characters. In other words, Austen inPrideandPrejudicehas a definite plot strategywhich lends itself to substantial expansion of inner cell of the characters. That is to say, the plot, subplots, characters etc are linked together to form the story of the narrative. The coherence among these elements is significant for the overall meaning of the novel. Therefore, it becomes explicit that the meaning and structure of the novel by Jane Austen are interconnected to make it a cohesive work of art. The structure of the novel is greatly revealed through the overall plot which develops the novel into various pertinent issues. These issues provide the conflicting actions of the novel which reach the resolution category of the narrative. "The conflict between Elizabeth and Darcy fits neatly into the larger social conflict of fitting women--human beings--into predefined marriage relations for purely economic reasons, and it is actually chilling to see the ease with which Elizabeth's friend Charlotte Lucas takes up with the loathsome Mr. Collins for the sake of financial security, and the inability of Mrs. Bennet to see why this might not be an ideal situation." (Thornton) In this analysis of the narrative structure, it is also plausible to remark that Pride and Prejudice skilfully "organises a similar or complementary relation between story and narrative times," with the exception of certain events such as the account of why Mr Bennet married Mrs Bennet and the elopement of Lydia and Wickham. (Cohan et al, 84) Except for these specific cases, the novel follows a chronological structure and narrative avoids the disparity between temporal order and of the story and that of narration which could result in anachronies. In other words, one of the characteristic features of the narrative structure of the novel is that it is not affected by anachronies, except for certain odd events, either in the form of analepsis or prolepsis. This also contributes to the success of narrative structure. The chronological and causal linkage among the subplots, main plot, theme, story etc suggests the cohesion in the overall narrative structure. The narrative strategy of Jane Austen achieves a major success as there is significant coherence among the distinct aspects of the novel. Therefore, the narrative structure of Pride and Prejudice provides a clear illustration of the relation between meaning and structure. Conclusion Modern literary discourse calls for focused studies on the narrative structure which ultimately brings out the relation between structure and meaning. The different and distinct aspects of a novel work in relation to one another to form a single unit which ultimately reveals the meaning of the narrative. The narrative structure of the famous novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen presents an important illustration of the relation between structure and meaning ion literary discourse. The close analysis of the novel in relation to the various structural elements concludes that the literary piece is a cohesive and coherent narrative discourse. The narrative structure of the novel in its relation among the story, plot, structure, system, rules etc makes it apparent that the novel achieves cohesion and coherence which in turn confirms the relation between structure and meaning in a literary discourse. The narrative structure, the coherence among the various subplots and the main plot, the organisation of the plot to best fit into the overall story, the skilful employment of the literary style for the artistic quality etc designate the narrative's success and confirms then connection between narrative structure and meaning in literary discourse. Works Cited Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice [Easyread Edition]: Easyread Edition. ReadHowYouWant.com. 2006. P 1-488. 19 Oct. 2008. . Cohan, Steven et al. Telling Stories: A Theoretical Analysis of Narrative Fiction. London: Routledge. 1988. P 84. 1 Nov. 2008. . Jenkyns, Richard. A Fine Brush on Ivory: An Appreciation of Jane Austen. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2007. P 14. 1 Nov. 2008. . Miall, D. S. Literary Discourse. Handbook of Discourse Processes. Art Graesser, Morton Ann Gernsbacher, & Susan R. Goldman, (Ed). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence. Erlbaum Associates. 321-355. 2002. 19 Oct. 2008. . Morris, Pam. "Reading Pride and Prejudice." The Realist Novel: An Introductory Textbook. Dennis Walder (Ed). London: Routledge. 1996. P 34- 46. 1 Nov. 2008. . Simpson, Paul. Stylistics: A Resource Book for Students. London: Routledge. 2004. P 114-16. 1 Nov. 2008. . "Study Guide for Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen." The Glencoe Literature Library. New York: Glencoe McGraw Hill. 19 Oct. 2008. . Teachman, Debra. Understanding Pride and Prejudice: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport: Greenwood Press. 1997. P 1-2. 1 Nov. 2008. . Thornton, Anne. A Mind of Her Own: The Internalization of Plot in Pride and Prejudice. Persuasions: The Jane Austen Journal. Vol 25. 2003. P 176. Thornton, John. Pride and Prejudice. About.com. 19 Oct. 2008. Todorov, Tzvetan et al. The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Genre. Richard Howard and Robert Scholes (Trans). Cornell University Press. 1975. P 141. 1 Nov. 2008. . Read More