Posts under ‘Musings’

In one of Pride and Prejudice’s many ironic twists, Mr Collins, the most inherently absurd and hilarious of characters, marries the novel’s most tragic figure. Poor Charlotte does nothing to deserve what Lost in Austen’s Mr Bennet describes as the ‘Promethean misery of marriage to Collins.’ However, at 27 years old, ‘without having ever been [...]

Perhaps only the Bible and the Bill of Rights can rival Pride and Prejudice for the sheer variety of interpretations it has undergone. Its irony and ambiguity mean that even those who don’t fall instantly in love with the novel usually find something to admire. A few, however, were unconvinced. Here are the thoughts of [...]

Mary Bennet has neither taste nor talent, and also has the unhappy distinction of being the only plain one of the Bennet family. She is well-read and works harder than her siblings for her accomplishments. Nevertheless, she lacks Lizzy’s charm at the piano and cannot match Elizabeth’s wit in conversation. Her performance at the piano [...]

Elizabeth’s independent spirit was out of step with the advice given to ladies in Fordyce’s very popular Sermons to Young Women and Rousseau’s Emile, both of which we’ve quoted at length on this site. Both of these texts were enormously influential, and in Jane Austen’s day there was of course extreme social pressure on young [...]

Sarcasm may be the lowest form of wit, but the skilful use of irony is much prized. Pride and Prejudice begins, as we all know, with an ironic opening statement, and the book is full of the stuff, in various forms, from start to finish. The ironic tone of Pride and Prejudice is also one [...]

Elizabeth’s lively, outspoken personality shocks and surprises many of the characters around her. She is, of course, accused of being an ‘obstinate, headstrong girl!’ by Lady Catherine de Bourgh, after her Ladyship had already observed that she ‘gives her opinion very decidedly’ for such a young lady. In the 1995 BBC TV series, Lady Catherine [...]