英语论文《傲慢与偏见》中反讽写作手法 (1)

毕业论文毕业论文题目：On Irony in Pride and Prejudice 学生姓名：学号：院（系）：外国语学院英语系专业：双学位经贸英语班级：指导教师姓名：指导教师称谓：讲师起止时间：2012年10月—2013年5月On Irony in Pride and PrejudiceA Thesis SubmittedTo Foreign Languages DepartmentOf Zhongyuan University of TechnologyIn Partial Fulfillment of the RequirementsFor the Degree of Bachelor of ArtsBySupervisor：May, 2013iiSCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGESZhongyuan University of TechnologyDeclaration of Academic IntegrityI promise that the thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any institutes of higher learning and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person, except when due reference is made in the text of the thesis.I understand that to do so would mean that I had committed plagiarism, and that it is my responsibility to be aware of the University’s regulations on plagiarism and their importance.Signed:Date:iiiOn Irony in Pride and PrejudiceAbstract: Jane Austen is a British woman novelist in the 19th century. In her masterpiece Pride and Prejudice, the use of irony is the biggest artistic feature. The thesis first introduces the definition and function of irony. Second, it analyzes the application of irony in the characterization of the novel, which not only makes the novel filled with wit and humor, but also proves the author’s thorough understanding of human nature; Third, it expounds the irony in the marriage plot, whereby the author criticizes the British marriage value that money matters most and puts forward that the happiness of marriage consists in emotional communication, independent personality and good character. Finally, the thesis concludes that Jane Austine’s irony contains her understanding of life and society and so it is the sharpest weapons used in her novels.Key words: Jane Austen, irony, Pride and Prejudice, characterization, plotiv《傲慢与偏见》中的反讽摘要：简奥斯丁是一位英国19世纪杰出的女性作家。

在她的作品《傲慢与偏见》中，对于反讽的写作手法是对于文学最大的财富。

本论文首先介绍了反讽的定义和功能；其次，从人物塑造方面,分析了人物刻画中反讽的运用，不但使小说充满了智慧和幽默，还体现出作者对人性的透彻的洞察力。

再次，论证了小说中婚姻情节中的反讽，借此，作者批判了当时只重视金钱的婚姻观念，提出感情的沟通，独立的人格和高尚品格才是幸福婚姻的保障。

最后得出反讽体现出了简·奥斯汀对生活和社会的理解，因此反讽也成为她作品中一个利器。

关键词：简奥斯汀；反讽；《傲慢与偏见》，人物塑造，情节vContents1 Introduction (1)2 The Introduction to Irony (2)2.1 Definition of Irony (2)2.2 The Function of Irony (2)2.3 Expressions of Irony in Pride and Prejudice (2)3 The Appreciation of Irony in Characterization (3)3.1 Elizabeth (3)3.2 Mr. Darcy (4)3.3 Mr. Bennet (4)3.4 Mrs. Bennet (4)3.5 Mr. Collins (5)3.6 Miss. Bingley (6)3.7 Mrs. Catherine (6)4 Application of Irony in the Marriage Plot (7)4.1 Mr. Collins' Proposal to Marry Elizabeth (7)4.2 The Marriages of Lydia Bennet and Mr. Wickham (7)4.3 The Marriage of Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas (8)4.4 The Marriage of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth (9)5 Conclusion (10)References: (11)Acknowledgments (12)viOn Irony in Pride and Prejudice1 IntroductionJane Austen is an outstanding British woman novelist in the 19th century. Her literary works have far-reaching influences not only on posterity, but also on the development of society and literature. Through analysis of the plot and the characterization of figures in Pride and Prejudice, the thesis will explore irony used by Jane Austen. Her novels are filled with snide tone and sarcastic words. More than that, Jane chose to use irony in shaping characters, arrangement of the plot and the theme. Therefore, the analysis of the irony is the key to understanding this novel.In recent years, many domestic and foreign scholars devoted to Austin's fiction studies, in which ironical art is generally talked. Monaghan, David and Willis, Jane, they share the same idea. In their paper, the theme is to analyze expressions of irony in Pride and Prejudice. It focuses on irony in the three areas of characterization and character relationships. Jane Austen focus on the five marriages in the novel, applies irony at different aspects, and uses humorous words to show us her own progressive view on love and marriage. The opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice directly pointed out the most popular view on marriage in society “It is a truth well known to all the world that an unmarried man in possession of a large fortune must be in need of a wife.”The content of this sentence is really ridiculous and stupid while the sentence pattern is neat and formal. The sharp contrast between the content and form makes a great effect of irony. And irony is used many times in this novel. This thesis will discuss how irony is employed in terms of the characterization of the figures, the plot in Pride and Prejudice in the hope of better understanding the novel.12 The Introduction to Irony2.1 Definition of Irony“Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is an incongruity between the literal and the implied meaning.” (Huang, 2010) “It is a universal phenomenon of natural language used in our daily communication. Irony is a broad term referring to the recognition of a reality different from the masking appearance. It is a contrast or a difference between the way things seem and the way they really are.” (Willis, 2006)That is to say, one says a thing but means the opposite. Irony can be divided into the following several: Verbal irony, Dramatic irony.(Skehan, 2004) No written method for indicating irony exists, though an irony punctuation mark has been proposed. In the 1580s, Henry Denham introduced a rhetorical question mark or preconditions point which looks like a reversed question mark. This mark was also proposed by the French poet Marcel Bernhardt at the end of the 19th century to indicate irony or sarcasm.2.2 The Function of IronyThe use of words that say the opposite of what you really mean, in order to be emphatic, amusing, sarcastic, etc.(Hu, 2008).Irony is a figure of speech that achieves emphasis by saying the opposite of what is meant, the intended meaning of the words being the opposite of their usual sense. It can be amusing or can show annoyance. Irony have a deeper meaning and can arouse people's sympathy.2.3 Expressions of Irony in Pride and PrejudiceIn the Pride and Prejudice, there is always a gap between what she says and what she means, between the surface meaning and her real intention. Irony is the most striking feature in Jane Austen’s novels. As an ingenious work, the master piece of Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice employs the ironic technique in characterization and structure, which has made a great realistic comic work of the novel.23 The Appreciation of Irony in CharacterizationIrony plays a decisive part in characterization as well as in plot development. In Pride and Prejudice, both the wise (Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy, etc.) and the foolish (Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Collins, etc. ) become the objects of Jane Austen’s irony. Irony is the marrow of this novel, in which no one is perfect.3.1 ElizabethElizabeth is our heroine. Pride and Prejudice was, for some time at least, Jane Austen’s own favorite and she wrote her sister when it appeared “I must confess that I think her ( the heroine, Elizabeth) as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print; and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least I do not know.”Yet, Jane Austen spares no satire upon such a delightful creature. Elizabeth is witty, intelligent and unconventional. She “has something more of quickness than her sisters”.(Austen, 1813: 152) However, she also can’t avert herself from the influence of the “truth universally acknowledged.”(Austen, 1813: 305) Moreover, she is too hasty in judgment and too easily taken in by appearances. On the one hand, she is slighted by Mr. Darcy at a ball and then safely promises her mother never to dance with him. On the other hand, she is attracted by Mr. Wickham, whose appearance is greatly in his favor. Then she “prepared in the highest spirits for the conquest of all that remained unstudied of his heart.” (Austen, 1813: 155)The relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy is worsened by Wickham’s ill words to Darcy. Sense is overwhelmed by sensibility. On account of her prejudice against Darcy, Elizabeth tries to bring down his pride and has the satisfaction of refusing his proposal by saying that “⋯you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.”(Austen, 1813: 179)Of course, Elizabeth finally recognizes Wickham’s true face and reveals that it is the arrogant Darcy who saves the reputation of the Bennet family by arranging Lydia and Wickham’s marriage. Then false pride is humbled and prejudice dissolved. In the end, Darcy and Elizabeth are united.Darcy, as a wise man, is another object of satire. At first, he claims that Elizabeth is not handsome enough to tempt him and says frankly that “it must very3materially lessen their chance of marrying men of any consideration in the world.”(Austen, 1813: 18). However, he is the very man who marries Elizabeth.3.2 Mr. DarcyLike Elizabeth, Darcy is an ideal character by Austen’s writing. He was arrogant by nature. For the first time seeing Elizabeth, he treated her very picky. But then he has affection for her gradually, and asked her to marry him, but he encounters flat refusal and rage given by Elizabeth. Darcy’s proposal is arrogant, Elizabeth rejected it with great prejudice. Austen’s mockery at them has played to the extreme here. Later Darcy changes his arrogant attitude; he treats Elizabeth’s relatives courteously and makes every attempt to help Lydia. Elizabeth falls in love with him, giving him second time.3.3 Mr. BennetMr. Bennet, who is smart humorous and educated man, is odd within his words. Maybe he can always give people surprise and excitement. From his words, Mr. Bennet is a man who tries to say something by feigning uninterested or making concessions but he does not say it immediately, which makes you nervous. For examples, he says, “You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.”(Austen, 1813: 243) In the following story that Mr. Bennet notices the coming of Bingley, but he still pretends to say that he has not heard. Why he says it like this—to show humor of the old gentleman and his daughters and wife can attend him. He is a smart and educated man from the way of dealing with things and the manner of speaking. He has a high and far sight to care about his daughter’s marriage but is quiet which is very different from his wife who is unceremonious and rough. His character highlighted the rudeness of his wife. He is a smart and educated man from the way of dealing with things and the manner of speaking. He has a high and far sight to care about his daughter’s marriage but is quiet which is very different from his wife who is unceremonious and rough.3.4 Mrs. BennetMrs. Bennet is the five daughters’ mother. And she is the model of the foolish. “She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. 4When 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, 1813: 93) Mrs. Bennet herself proves this comment true. She has not even seen Mr. Bingley, but she considers him as “the rightful property” for her daughters and thinks of his marrying one of them when she hears about that he has one hundred thousand pounds property. In addition, she is so ignorant and foolish that she can’t even realize her husband is mocking at her —“you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party.” (Austen, 1813: 171). “My dear, you flatter me. I certainly have had my share of beauty, ⋯” (Austen, 1813: 127) When Mr. Bennet refers to Mr. Collins, his cousin, “Who, when I am dead, may turn you all out of this house as soon as he pleases.”(Austen, 1813: 291)Mrs. Bennet cried, “Oh, my dear, I cannot bear to hear that mentioned. Pray do not talk of that odious man.”(Austen, 1813: 149) But when Mr. Collins plans to choose one of her daughters as his wife, she “treasured up the hint, and trusted that she might soon have two daughters married; and the man whom she could not bear to speak of the day before was now high in her good graces.”. (Austen, 1813: 164)What a capricious woman she is! Although Jane Austen made few comments on her characters, the readers know the characters gradually by listening to their voice and observing their behavior.3.5 Mr. CollinsHis each word, each movement and each attempt embodies the bitter satire upon him. After he arrives at Mr. Bennet’s punctually, “he had not been long seated before he complimented Mrs. Bennet on having so fine a family of daughters; said he had heard much of their beauty, but that, in this instance, fame had fallen short of the truth; and added that he did not doubt her seeing them all in due time well disposed of in marriage”.(Austen, 1813: 256)How perfect and unrivaled gallantry. When Elizabeth refuses his proposal, he concludes “you are not serious in your rejection of me, I shall choose to attribute it to your wish of increasing my love by suspense, according to the usual practice of elegant females”.(Austen, 1813: 178) This scene fully displays Jane Austen’s talent for comedy. What’s more interesting andattractive is that Jane Austen never stops ridiculing Mr. Collins even though he has got married. When Elizabeth calls at his parsonage, she “was prepared to see him in his glory; and she could not help fancying that in displaying the good proportion of the room, its aspect and its furniture, he addressed himself particularly to her, as if wishing to make her feel what she had lost in refusing him.”.(Austen, 1813: 153)Thus, Mr. Collins’hypocrisy, self - deception and foolishness are portrayed most vividly.3.6 Miss. BingleyMiss. Bingley has attractive appearance, but in fact is a jealous, behaved badly, arrogant person. The author portrays her character using satire. She is a self-considered person; she only considers her own interests, ruining her brother’s happiness. She writes letters for several times to provoke the relationship between Darcy and Jane. She also slanders Elizabeth in front of her bother for many times. And her interference makes the two couples almost break up. Author, in the description of this kind of characters, not only seizes the opportunity to give the sarcasm, but also lets them have a sharp contrast in appearance and heart, words and actions to expose their hypocrisy.3.7 Mrs. CatherineMrs. Catherine was another person to be mocked. For fearing that Darcy would marry Elizabeth, she personally runs to the Bennets to warn Elizabeth not to marry Mr. Darcy. And after being counterattacked by Elizabeth, she goes to Darcy to persuade him not to marry Elizabeth. However, she does not achieve her purpose but contributes to the happy marriage between Elizabeth and Darcy. The contrast between plots achieves the ironic effects. And Mrs. Catherine’s folly and peremptoriness were portrayed incisively and vividly. What’s worse, Mrs. Catherine was once described as a kind, easy going and generous noblewoman by Mr. Collins. But in fact, she was arrogant, domineering and unreasonable. Mr. Collins and Mrs. Catherine only pay attention to the economic interests. The contrast achieved the goal of irony: Mr. Collins was hypocritical, pea cockish and snobbish and Mrs. Catherine was domineering, overbearing and insolent.In conclusion, Austen used the most refined language to portray characters, This kind of irony is not just mocking words, it also expose people’s relationship around the reality. Therefore it plays a key role in shaping the character. It shows that the author has the most thorough understanding of human nature and makes the novel filled with wit and humor.4 Application of Irony in the Marriage PlotThe novel’s satire is not only in some characterization, but also in many of the plot，especially about marriage. “I t is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife”. (Austen, 1813:5) Jan Austin uses irony on four couples of young men and women to revealing the marriages at the time of the bourgeois society.4.1 Mr. Collins’ Proposal to Marry ElizabethIt is a really big irony when Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth. The proposal process is just like a farce. “Now that he had a home and a considerable income, he had decided to marry. The Bennet girls, who would lose their inheritance because of him, had a reputation fir being attractive and charming, and his idea of making amends to them was to marry one of them. He considered this an excellent plan, and thought himself extremely generous and unselfish in carrying it out.” (Austen, 1813: 193) Besides this, when Elizabeth refuses to marry him, he just thinks that why Elizabeth does so is just for getting more love from him. The result of this farce is totally different from what the overweening Mr. Collins had thought. This made an exhibition of himself.4.2 The Marriages of Lydia Bennet and Mr. WickhamThe marriage of Lydia Bennet and Mr. Wickham is one of the most absurd and the least optimistic marriage. Their marriage is indulging in the erotic feeling. (Wang, 2002:23)Mr. Wickham is Mr.Darcy’s old housekeeper’s son. To outward seeming, he is casual and elegant bearing, but actually he is a dandy. Lydia Bennet is the youngestdaughter and her behavior is always chameleonic. She doesn't know how to maintain good character and just love to dance, visit the millinery shop, chase officers. She inherited her mother's beauty, but also inherited his mother's stupidity and vanity. Although only 15 years old, she was too preoccupied with love and romance. When she meets Wickham who has a charming appearance, graceful bearing, but actually morally corrupt. She was confused by his appearance and followed him to elope. Marie who has always been considered the most stupid one of the five sisters, made a moral comment about their marriage .The irony here is self-evident.Though Darcy help Wickham repay the high debt and bought him a position and also saved face name for Lydia, their marriage is not happy. The marriage established in lust is immoral and could not get happiness. Their marriage is for money, the beautiful appearance. they ignore the love and the economical conditions. At the end of the novel, the couple often rely on borrowing to maintain life. This can be regarded as the punishment and satire that is given by the author. The author depicts the marriages of Lydia Bennet and Mr. Wickham to satirize the ridiculous apolaustic marriage.4.3 The Marriage of Mr. Collins and Charlotte LucasAfter this ridiculous proposal, Mr.Collins turns to ask Charlotte to marry him. Mr. Collins chooses Charlotte to be his wife, apparently not because of falling in love with her. It is a big irony that their marriage is only for money and society position. He has his fat her’s estate, the priest position and only wants a family's wife.Charlotte, the eldest daughter of Sir William, is 27 years old and is not beautiful. As for the young girl like her who has a good education but less property, the only respectable way out is to get married. What she wants is only a husband who can give her stable residential and money. So when he asks her to marry him, she agrees immediately. After marrying Collins, Charlotte gets a house, a small garden and the furniture. Charlotte said: “If you forget Mr.Collins, the house is really very comfortable.”(Austen, 1813: 193) In those words, the author exposes their tragic marriage through the mouth of Charlotte herself. It can be said that the person who Charlotte married is not Collins but his estate. Their marriage is purely based on theeconomic basis, no happiness. The description of the Charlotte marriage reflects the tragic fate of women at that time. Author expressed her great sympathy for those women who are forced by economics to marry somebody they do not love.Charlotte and Collins’ marriage story is revealing the very true remark: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”(Austen, 1813:5) This very true remark is totally a sarcasm according to the marriage of Charlotte and Collins.4.4 The Marriage of Mr. Darcy and ElizabethMr. Darcy thinks that Elizabeth’s social status and family background could not match his, and there was no chance for them to get married. But when he finally loves Elizabeth, all the unfavorable factors could not stop him from loving her. But to Elizabeth, when they meet first, He left arrogance impression to her. And this impression then become bias. After hearing William’s judgment to Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth;s blind prejudice become deeper .So when obtrusive Darcy said: “In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feeling will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”(Austen, 1813:241). ,Elizabeth just feels hatred caused by prejudice. Darcy also stated his opinions on her. He felt her family low and degrading. His propose is condescending. His voice was very excited, as if he has made great sacrifices. What Darcy does and says is tally with the values of the British society at that time. The reader may feel ridiculous to such arrogant Darcy, this is not only the satire to the role, but also the irony to the absurd concept of marriage . But to Elizabeth, she feels unbelievable and she says, “You are the last man in the world whom I could ever be persuaded to marry”(Austen, 1813: 21). But later, when all the misunderstandings are cleared up, and Mr. Darcy changes his “arrogant”attitude, Elizabeth falls in love with Darcy at once. And after Darcy’s second proposal, she promises his proposal, and finally turns to be Mrs. Darcy. Darcy’s and Elizabeth’s attitudes toward each other have a deeply ironic meaning.Their love is the main story of this novel. And the irony is filled in their contact and conversation.Vanity and pride is human weakness, but when the pride person has a noble heart, his arrogance will become sober.To sum up, four marriages have four endings. That Austen arranges the ending of the story has rack her brains. “In Pride and prejudice, it can be said, Austen thinks that love and marriage get along swimmingly with each other, indivisible, love is essential to a happy marriage.”(Fan, 2010: 231). Although the beauty can give people a good impression, only an independent personality and good character can have lasting appeal. Because of the special social status of women at that time, when talking about marriage, family and money can not be ignored. Austen has a exposure. But this kind of disclosure, in this comedy of the novel, is not aggressive, sad or morally indignant, also not cynical, sarcastic. It is irony.The authors describe four kinds of marriage mode with irony, it is a reflection of British society marriage values at that time. It also mocks at the people at that time who value money too much and ignore that the real happiness is the emotional communication in marriage.5 ConclusionIrony is employed in Pride and Prejudice as the lens through which society and human nature are viewed. It is well infiltrated into plots and characterization. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s irony has developed into an instrument of discrimination between the people who are simple reproductions of their social type and people with individuality who will between the unaware and the aware. Her irony contained her understanding of life and society. So it can be said that irony is the sharpest weapons used in Austen’s novels.(Word count total: 4,230)References:[1]范(Fan)丽娜. 简•奥斯丁的创作生命——反讽艺术[J]. 海南：琼州学院学报，2010.[2]黄(Huang)娟娟. 论《傲慢与偏见》中的反讽艺术[J]. 安徽：安微文学(下半月)，2010.[3]胡(Hu)加圣. 反讽理解的语境激活和最佳可及性标准[J]. 北京：外语与外语教学，2008.[4]徐(Xu)欣. 《傲慢与偏见》中的讽刺艺术[J]. 北京：现代语文(文学研究版)，2008.[5]王(Wang)琦. 《傲慢与偏见》中反讽艺术初探[J]. 长春：长春理工大学学报(高教版)，2009.[6]王(Wang)琳. 浅析《傲慢与偏见》中简•奥斯汀的婚姻观[J]. 云南：电影文学，2002.[7]Peter, Skehan.A Cognitive Approach to Language Learning.Ox-ford University Press,15March 2004.[8]Lambert, L, et al. The constructivist leader [M]. New York: Teachers College Press, 2005.[9]Monaghan,David.Jane Austen in a Social Context[J]. Long,2008.[10]Sergeant, S. Innovation in English Language : A Reader [M]. London: Routledge, 2001.[11]Willis,Jane.A Framework for Task-Based Learning. London:Longman, 2006.[12]Watt Ian(Ed).Jane Austen:A Collection of Critical Essays[C].Hampshire:Maom illanPublishers,2009, Available: http://keywriter-org - What is Cyberculture.htmAcknowledgmentsI would like to give my greatest respect to my tutor---- Liu Li. Thanks for her patience, encouragement, and professional instructions during my thesis writing. Needless to say, all the remaining errors are my own responsibilities.。