Letters in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Essay -- Jane Austen Prid

Letters in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice is one of the great love stories of our time. Its continued popularity shows that its essential story can still be adapted to modern day life. Set in the 1800s, it tells the love story of two people who gradually learn to understand each other and themselves. In the time that the novel is set, modern means of communication, for example telephones and computers were not yet invented. The most effective way of corresponding, especially over long distances, were letters. In this period, when people met in formal circumstances, for instance at a ball, where they were in company and never alone, they could not express their inner thoughts. Letters provided a confidential way to do this. This is also true to the novel; where Jane Austen carefully composes the letters. There is more care and attention paid to their structure and content; as letters are they are a permanent record of thoughts that can be revisited and re-read, were carefully crafted to provide the exact meaning of each letter. The letters used in Pride and Prejudice shows us a glimpse of a character’s personality and their viewpoint. They are a key feature of conveying a new character and developing the plot. It is not an accident that over forty letters or letter extracts are used in Pride and Prejudice. They are an effective means of illuminating characters where dwelling on individual reflections is not a style used much by the author. Also we gain an insight into the recipient of the letter through their response. One of the first letters used in Pride and Prejudice to introduce a new character is Mr Collins’ letter. This letter gives us our first opportunity to assess ... ...tures Lydia Bennet’s character. In this essay I have shown three examples of letters. In each of these letters we have seen how they have introduced, changed perceptions and shown us in depth a character. Letters are an integral part of the novel; they are threaded through the story to add variety, drama and develop character detail. Without letters it would be hard to move plot on and pick up the pace of the novel. They are used as a means of providing drama to the novel. They often reveal dramatic detail and provide an impression of news being discovered immediately. Letters offer a useful structural device to add variety to how the plot is revealed. This in turn shows the variety and imagination of Austen’s style. They also are entertaining additions to the novel on their own, often giving engaging or moving insights into character and situation.