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毕业论文题目：《傲慢与偏见》中的反讽语言Title:On the Use of Irony in Pride and Prejudice2009 年5 月13 日AcknowledgementsFirst and foremost, my appreciation goes to my affectionate parents, and the rest of my family. Throughout the development of this paper, they have been there always giving me continuous support, encouragement and understanding. Their love and support encourage me to pursue progress all the time.I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to all teachers who gave me lectures during the past three academic years. I have benefited so much not only from their courses and lectures but also from their constant encouragement.Finally, my deepest gratitude and respect go to my supervisor, Zeng Qingqiang. It is for his constant encouragement, critical instructions, his great care and precious advice and suggestions that this paper appears in the present form.AbstractNowadays, Irony is not only a figure of speech, but also a form of literature art. It could reveal the theme of the book deeply while bring people merriment. Pride and Prejudice is a very popular novel written by Jane Austen and has been read widely all over the world. In this novel, Jane Austen’s usage of irony allows the reader to fully comprehend the situation and certain feeling of the characters, story plot and the theme of the novel. Irony plays an important role in this novel, because irony runs through the whole novel, and is a good way of communication. Words or sentences in irony can reveal characters’personalities and characters’ideas. In this paper, most irony cases in the novel are taken as typical examples to analyze how it is used as a dramatic device in the novel to further the plot, help the revelation of character, reflect writing and speaking style and suggest intimate feelings and reveal the theme.Key words：irony; Pride and Prejudice; characters; plot; theme.摘要如今，反讽一词不再仅仅是一种修辞方法，而且还是一种文学艺术形式。
Satiric art of Jane Austen in pride and prejudiceIn 19th century British society, there was a commonly held belief that women wanted to marry a man of good fortune and who would provide for them. In Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", Austen succeeds in tearing down the 19th century British view of marriage by showing that true love in marriage conquers marriages based on a desire for financial stability or any other reason.While the opening lines of Austen's novel seem to show that women of 19th century British were ironically at a disadvantage in selecting a marriage partner, Austen challenges such a social belief by presenting the character of Elizabeth- a woman who does not yield to the standards of society . Mr. Collins is portrayed as a supposed archetype for the men of the time who believe that the woman should accept any offer to wed on the basis that she will learn to love the man. Austen's objective of satirizing the social restrictions put upon women is exemplified when Elizabeth rejects the proposal of Mr. Collins disregarding the fact that her mother wants her to wed Mr. Collins because it will save the property of Mr. Bennet- Elizabeth's father, and allow her to have a home since Mr. Collins is entitled to inherit the land; with Elizabeth's refusal to marry Mr. Collins, the notion that a woman being in want of a man with a good fortune becomes disproved and obsolete. To reiterate, Elizabeth rejects the proposal of Mr. Collins for the pure reason being that she does not have any love for him and will not marry for any reason unless it is for love.There are those who am may say that Austen fails in her attempt to satirize 19th century views upon women because they would say that Charlotte Lucas indeed marries Mr. Collins for the security and money. However this opposition fails in its attempt to debunk Austen because it neglects the fact that faced with dwindling youth Charlotte Lucas is in seek of a secure home and Mr. Collins has not a large fortune to begin with. Charlotte is a 27 year old woman who resides with her parents and she knows that if she waits any longer that she may never find a mate to accept her on the biases that she is too old.In order to abase the 29th century views upon women, Austen deliberately puts the relationship of Elizabeth and Darcy on a rocky road to show that is Elizabeth is interested in Darcy, not in his money. After having perceived Darcy as being pompous and wicked man for what he had supposedly done to Mr. Wickham- Lydia's husband. This perceptionof Darcy derived from Wickham's lie about the inheritance of Darcy's father's estate where Darcy was to receive an inheritance, but where Darcy refuses to give Wickham any of the inheritance because Darcy envied Mr. Wickham. Elizabeth confronts Darcy regarding his allegation against him by Mr. Wickham and Darcy's involvement in the separation of Jane and Mr. Bingley and after speaking upon the matter, Austen shows that the marrying of money is not essential when Elizabeth's prejudice towards Darcy grows so much that she refuses his offer to wed. But through Darcy's actions including finding the runaway sister Lydia and bringing back Mr.Bingley, Austen shows Mr. Darcy has love towards Elizabeth and with these actions Elizabeth sees Darcy's loves towards her and her love for him allows her to accept his second offer to wed Throughout her novel, Austen indirectly satirizes the social ideologies of her time regarding women and marriage. Austen also uses intricate situations among her characters to highlight the follies that emerge from 19th century belief of women in regards to marriage. All in all Austen shows that love in marriage makes for a better marriage than one based on financial reasoning or on class structure.。
《电影《傲慢与偏见》中的反讽艺术》篇一一、引言电影《傲慢与偏见》改编自简·奥斯汀的同名经典小说，以19世纪初英国乡村为背景，讲述了一段曲折而充满智慧的浪漫爱情故事。
电影在情节展开和人物塑造中巧妙地运用了反讽艺术，不仅让观众对人物情感有了更深入的理解，同时也丰富了影片的内涵和审美价值。
二、情节展开中的反讽电影中，主人公伊丽莎白和达西之间的情感发展充满了反讽元素。
伊丽莎白一开始对达西的傲慢和偏见持批评态度，然而在影片的发展过程中，观众逐渐发现伊丽莎白的看法受到了她的偏见和先入为主的观念影响。
这不仅是情节上的反转，也是对人物情感变化的讽刺和审视。
此外，当达西向伊丽莎白表达爱意时，他的直言不讳反而赢得了伊丽莎白的尊重和喜爱，这又是一种情感层面的反讽。
三、人物塑造中的反讽电影中的人物塑造通过反讽的方式呈现出更丰富的内涵。
达西作为一个富有的绅士，起初的傲慢让观众难以接受。
然而随着情节的发展，他的诚实和真诚逐渐显露出来，反而成为了他身上最具吸引力的品质。
同时，伊丽莎白的坚强和聪明也是通过她与身边人物的对比来表现的，比如她的独立思维在姐妹们的普遍附和中显得更加珍贵。
四、对傲慢与偏见的讽刺反思电影通过对达西和伊丽莎白情感的描述，进一步深化了对傲慢与偏见的讽刺和反思。
这种讽刺不仅体现在个人层面上，也涉及到社会文化层面。
电影展示了人们在社会背景和传统观念影响下容易形成的偏见和傲慢心理，同时也强调了理性思考和真诚交流的重要性。
这种深刻的反思不仅对影片主题有着强烈的揭示作用，同时也赋予了观众更多关于生活哲学的思考。
五、审美价值的提升通过运用反讽艺术，电影《傲慢与偏见》的审美价值得到了极大的提升。
首先，在情感表达上，反讽使观众能够更深刻地感受到人物情感的复杂性，进而引发观众的共鸣。
其次，在叙事手法上，反讽使得情节发展更具戏剧性，使得影片更加引人入胜。
最后，在主题深度上，反讽使影片的内涵更加丰富，从而提高了其审美价值。
反讽手法在《傲慢与偏见》翻译中的运用在《傲慢与偏见》中，小说家简·奥斯汀巧妙地运用了反讽手法来讽刺社会上的偏见和傲慢态度。
以下是一些例子：
1. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."（译：“众所周知的一个真理，拥有财产的单身男人一定需要妻子。
”）这句名言是小说开头的第一句，但是读者会很快发现，这句话并不完全是真理。
这个反讽的开始揭示了小说中关于婚姻观念的艰苦，也讽刺了人们对于物质财富的崇拜。
2. Mr. Collins慈善地称赞他自己是“慈善事业的庇护者”（"patron and defender of all charities"），但他实际上对慈善事业一无所知。
（译：“慈善事业”的庇护者和捐助人）
这个反讽揭示了Collins先生自负的本性，并嘲笑了他虚伪地标榜自己为慈善事业服务。
3. Lady Catherine de Bourgh自称“强有力的想法”（"strongly marked"）（译：“强烈的智慧头脑”）。
然而，读者在小说中了解到，她的眼光狭隘、傲慢自大，并不值得尊敬。
（译：“强烈的智慧头脑”）这些例子都展示了奥斯汀如何在小说中利用反讽来讽刺人们的偏见和傲慢态度，同时也给了读者一个有趣的思考角度。
《电影《傲慢与偏见》中的反讽艺术》篇一一、引言电影《傲慢与偏见》改编自简·奥斯汀的同名经典小说，通过细腻的人物刻画和情节设计，展现了19世纪英国乡村的社交风貌和人们的情感纠葛。
在这部作品中，反讽作为一种重要的艺术手法，被导演巧妙地运用，为影片增添了丰富的层次感和深刻的内涵。
本文将从电影的角度，深入探讨《傲慢与偏见》中的反讽艺术。
二、反讽在电影人物塑造中的应用1. 人物性格的反讽电影中，达西先生和伊丽莎白·班纳特的性格塑造充分运用了反讽手法。
达西先生初出场时显得傲慢无礼，但随着时间的推移，观众逐渐发现他内心的善良和真诚。
这种表面傲慢与内心善良的反讽，使人物形象更加立体。
伊丽莎白·班纳特则是一个聪明、独立的女性形象，她对达西先生的误解和偏见逐渐消除，最终实现了对爱情和婚姻的独立思考。
2. 人物关系的反讽电影中的人物关系也充满了反讽。
表面上，班纳特家族的生活看似贫苦，但家庭成员之间却充满了关爱和支持。
而那些看似富有的绅士和贵族，内心却充满了虚荣和自私。
这种表面与内心的反讽，使观众对人物关系有了更深刻的理解。
三、反讽在电影情节设计中的应用1. 情节发展的反讽电影《傲慢与偏见》的情节发展也充满了反讽。
例如，达西先生对伊丽莎白的爱情表白被拒绝后，伊丽莎白对达西的偏见逐渐消除。
这种表面上的拒绝与内心逐渐接纳的反讽，使情节发展更加引人入胜。
2. 社会背景的反讽电影通过对19世纪英国乡村社会背景的描绘，揭示了当时社会的阶级观念、婚姻观念以及女性地位等问题。
在这样一个社会中，达西和伊丽莎白的爱情故事充满了反讽。
他们通过相互理解和支持，最终实现了对爱情和婚姻的独立思考，这种个人与社会背景的反讽，使影片具有了更深刻的社会意义。
四、反讽的艺术效果电影《傲慢与偏见》中的反讽艺术使影片更具魅力。
通过人物性格、人物关系、情节发展和社会背景的反讽，影片为观众呈现了一个充满矛盾和冲突的世界。
这种矛盾和冲突使人物形象更加立体，情节发展更加引人入胜，同时也使影片具有了深刻的社会意义。
A charming flower------the irony of “Pride and Prejudice”Irony is a kind of literature expression which uses the words to express something other than or opposite of the literal meaning. In this kind of tactic, the author usually hides what she really wants to convey, but through the contrast between the beginning and the ending, readers could understand the real purpose clearly. It is performed vividly by Jane Austen in her famous novel, …Pride and Prejudice‟. In her novel, this kind of expression seems so mature and successful. And this is one of the reasons why she has the same reputation and status with Shakespeare.Irony contains verbal irony, situational irony, and structural irony. It appears in this novel frequently. On one hand, it provides the readers some clearer qualities of the characters. On the other hand, it plays an important part in emphasizing the theme: property, women‟s social status, and the free love.It‟s just like a charming flower in this novel. And we could see its necessary status through some illustrations.“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” This is the first sentence of the novel, and it obviously points out thesocial situation at that time. Here Jane uses verbal irony. In fact, I believe that nobody will say it‟s a truth. Concerning about the verbal irony, Ms Bennet is also a very appropriate example. “My dear Mr. Bennet…”, to tell the truth, I have never heard a wife call her husband in such a way. And this reflects her shallow character.Another example is about Mr. Collins, a man who belittled himself before the influential, but was arrogant before the poor. He was so proud of himself that he said he must marry Miss Elizabeth. Finally, he failed to marry her but marry Elizabeth‟s good friend. This is regarded as situational irony which reflects Mr. Collin‟s hypocritical character. On the opposite, it makes me see Elizabeth is a wise and brave girl. In contrast, her friend is so greedy and shallow that she is willing to marry a man she doesn‟t love at all. She only wants to marry and have a steady and wealthy life. To marry a rich man is her only aim. And such kind of view of value is probably influenced by the society.Another situational irony refers to Mr. Darcy‟s aunt, a very rich but hypocritical and sober lady. After she knew that Mr. Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth and they are going steady, she was too angry to stop herself from hurting Elizabeth. In order to let Mr. Darcy marry her daughter, she went to the Bennet in themidnight and abused Elizabeth. But because of such behavior, the hero and the heroine meet again and then release some misunderstandings, even get engaged. Of course, such a consequence is contrary to the aunt‟s original idea. Here, Jane uses irony to indicate the aunt‟s character directly: selfishness, looking down to the poor, and arrogance. “…but your skillful charms may have made him forget, in a moment of foolishness, what he owes to himself and his family.” This part lets me know more about Elizabeth‟s character. She said, “I will make no such promise .You have totally misunderstood my character if you think I can be persuaded by such threats .I do not know whether your nephew would approve of your interference in his life ,but you certainly have no rights to inference in mine.”Look, a graceful, independent, and self-respect girl. Also, it helps us in realizing some part of the theme: true love won‟t be hindered if only you see it by your heart.And now, let‟s put our eyes on the hero, Mr. Darcy and the heroine, Elizabeth. They are put into the structure irony. When Mr. Darcy first met Elizabeth, he was sure that neither himself nor his friend, Mr. Bingley would marry any girl of the Bennets. And the same to Elizabeth, when Mr. Darcy proposal to her, she was very stubborn and said, “Mr. Darcy, you could not havemade me the offer of your hand in any possible way that would have tempted me to accept it. The moment I first met you ,I noticed your pride ,your sense of superiority ,and your selfish disdain for the feelings of others. Later events strengthened my dislike for you. You are the last man in the world whom I could ever be persuaded to marry.” It is no doubt that irony here makes us pay attention to the theme of the novel. Why they hate each other but eventually they get married? Yes, because of the pride and prejudice. Both of them are pride of themselves, and listen to others‟ words easily, and this leads to the prejudice. Anyhow, they know each other very well at last and go steady.There are some other illustrations of irony. Take Mr. Bennet as an example, when he was young, he fell in love with a girl only because of her appearance. Although he bared his rude and shallow wife for about 30 years, his heart wasn‟t in his home at all. What‟s a pity that a man pay his all life only for a wrong choice.Through above all examples, it‟s certain that irony makes literature more colorful and vivid. On my view of it, irony makes the novel more ironical and interesting because of the ripples of the story. Due to it‟s effective function, the novel becomes more attractive than other novels. It not only has thereflection of characters, but also the emphasis on the theme. So I support, irony translated the meaning of “charming flower”to us.。
Irony is the art of expressing two meanings simultaneously; the obvious surface meaning the majority will regard as the only meaning and on a deeper profounder meaning which lies behind the obvious.具有讽刺意味的是同时表达两种含义的艺术;明显的表层意义多数都会视为唯一的意义和深刻含义更深的背后明显的谎言。
The tension created by this ambivalence can be and has been put to a variety of uses. Ironies abound in Shakespeare, so do they in Dryden and Poe.Shakespeare employs them to underscore the tragic plight of a man, while Dryden and Pope use them to mock at human follies and foibles.among the forty eight writings, Fanny urney's 'Cecilia','Comilla' and other novels are based on quiet but incisive irony. Thomas Love Peacocks "Headlong Hall", "Nightmare Abbey',"Maid Marian" and so on are the vehicles of attacks on the cranks and the fads of his day.but very few writers have exploited all possible resources of irony as Jane Austen.It may not be an exaggeration to say that Jane Austen is nothing if not ironical.Irony is her very forte;it is in fact the very soul of her art.Pride and Prejudice, for instance, is steeped in irony.To put it in other words, it is an artistic blend of ironic and dramatic design.almost everything in this novel, be it related to the context or to the style, points to an ironic contrast between 'appearance' and 'reality'.it is the complex handling of "First Impressions" thatlends to Austen's irony.傲慢与偏见，例如，把沉浸在irony.To换句话说它，它是一种艺术融合了讽刺和戏剧性design.almost一切都在这部小说中，无论是涉及到的背景或风格，一分具有讽刺意味的对比，出现'和'真实'。
On Irony in Pride and PrejudiceAbstract: Jane Austen is a British woman novelist in the 19th century. In her masterpiece P ride 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, independentpersonality 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 w eapons used in her novels.Keywords:Jane Austen, irony,Pride and Prejudice, characterization, plot《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。
《傲慢与偏见》Pride and Prejudice 反讽语言摘录及分析一、Bennet先生对女儿Elizabeth说:“I admire all my three sons-in-law highly, Wickham, perhaps, is my favorite; but I think I shall like your husband quite as well as Janeps.”Bennet先生在说反话，Wickham与小女儿Lydia私奔, 给全家带来莫大的耻辱。
二.“The other is Miss deBourgh. Only look at her. She is quite a little creature. Who would have thought she could be so thin and small?”“I like her appearance. She looks sickly and cross. Yes, she willdo for him very well She will make him a very proper wife.”这是Elizabeth和Maria在Collins先生家做客时看到Rosings的女继承人deBourgh小姐时的对话。
她俩都亲眼看到deBourgh小姐又瘦又小,病病歪歪脾气又坏so thin and small, looks sickly and cross与Elizabeth 的话语I like her appearance.明显不相容, 从而促进了反讽意图的识别。
三.当一心想把女儿嫁出去的Bennet太太得知Elizabeth 居然拒绝了Collins的求婚时, 她找到Bennet先生, 指望他来逼迫女儿接受婚约。
于是他把E lizabeth叫到书房来:“Come here, ch ild, I have sent for you on an affair of importance. I understand that Mr. Collins has made you an offer of marriage. Is it true?”“It was.”“Very well and this offer of marriage you have refused?”“I have, Sir.”“Very well. We now come to the point. Your mother insists upon your accepting it. Is it not so, Mrs. Benne?”“Yes, or I will never see her again.”“An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.”Bennet先生先是煞有介事地盘问了太太和女儿各自的意见, 使太太重申了她对女儿提出的威胁) 不嫁Collins 就不认这个女儿了。
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.。
