Abstract:Irony is an ancient language phenomenon, which originated in ancient Greece more than 2000 years ago. In 17th Century, irony began to be applied in literary works. Jane Austen is an outstanding woman novelist of Britain in the 19th century. In her masterpiece Pride and Prejudice, Austen fully employs irony in characterization, plot development and theme presentation. 

Based on the studies on irony, the paper explores the functions of irony in the novel Pride and Prejudice. The thesis is made up of six chapters. Chapter One gives a general introduction to Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice. Chapter Two introduces the definitions of irony and the research background of irony in Pride and Prejudice. Chapter Three explores the effects of irony in depicting hypocritical and pretentious characters. Chapter Four discusses the effects of irony in bringing climax to the plots and Chapter Five talks about how irony works to present the theme— love and marriage. Chapter Six gives a conclusion of this paper.

Keywords:  Jane Austen  Pride and Prejudice  Irony  Characterization  plot  theme

Contents

Abstract

摘要

Chapter One Introduction-1

1.1 Jane Austen-1

1.2 Pride and Prejudice-2

1.3 Structure of the Thesis-2

Chapter Two Irony-4

2.1 Definitions of Irony-4

2.2 Irony in Pride and Prejudice-4

Chapter Three Irony in Depicting Hypocritical and Pretentious Characters-6

3.1 Mrs. Bennet-6

3.2 Mr. Collins-7

3.3 Lady Catherine-7

Chapter Four Irony in Creating the Climax of Plots-9

4.1 Collins’ Proposal to Elizabeth-9

4.2 Mr. Darcy’s First Proposal to Elizabeth-10

Chapter Five Irony in Presenting the Theme—Love and Marriage-11

5.1 Darcy and Elizabeth’s Marriage-11

5.2 Mr. Collins and Charlotte’s Marriage-11

5.3 Jane and Mr. Bingley’s Marriage-12

5.4 Lydia and Wickham’s Marriage-12

Chapter Six Conclusion-14

References-15