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Jessica Nielsen
Mr. Andrew Drake
AP English Literature & Composition
26 February 2016
Jane Austen’s Use of Language to Enhance the Feminist Aspect in Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice is a beloved classic about the unlikely courtship of Elizabeth Bennet,
a young country woman from a ridiculous family, and Mr. Darcy, the high-minded, well-bred
man with seemingly impossible standards to meet. Underneath the surface romance, however, is
a deeper message about women and their role in society, both past and present. The novel
contains a vital but sometimes-overlooked feminist perspective. The language of the characters,
and Jane Austen’s use of language to portray those characters, greatly enhances this feminist
viewpoint.
Jane Austen herself can be seen as a strong woman through her use of the novel as a
satire, both by taking on something typically masculine and in mastering the art of the satire in
and of itself. Judith Wylie discusses this angle extensively in her article “Dancing in Chains,”
where she says that satire was “long...considered the province of the male writer” and that Jane
Austen was “trespassing on male literary territory” (Wylie) in writing Pride and Prejudice as a
satire. One of the aspects of feminism is allowing women to do and perform what has
traditionally been restricted to men and denied to women, as Jane Austen does here. Thus, she
presents herself as a feminist and takes control of the literary form, no longer restricting herself
to a narrow form of literature but embracing the entirety of language as within her grasp. Satire,
in addition, is a difficult work to accomplish, so restricting the genre to men seems to imply that
they are inherently better and stronger authors, which Jane Austen proves wrong. The fact that
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she is able to manage this literary form proves her rhetorical prowess and mastery. The actual
object of the satire itself is also a feminist tool, as Jane Austen uses the ridiculous characters of
Mrs. Bennet and the Bennet sisters to establish Elizabeth as a rhetorically strong heroine, as well
as revealing through those very characters the oppression of women, both of which will be
discussed in greater detail later.
Jane Austen herself, in addition to writing Pride and Prejudice as a satire, is strong and
powerful in her use of language throughout the novel in other ways as well. John Bennion
describes her language as “witty [and] sarcastic” (Bennion), both of which indicate a strong
command of the language, one which will draw readers into the realm of the female author,
thereby giving herself and others of her gender greater recognition and equality in pursuing the
feminist objective. Memorable quotes such as “Is general incivility not the essence of love?”
(Austen 86) exemplify this eloquent and original writing style which would forever mark Jane
Austen down in the annals of history as one of the greatest female authors in the history of
literature.
Pride and Prejudice, as mentioned earlier, does much to reveal the problems inherent in
an oppressive patriarchal society (a feminist objective), and can only do this through Jane
Austen’s masterful writing. Her character of Charlotte Lucas “accepted [Mr. Collins] solely from
the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment, cared not how soon that establishment were
gained” (Austen 76), revealing a pitiful apathy towards the idea of marriage in general that has
been imposed upon her by society. Charlotte, as described by Jane Austen, is very complacent
and will rather do anything that will ensure her a practical, comfortable life rather than take risks
in hope of greater rewards. It is only through this description of her that readers can begin to
understand the severity of oppression and inequality that existed in this society: women were
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utterly at the mercy of men to ensure their material success and livelihoods, to the extent that
women like Charlotte have been completely trampled into humble submission.
In terms of the characters themselves, Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist of Pride and
Prejudice, shines out as the heroine and, not at all by coincidence, is also the character with the
most rhetorical power in the entire novel. The essay on Pride and Prejudice in Novels for
Students presents a fascinating take on Elizabeth’s rhetorical power as “a struggle for control of
the text” (“Austen, Jane: Title Commentary”) with Mr. Darcy. Her rhetorical power is further
described thus: “Her language, her feelings, her judgments overwhelm his and put them to
shame. They drive him to platitude, apology, and hasty retreat. This rhetorical round leaves
Elizabeth clear victor” (“Austen, Jane: Title Commentary”). Although physically and socially,
Elizabeth has no power over men, it is through language that she finds herself on equal footing
with them. By commanding the story as she does, Elizabeth becomes a heroine and a beacon to
others who can then follow her example. It is interesting that her power is phrased as “control” of
the text; in her society, she can control very little, but as a character Jane Austen allows her to
control much more. The increasing trend today of strong female heroines and characters did not
begin recently; Elizabeth’s powerful words here establish her as an archetype, if not the
archetype, of a strong, independent woman. Furthermore, the fact that she is able to use this one
tool of hers to gain equality makes her stronger than the men, who have so much more freedom
and yet cannot conquer her.
Not only is Elizabeth equal to men in her command of language, she also, like her author,
uses language itself to make herself equal with others and free from their restraints rather than
subordinate as her society would expect her to be. She states that “I am only resolved to act in
that manner, which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness, without reference to you,
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or to any person so wholly unconnected to me” (Austen 260) and that “[Mr. Darcy] is a
gentleman; I am a gentleman’s daughter; so far we are equal” (Austen 258). So many people
throughout the course of this novel try to tell Elizabeth that she is not good enough or that she
should not fight the constraints of her station, but her quick and unafraid tongue frees her from
the doubt that would be cast upon her. She will not be subject to those who try to hold her down;
she boldly asserts her independence rather than silently consent with her head bowed. In action
she can be limited, but not in speech. That is where her true freedom comes from, and she revels
in it.
The novel as a whole furthers the feminist viewpoint because more dialogue and
description is in fact given to women. In speaking of Mr. Darcy’s first proposal to Elizabeth,
Feminism in Literature states that “Of Elizabeth's refusal, by contrast, Austen gives us every
unmediated word, a direct quotation four times as long as that permitted Darcy” (“Austen, Jane:
Title Commentary”). Likewise, Novels for Students notes that “Austen gives most of the
dialogue to the women throughout the novel” (Novels for Students). This analysis parallels nicely
with the Bechdel test, an evaluation often given to movies to “assess [them] for gender bias”
with the purpose of “highlight[ing] gender inequality across the global media” (Lawson). The
requirements of the test, which can also be applied well to novels, state that “films must have at
least two female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man” (Lawson).
As stated above, Jane Austen passes this test with flying colors due to the significant proportion
of the novel that she devotes, by her writing, to describing women and their conversation.
Although the Bechdel test was not yet present in Jane Austen’s society (in large part because of
the blatant gender inequality), she was surely aware of the unfair treatment given to women,
being one of them, and strove to give the women in her novels the chance that those in the real
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world did not have to be represented. Just as Elizabeth commands the text as the main character
and a strong woman, so do the other women in this novel contribute to the feminist slant by their
very presence; they are more important than the men by this standard.
Jane Austen successfully uses her novel Pride and Prejudice, in itself a work of
considerable literary merit, as a feminist tool to break the bands of oppression that had bound her
and that continue to constrain women today. She and Elizabeth Bennet form a strong pair of
women who together prove that men cannot and should not remain the dominating force.
Women can write, speak, and think as well as, if not better than, men, and therefore should be
allowed the freedom to do so.
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Works Cited
"Austen, Jane: Introduction." Feminism in Literature: A Gale Critical Companion. Ed. Jessica
Bomarito and Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 2: 19th Century, Topics & Authors (A-B). Detroit:
Gale, 2005. 333-335. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
"Austen, Jane: Title Commentary." Feminism in Literature: A Gale Critical Companion. Ed.
Jessica Bomarito and Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 2: 19th Century, Topics & Authors (A-B).
Detroit: Gale, 2005. 353-382. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 26 Jan. 2016.
Bennion, John. “Austen's Granddaughter: Louise Plummer Re(de)fines Romance”. The English
Journal 91.6 (2002): 44–50. Web. 26 Jan 2016.
Lawson, Tom. "Sexism movie ratings." New Internationalist Mar. 2014: 11. Global Issues in
Context. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.
"Pride and Prejudice." Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 282305. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 26 Jan. 2016.
Steinbach, Susie L. "Austen, Jane." Europe 1789-1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of Industry and
Empire. Ed. John Merriman and Jay Winter. Vol. 1. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons,
2006. 130-132. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
Wylie, Judith. "Dancing in chains: feminist satire in Pride and Prejudice. (Miscellany).
"Persuasions: The Jane Austen Journal 22 (2000): 62+. Literature Resource Center.
Web. 26 Jan. 2016.