Irony as a literary device has been used to achieve a sense of reality within works of fiction. You can see a sort of contrast between the superficial meaning of something that is said or done and the real, underlying meaning of the utterance or action. People often use it in everyday conversations or as a technique to overcome a stronger character. In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, irony is one of the main literary devices used to achieve the effect of that historical period on the reader, which in turn transformed it into one of the best-known works of nineteenth-century English literature. .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Whether you expect it or not, the book itself begins immediately with an ironic expression, right at the beginning of the first chapter: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be at the looking for a wife." This may well be the most famous ironic statement in the book, however, one on which a number of readers have interpreted it on a literal level. This case of verbal irony used by the author wants to allude to the type of society present at that moment, which in turn criticizes it, showing dissatisfaction and disagreement. For starters, not all "single men with good fortune" are looking for a woman to marry. In reality, at that time, it was women who were looking for a husband with considerable assets to marry, to secure their future. It goes without saying that in those times women did not have many rights or means to survive, with marriage as the only safe solution. While on the subject of absurd statements, such as the one quoted above, the following dialogue portrays an even more 'sensible' behavior situation to which many readers, including myself, did not pay much attention and did not see it as an example of irony: ' 'Don't go on coughing like that, Kitty, for heaven's sake! Have some mercy on my nerves. You tear them to pieces.''“Now, Kitty, you can cough all you want”Once pointed out as an example of irony, it is clearly seen that the content of this conversation makes no sense. The first part of this excerpt is Mrs. Bennet scolding Kitty for coughing, saying that she can't stand her coughing because of her frail nerves. However, the quick-witted Mr. Bennet, after a few moments, allows Kitty to cough. The irony here may be too obvious, which is why I might not have seen it during my first reading of the book. As we all know, coughing is not a voluntary bodily action, so you don't need to ask permission to do it. It. This is yet another example of verbal irony, which is an ironic response to Mrs. Bennet needlessly lashing out at Kitty for coughing. Another type of irony that is considered one of the best ways to use this literary advice is character irony, in the sense that that particular character, with his behavior, way of thinking and mannerisms is a representation of irony, a sort of "walking irony". The character of Mr. Collins is one of these, and the following statement portrays him perfectly: "You should certainly forgive them as a Christian, but never admit them into your sight, or allow their names to be mentioned in your life." hearing.'Mrs. Collins is a priest on the estate of his patron Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and the above-mentioned statement is advice he gives to Mr. Bennet as a response to the discovery of Lydia's escape from home. As a priest of the church, his position should be that of aleader within the religion, who offers guidance, support, and teaches the doctrines of that religion. However, this does not appear to be the case with Mr Collins. . The notion of forgiveness, which should be based on its religious background, is completely wrong. It completely goes against what religion is supposed to stand for, and more importantly, it unconsciously contradicts itself, making it a great example of character irony within this novel. On the topic of forced marriages, the union of Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas and how it came about, is another example of irony in Austen's Pride and Prejudice: “My dear Charlotte and I have but one mind and one way of thinking. There is a remarkable similarity of character and ideas between us in everything. We seemed made for each other” To grasp the irony of this, you need to know the background of this union, born out of convenience. After proposing to Elizabeth Bennet, which was rejected almost instantly, Mr. Collins proposes to Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth's very close friend. Since this proposal comes right after the first was rejected, it was obviously the easiest thing to do so that Mr. Collins would have a wife and Charlotte would have a secure future. However, Mr. Collins states that their marriage was the perfect one, and that their characters matching is definitely not the reason why they get married, as Mr. Collins doesn't even pay attention to Charlotte, before being rejected by Elizabeth. That is why, this is yet another example in which Austen masterfully describes a picture of the time in which she wrote and her society and a critique of the same. The following dialogue is an example of irony in the novel, however the center of the irony is Elizabeth. , quite unexpectedly, as she has been described, for most of the novel, as someone who is quite aware of her surroundings and not easily manipulated by others. “This is quite shocking! He deserves to be publicly disgraced." "Someday he will be, but it won't be my fault. Until I can forget his father, I will never be able to challenge him or expose him." This dialogue is a conversation between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Wickham, at her aunt's house, as they discuss the subject of Mr. Darcy and his late father. He describes his relationship with Darcy's family and the things that happened between them. To begin with, the irony here can be seen in Wickham's statement: "Until I can forget his father, I can never challenge or expose him." The statement itself is a contradiction, because after telling Elizabeth everything that happened between him and Darcy's family, she says that she cannot expose him, which in fact she does. However, Elizabeth is the center of this ironic event, as we readers, can immediately realize that she is doing the exact opposite of what she says she is doing. However, Elizabeth does not realize what Wickham is actually doing because she was overwhelmed by the information she had just learned. This novel is filled with countless ironic examples, which were masterfully portrayed by the author, Jane Austen. Using all types of irony, verbal, situational, dramatic and, above all, character irony, she managed to realistically portray the period of her existence and the type of society in which she lived. Please note: This is just an example Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Using just this simple literary device, Austen created a beautiful work of art in book form that has been praised by so many critics of her time and our time, Today. Thanks to the way this book is written, the topics and themes it covers and the,/10.1177/002214650604700301)