Tuesday Journal Prompt

Sarcasm is Mr. Bennet's First Language
Taken from Google Images

 

I know what a lot of you may be thinking about Pride and Prejudice: it's just about a bunch of chicks trying to get married.  And you're right - they are; however, you're also wrong.

Austen uses literary devices to illustrate the fact that her characters are flawed, and oftentimes, quite ridiculous.  AP is all about thinking "big picture".  What message is Austen conveying to readers about these "chicks" who are only trying to get married?

Austen's satire begins with the very first line of Pride and Prejudice: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife" (1).  Is she being serious?  Did Jonathan Swift really want the aristocrats to eat the beggers' children?

Why does Austen use literary devices like satire and irony?  If you had to determine the tone of P&P, what would it be and why?  Think "big picture".  What is she telling us about life during The Regency Period in England?