The Importance of Narrative Voice and Dialogue
In a continuous essay of not more than 1,000 words, analyse this passage, discussing how narrative voice and dialogue are important elements in the creation of meaning in the passage.
Throughout the passage from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the author provides many ways to establish the creation of meaning through the use of dialogue and narrative voice. Austen allows the reader insight into the nature of the characters by us of dialogue, in which we see how the characters interact with each other. Austen also uses narrative, focalization, discourse and punctuation to further develop the characters and create familiarity between them and the reader. I hope to analyse the ways in which she does this and the meaning that is consequently created.
The narration within the passage is omniscient. The narrator knows the actions, thoughts, words and feelings of not only the characters but also gives the reader insight into the society attitude to the engagement of Jane and Bingley; “The Bennets were speedily pronounced to be the luckiest family in the world”. The understated way in which the narrator ‘tells’ the reader this using the omniscient voice, allows the reader to absorb the information in a detached way; giving them the impression of a small, judgmental community who are limited in their imagination. This has the effect of enriching the reader’s understanding of the characters that live within the community. In contrast, we are dramatically ‘shown’ by the narrator Mrs Bennet’s reaction, “Why he has four or five thousand a year”. The litter of exclamation marks in the paragraph convey Mrs Bennet’s excitement, and the reader may judge that Mrs Bennet is shallow and slightly silly. The reader’s judgment is qualified by the fact that Mr Bennet does not reply to this utterance, and perhaps has the opinion that it is an exaggerated response and not worthy of reply. However, the narrator lets us know that while Mrs Bennet’s speech is worthy of
Throughout the passage from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the author provides many ways to establish the creation of meaning through the use of dialogue and narrative voice. Austen allows the reader insight into the nature of the characters by us of dialogue, in which we see how the characters interact with each other. Austen also uses narrative, focalization, discourse and punctuation to further develop the characters and create familiarity between them and the reader. I hope to analyse the ways in which she does this and the meaning that is consequently created.
The narration within the passage is omniscient. The narrator knows the actions, thoughts, words and feelings of not only the characters but also gives the reader insight into the society attitude to the engagement of Jane and Bingley; “The Bennets were speedily pronounced to be the luckiest family in the world”. The understated way in which the narrator ‘tells’ the reader this using the omniscient voice, allows the reader to absorb the information in a detached way; giving them the impression of a small, judgmental community who are limited in their imagination. This has the effect of enriching the reader’s understanding of the characters that live within the community. In contrast, we are dramatically ‘shown’ by the narrator Mrs Bennet’s reaction, “Why he has four or five thousand a year”. The litter of exclamation marks in the paragraph convey Mrs Bennet’s excitement, and the reader may judge that Mrs Bennet is shallow and slightly silly. The reader’s judgment is qualified by the fact that Mr Bennet does not reply to this utterance, and perhaps has the opinion that it is an exaggerated response and not worthy of reply. However, the narrator lets us know that while Mrs Bennet’s speech is worthy of
References: Austen, Jane. (1813)Pride and Prejudice, Oxford World Classics (volume 111, chapter 13) Bibliography Austen, Jane. (1813)Pride and Prejudice, Oxford World Classics. Padley, Steve. (2001) Approaching Prose Fiction, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Walder, Dennis. (1995) The Realist Novel, Oxon, Routledge/The Open University. A210 (2006) DVD 1, The language of Realism I, The Open University, CDA5746, Track 3.