Decisive parts of both plot and meaning of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice are conveyed by means of conversations. “In them the word becomes an authentic deed”, as H. BABB puts it. In linguistic terms, conversation is discourse – and discourse is necessarily social discourse. Taking into consideration that Jane Austen’s age “was an age of society’s predominance, when man was viewed primarily as a social creature”, and that “’ways of putting things’, or simply language usage, are part of the very stuff that social relationships are made of”, it is not hard to realize how much importance lies in the way the characters in Pride and Prejudice express themselves. Therefore, when he focuses on the various linguistic aspects of civility in Pride and Prejudice, the reader can throw light on the novel from a different angle.
Civility is derived from the Latin word ‘civilis’, meaning ‘of or pertaining to citizens’. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it is “behaviour proper to the intercourse of civilized people; ordinary courtesy or politeness, as opposed to rudeness of behaviour; decent respect, consideration”. J. HARRIS notices that Jane Austen “explores [Richardson’s] important word civil”, without giving her finding consequence enough to go into much detail. However, when the word root civil itself occurs “over seventy times in the novel”, seventyeight times to be precise (while occurring only forty times in Sense and Sensibility, for example), and words closely related to civility appear in over one-hundred-and-fifty instances in the course of the novel, it becomes clear that the aspects of civility deserve a closer look. Because the social scheme has changed significantly since the time Jane Austen wrote her novels, the vocabulary related to civility has undergone some significant changes as well. The gaps in meaning between politeness, civility and gentleness have been diminished or have ceased to exist altogether in some speakers’ vocabulary. The aim of this paper is therefore to pinpoint the different notions of civility and words related with civility as they are employed by Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice. In the course, most attention will be paid to Mr Collins, a character who miraculously manages to be an epitome of both politeness and rudeness.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Negative aspects of civility
2.1 Sneering civility – Miss Bingley
2.2 Shallow civility – Sir William
2.3 False civility – Wickham
2.4 Condescending civility – Lady Catherine
3. Mr Collins – the formal aspect of civility
3.1 Collins’s first letter
3.2 Negative politeness strategies
3.3 Mr Collins’s reception in society
3.4 The importance of formality
4. External and internal factors of politeness
4.1 Mr Collins – dominated by external politeness factors
4.2 Pemberley & Rosings as symbols
4.3 Mr Collins – an epitome of impoliteness
4.4 Masked face-threatening-acts
4.5 Collins’s collected offences during his proposal
4.6 Two different proposals
5.Civility: a decisive factor in the main characters’ relationship
5.1 Civility as the basis of Darcy’s and Elizabeth’s conduct
5.2 Phase 1: Misunderstanding
5.3 Phase 2: The proposal – a “breakdown of civility”
5.4 Phase 3: Reconstitution via civility
6. Conclusion
Research Objectives & Key Themes
The primary aim of this work is to analyze the various linguistic notions of civility as employed by Jane Austen in the novel "Pride and Prejudice," with a particular focus on Mr. Collins, who embodies both politeness and rudeness.
- The linguistic role of conversation and discourse in character relationships.
- Distinctions between politeness, civility, and social decorum.
- An examination of Mr. Collins as a manifestation of "formal civility" and negative politeness.
- The interaction between external social norms and internal conversational factors.
- The evolution of the relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy through the lens of civility.
Excerpt from the Book
3.3 Mr Collins’s reception in society
The only characters Collins’s exaggerated deference strategy works with are the ones who are themselves as concerned with formalities as he is and whose lack of intelligence is about as great as his. Mrs Philips is their most radiant representative. At her tea party, having Collins as a guest for the first time, “She received him with her very best politeness, which he returned with as much more, apologising for his intrusion.” (p.60) The leave-taking scene that follows the party best exemplifies how needless the superficial civilities of a Mr Collins and a Mrs Philips are: “Mr. Collins repeated his apologies in quitting the room, and was assured with unwearying civility that they were perfectly needless.” (p.60) The text lays open that people like Mrs Philips make Collins’s boasting worthwhile, they play an active role in the process of making a reputation: Collins “found in Mrs. Philips a very attentive listener, whose opinion of his consequence increased with what she heard, and who was resolving to retail it all among her neighbours as soon as she could.” (p.61) Nevertheless, even Mrs Philips, who “was quite awed by such an excess of good breeding,” (p.60) eventually tires of Mr Collins. She just abruptly stops listening to him when he wants to pronounce all over again how enviable his position is. They sit down to whist and he starts: “’I know little of the game, at present, (…) but I shall be glad to improve myself, for in my situation of life –‘ Mrs. Philips was very thankful for his compliance, but could not wait for his reason.” (p.62)
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter establishes the importance of discourse and language usage in the novel, highlighting the linguistic significance of the term "civil" in Austen's time.
2. Negative aspects of civility: This section explores how characters like Miss Bingley, Sir William, Wickham, and Lady Catherine utilize civility in deceptive, shallow, or condescending ways.
3. Mr Collins – the formal aspect of civility: This chapter analyzes Mr. Collins as the embodiment of rigid formality and ineffective politeness strategies, including his letter-writing and obsession with status.
4. External and internal factors of politeness: This chapter discusses the dichotomy between society-defined norms and the spontaneous requirements of genuine interpersonal conversation.
5. Civility: a decisive factor in the main characters’ relationship: This section maps the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth through three distinct phases: initial misunderstanding, the breakdown of civility, and final reconstitution.
6. Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes that while Mr. Collins serves as a template for social flaws, the novel ultimately distinguishes between hollow politeness and genuine civility.
Keywords
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, Civility, Politeness, Mr. Collins, Discourse, Formalism, Etiquette, Deference, Social Norms, Interpersonal Communication, Face-threatening acts, Language Usage, Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper examines how Jane Austen employs various notions of civility and language usage in "Pride and Prejudice" to define characters and their social interactions.
Which characters are central to this analysis?
The primary focus is on Mr. Collins due to his unique combination of extreme formal politeness and inherent impoliteness, alongside the evolving relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to analyze the linguistic manifestations of civility and explain how Austen uses these elements to illustrate the characters' social and moral development.
Which scientific methodology is used?
The study utilizes linguistic pragmatics, specifically focusing on Brown and Levinson’s politeness theories, to analyze dialogue and social behavior within the novel.
What does the main body address?
It covers the different "types" of civility (negative, formal, condescending), the role of external vs. internal politeness factors, and the stages of the main characters' relationship.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
The work is defined by themes such as civility, formal politeness, social status, discourse analysis, and the psychological interplay of the characters.
How does Mr. Collins's use of "apology" reflect his character?
The author argues that Collins uses apologies as a "means without an end," showing that his politeness is superficial, repetitive, and ultimately empty of genuine meaning.
In what way does the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth change regarding civility?
The study concludes that their relationship moves from a period of misunderstanding and cold civility to a phase where they learn to prioritize honest, attentive, and sincere conduct over mere social etiquette.
- Quote paper
- Michael Helten (Author), 2004, Aspects of Civility in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/56946
