Conversation Speaks: Dialogue in Pride and Prejudice

Conversation Speaks:

Dialogue in Pride and Prejudice

Before proposing an answer to this question, a short description of the protocols of conversation in Austen's era is needed. An article published in 1779 entitled "The Art of Pleasing in Conversation" delineates which tools of conversation to employ and which to eschew. For instance, the article states that conversationalists should avoid exhibiting an eagerness to shine, should use wit cautiously, avoid puns, and use flattery wisely. Also, one should gauge who his companions are, and choose a subject which would be palatable to them. Finally, the conversationalist must listen attentively, seem to approve of all that is said, and never question a speaker's authority.

Mr. Darcy

Mr. Darcy is at first perceived as a stiff, haughty gentleman who talks with deliberate aloofness. He does not speak freely with people he meets. Darcy himself declares, "I certainly have not the talent which some people possess of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns..." Even as the novel progresses and Darcy's character changes, his diminishing haughtiness does not seem to transform his speech patterns; he continues to talk with a certain formality and reserve.

Mrs. Bennet

Talkative characters:

Mrs. Bennet is characterized by her lack of social etiquette, her rather loud faux pas, and her irritating chatter. For instance, Mrs. Bennet presses Bingley to remain at Netherfield, which is completely tasteless. Additionally, she prattles on about Jane's beauty in front of Bingley and Darcy.

• Mrs. Bennet
• Mr. Collins
• Lady Catherine
• Wickham
• Lydia

Mr. Bennet

Mr. Collins

Conversation in Pride and Prejudice is not merely a means to communicate characters' personalities, as discussed by critics; dialogue also reflects the social practices of Austen's era and allows us to peer into the world she inhabited. The cultural realities of her society resulted in Austen depicting the characters we like as deliberate in their speech, and those we dislike as irritatingly talkative. To the discerning reader, the subtle divisions and patterns in Pride and Prejudice shed light on Austen's social milieu. Perhaps subconsciously, by grouping her characters in this way, Austen illuminates her world to readers centuries later.

To write in a particular era is to echo its norms. Jane Austen lived and wrote in a society which valued calculated conversation and proper socializing, and this emphasis is reflected in her works. Pride and Prejudice's respectable characters are drawn as reserved and measured in their speech, for in Austen's time careful speech indicated an intelligent and socially adept individual. Conversely, Pride and Prejudice's disagreeable characters are painted as rambling and hasty in their speech, since in Austen's time this kind of dialogue was frowned upon and seen as inferior.

It is clear from the writings of critics that conversation and silence serve as characterization devices in Pride and Prejudice. Based on this, I suggest a new idea which I have not seen critics develop. If speech and reserve characterize the novel's players, we can divide the characters into two categories: those who are carelessly talkative, and those who are deliberate in their speech.

Mr. Collins is exaggeratedly pompous. His high opinion of himself comes across in his pretentious speech. This is best seen in his failed proposal to Elizabeth; when she spurns him, he refuses to accept her rejection since he cannot understand why anyone would turn down his offer. His long-winded speech declaring his certainy that Elizabeth would reconsider characterizes Mr. Collins as the ultimate self-assured individual.

Critics explore Austen's usage of conversation as a characterization device, explaining that dialogue in her novels is intentionally structured to convey the natures of individual characters. For example, long-windedness is meant to portray foolish characters. Additionally, genteel characters speak with more precise grammar than their lower-class counterparts. The following individuals are characterized by their manners of speaking:

Other critics make note of the silence in Pride and Prejudice, opining that in a novel full of talkative characters, reserve in others can be powerful. This is seen in some of the primary players in the novel, such as Darcy and Elizabeth.

Reclusive, droll, and self-possessed, Elizabeth's father's dialogue is composed of witty remarks and sharp rejoinders. For instance, when Mrs. Bennet is aghast at Elizabeth's rejection of Mr. Collins and turns to Mr. Bennet for support, he counters, "An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth...Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do." Mr. Bennet is quiet but has an edge, as seen in his speech.

In a similar work published in 1814, writer Jonathan Swift instructs readers how to acquire good manners in conversation. It is wrong, he declares, to aim for wittiness. Swift maintains that argument is the worst kind of dialogue. Additionally, he writes that it is "a great breach of manners" to discuss one's trade or business with others.

Austen's novels allow us to peer into the world her characters inhabit. Protocols of conversation and other social conventions were part and parcel of Austen's world, and by extension the world of Pride and Prejudice. As demonstrated above, the dialogue in the novel reflects the rules of conversation of the day.

Upon studying this distribution, I came to an intriguing realization: the characters in the former group are individuals that we, as the readers, scorn or dislike, while the characters in the latter group are those we like and admire. This gives rise to a question which I have not seen critics address. Namely, why does Austen paint her likeable characters as restrained and precise in conversation, and her unlikeable characters as irritatingly verbose?

Reserved/calculated characters:

Lady Catherine

Lady Catherine's snobbish attitude is articulated in practically every sentence Austen has her utter. For instance, she grills Elizabeth for details about her upbringing and her family's social and financial standing. She also informs Elizabeth that she may not even consider marrying Darcy, since her lower social status precludes such a possibility. Lady Catherine's speech illustrates her elitist attitude.

• Darcy
• Mr. Bennet
• Jane
• Elizabeth

Elizabeth

Unlikeable characters in Pride and Prejudice often fail to follow these rules governing conversation, while likeable characters often adhere to them strongly. For example, Mr. Collins abuses the tool of flattery, telling Mr. Bennet that he arranges compliments to give ladies in advance. He also fails to follow the social guideline of choosing a topic that is of interest to one's company when he insists on reading aloud to the Bennets from a book of sermons, even though this clearly bores his cousins. Conversely, Jane is skilled at listening attentively, an attribute which is lauded in the article mentioned above.

Although Elizabeth may not at first be thought of as reserved, closer inspection is revealing. She is unafraid to speak her mind, as illustrated by her verbal dueling with Darcy, yet Elizabeth's sharp, on point comments demonstrate that her words are measured and calculated. As an example, when Darcy and Elizabeth dance together at Netherfield, Elizabeth says, "We are each of an unsocial, taciturn disposition, unwilling to speak, unless we expect to say something that will amaze the whole room." With this statement, Elizabeth not only demonstrates the analytical workings of her mind, but also declares her aversion to idle chatter. Albeit a talkative individual, Elizabeth's weighing of her words distinguishes her from the novel's thoughtlessly loquacious characters.