오만과 편견에 나타난 사회비판 전략으로서의 아이러니와 위트

Abstract

Cho, Irl-hyun. “Irony and Wit as Strategic Means for Social Criticism in Pride and Prejudice.” Studies on English Language & Literature. 32.3(2006): 143-165. This Essay traces the progresses of the heroine, Elizabeth’s efforts to be free from the society in which she has been comfortably embedded, and analyzes her use of irony and wit as strategic means for social criticism. In this novel, irony is used by both the heroine Elizabeth and the author Jane Austen to show the limits of the people around her. The people whom she observes with irony are of several types and represent the values imposed by the society, the foundation of which is grounded on the values of wealth and rank. Wit is another strategy for the heroine to assert her independency and freedom. It is a disguise for her argument. Therefore, the dialogues between Elizabeth and Darcy can be seen as a dialogic conversation, culminating in the mutual understanding. Darcy’s pride and Elizabeth’s prejudice show the conflicts between individual freedom and conventions of the society, which are resolved in their marriage. Also the marriage symbolize the birth of new society in which the virtures such as honesty, responsibility and mutual respect overcome the barriers of the worn-out conventions. (Hanzhong University)