The Use of Irony and Satire in Jane Austens “Pride and Prejudice” for Illuminating Feminism

Abstract

This research attempts to investigate the use of irony and satire in Austen’s novel “Pride and Prejudice” for illuminating feminism.. The researcher has used a descriptive analytical approach based on the information that was obtained from several reading materials connected to the subject. This method was used to determine the satire in the novel and how the use of satire expands the feminist quality. Reading in great deal carried out to acquire the information regarded in irony and satire. Various examples of satire and irony used in the text and are explained by the researcher, using references from the book Pride and Prejudice itself or the critical analysis done by other authors. The purpose of this study is to detail the use of satire by using irony and to deal with feminism, which is prevalent in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The researcher has come up with the following findings: The first chapter of Pride and Prejudice is the most important chapter of all. The novelist quickly establishes the main situation, the arrival of Bingley and the need to marry off the Bennet girls. Like many of her other novels, this novel shows Jane Austen’s characteristic subject matter, the arrival of a marriageable young man in the village and the strategies of the women to trap him. The elopement of Wickham and Lydia, passionate and irresponsible, is an example how other lives may be ruined by the selfish acts of the individual. The marriages of Jane and Bingley and Elizabeth and Darcy bring happiness and stability to everyone. Jane Austen uses subtlety in her use of irony, feminism can be seen throughout the novel . The researcher recommends that the reader should keep an open mind while reading Pride and Prejudice and not be carried away with the style that the novel is written, to keep in mind that the novel was written in the 18th century, when life was very different to the one we know. The researcher suggests to other researchers comparing “A vindication of Rights” (1792) written by Mary Wollstonecraft with “Pride and Prejudice” as it is a vindication of the rights of women. Key words: satire, feminism, irony, marriage, scandal, 18th century.