Essay on Letters in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice

Letters in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice is one of the great love stories of our time. Its continued popularity shows that its essential story can still be adapted to modern day life. Set in the 1800s, it tells the love story of two people who gradually learn to understand each other and themselves. In the time that the novel is set, modern means of communication, for example telephones and computers were not yet invented. The most effective way of corresponding, especially over long distances, were letters. In this period, when people met in formal circumstances, for instance at a ball, where they were in company and never alone, they could not express their inner thoughts. Letters provided a†¦show more content†¦The tone Mr Collins uses immediately suggests a serious, aloof man who is self important, and this is reflected in his style, where the points he makes are laboured and unclear. He does not always use very specific language and his elaborate sentence structure and lack of paragraphs un derpin this impression. â€Å"I feel it my duty to promote and establish the blessing of peace within the reach of my influence†. This illustrates the long winded sentences that Mr Collins often uses. Mr Collins mentions in his letter that he has recently been ordained; this might suggest that this vocation requires humility, compassion and understanding. However, in complete contrast to this, Mr Collins seems to use it as an opportunity to elevate his status. The only time does he appear to be servile is when mentioning Lady Catherine De Bourgh, â€Å"I have been so fortunate as to be distinguished by the patronage of the Right Honourable Lady Catherine De Bourgh† Mr Collins believes mentioning Lady Catherine De Bourgh would impress the Bennet family and raise his status in their eyes. However he only succeeds in appearing a fool, and gives the impression that the lifestyle he leads is only to serve, which makes him appear dull, limited and superior in attitude. The content of his letters includes him inviting himself to visit; this assumption implies that he is pompous by not asking the Bennet’s permission to come. He thinks thatShow MoreRelated The Importance of Letters in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice1719 Words   |  7 PagesThe Importance of Letters in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice To reveal how useful the letters are in ‘Pride and Prejudice’, we need to look at the history behind letter writing. Jane Austen’s novel, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ was written in 1813. The main form of communication then was by letters. However, they did not have a Central Postal system that we have today, where if you want to send a letter or parcel urgently then it could arrive within a few hours, instead they had their mailRead More Letters in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Essay2326 Words   |  10 PagesLetters play a very important role in ‘Pride and Prejudice’. They can tie the story together because letters provide information which we would not have found out from the dialogue between the characters. We can also find out extra background information which can help with the reader’s understanding of characters, the plot and the novel in general. 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