Victorian, Romance and Jane Austen

Jane Austen's Language, Style

Jane Austen's language and style, Analyse a Jane Austen novel.

Jane Austen's distinctive literary style relies on a combination of parody, burlesque, irony, free indirect speech and a degree of realism. She uses parody and burlesque for comic effect and to criticize the portrayal of women I 18th century and gothic novels. She creates a ironic tone through free indirect speech and the thoughts of the words of the characters mix with the voice of the narrator.

Her novels have been characterized as country house novels or comedies of manners. They also have fairy tale elements. The dialogue shapes a distinctive subtly constructed voice for each character. Her characters become better people.

Jane's female characters take charge of their own world. Jane's novels are conservative and progressive. Jane's burlesque is characertized by it's mocking imitation and it's exaggerated, displaced emphasis. In Northanger Abbey, It is believed that Jane pokes fun at gothic novels. She does hint at gothic things in this novel. She doesn't go to the "Jane Eyre" extreme.

Jane is much better known for dialogue and have less narrative and scenic descriptions. What I love about Jane's novels is that she didn't allow women to be treated like they were supposed to be seen and not heard, women married for love and made their own decisions. Women in her novels were starting to roar and be heard as well as being respected. Who doesn't feel at home with a Jane Austen novel?