Pride And Prejudice How Does Austen Tell The Story In Chapter 19?

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Pride and Prejudice-Jane Austen 17 (a) How does Austen tell the story in Chapter 19? Chapter 19 of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is the chapter in which Mr Collins proposes marriage to the novel’s heroine Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth, however rejects his proposal. This is quite an important section of the novel as it eventually leads to the proposal f marriage from Mr Darcy To tell the story in this chapter Jane Austen has employed a number of different techniques. As with all of Pride and Prejudice the story is told by an omniscient narrator in the third person. This helps create perspectives from all the different characters, which in this chapter is mainly Elizabeth and Mr Collins. As well as using the third person to help aid the telling of chapter 19, as with most of the novel, the story of Elizabeth’s rejection of Mr Collins is told through the dialogue between characters “ I am very sensible of the honour of your proposals, but it is impossible for me to do otherwise than decline them”. This doesn’t just allow the reader to gain an incite into the story but also helps them to draw their own conclusions about the characters. For instance, Mr Collins long, pompous speeches help the reader to realise his character within the novel and how he is a person who is full of pride in himself (which is one of the themes of the novel). Chapter 19 also contains authorial intervention. The authorial intervention in this chapter helps to not only tell the story but commentates the dialogue of the characters “she could not use the short pause he allowed in any attempt to stop him farther, and he continued.” The authorial intervention seems to show Austen’s annoyance towards Mr Collins who seems to constantly talk and helps make the reader sympathise with Elizabeth for being on the other end of his constant speeches. In all, through Austen’s use of the third

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