English Literature

    Pride and Prejudice is the second novel written by acclaimed author Jane Austen. It was initially written for publication with a different title, First Impressions in 1796. However it was only published in 1813 after Austen revised the manuscript and changed the title to what it is known today, Pride and Prejudice. The story is in fact a commentary of Austen on womens lives in the 19th century. The central character is Elizabeth Bennet. Through her experiences and relationships, Austen explored the different issues that influence womens role in society during her time. The story touches on subjects like morality, ethics, education, family structure, and social status among other things. In doing so, Austen exposed and in a sense challenged the many traditions and practices of the 19th century that painted a stereotypical view of women. Austens powerful storytelling was made even more successful by her choice of technique in this novel. She followed the epistolary tradition of writing wherein third person narration is supported by letters exchanged between characters. This paper will discuss the importance of the letters in Pride and Prejudice and how they contributed to the totality of the story. At the same time, by understanding the importance of letters in the novel, it will ultimately determine why Pride and Prejudice remains one of the most popular and most studied classic stories of all time.

    Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice towards the end of the 18th century, entering the 19th century. During that time, means of communication was limited. Apart from face to face dialogue, the only other way to communicate is through letters. It is no surprise why letters played a major role in Austens novel. Exchange of letters between characters was in fact a realistic illustration of Austens time. It was a common practice in her real environment so it was natural for her to also include this in her story. The use of letters connected the readers of her time to her story as they found a common ground with the characters. On the other hand, the use of letters in the novel gives modern Austen readers a deeper appreciation of the authors time.

    As mentioned earlier Austen followed a style of writing that is somewhat epistolary in tradition. This is also an expression of her times. Epistolary writings reached its height of popularity during the 1700s. Authors thought it best to use this technique to make their creative writings seem more connected with reality. At the same time the exchange of letters between characters provided readers different points of view that a singular third person narration failed to do. By employing this technique in her novel, Austen managed to bring about a closer connection between her characters and the readers (Asanuma, 2008). By the time Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813, epistolary writings have lost its popularity. Even though this was the case, many scholars still believed that Austens novel can still be considered one of the last stories published in this tradition.
While for the reasons mentioned above alone the significance of letters in Pride and Prejudice may already be recognized as a strong interest point, these reasons are not the only things that give value to the story as a whole. There are at least three more reasons why letters play an important role in the novel.

    In chapter 48 of the book, Austen wrote about the role of letters in day-to-day life of people in the 19th century. The arrival of letters was the first grand object of every mornings impatience. Through letters, whatever good or bad was to be told and be communicated (Austen, 2003 ed), this summed up the first reason why letters are significant in the story. In the novel the letters serve as tools to convey information that set-up the events following its revelation. There are many letters in the novel that function this way. One such letter is that written by Jane for her sister, Elizabeth in chapter 7. At this point in the story Jane is physically ill. Through her letter, she let Elizabeth know about her situation, My dearest

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Lizzy, I find myself very unwell this morning, which, I suppose, is to be imputed to my getting wet through yesterday (Austen, 2003 ed). Janes letter does not only let readers know the current state of the character, it also provides a preposition as to why the character is in the state she is in. In this sense, the letter hints on certain happenings that went on in the characters life that are not completely explored in narration. This letter imparted information concerning a characters physical condition but letters are also used to share other forms of information. The letter found in chapter 49 in part reads, all that is required of you is to assure to your daughter, by settlement, her equal share of the five thousand pounds received among your children after the decease of yourself and my sister, and, moreover, to enter into engagement of allowing her, during your life, one hundred pounds per annum (Austen, 2003 ed) Mr. Gardiner sent this letter to Mr. Bennet to inform the latter that settlement is arrived at regarding Wickman. This time the letter is used to impart important information about a change in events in a characters life.

    The second reason why letters are important to this novel is that letters shed light into a characters inner thoughts. Probably the most famous letter in Pride and Prejudice fits into this function. Mr. Darcys letter to Elizabeth that appears in chapter 35 vividly illustrates the kind of person Mr. Darcy is. The letter begins with I write without intention of paining you, or humbling myself, by dwelling on wishes, for the happiness of both, cannot be soon forgotten (Austen, 2003 ed). These words exposed the characters nobility, dignity, and the purity of his intentions and love. The letter allowed Mr. Darcy to be vulnerable in the eyes of the readers that would have been lost behind the external projection of his character. Letters also express a characters emotions. When Lydia writes about her elopement to Harriet, joy was felt through her letter You will laugh when you know where I am gone, and I cannot help laughing myself at your surprise to-morrow morning, as soon as I am missed. I am going to Gretna Green, and if you cannot guess with who, I shall think you simpleton, for there is but one man in the world I love, and his is an angel (Austen, 2003 ed).

    Some of the letters in Pride and Prejudice are dated, with an indication of the place they were written. This is the third function of letters in the story. They provide a depiction of time and place. It is valuable to the story because they allow readers to appreciate the passage of time and therefore have a better understanding of characters growth. The letter of Mr. Gardiner to Mr. Bennet about the settlement with Wickman is a perfect example of this function. At the heading of the letter are the place, Gracechurch-street, the day Monday, and the date, August 2. This shows that the events that preceded and followed the letter were separated by a long period of time.

    The value of letters in Pride and Prejudice lies in their functions as integral part of the story. They serve to inform, show a characters emotions and inner thoughts, and express the passage of time. The letters also depict the reality of Jane Austens time. During her time, letters were the only means of communication between distant relations. Finally, including letters in a story is a clear example of epistolary writing that was famous in the 1700s. The letters in Austens novel are arguably the most famous literary letters ever studied across time. They are what makes Pride and Prejudice one of the most read classics, with over twenty million copies sold. It is the letters that create the greatest impact on readers of all ages and generations. Austen was successful in using them to allow a personal connection to develop between her characters and the readers. In a sense it is the letters that make the Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice distinct and unique as a literary masterpiece.