Who is the narrator in Pride and Prejudice?
The narrator in this novel is an anonymous, third-person omniscient narrator. This means that the story is told by an unnamed narrator who stands outside of the characters and events and and provides knowledge and information about them. A third-person narrator is not part of the actual story. (Another major type of narration is first-person narration, when a character directly relates the story to the reader.)
As well as providing external information about characters - their appearance, their background, and so on - an omniscient, third person narrator can also relay the thoughts and feelings of the characters. Additionally, this kind of a narrator can provide his/her own commentary on the characters and action. There are numerous examples of this in Jane Austen's novels, and the ironic, penetrating observations that the narrator makes about people and society can be readily taken as Jane Austen's own. Pride and...
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Prejudice begins with what is perhaps the most famous single observation in all of Austen's work:
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
Straightaway we can note that this is not an observation that proceeds from any of the characters, but from the narrator. With this humorous, ironic comment on the preoccupations and expectations of society, the narrator sets the tone for the story and sums up what it's all going to be about: the search for suitable marriage partners, which in social terms is based largely on economic and material considerations. These sly observations are peppered throughout the story, adding much to the delightful overall humour of the book. However, the narrator does not make her presence feel too obtrusive at any time.
Is Elizabeth Bennet a reliable narrator?
An interesting question is whether Austen structures Elizabeth's character so that she represents a reliable character or an unreliable character. While the terminology for unreliability in literature was first coined by Wayne Booth in 1961, unreliability in literary characters and narrators has been existent since Roman times.
Are there any instances in which Elizabeth's understanding and thus her statements and thoughts have proven unreliable? We know that her understanding of Darcy and Wickham are proven unreliable. When new light is shed on their situations—in the Rosings letter and at Pemberley—Darcy is vindicated and proven honorable, though proud, while Wickham is proven villainous, vengeful and greedy. Are there other instances of faulty understanding and unreliability?
Instances of Elizabeth's Unreliability
- Her misunderstanding of Charlotte's stated views on love and marriage.
- Her reaction to Charlotte's engagement to Collins.
- Her misunderstanding of Charlotte's tolerance of Lady Catherine.
- Her misunderstanding of Charlotte's tolerance of and gratitude toward Collins.
- Her thoughts about Charlotte upon ending her visit to Hunsford Parsonage.
- Her initial approval of and affection for Wickham.
- Her immediate disapprobation of Darcy.
- Her failure to see her father, mother and younger sisters the way others correctly see them as, in order, being neglectful, proud, and uncontrolled.
Instances of Elizabeth's Reliability
- Her comments to Jane about Jane's character flaw: Jane thinks no ill of anyone.
- Her accurate understanding of Aunt and Uncle Gardner.
- Her dislike of the Bingley sisters.
- The sincere, genuine and unaffected nature of her character as illustrated by walking to Netherfield and keeping Jane company.
- The sincere and genuine expression of her opinions: she is not duplicitous, though she is civil.
- Her resistance to inappropriate influence such as her resistance to Lady Catherine's pressures about her piano playing.
Narrator's Role in Establishing Elizabeth's Unreliability
How does the narrator develop Elizabeth as an unreliable character while building a depth of sympathy and affection for her?
The use of irony: irony pokes fun at characters' folly and at inconsistency in situations.
The use of indirect dialogue through which the narrator extensively reveals a wealth of Elizabeth's thoughts, musings, inner debates and feelings.
The development of Elizabeth as an avid and astute observer of others and of human foibles (though she misunderstands and misinterprets what she observes).
The development of Elizabeth as confident and kindhearted. She does not take insults to heart, but rather she laughs at them and, as with Darcy and the Bingley sisters, keeps them at arm's length.
The conclusion of this examination of Elizabeth's reliability as a character is that Austen uses the ironic and intrusive (close in proximity and active in commenting) narrator to establish Elizabeth as an observant yet unreliable character because of her prejudicial and prideful misunderstandings and misinterpretations. We know about these through indirect dialogue, which allows ironic narratorial comment to shed the light of understanding on individual instances even though Elizabeth doesn't see it.
Is Jane a reliable narrator in Pride and Prejudice?
The first issue here is whether by "Jane" you mean the authorial voice of Jane Austen or the character Jane Bennett, sister to the protagonist Elizabeth.
The novel is narrated in the third person, with Elizabeth normally functioning as the viewpoint character. Elizabeth often criticizes Jane as being too trusting and imagining others to be as kind and open as she is. In matters of the heart, though, at times Jane's instincts prove more astute than Elizabeth's cleverness; she is better at perceiving love and weaker at perceiving malice.
For the third person narrator, we have no immediate reason to distrust it. In most novels before modernism, third person narrators were presumed to be reliable. That is not to say that the narrator does not have a strong viewpoint. The narrator is obviously partisan, sympathizing with Elizabeth, and giving short shrift both the practicality of Charlotte Lucas and even the feelings and aspirations of members of the Bennett family other than Jane, Elizabeth, and Mr. Bennett. On the other hand, the narrative voice is cool and rational, demonstrating great skill at observation and precision in the use of language, characteristics that make us trust its judgment.