Info on Jane Austen and P and P/ Her Style

Jane Austen Info

· Had 6 siblings (only one sister—Cassandra)
· Never married
· No formal schooling—was taught by her father (a vicar) and one of her older brothers
· Sang a little; played the piano a little
· Lived in an age of letter-writing; she wrote lots of letters
· Pride and Prejudice was first entitled as First Impressions and was rejected by publisher
· Book was finally published in 1813 under its present title

Her Style:

1) She uses irony extensively.
2) She uses indirect and direct characterization; she uses indirect characterization to allow readers to form their own impressions of some of her characters, and then she directly characterizes those characters later.
3) Personalities are often conveyed through dialogue.

10 things to consider in Pride and Prejudice

Things to consider while studying P and P:
1. The realization that human nature remains the same, no matter how different the customs or the time
2. The importance of the ability to recognize irony
3. The awareness that first impressions need to be reexamined
4. The belief that proper pride in self is necessary
5. The understanding that prejudice can destroy the possibility of healthy relationships and personal growth
6. The ability to define self in identifying values which influence decisions
7. The realization that not money or appearance or marriage guarantees happiness
8. The role of humor in dealing with life’s difficulties
9. The influence parents can have on children
10.the realization that maturation involves giving up preconceived ideas
and admitting when one is wrong

Guide to note-taking on aspects of a Close Reading

Themes: 1. wistful and magical quality of memory
2. connection to the land
3. history of Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

How do these themes relate to others outside the immediate passage?

This story is a prose nonfiction work that, through childhood memories, interweaves the history of the Ondaatje family with the history of the land. The historical aspects of Ceylon are brought to the fore via the lens of the narrator’s imagination as he views an old map of his homeland and wistfully recounts its various political and sociological changes down through the years.

Gender: The passage constructs gender through the use of the noun “pendant,” comparing Ceylon to a “pendant off the ear of India,” and I take that to mean something valuable and precious, like an expensive piece of jewelry; and since this part of the world is known for its sapphires and rubies, I envision the author comparing Ceylon to a beautiful, exquisite, exotic woman.

History: A history of the land is narrated through the markings and drawings on the edges of a map on Ondaatje’s brother’s wall in Toronto. This “mantling” depicts Ceylon’s history through a “white queen” representative of European colonization and “a Moorish king” who represents the introduction of Islam to the island nation.