Passage #1 From Novel It was absolutely necessary to interrupt him now.

You are too hasty, sir, she cried. You forget that I have made no answer. Let me do it without farther loss of time. Accept my thanks for the compliment you are paying me. I am very sensible of the honour of your proposals, but it is impossible for me to do otherwise than decline them. I am not now to learn, replied Mr. Collins, with a formal wave of the hand, that it is usual with young ladies to reject the addresses of the man whom they secretly mean to accept, when he first applies for their favour; and that sometimes the refusal is repeated a second or even a third time. I am therefore by no means discouraged by what you have just said, and shall hope to lead you to the altar ere long. Upon my word, sir, cried Elizabeth, your hope is rather an extraordinary one after my declaration. I do assure you that I am not one of those young ladies (if such young ladies there are) who are so daring as to risk their happiness on the chance of being asked a second time. I am perfectly serious in my refusal. You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world who would make you so. Nay, were your friend Lady Catherine to know me, I am persuaded she would find me in every respect ill qualified for the situation. Were it certain that Lady Catherine would think so, said Mr. Collins very gravelybut I cannot imagine that her ladyship would at all disapprove of you. And you may be certain that when I have the honour of seeing her again I shall speak in the highest terms of your modesty, economy, and other amiable qualifications. Indeed, Mr. Collins, all praise of me will be unnecessary. You must give me leave to judge for myself, and pay me the compliment of believing what I say. I wish you very happy and very rich, and by refusing your hand, do all in my power to prevent your being otherwise. In making me the offer, you must have satisfied the delicacy of your feelings with regard to my family, and may take possession of Longbourn estate whenever it falls, without any self-reproach. This matter may be considered, therefore, as finally settled. (Austen, Pride and Prejudice 92-93)

Analysis of Close Reading In the stiff Regency era, marriage was the ultimate ticket to a happy future, and sometime parents would regard a good spouse with wealth and an excellent upbringing over the happiness of their children. Jane Austen expresses the silliness of the situation in Mr. Collins proposal to Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice through clever word choice, contrasting sentence length, and unusual punctuation to denote sarcasm; this in turn also allows Elizabeth to break free from social expectations by poking fun at the snobbery of the upper class. Austens word choice in the interaction between Mr. Collins and Elizabeth creates humorous melodrama, which emphasizes Mr. Collins pompous nature and Elizabeths exasperation at his garish proposal. After his flowery, drawn-out speech, Elizabeth finds it absolutely necessary to interrupt him now (92). The use of the adverb stresses her irritation at the proposal, showing her resilience against an otherwise prosperous marriage. She firmly believes against marriage without love. Austen then uses the word cried to voice her response to Collinsnot once, but twicewhen the typical said could easily be used in its place (93). The purpose of her word choice was to create mock drama, which accentuates the whimsical nature of the scene and adds to the ridiculousness of Collins proposal. When Collins speaks, his language also shows his general idiocy as a character. He insists that he will praise Elizabeths modesty, economy, and other amiable qualifications the next time he meets Lady Catherine (93). The string of threes here, as well as his choice in traits, gives him a pompous tone characteristic of snobby upper class people. Austen purposefully uses this to poke fun at him and provide contrast with Elizabeths clever way with her own words. This sets the two apart in their views about marriageCollins follows society in the belief that marriage is almost a political affair to benefit two sides in social status and wealth, whereas Elizabeth sticks to her belief that marriage should be for love and happiness. The differences between Elizabeth and Collins are highlighted as well through the length of their sentences. This is also another way Austen makes fun of the upper class. Collins sentences are long and unnecessarily florid, as when he begins, I am not now to learn (93). In contrast, Elizabeths sentences are short and to the point, seen when she states, I am perfectly serious in my refusal (93). This satirical style of writing is symbolic of the stance on marriage Austen takes and the stance she is against. Collins grandiose way of speaking reflects the absurd nature of marriage for social standards; the additional words he uses to prolong his sentences parallels to those unnecessary expectations. Austen therefore uses his long sentences to protest

against a marriage without happiness or love. Elizabeths way of talking, on the other hand, are direct and clear as to what she believes ina representation of Austens own ideals and an opposing symbol on how marriage for love is the obvious path to take. So not only do the differences in Elizabeth and Collins sentence lengths emphasize the arrogance of the upper class, but they are also used to delineate Austens view on appropriate reasons for marriage. Another stylistic detail that is prominent and also strange in this passage is the use of unusual punctuation such as seemingly misplaced parentheses and dashes. These in fact, are not misplaced, but rather another way for Austen to satirize the upper class and voice her beliefs on marriage, this time through the voice of Elizabeth instead of that of Mr. Collins. As she replies, I do assure you that I am not one of those young ladies she cuts herself off with a brief phrase placed in parentheses (93). Parentheses arent normally used in dialogue, especially since their standard meaning isnt usually seen through speech. However, with their presence it almost seems as though Elizabeth is adding those words, filled with sarcasm, under her breath. For readers, this remark is obvious as Elizabethor in this situation, Austenmaking fun of Collins behind his back. Along with the parentheses is the unusual use of dashes, seen when Elizabeth says, You could not make me happy (93). Normally a dash would not start off a sentence, but in this case, Austen uses it to provide emphasis on her remarks against Mr. Collins. Whenever Elizabeth uses a dash, she is defending her position on the purpose of marriage. She stresses the fact that she will marry for happiness and love, and not for anything else. In addition to this, she also makes fun of the upper class by mentioning Lady Catherine, stating, Nay, were your friend Lady Catherine to know me [] she would find me [] ill qualified for the situation (93). With the dashes, Austen is able to speak her opinion on the social barriers of marriage and status. Elizabeth Bennett is a breakthrough character in the society she lives in, a representation and voice for her creator, Jane Austen. Through her stylistic devices and writing texture, Austen distinguishes Elizabeth from the upper class by satirizing the latter and their views. Through this she also expresses her opinion on marriage, one of the most important expectations of Regency society, and allows her to break those walls to her readers and to her world.