Writing an Analytical Essay

You are going to be writing an essay on one aspect of Pride and Prejudice 

Choose one question to answer from the list below: 

A) How does Austen present Lizzy Bennet's character in Pride and Prejudice?

B) Explore the ways that Austen presents the role of women in Georgian England.

C) Austen initially titled the novel 'First Impressions'. To what extent do you

think Pride and Prejudice' a more fitting title?

D) 'In Pride and Prejudice, marriage is primarily presented as an economic

arrangement.' How far, and in what ways, do you agree with this view?
Your essay will need: an introduction, 3 – 5 main paragraphs, and a conclusion
Introduction:
What do I think about this character/ theme in the novel? Why? Do I agree
with the statement?
Which parts of the novel will I focus on?

Paragraph 1: 
What main idea/ point in the novel proves what I think? Find 2-3
quotes that prove your idea/
Analyse language & structure
Paragraph 2: 
What main idea/ point in the novel proves what I think? Find 2-3 quotes
that prove your idea
Analyse language & structure

Paragraph 3: 
What main idea/ point in the novel proves what I think? Find 2-3
quotes that prove your idea/
Analyse language & structure

Conclusion:
What is my final opinion on the subject/character/theme?
1. Read the model paragraph below and think about what makes it successful/how it could be improved.

Model Paragraph to question B

Firstly, Austen explores the way women’s lives in the Regency era are confined to domestic issues and
neighbourhood gossip. At the Meryton ball, the narrator states that a ‘report was in general circulation
within five minutes of his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year’. The speed of this rumour creates a
humorous effect, as we see how the women are excited by his wealth, so much so that he is ‘declared much
handsomer than Mr Bingley’. The verb ‘declared’ has connotations of a factual statement, while the
comparative adjective ‘handsomer’ implies that a man’s attractiveness is in direct proportion to his wealth. I
think that Austen is mocking the women for their opinions which are manipulated by money. However,
humour is further created by their quick change of opinion, as Mr Darcy is then described as ‘the proudest,
most disagreeable man in the world’. Austen’s narrator is here voicing the view of Mrs Bennet, using indirect
speech. The hyperbolic tone and double superlatives create a comic effect as they emphasise her extreme
response to him. The narrator’s mocking tone is reinforced when we learn that ‘the Miss Lucases and the
Miss Bennets should meet to talk over a ball was absolutely necessary’. The adverb ‘absolutely’ suggest that
this gossip is a priority for them. I think it is a shame that their conversation is so focused on men and
dances. Perhaps Austen is using satire to criticise how restricted their view of the world is, because a gentry
woman in the Regency era would have to marry well to ensure financial security.

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 Analytical
Writing
HOW TO MAKE PROGRESS

Key Words
• Explore the connotations of words
• Consider different interpretations
• Use several additional short quotations to prove your point
Structure
 Foreshadowing


Order of events
Sentence structure
• Make links/ comparisons between characters, ideas and themes
 Punctuation • Consider the writer’s intentions
 Dialogue/direct speech
 Free indirect speech
• Explore structure looking at overall effect & other characters/scenes
 Showing / Telling

 Personification
• Different interpretations: Try to say TWO things about each word, phrase or
Language

 Similes  technique you zoom in on.



Metaphors
Pronouns
• Include additional quotations
 Adverbs • Include links to other parts of the play


Vocabulary
Bathos
• Consider wider themes and issues
 Hyperbole • Look at drama/staging and the audience
Vocabulary

 Protagonist (main • Choose INTERESTING quotations

character)
 Irony • Explain what they show you
 Narrative perspective • Zoom in on at least 2 words or techniques
 Humour
 Epistolary (use of • Explain the effect on the audience and link to performance
 letters) • Comment on the structure/ drama
Mark Scheme
• You will be assessed on the following criteria:
a) Very good ideas about the question, and an effective argument 
b) A wide range of evidence (quotations from the novel)
c) Developed analysis of the effect of imagery and language. 
d) Developed analysis of the impact of structure (and/or form e.g.
narrative method) 
e) Consideration of the impact on the reader 
f) Developed personal opinion about the theme/character
g) Accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar.
It’s time to start writing!
• Open a new word document and save it in your your named folder on
the shared OneDrive. Call it by your name e.g. Jane essay
• You will have next week’s lessons to work on this as well. Please make
sure it is completed in your OneDrive folder by the end of Friday 1st
May.
• Please proofread it first!