Irony as a Device of Character Development in the Novels by Jane Austen

Student: Lekhner Valeriia

Supervisor: J.B. Platt

Educational Programme: Philology (Bachelor)

Year of Graduation: 2019

The concept of irony is a heavily theorized subject in literary theory; and Jane Austen uses irony as a narrative technique in her novels for many purposes one of which is character development. Theoretical background suggests that the notion of distance is a crucial component of irony and the ironist is always at a distance from the intended audience. Moreover, the distance forces the component of morality into the concept of irony. This paper concentrates on the notion of ethical irony and morality and its influence on the use of irony. In Austen’s Emma and Pride and Prejudice the irony as a device for character development is used in a connection with moral growth of every character and the development of their morality leads to the changes of their ironic behavior. The analysis of the text is based on the dialogues of the characters and the instances of ironic utterances in direct speech.

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