Austen uses a variety of narrative techniques skilfully blended together to engage the reader. In this passage we see direct narrative from the omniscient narrator rarely. The direct narrative is unobtrusive and is used in order to ‘set the scene’ at the beginning of the passage. One of the first things we notice is the way the narrator addresses the characters. By this point in the novel, the reader feels like they know Elizabeth and this is reinforced by the use of her first name when referring to her. Colonel Fitz-william and Mr Darcy are referred to in a formal manner.
Wickham, on the other hand, is referred to by only his last name, to the reader this cold imply the low regard in which the reader and Elizabeth holds him. The focus on Elizabeth as the character with which the reader’s sympathies lie is not only implied by the use of her first name but also because we see much of this passage through her viewpoint. Within the first paragraph we are told why Elizabeth is there and what she is feeling. Austen’s sense of irony is evident in the way the narrator describes Elizabeth as being ‘so little disposed to part from him in good humour’ when describing her feelings towards Wickham. As the passage progresses we see Elizabeth teasing Wickham, indicating to the reader that her feelings are far more extreme than the narrator implies. Through the use of free indirect speech, the narrator skips over the beginning of the conversation between Wickham and Elizabeth implying that their dialogue is not important on this occasion and that the reader should concentrate on Wickham’s reaction when Elizabeth mentions Mr Darcy.
The Essay on Slavery Benito Cereno And Douglasss Narrative
When inquiring about the comparisons and contrasts between Melvilles Benito Cereno and Frederick Douglasss Narrative of the Life of an American Slave, Written by Himself, the following question almost inevitably arises: Can a work of fiction and an autobiography be compared at all? Indeed, the structure of the two stories differs greatly. Whereas Douglasss Narrative adapts a typical pattern of ...
Wickaham’s reactions to Elizabeth’s mentioning Mr Darcy is seen through Elizabeth’s viewpoint. We begin to see a side of Wickham through his actions and words that has only been assumed by both the reader and Elizabeth to be true.
