Narrator’s Influence in Pride and Prejudice Anonymous 12th Grade

In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen leads the reader through the lives of multiple characters who are all part of the upper-class, Victorian life (a major component of the late 18th and early 19th century). Austen uses a style of writing known as free indirect discourse throughout the novel, which allows her to shift around from character to character, letting the reader in on important details that they wouldn’t otherwise know. Austen’s use of this point of view gives the narration of the novel a classy, upper-hand compared to other British literature of the time. Charlotte Lucas, the best friend of main character Elizabeth Bennet, is one of the characters that Austen uses this point of view to describe. Through the use of free indirect discourse, the narrator in Pride and Prejudice influences the characterization of Charlotte Lucas through the descriptions of Charlotte herself, of her actions, and of her marriage.

The narrator of Pride and Prejudice gives the reader insider information on Charlotte Lucas through the description of Charlotte herself. The first mention of Charlotte is very early on in the novel, and although short, the sentence is very telling. The narrator says, “They (the Lucas’s) had several children. The...