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Irony
in Sense and Sensibility.
Irony
whether comic or tragic arises from
a contrast between appearence and reality
or between what we expect and what actually
happens or what is said and what is
really intended to be said and so on.
These all aspects of irony can be found
in the novel Sense and Sensibility
by Jane Austin.
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Here,
Jane Austin has used irony
to bring out the inward consciousness
and hypocrisy of individuals
and society of that time.
Specially her irony directed
at individuals like Fanny
Dashwood. She is portrayed
as a scheming women driven
by avarice (greed for wealth).
She becomes able to make her
husband, John Dashwood, a
puppet. John Dashwood decides
to do those acts what have
been proposed by his wife,
Fanny. For instance, Fanny
convinces John Dashwood that
no monetary help needed to
be given at all to his step
mother and step sisters.
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As a result
at the end John decides that it is really
not for him to do anything more for
them. It is quite ironic scene of the
novel. Austin's potrayal of sir John
Middleton and Lady Middleton is also
ironic in the sense that Ausin highlights
their idle existence. Furthermore,
there it another irony in the characterization
of Mr. Palmer and Mrs. Jennings. Mr.
Palmer is described as entering the
room with a look of self importance,
slightly bowing to the ladies without
speaking a word and after briefly surveying
them, picking up a newspaper from the
table and reading it as long as he stayed
in room. Likewise, through crude joke
gossip Mrs. Jennings is depicted as
ironic character. One she hears the
conversation between colonel Bradon
and Elinor. She thinks that colonial
has proposed Elinor for marriage. But
actually he is telling her another thing
so, Irony arises here from the contrast
between the reality and what Mrs. Jenni,
understands by overhearing only a few
concluding words.
The
greatest irony can be found in Robert's
marriage to luck steele. Lucy is not
gaining support by Mrs. Ferras as daughter
in-law. At the same time, Robert because
of his concern about his family prestige,
has been pleading with Lucy to withdraw
her claim to marry Edward. But Lucy
is very cunning girl. She says she would
try to accede to his request but she
is talking to Robert in such a cunning
manner that they elope in order to get
married. Here also irony arise in the
sense that there is contrast between
what expected by everybody and what
happens actually. We can find irony
in Mrs. Farrar's treatment too. Her
overindulgence towards Robert and quick
forgiveness to Lucy have also ironically
presented by Austin. In this way, this
novel Sense and Sensibility
carries the aspect of irony which was
explicitly presented by the novelist
Jane Austin.
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