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Abstract：This paper tries to make a tentative application of speech –act theory to the analysis of irony in “Pride and Prejudice”, as the author believes that irony is the fundamental feature of the novel The analysis from a macro–angle is done by investing the ironic speech acts performed by the characters in their communication with each other The investigation forcefully demonstrates the irony of various forms in a literary book, just like irony in “ordinary language”, can also be properly described within the frame–work of speech–act theory Thus, it also further proves the applicability of speech–act theory literary criticism
Key words：speech act theory; irony; ironic speech act; literary criticism
The definition of Speech Act Theory and Irony
Speech is not only used to state, depict or explain,but usually used to actualize a certain act The theory of actualizing a certain act successfully through speech is called speech act theory [1]The theory was first advanced by an English philosopher JL Austin in his “How to Do Things with Words” He is the founder–member of speech act theory After this theory was advanced, it greatly affects the linguistics field and becomes the focus of linguistic research With the development of this theory by American linguist Searle, people has applied this theory to the research of philosophy, linguistics, psychology, literary criticism and many other fields
Research of Ironic Speech Acts in Pride and Prejudice
Irony is an implicit skill which runs through the character and plot development and expresses the opposite intention of the fact and ostensible statement; Irony is a means which implies the separation with material, subject and feeling [2]Ｅg: Literary irony is not only used as the language skills which incarnate the homonymous tacts in dialogue, but also makes the use of different views between readers and characters in the articles It makes the character’s speech act contrast to express the subtle irony Lu Xun once said: “The life of irony is reality, not quondam fact, but it must be truth in the mind” [3]
Irony is the most distinct feature in Austen’s novel Her magnum opus-Pride and Prejudice is famous for irony Irony is the topic that people talk racially in critics on Jane Austen “She considers that irony doesn’t mean the transcend of mortality or superiority complex followed with the transcend of morality” [4]The characteristic of Austen’s irony is “The two opposite views in statement is not only noninterference, but also always concordant They reach a harmonious bourn with two opposite laws” [5] According to the theory of Van Dijk above-mentioned, the paper tries to the analysis of irony in “Pride and Prejudice”, as the author believes that irony is the fundamental feature of the novel The analysis is from macro-angle
Macro Ironic Speech Acts in “Pride andPrejudice”
It’s well-known that the main reason why the famous English female writer Jane Austen’s one of magnum opus-Pride and Prejudice can reach the range of famous world works is because the irony which runs through the whole novel The scene depiction of Austen’s novel always neglects the particular depiction about sight and characters, it’s mostly formed of dialogue it always be the example of “ irony with tact and tableau”[6] Austen’s novel plot is not famous is not famous for flections, but it spreads freely and has religious framework “Every chapter has continuity”; “according to the mode of going forward little by little to drive the coming of end” [7] Irony runs through the plot framework The writer narrates a story about a group of young girls looking for husband in the style of irony and deprecates the whacky value concept in society at that time It is main speech acts which the author did though irony This kind of speech acts represents in depiction, out spread of story and end in novel
At the beginning of the novel, it says: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single main in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” [8］(P1)When the reader reads this sentence, his realization to the name and the writer of this novel As a kind of literary work, the label “novel” tells readers that it is a descriptive discourse, now that this beginning sentence closely follows the abstract and the title of this novel so we “conclude this sentence mist be as the continuance of the abstract of simple summary in the story or the evaluation towards the deed which is to be depicted [9］ (P166) The main speech acts in the sentence asserts a truth, but it is impossible that the readers consider the truths are universally acknowledged, so the readers can assume that the writer hints the relater sneering at somebody We can understand the relater like this: through nobody once made this manifesto, the characters (eg: Mr Bennet who intently wants to marry her daughters to rich man and Lucas’ daughters who take marriage as the aim of life) in the novel just cognize this truth and take it as the rules of communicating The man who said these
Words seems to make an assumptive manifesto in the position of bachelors, but the bachelors may not recognize the manifesto and the readers may oppugn, so the relater of the story (the author of the novel) violates deliberately the first rule of Grice’ s theory of cooperative principles, namely “Maxims of quality” According to Grice’s theory of cooperative principles, it is becomes conservational meaning), the relater says enantiosis According to the economy conditions and social tradition in early 19th century, it’s probably that the unmarried women want to marry rich bachelors Not the rich bachelors as Darcy, Bingley want to marry, but the daughters of Bennet and Lucas look for husbands in a hurry
In the discourse, Mrs Bennet marries her daughters to everyone rich man they have seen before It’s open-and-shut what the writer sneers at The view of the story becomes a contrast with the view of writer and reader Irony comes from this contract
The hermeneutic above can be validated in the second paragraph of the novel:
However little known the feelings a neighborhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters [8］ (P1)
This paragraph encloses the subjective source of the “truth “(fixed in the minds of the surrounding families”), thus, the authenticity of “truth” reduces greatly, and the vigor also weakens in a great degree The use of passive voice in of single man and makes him to be in the passive state The author compares these single men, thus it can strengthen the ironic strain
The author uses the typical irony when she introduces Bingley sisters:
Then were rather handsome, has been educated in one of the first private seminaries in town, had a fortune of twenty thousand pounds, were in the habit of spending more than they ought, and of associating with people of rank; and were therefore in every respect entitled to think well of themselves, and meaning of others [8］ (P12)
The usage of “perhaps” breaks in the fluency of depiction and comes into being suspicion towards the speaker’s pure-heartedness; thereby the readers can comprehend the implied conversational meaning in speaker’s literal meaning So, when the readers fund that Bingley sisters are as untruthful, selfish, hardhearted, snobbish as the implied above, they will not feel erratic In the whole introduction, the main speech acts that the author performs are irony In fact, she doesn’t do the direct evaluation and point-blank attack, her irony is mostly the in direct speech acts
Conclusion
All in all, we analyze tentatively the most essential feature in “Pride and Prejudice” –irony from macro within the framework of speech act theory The investigation forcefully demonstrates that irony of various forms in a literary work, just like irony in ordinary language It also proves the applicability of speech-act-theory literary criticism Speech act theory has great effect in linguistic field We apply it to literary criticism very successfully Speech acts in “Pride and Prejudice” is very characteristic, especially dialogue As pieces are limited, this paper only limits to research irony of speech acts in “Pride and Prejudice” The others, such as the other speech acts of characters are worth researching too If you are interested in speech act theory, you can look for more information Thus, we can have more sufficient realization towards this new research method
References:
［1］ Austin, JL How to Do Things with Words ［M］ Oxford: oxford University Press, 1962
［2］ The Kandom House College Dictionary, 见 “irony” 条
［3］ 《且介亭杂文二集 什么是“讽刺”？》
［4］《外国文学研究资料丛――奥斯丁研究》 朱红编选。《中国文联出版公司》， 151 页。
［5］《论简奥斯丁》， 钱震来 《文艺理论研究》 1988年第一期51页。
［6］ 勃洛厄尔 《光彩夺目：《傲慢与偏见》 中的反讽与虚构》，《奥斯丁研究》 P202
［7］《奥斯丁研究》，P39-49
［8］ Austen, J, Pride and Prejudice ［M］ Oxford: Oxford University Press,1983 (1970版)
［9］ Pratt, ML, Toward a Speech Act theory of Literary Discourse ［M］ Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1977
Key words：speech act theory; irony; ironic speech act; literary criticism
The definition of Speech Act Theory and Irony
Speech is not only used to state, depict or explain,but usually used to actualize a certain act The theory of actualizing a certain act successfully through speech is called speech act theory [1]The theory was first advanced by an English philosopher JL Austin in his “How to Do Things with Words” He is the founder–member of speech act theory After this theory was advanced, it greatly affects the linguistics field and becomes the focus of linguistic research With the development of this theory by American linguist Searle, people has applied this theory to the research of philosophy, linguistics, psychology, literary criticism and many other fields
Research of Ironic Speech Acts in Pride and Prejudice
Irony is an implicit skill which runs through the character and plot development and expresses the opposite intention of the fact and ostensible statement; Irony is a means which implies the separation with material, subject and feeling [2]Ｅg: Literary irony is not only used as the language skills which incarnate the homonymous tacts in dialogue, but also makes the use of different views between readers and characters in the articles It makes the character’s speech act contrast to express the subtle irony Lu Xun once said: “The life of irony is reality, not quondam fact, but it must be truth in the mind” [3]
Irony is the most distinct feature in Austen’s novel Her magnum opus-Pride and Prejudice is famous for irony Irony is the topic that people talk racially in critics on Jane Austen “She considers that irony doesn’t mean the transcend of mortality or superiority complex followed with the transcend of morality” [4]The characteristic of Austen’s irony is “The two opposite views in statement is not only noninterference, but also always concordant They reach a harmonious bourn with two opposite laws” [5] According to the theory of Van Dijk above-mentioned, the paper tries to the analysis of irony in “Pride and Prejudice”, as the author believes that irony is the fundamental feature of the novel The analysis is from macro-angle
Macro Ironic Speech Acts in “Pride andPrejudice”
It’s well-known that the main reason why the famous English female writer Jane Austen’s one of magnum opus-Pride and Prejudice can reach the range of famous world works is because the irony which runs through the whole novel The scene depiction of Austen’s novel always neglects the particular depiction about sight and characters, it’s mostly formed of dialogue it always be the example of “ irony with tact and tableau”[6] Austen’s novel plot is not famous is not famous for flections, but it spreads freely and has religious framework “Every chapter has continuity”; “according to the mode of going forward little by little to drive the coming of end” [7] Irony runs through the plot framework The writer narrates a story about a group of young girls looking for husband in the style of irony and deprecates the whacky value concept in society at that time It is main speech acts which the author did though irony This kind of speech acts represents in depiction, out spread of story and end in novel
At the beginning of the novel, it says: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single main in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” [8］(P1)When the reader reads this sentence, his realization to the name and the writer of this novel As a kind of literary work, the label “novel” tells readers that it is a descriptive discourse, now that this beginning sentence closely follows the abstract and the title of this novel so we “conclude this sentence mist be as the continuance of the abstract of simple summary in the story or the evaluation towards the deed which is to be depicted [9］ (P166) The main speech acts in the sentence asserts a truth, but it is impossible that the readers consider the truths are universally acknowledged, so the readers can assume that the writer hints the relater sneering at somebody We can understand the relater like this: through nobody once made this manifesto, the characters (eg: Mr Bennet who intently wants to marry her daughters to rich man and Lucas’ daughters who take marriage as the aim of life) in the novel just cognize this truth and take it as the rules of communicating The man who said these
Words seems to make an assumptive manifesto in the position of bachelors, but the bachelors may not recognize the manifesto and the readers may oppugn, so the relater of the story (the author of the novel) violates deliberately the first rule of Grice’ s theory of cooperative principles, namely “Maxims of quality” According to Grice’s theory of cooperative principles, it is becomes conservational meaning), the relater says enantiosis According to the economy conditions and social tradition in early 19th century, it’s probably that the unmarried women want to marry rich bachelors Not the rich bachelors as Darcy, Bingley want to marry, but the daughters of Bennet and Lucas look for husbands in a hurry
In the discourse, Mrs Bennet marries her daughters to everyone rich man they have seen before It’s open-and-shut what the writer sneers at The view of the story becomes a contrast with the view of writer and reader Irony comes from this contract
The hermeneutic above can be validated in the second paragraph of the novel:
However little known the feelings a neighborhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters [8］ (P1)
This paragraph encloses the subjective source of the “truth “(fixed in the minds of the surrounding families”), thus, the authenticity of “truth” reduces greatly, and the vigor also weakens in a great degree The use of passive voice in of single man and makes him to be in the passive state The author compares these single men, thus it can strengthen the ironic strain
The author uses the typical irony when she introduces Bingley sisters:
Then were rather handsome, has been educated in one of the first private seminaries in town, had a fortune of twenty thousand pounds, were in the habit of spending more than they ought, and of associating with people of rank; and were therefore in every respect entitled to think well of themselves, and meaning of others [8］ (P12)
The usage of “perhaps” breaks in the fluency of depiction and comes into being suspicion towards the speaker’s pure-heartedness; thereby the readers can comprehend the implied conversational meaning in speaker’s literal meaning So, when the readers fund that Bingley sisters are as untruthful, selfish, hardhearted, snobbish as the implied above, they will not feel erratic In the whole introduction, the main speech acts that the author performs are irony In fact, she doesn’t do the direct evaluation and point-blank attack, her irony is mostly the in direct speech acts
Conclusion
All in all, we analyze tentatively the most essential feature in “Pride and Prejudice” –irony from macro within the framework of speech act theory The investigation forcefully demonstrates that irony of various forms in a literary work, just like irony in ordinary language It also proves the applicability of speech-act-theory literary criticism Speech act theory has great effect in linguistic field We apply it to literary criticism very successfully Speech acts in “Pride and Prejudice” is very characteristic, especially dialogue As pieces are limited, this paper only limits to research irony of speech acts in “Pride and Prejudice” The others, such as the other speech acts of characters are worth researching too If you are interested in speech act theory, you can look for more information Thus, we can have more sufficient realization towards this new research method
References:
［1］ Austin, JL How to Do Things with Words ［M］ Oxford: oxford University Press, 1962
［2］ The Kandom House College Dictionary, 见 “irony” 条
［3］ 《且介亭杂文二集 什么是“讽刺”？》
［4］《外国文学研究资料丛――奥斯丁研究》 朱红编选。《中国文联出版公司》， 151 页。
［5］《论简奥斯丁》， 钱震来 《文艺理论研究》 1988年第一期51页。
［6］ 勃洛厄尔 《光彩夺目：《傲慢与偏见》 中的反讽与虚构》，《奥斯丁研究》 P202
［7］《奥斯丁研究》，P39-49
［8］ Austen, J, Pride and Prejudice ［M］ Oxford: Oxford University Press,1983 (1970版)
［9］ Pratt, ML, Toward a Speech Act theory of Literary Discourse ［M］ Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1977