Letters formed an essential part of daily life during the period in which “Pride and Prejudice” are set. During the time, most people did not have telephones or other means of communication with one another (Sherry 612). When people were far away from one another, they relied highly on the letter as a means of delivering messages concerning important events to one another. Jane Austen wrote the novel Pride and Prejudice in 1893. Jane Austen was the seventh daughter of a priest who used her novel to teach her own to write several literary works. The novel “Pride and Prejudice” was set during difficult times in England. Still, the author has decided to focus on a fantasy concerning a blissful England where women frequently sit together to gossip. The discussion focuses on the function and importance of letters in “Pride and Prejudice.”
In Pride and Prejudice, letters are used to share important events in the plot and also provide a description of the characters. Through the use of letters in advancing the plot, the reader and the characters can learn of specific events. It enhances the anticipation of the characters to the events they are capable of learning about and also adding to the story. Much information about the characters is learned through correspondence. Jane Austen has used letters to support the communication of her characters beyond the boundaries of the novel’s dialogue. The author is hence able to differentiate her characters from others (Sherry 618). Anticipation is created in the manner in which the letters are waited for a long time before their arrival. The arrival of letters was deemed an essential event since people had already developed the curiosity and the anticipation to know the content of the long-awaited letters. In the novel, the extended time of waiting for the letter can be seen as a barrier to communication. Still, in reality, it ensured that people were keen while reading the highly anticipated letters hence adding higher value to the readers.
The news in the letter, whether good or bad, was vital since it developed the tone or the day. The emotions generated by the people and their actions for the rest of the day was highly reliant on the content of the letters (The Importance of Letters in “Pride and Prejudice.” 1). In her narration, Austen has included certain twenty letters indicating the relevance of correspondence in a closed circle of associates with few amusements other than the sharing of the news. The letter in the narration explains much on social convention and its relevance in the daily lives of the people. “Every day at the Longbourn was now a day of anxiety, but the most anxious part of each was when the post was expected. The arrival of the letters was the first grand object of every morning’s impatience. Through letters, whatever of good or bad was to be told would be communicated, and every succeeding day was expected to bring some news of importance” (Austen 6). It is clear from the narration that letters played an essential role in defining the rest of the day for the people. The morning the letters were expected to arrive, people were anxious since the news from the letter was unknown. People paid a lot of attention to letters since every information concerning the issues in the society was shared through letters.
The use of letters in the chapters of the novel ensures that characters can learn about their counterparts. “When they were gone, Elizabeth…chose… the examination of all… letters Jane had written to her…” (Austen.294). In this narration, Elizabeth is disappointed since Mr. Darcy is still mistreating her sister. She can learn this by reading all the letters written by Jane that indicates a certain sense of unhappiness. The author proceeds to reveal the exposure of the troubles encountered by Jane as Elizabeth continuous to read through her letters. Through the letter to Elizabeth, Jane can share with Elizabeth the misery she is facing in her place of residence. The author makes the reader feel the pain and the misery experienced by Elizabeth and her sister.
The responses of characters in the novel are essential for exposing the personalities of the characters. “The day passed much as the day before… (and) Mr. Darcy was writing, and Miss Bingley…watching the progress of his letter…” (Austen 72). The author demonstrates a personality of humor in Mr. Darcy, which the woman admires. Austen also reveals how certain characters reticulate their colleagues hence exposing the follies of people with the same characteristics as her character. It is coherent from the narration that the important lesson concerning the letters is the gift to perceive the anxieties, hopes, and feelings of others in life. “Miss Bingley’s letter arrived, and…the… the first sentence conveyed the assurance… of being settled in London…” (Austin 208). It is a clear indication of the joy that people feel when they receive good news. The emotions and the feelings of the characters, together with their personality, can be understood from the letters used by the author. The letter also divulges the novel characters. In the letters to Elizabeth, Jane mentions that she is okay with the reality that Mr. Bingley is no longer her love. When she recalls the happy moments, it still pains her. The letter is used to reveal the intimate relationship that exists between two sisters and portrays Jane as a caring sister.
Generally, the function and the importance of letters in “Pride and Prejudice” involves the significance of revealing the personality of different characters and how letters were valued. Letters during the period the novel was set were considered vital since they played a role in defining the rest of the day. The letter also revealed the joy and the sadness of the people concerning the content of the letters. A societal difference between characters is also revealed by the author thorough the use of letters in her novel.