Publications

Chang, H. C. (2012). The Limitations of the Reflector-Character in The Ambassadors. Issues in English Language Teaching and Learning at Tertiary Level: Asian Perspectives, 217-225. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Chang, H. C. (2014). The Impact of the Feminist Heroine: Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 3(3) 76-82. Australian International Academic Center.

A Pragmatic Analysis of Verbal Irony in Pride and

Prejudice

Verbal irony plays a major role in character construction in Jane Austen’s 1813 novel, Pride and Prejudice.

Character construction is not often studied in linguistics in the presence of discourse irony.

The approach is a two-tiered method incorporating speaker intent and hearer uptake.

Background

1

Character Construction

Discourse constructs the topic, and knowledge about the topic acquires authority, infusing a “truth” about it (Hall, 1992:

293). According to Foucault, discourse takes shape as knowledge with the words carrying their own power.

Subjection: “that reiterative power of discourse to produce the phenomena that it regulates and constrains” (Butler, 1993: 2).

Butler’s theory of subjection, influenced by Beauvoir (1976)

and Foucault (1980), is identity creation via linguistic means.

2

3

Modified Speech Act Theory

Character Construction through Performatives

Declarations + Subjection = Performatives

Example: John says to Mary’s good friend Amy, (PER)

“Mary is not a fun person to be friends with.”

4

Echoic Theory of Verbal Irony

Emphasizes speaker’s perspective of hearer uptake

Verbal irony is called a kind of “echoic allusion” credited to some previously existing idea, utterance or even a social norm (Wilson & Sperber, 1992; 2012).

Echoic allusion: ironist believes the idea to be ridiculous, untruthful, deficient, or otherwise unsuitable when said (Wilson, 2006). 5

Classification

Modified Speech Act Theory & Echoic AllusionSpeech acts’ infelicity (unconventional

speech acts) shows through echoic allusion, verifying verbal irony.

Example: (ASR) “The pie is made just the way I like to eat it, unsweetened so I can add the sugar to my taste.” (pg. 35)

6

Echoic Groupings of Verbal Irony

(Critical) (Apprehensive/Civil) (Friendly)

Derived from echoic theory’s allusions

Disagreement Neutral Agreement

7

(Humorology) Incongruity and Superiority Theories

Incongruity Theory (e.g. Norrick, 2003)

Incongruity-resolution (Buijzen & Valkenburg, 2004)

Dual layers of literal and figurative meanings

Resolution is realization of irony

Superiority theory: explains the motivation behind verbal irony (e.g. Morreall, 2009)

Socially, economically, intelligently, educationally, materialistically, or emotionally

Banter principle (Leech, 1983; Nowik, 2005)

Impolite on the surface, but polite in essence8

Support for incorporating humorology for explication of

verbal irony

“The incongruity-resolution theory may be combined with the superiority approach, each accounting for distinct sources of humor which coincide in sarcastic irony.”

(Dynel, 2013: 313; etc.)

9

10

Hypotheses Characterization through verbal irony

is represented via speaker intent and hearer uptake.

Echoic groupings depict characterization when utterances are comprised of disagreement, neutral, and agreement echoic groupings.

11

RationaleThree-step Argument:

Step 1. Performative speech acts depict characterization.

(Butler’s performative speech act)

Step 2. Performative speech acts have a correlation with echoic groupings. (SPSS results)

Step 3. Echoic groupings show characterization.

12

Test ResultsSPSS bivariate tests inspect relationship between

each speech act classification and three echoic groupings.

Data comprised of 157 total ironical speech acts, 81 are ironical performative speech acts.

Performative speech acts have a correlation with the three echoic groupings.

Therefore, echoic groupings depict characterization.

13

Echoic Groupings

14

Data Analysis

81 ironical performative speech acts analyzed out of all 157 ironical utterances, which are used to determine echoic grouping dominance.

Three phases of plot based on dominant echoic groupings:Disagreement Dominant Phase

Neutral Dominant Phase

Agreement Dominant Phase

15

PERs between Pride and Prejudice’s

Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth

16

Disagreement Dominant Phase Example

(PER11.19) “And your defect is to hate everybody.” (Elizabeth)

(PER11.20) “And yours,” he replied with a smile, “is willfully to misunderstand them.” (Mr. Darcy)

(Austen, 2003: 57)

Conversational theme of “Ridicule”

Elizabeth mocks Mr. Darcy through an ironical overstatement, constructing his character as hateful.

Incongruity in Elizabeth’s echo is the fact that everybody dislikes Mr. Darcy, revealing her and society’s perception that he is very proud (Austen, 2003: 18).

Mr. Darcy constructs Elizabeth’s identity through his verbal irony which alludes to her independent way of thinking shown through her “willfulness,” unlike Mr. Bingley and Caroline who lack a strong will.

Social Views

17

Neutral Dominant Phase Example

(PER31.01) “and I have had the pleasure of your acquaintance long enough to know that you find great enjoyment in occasionally professing opinions which in fact are not your own.” (Mr. Darcy)

. . . .

(PER31.02) “I am particularly unlucky in meeting with a person so able to expose my real character, in a part of the world where I had hoped to pass myself off with some degree of credit.” (Elizabeth)

(Austen, 2003: 170)

Conversational theme of “Apprehensive Banter”

Mr. Darcy’s verbal irony is an echo of his previous ironical assessment of Elizabeth’s opinionated nature to stress her judgmental character.

Incongruity is found in Mr. Darcy’s use of “pleasure” for he did not approve of Elizabeth imposing her own opinions on him.

Superiority theory explains Elizabeth’s reciprocal banter which mocks Mr. Darcy’s knowledge for revealing her “true” character, emphasizing their similarities in character, as both are proud and judgmental.

Individual Character

18

Agreement Dominant Phase Example

(DIR60.01) “Now be sincere; did you admire me for my impertinence?” (Elizabeth)

(PER60.01) “For the liveliness of your mind, I did.” (Mr. Darcy)

(PER60.02) “You may as well call it impertinence at once.” (Elizabeth)

(Austen, 2003: 359)

Conversational theme of “One Mind”

Through superiority theory, she mocks her own “impertinence” alluding to Mr. Darcy’s initial impression of her, also echoing herself as impertinent in the beginning of their acquaintance (Austen, 2003: 25).

Mr. Darcy echoes himself when he describes that an accomplished woman according to him must focus on cultivating “her mind" (Austen, 2003: 39). His dissociative attitude alludes to his initial disdain for her, illustrating Elizabeth’s profound impact on his moral character to reveal the incongruity.

Elizabeth constructs her own character through her performative speech act to accentuate her feminist perspective and autonomy that Mr. Darcy admires. She alludes to his wisdom to perceive her independent nature, emphasizing their “one mind.”

Inner-Self

19

Findings

Disagreement dominant phase (47 PERs):

Opposing societal views

Neutral dominant phase (24 PERs):

Individual character

Agreement dominant phase (10 PERs):

Inner self

These three phases of characterization concurrently identify major phases within the plot. 2

0

Conclusions

Modification of Searle’s speech act taxonomy to include Butler’s performative speech act provides future researchers a bridge to close the gap between Searle’s taxonomy and characterization.

Echoic groupings allow verbal irony to have greater clarity in the analysis of characterization.

Butler’s theory of subjection, that identities are formed via linguistic means, is influential for analyzing character construction, especially in the presence of discourse irony.

21

Thank you!