Pride And Prejudice Outline Analysis

In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen opens the novel with the line, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (Austen 3). In this line, Austen is mocking what was considered to be a societal norm in the nineteenth century: the trophy wife. In this particular line, the voice that makes this proclamation is feminine. Furthermore, the voice is not only feminine but it also seems to be annoyed by this particular societal norm. The voice makes the proclamation as if it is factual using the phrases “universally acknowledged” and “must be in want.” the usage of these phrases makes the statement come off as over the top, and thus humorous. The first line of Pride and Prejudice