Humour and Irony in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility

International Journal of Research ISSN NO:2236-6124 HUMOUR AND IRONY IN JANE AUSTEN’S SENSE AND SENSIBILITY K.ISHWARYA II M.A ENGLISH, S.T.E.T WOMEN’S COLLEGE, MANNARGUDI V.REGA ASSISTANT PROFESOR, DEPT. OF ENGLISH, S.T.E.T WOMEN’S COLLEGE, MANNARGUDI ABSTRACT The novel ‘Sense and Sensibility’ is rich in ‘Humour and Irony’. The humour of Jane Austen grows subtler in her later novels but it is never again more triumphantly fanny. She has a genius for using irony in her novel. Jane Austen is a first-rate humorist and belong, in fact, to the category of the foremost humorists in English literature. The irony employed by her is, therefore, necessarily of the comic kind. Sir John Middleton is so foolish that he relates Willoughby’s cruelty with his riding, and the folly’s puppies he had given him. Mrs. Palmer sympathies with Marianne by wishing that Combe Magna was not near Cleveland. Her greatest triumph in the use of comic irony is her novel ‘Emma’, ‘Sense and Sensibility’ is somewhat deficient absent from it. The present article examines and analysis the psychological, humour and irony and satire involved in this novel by Jane Austen. INTRODUCTION ‘Jane Austen’ is certainly respected as one of the great humourists in English novel. Comedy is our corresponding weapon against the forces of disintegration within human society, and against the germs of anarchy and defeatism in our own minds. The artistic detachment, which expresses itself in proportion and balance, is pre-requistite of comedy. The sense of humour, though not identical with this kind of detachment usually accompanies of sense of humour. Humour is a kind of poetry, it spring, spontaneous and complete, from and into the mind; but it does not thrive in idle heads or in the company of undisciplined feeling. Irony is a form and kind of humour, it is sly humour. Humour flows on the surface; Irony lies deep, hidden. It is easy to understand humour. It requires a lot of intelligence on the part of the reader to understand irony. Humour can be full throated, irony is silent. In its quiestest from, irony makes a point by what it leaves out rather than what it says; this of course leaves open to the reader a wide field of doubt and conjecture- is any irony intended, and if so what is left out that one would expect to be included. Irony operates thought praise which is lavish and unstinted. Almost the reverse of what is said intended by irony. The comedies of Jane Austen abound in humour and irony. Irony in her way of writings; it is her strong forte. We find humour and irony on almost every page of her novels. Her humour is sweet- tempered, innocent and spontaneous like the sunshine. The irony of Jane Austen is not satire, not dull and painful. Even her tone grows harsh sometimes, and we feel that she is writing satire as when she exposes Collins in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ the satire is so gentle that it does not offend. We find such mild satire in her exposure of the stupidity of Isabella Thorpe, Miss Steele and Mrs. Bennet. There is very thin and slander line that separates her humour from her irony, and her irony from her mild satire. The distinction reats on tone and motion ‘Sense and Sensibility’ abounds ‘Humour and Irony’. Volume VIII, Issue I, January/2019 Page No:364 International Journal of Research ISSN NO:2236-6124 HUMOUR AND IRONY IN JANE AUSTEN’S SENSE AND SENSIBILITY Jane Austen shows herself absolute mistress of the art of humour in the novel. She praises her humour in the followings words, her humour grew subtler, it was never more triumphantly fanny. The second chapter is humorous. The worldly Mr. Dashwood, impressed by dying will of his father, resolves to give his poor half- sisters a thousand pounds piece, then cuts down the sum to five hundred, then to an annuity for their mother, then as that mother is young and might live long, to a present of fifty pounds now and then to kindness, which costs nothing, and then, when circumstances do not allow that cheap gift, he is happy in his mind at having intended it, this is highly humorous. Mrs. Jenningson tip- toes away from the scene of Marianne’s disappointed love as if she thought her young friend’s affliction could be increased by noise. Miss Steele gallantly persists to persuade Elinor to rally her about the doctor. Sir John Middleton resentment of Willoughby’s in constancy is shown after Miss Austen favourite fashion. Willoughby was a keen sportsman, and Sir John is amazed to find his rules of moral excellence reversed. So bold a rider to act thus! Deceitful dog! It was only the last time they met that he had offered him one of folly’s puppies! And this was the end of it this is very spirit of foolishness. What has a man’s conduct to woman to do with his riding and folly’s puppies! The disclosure of Edward Ferrars secret engagement offers her a further opportunity of displaying her absurdity. This young man’s marriage ought to be a matter of no moment to Mrs. Jenningson, yet she hastens to settle his household arrangement for him at once. And Elinor, who loves him, whom he loves, and to whom he is lost in her listener. Mrs. Jenningson exclaims, lord! How sung they might live in such another cottage as yours- or a little bigger- with two maids and two men. Willoughby’s three reason for disliking Colonel Brandon that he threatened him with rain, that he found fault with the hanging of his curricula, and that he cannot persusade him to buy his brown mare are absurd and provoke laughter. It is very humorous to read that Colonel Brandon, who came always to Marianne. She sympathises with her by wishing that combe Magna was not so near Cleveland. She could soon tell at what Coachmaker’s the new carriage was building, by what painter Mr. Willoughby’s portrait was drawn, and at what warehouse Miss. Grey’s clothes might be seen (SS 203). This kind of sympathy is so absurd that it makes us laugh. Mr. Jennings misunderstands that Elinor loves Colonel Brandon, and this confusion causes a lot of humor. When Brandon says about that giving of Delaford living to Edward, I am afraid cannot take place very soon. Mrs. Jenningson think that Brandon does not want an early marriage, and is shocked at so unlover- like a speech. This confusion runs throughout chapter-XL, and provides, like the scene among Stephen. Trinculo and the invisible Ariel in which Trinculo is beaten, a lot of knock about fun. Jane Austen shoots the arrows of irony at the character who deviate from sense, taste and virtue, and while her humour is not wholly free from this trid, it is her irony which issues from the lack of it. So while her humour is sweeter than irony, her irony is more pungent than humour. And while humour is pure fun, irony involves some sort of moral. Delicate irony is the keenest weapon of Jane Austen. Sometimes her irony merely colours a turn of phrase as when Elinor, anxious to talk to Lucy Steele without being overheard, is enable to do it under the powerful protection of very magnifier concerto to played by Marianne. Sometimes it blossoms out into digressive passage as when the Dashwood pay their first visit to the Middletons. On every formal visit a child ought to be of the party, by way of provision for disclosure. In the present case it took ten minutes to determine whether the boy was more likes his father or his mother, and in what particular he resembled either for, of course, everybody different was astonished. Volume VIII, Issue I, January/2019 Page No:365 International Journal of Research ISSN NO:2236-6124 This novel is also a dramatic, when Marianne says that a man of five and thirty in flannel waistcoat outlives all acuteness of feeling, and when she challenges the possibility of second love, when deserted by her first lover, Marianne falls back upon second love, and marries Colonel Brandon, a man of thirty seven, in his flannel waist-coat, little did she know at the age of seventeen that she would do the reverse of what she said after two years. she hits at Lady Middleton when she says that she had the advantage of being able to spoil her children all the year round, while Sir John independent employment were in existence were in existence only half the time. She ridicules Mr. John Dashwood who thinks that an offers from Colonel Brandon a legacy from Mrs. Jennings, was the easiest means of atoning for his own neglect. It is no use multiplying these illustration of irony. It is never absent for more than a sentence. CONCLUSION Jane Austen is justly regarded as a great humorist in English fiction. There is an abundance of humour, chiefly ironic humour, in ‘Sense and Sensibility’. There are many occasion on which we smile with amusement, and many occasion when we realize with amusement the irony of a situation or a remark. In the very beginning we have a most amusing account of Fanny Dashwood’s devices to deprive her husband’s relatives of whatever money he would have liked to give them to make their lives comfortable. This initial situation in a novel is indeed, a highlight comedy, Robert Ferrars, Fanny Dashwood and Old Mrs.

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