Joe Bray | The University of Sheffield (original) (raw)
Edited Books by Joe Bray
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The Language of Jane Austen
In this chapter Bray turns to a frequently-discussed aspect of Austen’s style: the way in which s... more In this chapter Bray turns to a frequently-discussed aspect of Austen’s style: the way in which she represents the thoughts and feelings of her characters. While not denying the innovativeness of her use of free indirect thought (often considered to be her greatest contribution to the English novel), he argues that a full appreciation of Austen’s subtle examination of character psychology is best advanced by considering the often rapid alternations between categories of thought representation, rather than by a focus on one technique alone. Free indirect thought is often combined in particular passages with the slightly different, even more ambiguous technique of narrated perception, for example. The chapter investigates the complex blend of techniques through which the thought processes of all Austen’s heroines are represented.
The Language of Jane Austen
The Language of Jane Austen
The Language of Jane Austen
Romanticism and the Letter
Rethinking Language, Text and Context
This chapter examines a commonplace in Austen criticism: the association between the correct use ... more This chapter examines a commonplace in Austen criticism: the association between the correct use of language and moral worth. While those characters who use language imprecisely in her fiction are often shown to be disagreeable or dishonest, it is also the case that those who are over-precise and prescriptive are not endorsed unequivocally. With particular attention to Sense and Sensibility and Emma, Bray argues that the vulgar use of language can be a sign of moral goodness in Austen’s fiction, and that those who judge others on their linguistic habits are often the target of satire.
This chapter focuses on the most significant recent addition to the original Leech and Short (Sty... more This chapter focuses on the most significant recent addition to the original Leech and Short (Style in Fiction: A Linguistic Introduction to English Fictional Prose. Harlow: Longman, 1981) model: the writing presentation scale. A discussion of the complexity of the letter form in Austen’s early writing (especially the sharply satirical Lady Susan), is followed by a consideration of the ways in which letters are represented in her mature novels. Bray demonstrates that epistolary style is highly revealing of character in Austen’s fiction, and that the ways in which letters are read are often crucial. Focusing on examples from Mansfield Park and Pride and Prejudice, he argues that they are often the site of deep reflection Austen’s fiction, and that the responses they generate are in turn represented through a complicated mixture of stylistic techniques.
This chapter considers Jane Austen’s subtle use of different ways of representing speech in her f... more This chapter considers Jane Austen’s subtle use of different ways of representing speech in her fiction, and the effects on the interpretation of characters and events. Bray outlines the speech and thought presentation model first developed by Leech and Short (Style in Fiction: A Linguistic Introduction to English Fictional Prose. Harlow: Longman, 1981), and its subsequent revisions. He discusses the frequent shifts between categories on the speech presentation scale in passages from Austen’s novels, as well as her use of free indirect speech within quotations. Contrary to most critical opinion, he argues that this style is not only used for ironic effect in Austen’s fiction. The chapter finishes by considering how the speech of two of Austen’s less voluble heroines, Fanny Price in Mansfield Park and Anne Elliot in Persuasion, is represented.
Jane Austen’s letters contain few insights into her practice or philosophy as a writer. A series ... more Jane Austen’s letters contain few insights into her practice or philosophy as a writer. A series of letters in 1814 to her niece Anna offer comments and advice on the ongoing novel which this budding author has sent her aunt for feedback, but these are mainly of a practical nature, concerning such matters as names, titles and etiquette (‘And when Mr Portman is first brought in, he wd not be introduced as the Honble—That distinction is never mentioned at such times;—at least I beleive not’). The majority of the letters which survive are concerned with day-to-day, rather than literary or intellectual, concerns. Jane’s letters to her sister Cassandra in particular are full of commonplace gossip between sisters, which could strike a modern reader as trivial, even frivolous. Their structure and style are, as many critics have noticed, akin to the spontaneity and rapidity of speech. In the novels such breathless letters are frequently a sign of negligent behaviour, even moral weakness. Ho...
The Language of Jane Austen
In this chapter Bray turns to a frequently-discussed aspect of Austen’s style: the way in which s... more In this chapter Bray turns to a frequently-discussed aspect of Austen’s style: the way in which she represents the thoughts and feelings of her characters. While not denying the innovativeness of her use of free indirect thought (often considered to be her greatest contribution to the English novel), he argues that a full appreciation of Austen’s subtle examination of character psychology is best advanced by considering the often rapid alternations between categories of thought representation, rather than by a focus on one technique alone. Free indirect thought is often combined in particular passages with the slightly different, even more ambiguous technique of narrated perception, for example. The chapter investigates the complex blend of techniques through which the thought processes of all Austen’s heroines are represented.
The Language of Jane Austen
The Language of Jane Austen
The Language of Jane Austen
Romanticism and the Letter
Rethinking Language, Text and Context
This chapter examines a commonplace in Austen criticism: the association between the correct use ... more This chapter examines a commonplace in Austen criticism: the association between the correct use of language and moral worth. While those characters who use language imprecisely in her fiction are often shown to be disagreeable or dishonest, it is also the case that those who are over-precise and prescriptive are not endorsed unequivocally. With particular attention to Sense and Sensibility and Emma, Bray argues that the vulgar use of language can be a sign of moral goodness in Austen’s fiction, and that those who judge others on their linguistic habits are often the target of satire.
This chapter focuses on the most significant recent addition to the original Leech and Short (Sty... more This chapter focuses on the most significant recent addition to the original Leech and Short (Style in Fiction: A Linguistic Introduction to English Fictional Prose. Harlow: Longman, 1981) model: the writing presentation scale. A discussion of the complexity of the letter form in Austen’s early writing (especially the sharply satirical Lady Susan), is followed by a consideration of the ways in which letters are represented in her mature novels. Bray demonstrates that epistolary style is highly revealing of character in Austen’s fiction, and that the ways in which letters are read are often crucial. Focusing on examples from Mansfield Park and Pride and Prejudice, he argues that they are often the site of deep reflection Austen’s fiction, and that the responses they generate are in turn represented through a complicated mixture of stylistic techniques.
This chapter considers Jane Austen’s subtle use of different ways of representing speech in her f... more This chapter considers Jane Austen’s subtle use of different ways of representing speech in her fiction, and the effects on the interpretation of characters and events. Bray outlines the speech and thought presentation model first developed by Leech and Short (Style in Fiction: A Linguistic Introduction to English Fictional Prose. Harlow: Longman, 1981), and its subsequent revisions. He discusses the frequent shifts between categories on the speech presentation scale in passages from Austen’s novels, as well as her use of free indirect speech within quotations. Contrary to most critical opinion, he argues that this style is not only used for ironic effect in Austen’s fiction. The chapter finishes by considering how the speech of two of Austen’s less voluble heroines, Fanny Price in Mansfield Park and Anne Elliot in Persuasion, is represented.
Jane Austen’s letters contain few insights into her practice or philosophy as a writer. A series ... more Jane Austen’s letters contain few insights into her practice or philosophy as a writer. A series of letters in 1814 to her niece Anna offer comments and advice on the ongoing novel which this budding author has sent her aunt for feedback, but these are mainly of a practical nature, concerning such matters as names, titles and etiquette (‘And when Mr Portman is first brought in, he wd not be introduced as the Honble—That distinction is never mentioned at such times;—at least I beleive not’). The majority of the letters which survive are concerned with day-to-day, rather than literary or intellectual, concerns. Jane’s letters to her sister Cassandra in particular are full of commonplace gossip between sisters, which could strike a modern reader as trivial, even frivolous. Their structure and style are, as many critics have noticed, akin to the spontaneity and rapidity of speech. In the novels such breathless letters are frequently a sign of negligent behaviour, even moral weakness. Ho...
This chapter investigates another commonly-held critical opinion: that Jane Austen is distrustful... more This chapter investigates another commonly-held critical opinion: that Jane Austen is distrustful of figurative language and prefers literal forms. Although it is true that those characters who do speak with double tongue in her fiction do come in for censure, especially in Mansfield Park, this chapter argues that towards the end of her career, in her final, unfinished work, Austen experiments with new forms of figurative expression. Focusing especially on the figure of metonymy, Bray demonstrates a preoccupation in the fragment Sanditon with names and what they signify. In this text, he shows, names carry far-reaching associations and frequently generate a confusing swirl of points of view which disrupts the literal, surface narrative.
1. Introduction: Consciousness, The Novel and The Letter 2. Sex and Politics: The Epistolary Nove... more 1. Introduction: Consciousness, The Novel and The Letter 2. Sex and Politics: The Epistolary Novel before 1740 3. Reserve and Memory: Richardson and the Experiencing Self 4. Sentiment and Sensibility: The Late Eighteenth-Century Letter 5. From First to Third: Austen and Epistolary Style 6. Postcript: The Case of Herzog