Revisiting the Pride and Prejudice Essay
The Prompt:
“The true test of comedy is that it shall awaken
thoughtful laughter.”
Choose a scene that or character who
awakens “thoughtful laughter” in the
reader. Write an essay in which you show
why this laughter is “thoughtful” and how
it contributes to the meaning of the work.
What you needed to do…
Decode the prompt:
- Which scene or character? (pick one)
- What does “thoughtful laughter” mean? (define
your terms)
- Why/How is this laughter thoughtful?
- Answer part 2 of the prompt (HINT: DO THIS
BEFORE YOU BEGIN WRITING) :
Austen uses the humor of this scene/character to
show WHAT?? (it’s good if there’s more than
one idea) Be specific as to which
lessons/themes/ideas you wish to explore
through this character/scene.
Common Mistakes
Listing or simply describing funny parts
without connecting to overall meaning
Spending way too long defining
thoughtful laughter or showing why the
scene is funny w/o connecting to overall
meaning
Not being able to get past
characterization: ie. Lizzie is stubborn &
prejudiced and Darcy is prideful
Common Mistakes
Parroting back to me class phrases w/o
showing any new ideas or insights (like,
Austen shows that first impressions need
to be re-examined or Darcy and Lizzie
are blinded by their first impressions
Saying the same message over and over
w/slightly different phraseology (see
above)
Common Mistakes
Being way too general/generic when getting to
how it contributes to meaning, ie.
Overgeneralizing:
- Austen shows her hated of the institution of
marriage (really? All marriages, the end?)
- Austen shows her criticism of social class
(what about it?)
- Austen shows a satire of society and class
hierarchy (yes, she does, but what exactly in
society is she satirizing?)
Note: the above examples are fine in an intro ¶,
but not in the body ¶’s b/c they are too general
Intro Paragraph Samples
In the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen,
many characters serve the purpose of awakening
“thoughtful laughter” in the reader, such as Mr.
Bennet’s witty remarks towards Mrs. Bennet, or
Mrs. Bennet’s embarrassing behavior while trying
to find husbands for her daughters (this implies the
definition of TL, but could do better) A scene
where many of these characters’ flaws and
tendencies are revealed is the first ball, where
Elizabeth first encounters Darcy. (yay, you
identified a scene) In this scene, Austen invokes
“thoughtful laughter” (stop repeating this!) in her
reader by using subtext, dramatic irony, and
presenting uncomfortable situations. (good b/c
specific, but you didn’t add the key idea that she
invokes this IN ORDER TO SHOW WHAT?)
While the word “laughter” connotes humor or a
sense of comedy, the modifier “thoughtful”
imparts a sense of deeper meaning. Thoughtful
laughter cannot be brought about by a simple
gag or one liner, but rather is the result of many
elements, such as irony, or even pity. (nice
defining the term) In Jane Austen’s P and P, TL
is awakened numerous times by the
unfortunate character of Mr. Collins (IN
ORDER TO SHOW WHAT????)
Jane Austen’s P and P is brimming with
ridiculous figures, witty remarks, and at times,
painful irony. As such, the novel may not
produce vocal laugher, but it certainly inspires
“thoughtful laughter.” One scene especially,
Lady Catherine’s confrontation of Elizabeth,
reveals the absurd affectations of social status,
the universal nature of human failings, and the
endearing hope and humility that springs from
love.
Now THAT’S what I mean when I say be
specific rather than use general terms like social
class. It’s only 2 sentences, but it gets to all
parts of the question.
Supporting characters are usually ones who
serve no other purpose than to propel the plot
forward, or otherwise characterize the main
hero or heroine. Yet in P and P, Jane Austen
takes those characters and uses them to point
out the faults in 19th century England. Mr.
Collins’ awkwardly funny scenes allow Austen
to criticize the absurdity of the class hierarchy,
as well as ridicule those who follow it devoutly.
This answers the 2nd part, tho’ I hope it will be
much more fully developed, and implies
definition of TL (“awkwardly funny”)
These next two intros are from the highest scoring
essays
Subtle comedy is discreetly woven throughout the
entire novel to allow Jane Austen to poke fun at
individual characters or certain aspects of English
society. Pervasive throughout the entire novel is
the criticism of pompous, hierarchical society and
of those characters who act strictly according to the
rules this society dictates. To point out the flaws in
these aspects, Austen embroiders “TL” in each
scene, a type of comedy that requires the analysis
of perfectly typical, realistic behaviors of the time
in order to point out the humor that can be found in
it.
The next ¶ identifies a scene
I like the definition of TL and the overall meaning part.
Jane Austen instills her novel P & P with
numerous humorous qualities deriving from its
satirical nature. Austen avoids crude humor
and derives the lightness of her novel though
the practiced employment of wit and intellect in
order to assert a position on a subject. The TL
that this intelligent playfulness invokes leads
the reader to understand the stark contrasts
between some characters and the similarities
between others. It also expresses how this free
expression of wit was not a commonly accepted
way to conduct oneself at the time. Austen
continually entertains through Mr. Bennet’s
numerous taunts to Mrs. Bennet, Elizabeth’s
playful banter with Mr. Darcy, and her naivete
in refusing to acknowledge that Mr. Darcy
fancies her.
Yes, I know that last one identified 3 scenes,
but look at all the other stuff it did well. And
that’s how this works; they are first drafts, and
the rubric says reward students for what they
do well…as long as they answer the prompt.
Stay tuned…next time we’ll look at problems with
topic sentences because you are STILL focusing on
plot and known events, instead of beginning a
paragraph w/an idea to then be supported by a
couple of examples. We will also look at how to
turn meh sentences into better ones. I copied a
bunch of good sentences that really succeed in
expressing and connecting ideas. We’ll look at
how to combine and refine. I have entire body
paragraphs to retype as models for you.