Pride and Prejudice - Dialogue
This GCSE English Literature quiz takes a look at dialogue in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Direct speech in literature is referred to as “dialogue”, although the technical meaning of the term is a conversation between at least two people. A significant aspect of characterisation, dialogue provides much crucial information about the characters. By paying close attention to the style and content of a person’s speech, you will be able to create a mental portrait of the character. Characters in Pride and Prejudice are sharply distinguished from one another by the style and content of their dialogue.
One way to approach dialogue in a work of fiction is to ask yourself how a character’s speech differs from that of the other characters. Do you see evidence of a different vocabulary or the use of a different register?
Do characters change their manner of speaking over time, or in different situations? Do any characters predictably vary their speech according to who is being addressed?
Much of the most important factual information in Pride and Prejudice is conveyed through the very significant letters. Dialogue, which comprises most of the novel, conveys the social relationships between characters, their attitudes to one another, and their attempts to negotiate these relationships.
When preparing for a literature exam, it is a very good idea to memorise dialogue. For each character, make a list of the most significant instances of dialogue, aiming to draw links between these examples and the themes important in the text.
The quiz below asks you to remember which character speaks the words. Think a bit about the significance of the dialogue before you answer each question. What type of character would speak those words? Can you conceive of another character possibly uttering similar lines? What does that information tell you about the novel and how those characters might be related thematically.
"I can never be in company with this Mr Darcy without being grieved to the soul by a thousand tender recollections. His behaviour to myself has been scandalous; but I verily believe I could forgive him any thing and every thing, rather than his disappointing the hopes and disgracing the memory of his father"
"You can hardly doubt the purport of my discourse, however your natural delicacy may lead you to dissemble; my attentions have been too marked to be mistaken"
"If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield, and all the others equally well married, I shall have nothing to wish for"
"Miss Bennet, do you know who I am? I have not been accustomed to such language as this. I am almost the nearest relation he has in the world, and am entitled to know all his dearest concerns"
"She has known him only a fortnight. She danced four dances with him at Meryton; she saw him one morning at his own house, and has since dined in company with him four times. This is not enough to make her understand his character"
"I hope you will give your mother-in-law a few hints, when this desirable event takes place, as to the advantage of holding her tongue; and if you can compass it, do cure the younger girls of running after the officers"
"You have said quite enough, madam. I perfectly comprehend your feelings, and have now only to be ashamed of what my own have been. Forgive me for having taken up so much of your time, and accept my best wishes for your health and happiness"
"When I am in the country, I never wish to leave it; and when I am in town it is pretty much the same. They have each their advantages, and I can be equally happy in either"
"Only think of its being three months, since I went away; it seems but a fortnight I declare; and yet there have been things enough happened in the time. Good gracious!"
"Well, my dear, if your daughter should have a dangerous fit of illness, if she should die, it would be a comfort to know that it was all in pursuit of Mr Bingley, and under your orders"
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