Book Anatomy · Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice: Prose style
17 lenses on prose style for Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8 H9 H10 H11 H12 H13 H14 H15 H16 H17
H1. Readability score per chapter. Count
Flesch reading ease for the whole book is about 64 (higher is easier; 60 to 70 is plain English).
Reading ease per chapter, chapter by chapter
H2. Vocabulary range. Count
6,343 different words. On average 50 in every 100 words are new within a 500 word stretch. 2,363 words appear only once.
H3. Signature words: what this author uses far more than others. Count
elizabeth, jane, catherine, sister, charlotte. See the full lens on the book page.
H4. Adverb and adjective rates. Count
About 16.83 words ending in 'ly' and 10.08 likely adjectives per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
'ly' words per 1,000, chapter by chapter
H5. Share of weak verbs such as "was" and "had". Count
'Was', 'were', 'had', 'is' and 'are' make up 3.9% of all words.
H6. Passive voice rate. Count
About 10.2% of sentences use a passive form such as 'was taken'. (rough estimate from word lists)
H7. Variety of sentence openings. Count
The five most common first words start 26% of sentences: i, she, but, the, darcy.
| First word | Sentences |
|---|---|
| i | 644 |
| she | 321 |
| but | 306 |
| the | 283 |
| darcy | 262 |
| it | 242 |
| he | 238 |
| bennet | 220 |
| you | 201 |
| elizabeth | 195 |
H8. Rhythm: how much sentence length varies. Count
Sentence length varies by 0.81 of its mean on average (higher means a more varied rhythm).
Variation per chapter, chapter by chapter
H9. Similes and metaphors: how many, and of what kind. Both
153 likely similes ('like a', 'as ... as'): 1.25 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Ch 1, para 21: “Design? Nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him …
Ch 1, para 22: “I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go--or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better; for as you are …
Ch 2, para 24: “Now, Kitty, you may cough as much as you choose,” said Mr. Bennet; and, as he spoke, he left the room, fatigued with the raptures of his wife.
Ch 4, para 5: “Did not you? I did for you. But that is one great difference between us. Compliments always take you by surprise, and me never. What could be more …
Ch 5, para 23: “If I were as rich as Mr. Darcy,” cried a young Lucas, who came with his sisters, “I should not care how proud I was. I would keep …
Ch 6, para 3: “But she does help him on, as much as her nature will allow. If I can perceive her regard for him, he must be a simpleton indeed not …
Austen uses similes sparingly but effectively, often comparing character traits to natural or social phenomena. Metaphors of sight dominate: eyes, looking, blindness to truth. Few extended similes; most comparisons are brief and functional.
Chapters: Ch 6, Ch 11, Ch 36, Ch 43
I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow. (Ch 6, para 49)
She grew absolutely ashamed of herself. Of neither Darcy nor Wickham could she think, without feeling that she had been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd. (Ch 36, para 11)
H10. Senses used: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. Both
Share of sense words. sight 55%, sound 27%, touch 15%, taste 3%. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Sense | Words |
|---|---|
| sight | 537 |
| sound | 266 |
| touch | 145 |
| taste | 27 |
Sight dominates overwhelmingly: eyes, appearance, observation. Sound appears in dialogue and music. Touch in physical proximity and walking. Smell and taste are nearly absent. The novel privileges visual judgment as a source of error.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 6, Ch 8, Ch 18, Ch 31, Ch 43
She is tolerable: but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. (Ch 3, para 20)
I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow. (Ch 6, para 49)
She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an excellent walker. I shall never forget her appearance this morning. She really looked almost wild. (Ch 8, para 4)
H11. Repetition, lists of three and other patterns. Both
73 lists of three in the pattern 'a, b and c': 0.59 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Lists of three are common in character description and social critique. Repetition of key phrases like 'tolerable' and 'fine eyes' builds meaning. Parallel structures in proposals and refusals. Patterns of misunderstanding repeated across subplots.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 14, Ch 19, Ch 34
Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. (Ch 1, para 37)
He was a tall, heavy-looking young man of five-and-twenty. His air was grave and stately, and his manners were very formal. (Ch 13, para 25)
a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility (Ch 15, para 1)
H12. Old words that may trip modern readers. Count
Old forms that may trip a modern reader: nay, thither, whilst, art, hither, whence.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| nay | 10 |
| thither | 9 |
| whilst | 4 |
| art | 3 |
| hither | 3 |
| whence | 3 |
| ere | 2 |
H13. Showing against telling, with examples. AI
Austen shows character through dialogue and action more than summary. Elizabeth's wit emerges in conversations; Darcy's pride in his silences and stiff manner. Yet she also tells directly: 'Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture' and 'Darcy had never been so bewitched.'
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 6, Ch 10, Ch 11, Ch 29
Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. (Ch 1, para 37)
Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her. He really believed that, were it not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger. (Ch 10, para 52)
My good opinion once lost is lost for ever. (Ch 11, para 28)
H14. How much description comes before action. Both
Description is minimal and woven into action. Pemberley is described as Elizabeth tours it, not before. Rooms and landscapes emerge through characters' movements and reactions. Little static scene-setting; most detail serves plot or character revelation.
Chapters: Ch 43, Ch 44, Ch 45
It was a large, handsome stone building, standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills (Ch 43, para 3)
H15. Filter words such as "saw", "felt", "heard". Count
Filter words ('saw', 'felt', 'heard' and so on): 4.45 per 1,000 words.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| thought | 111 |
| saw | 102 |
| felt | 100 |
| heard | 86 |
| seemed | 66 |
| knew | 57 |
| wondered | 8 |
| noticed | 8 |
| watched | 7 |
| realized | 1 |
H16. Shifts in tone. AI
Tone shifts from light social comedy in early chapters to darker concern during Lydia's elopement, then returns to warmth. Darcy's letter in chapter 35 marks a tonal pivot from mockery to serious self-examination. Ending is gently triumphant.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 18, Ch 34, Ch 35, Ch 46, Ch 58
She is tolerable: but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. (Ch 3, para 20)
Be not alarmed, madam, on receiving this letter, by the apprehension of its containing any repetition of those sentiments, or renewal of those offers, which were last night so disgusting to you. (Ch 35, para 4)
She grew absolutely ashamed of herself. Of neither Darcy nor Wickham could she think, without feeling that she had been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd. (Ch 36, para 11)
H17. How the comedy works. AI
Comedy works through irony, especially Elizabeth's misjudgements and her family's absurdity. Mr. Collins is ridiculous through obsequiousness; Mrs. Bennet through tactlessness. Witty dialogue between Elizabeth and Darcy creates humour through verbal sparring and mutual misunderstanding.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 5, Ch 8, Ch 11, Ch 14, Ch 18
She is tolerable: but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. (Ch 3, para 20)
That is very true,” replied Elizabeth, “and I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine. (Ch 5, para 21)
You wanted me, I know, to say ‘Yes,’ that you might have the pleasure of despising my taste; but I always delight in overthrowing those kind of schemes, and cheating a person of their premeditated contempt. (Ch 10, para 50)
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