Irony, Values, and Realism in Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen's work, Pride and Prejudice, focuses on prejudice of Elizabeth Bennet against the apparent arrogance of her future suitor, Fitzwilliam Darcy, and the blow to his pride at falling in love with her. The key elements of the story are the irony, values, and realism of the characters as they develop. Jane Austen's irony is devastating in its exposure of stupidity and hypocrisy. Self-deception or attempting to deceive others is usually the focus of one's mind. There are various forms of exquisite irony in Pride and Prejudice, sometimes the characters are unconsciously ironic, such as when Mrs. Bennet seriously states that she would never accept any property involved, although Mr. Collins is willing to do so. Often, Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth serve to directly express the author's ironic opinion. When Mary Bennet is the only girl in the house and does not have to be compared to her prettier sisters, the author notes that: "her father suspected that she submitted to change without much reluctance". (Austen 189) Mr. Bennet turns on himself during the crisis with Whickham and Lydia: "let me once in my life feel how guilty I have been. I am not afraid of being overwhelmed by this impression. It will pass away soon enough” (Austen 230) Elizabeth’s irony is slight when Jane asks when she began to love Mr. Darcy: “It happened so gradually that I hardly know when. it started. But I think I must date it from my first visit to its magnificent gardens. "at Pemberly" (Austen 163). She can, however, be bitterly cutting in her remark on Darcy's role in the separation of Bingley and Jane: "Mr. Darcy is unusually kind to Mr. Bingley, and takes a prodigio ...... middle of paper ...... kling: Irony and fiction in “Pride and Prejudice”,” in Fields of Light: A Critical Reading Experience. New York: Oxford University Press, 1951: 164-81. Brownstein, Rachel, M. “Getting Married: Jane Austen.” Becoming a heroine: reading about women in novels. 2nd ed. New York: Penguin Books, 1984. 81-134. Fein, Ellen and Schneider, Sherrie. The Rules: Proven Secrets to Capturing Mr. Right's Heart. New York: Warner Books, 1995. Menand, Louis. “What Jane Austen Doesn’t Tell Us.” New York Review of Books 43.2 February 1, 1996: 13-15. Moler, Kenneth. Pride and prejudice: a study in artistic economics. Boston, MA: Twayne Publishers, 1989. Newman, Karen. “Can This Marriage Be Saved: Jane Austen Makes Sense of an Ending.” ELH 50.4 (1983): 693-710. Ryle, Gilbert. “Jane Austen and the Moralists,” Oxford Review, No. 1, February 1966, pp... 5-18.