The Language of Jane Austen

by Norman Page

First published in 1972, Norman Page's seminal study of The Language of Jane Austen seeks to demonstrate both the exceptional nature and the degree of subtlety of Jane Austen's use of language.

As well as examining the staple items of her vocabulary and some of the characteristic patterns of her syntax, attention is paid to her use of dialogue and of the letter form. The aim of the study is not simply to analyse linguistic qualities for their own sake but to employ close verbal analysis to enrich the critical understanding of Jane Austen's novels.

218 pages, Hardcover

First published July 26, 2011

Reviews

[Lona Manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some interesting observations about Jane Austen's writing and prose style, but I'm still looking for a book which discusses the distinctive grammatical patterns and rhetorical tics of the 18th century which differ from ours. Page does mention the habit of writing things in triples: 'she looked, doubted, and was silenced' -- that sort of thing. He also points out that Austen has the dual quality of being a traditionalist (in her vocabulary and some of her syntax, such as "Do not, my dearest Elinor, let your kindness defend what I know your judgment must censure," and she was also a great innovator. Page mentions the "precision and control which are evident in every paragraph that Jane Austen wrote." So true! Austen's superior prose is the reason she hasn't been forgotten like so many other 18th century female novelists, so I would like to read more analysis of it.
I rented this book from Amazon.