Jane Austen's writing lacks the emotion of "Tintern Abbey." Austen's wit, and her concise, formal style are more indebted to a Neoclassicist influence. Unlike Wordsworth, Austen resists detailed description; in Pride and Prejudice the reader elicits information about the characters from their dialogue. Pride and Prejudice is noticeable for its sparse description of natural scenery, clearly differing from Tintern Abbey's minute detailing of "these plots of cottage-ground, these orchard tufts" (11) and their immediate surroundings. Wordsworth lovingly narrates the particulars of his landscape, whereas Jane Austen confines her descriptions to the bare necessities. Elizabeth's first view of Pemberley is sparsely written, and the author notes that "it is not the object of this work to give a description of Derbyshire" (265), and the novel only portrays a scene when it holds key significance for the characters.
[Do you agree? On what literary values does this comparison draw? What does it assume?]
Incorporated in the Victorian Web July 2000