Themes

Thematic patterning

Jane Austen's novels are rarely overtly didactic. They are constructed around particular themes which subtly convey her concerns to the reader. Her themes are very intricately woven into the:

• Flow of the plot
• Development of the narrative
• Interactions between characters
• Imagery in the novel.

They are multilayered and overlapping. For instance, the themes of morality and manners and society and the individual have some commonalities: our understanding of one augments our understanding of the other.
 

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