Jane Austen's Limited Range | 'Pride and Prejudice'

  Jane Austen is one of the most remarkable novelists. Her ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is a widely read and mostly appreciated novel. Although she has been praised, liked and appreciated by different critics yet some charges have also been levelled against her. She has been frequently criticized for her limited range . It is because she deals with the minor problems of life in a minor style and does not discuss the grand themes or grand characters in a grand and lofty manner. It has been observed that Austen often likes to dwell on domestic affairs and minor themes like love and marriage. She does not deal with great scientific, philosophic or psychological matters and mental or intellectual affairs as are often discussed in the grand masterpieces of literature by the outstanding literary figures. For example, Shakespeare's Hamlet or even George Eliot's Maggie are superior (because they have an unlimited range and universal appeal) to Austen’s characters. Hamlet shows a mental ...