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Jane Austen's novels are known for their light humor, witty satire, and detailed descriptions of scenes and people. Although
Austen was writing during the Victorian Era, her novels are generally not reflective of the Romanticism of that period.
Instead, they tend to be more naturalistic and even lighthearted, as Austen was influenced by the Neo-Classical movement
in English literature.
The imagery in Austen's novels is mostly kept to a minimum. Austen tends to be less focused on describing
the scenery and more intent on fully realizing the personalities and motives of her characters, therefore, her most
detailed descriptions are usually placed during scenes of great importance to her characters.
Because dialogue makes up he majority of Austen's novels, the characters are developed in the reader's mind through their
words rather than their physical descriptions.
When Austen does include imagery, she tends to use images found in nature, which is characteristic of both the Romantic
and the Neo-Classical tradition:
"The park was very large, and contained a great variety of ground. They entered it in one of its lowest
points, and drove for some time through the beautiful wood stretching over a wide extent.
Elizabeth's mind was too full for conversation, but she saw and admired every remarkable spot and point of view. They gradually
ascended for half a mile, and then found themselves at the top of a lively considerable eminence, where the wood ceased, and
the eye was instantly caught by Pemberley House, situated on the opposite side of the valley. Elizabeth was delighted. She
had never seen a place for which nature had done more, or where beauty had been so little counteracted by awkward taste."(Pride
and Prejudice, 1813)
When Austen does use imagery in her work, such as the above passage from "Pride and Prejudice", it is to great
effect. The description of the Pemberly estate mirrors Elizabeth's own taste and her preference for simplicity.
Although the description of the wild natural beauty of Pemberly is considered a Romantic theme, Austen writes
the scene in a Neo-Classical voice. The organized nature of Pemberly's grounds is valued in the Neo-Classical mind,
while a Romantic would focus on the untamed spirit of the grounds.
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