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Chapter 2 - Language

Apophatic Austen (Not Saying Things and Saying So)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2020

Anne Toner
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

This chapter demonstrates the pervasive presence of the rhetorical figure of apophasis in Austen’s writing. Guides to rhetoric, in the eighteenth century and earlier, describe apophasis as occurring when a person claims not to speak of something and in saying so, speaks of it. Austen evidently enjoyed the irony of the figure, as her juvenilia especially demonstrates. But she also appreciated its efficiency and tact, touching, but not elaborating, upon subject matter. This chapter argues that Austen saw common statements of inexpressibility as apophatic, as they draw attention to supposedly suppressed material. Many characters in Austen’s fiction claim not to be able to express themselves. Austen transforms an often cliched form of expression into a subtle narrative movement towards what characters do not utter. In this way, apophasis contributes to the development of free indirect discourse, sharing with this technique the dynamic of speaking and not speaking at the same time.

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Jane Austen's Style
Narrative Economy and the Novel's Growth
, pp. 81 - 130
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Language
  • Anne Toner, University of Cambridge
  • Book: Jane Austen's Style
  • Online publication: 18 February 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108539838.003
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  • Language
  • Anne Toner, University of Cambridge
  • Book: Jane Austen's Style
  • Online publication: 18 February 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108539838.003
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Language
  • Anne Toner, University of Cambridge
  • Book: Jane Austen's Style
  • Online publication: 18 February 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108539838.003
Available formats
×