“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” (Austen, pg. 1). This quote from Jane Austen’s famous book Pride and Prejudice is arguably one of the most famous opening lines in the history of literature. Originally published anonymously in 1813 with three installments, the novel has garnered massive amounts of attention throughout multiple generations of readers. This attention, paired with the extensive evolution in types of entertainment, meant it was only a matter of time before film and TV adaptations began to roll in. An article published by the University of Virginia states, “At least 17 movies have been made of “Pride and Prejudice” since 1938,” (Bromley, It’s a Good Time to Binge on “Pride and Prejudice” Adaptations, 2020). With a range of settings and deviations from the original story, featuring one bizarre adaptation following the prominent zombie trend of the early 2010’s, it's easy to think there's an adaptation for everyone. One rendition of the classical story that is loved by many is a 2005 film starring actress Keira Knightly in the iconic role of Elizabeth Bennet.
     The story of Pride and Prejudice (wright, 2005) follows the turbulent events that Elizabeth Bennet and her four sisters must endure in their various pursuits of love. Pride and Prejudice falls under a unique genre of media known as a period piece, meaning that the story is set in an earlier period than the film's release. The unique usage of costumes and set designs provide important world building visuals that set the stage for the historical realism that these films rely on. However, an arguably more important aspect in this genre is the detailed use of historical language. In Pride and Prejudice (wright, 2005) the usage of the prominent language of the time produces a flowery and romantic use of the English language that is enticing to watch. On the other hand, the language style used in the early 1800’s can be hard to understand for first-time viewers. With so many unique and important characters introduced throughout the film and the complex phrasing often used, it becomes easy to lose track of who's who and how they all tie into one another. Nevertheless, the use of literary devices such as vocabulary, syntax and descriptive dialogue make the story telling more powerful and make the film worthy of more than just a few rewatches.
     To truly understand the differences between contemporary English and the English of 200 years ago, it's important to take a brief look at the English language’s extensive history. Beginning in the 5th century with the settlement of multiple tribes in Britain there was no clear structured concept of English at the time. Slowly overtime the natural dialects of the unique tribes began to merge and by the 9th century a form of English called Standard Old English had evolved. This then turned over into something called Middle English. Used between the 11th and 16th centuries, this is when words from Latin, French and German began to integrate into the English vocabulary. In relation an article states, “The vocabulary of Modern English is approximately a quarter Germanic (Old English, Scandinavian, Dutch, German) and two-thirds Italic or Romance (especially Latin, French, Spanish, Italian),” (Britannica, Characteristics of Modern English). After the 16thcentury, the English language began to evolve faster, quickly shifting into a period called the Restoration Period and after that, the Age of Johnson. This then led to the 19th century, when Jane Austen authored her famous book Pride and Prejudice on which the 2005 film of the same name is based.
     In the film Pride and Prejudice (Wright, 2005), the creators were able to use vocabulary and syntax to provide a deeper understanding of the characters and the tone of social settings. One part of the movie that highlights these attributes is a three-minute scene, lovingly dubbed An Accomplished Woman (Pride and Prejudice, Wright, 2005). The clip follows Elizabeth Bennet as she is a guest at the illustrious Nether field Hall. In the company of her host Charles Bingly, his sister Caroline Bingly, and their brooding companion Mr. Darcy the scene follows a dynamic conversation that seemingly interrupts a peaceful afternoon in a drawing room. Within this conversation excellent examples of the complex descriptive vocabulary used to add depth to the story, but which may also bring confusion, can be found. Two words stand out, both spoken by Caroline Bingly as she attempts to make conversation with Mr. Darcy. Caroline comments on how Mr. Darcy writes his letters, she then tells him how “odious” she thinks business letters are. Shortly after that she says she was in “raptures” over Darcy’s sister’s design for a table. These choice words supply a more in-depth understanding of what Caroline means when expressing her opinions. Instead of blandly saying she hates the letters, or that she loves the design which would wash out the scenes tone, the writers use out of the ordinary vocabulary to capture the audience’s attention and emphasize Carolines meanings behind the words.
     When thinking about the words they are easy to understand from context clues, but another aspect of the scene may cloud a viewer's comprehension. Syntax is how a sentence is structured with words and phrases in order. In the three-minute conversation it becomes clear that their sentences are structured differently than contemporary English. In the scene there are no slang terms used. A quote that describes the language structure of the time states, “Very proper, often deep thinking, and with only slight slang. The slang terms they used were quite different from what we would use today, but our slang spans across whole sentences. Normally they would replace a word, maybe two. Overall, their English was extremely proper.” (Victorian-Era English Language, Victorian-Era.org). With this complex sentence structure and unique language, it is understandable that some of the non-verbal cues between characters get lost in translation. It is implied throughout the film that Caroline Bingly fancies Mr. Darcy but is subtle enough that it is never discussed openly. In the scene An Accomplished Woman we can see that Caroline snaps at her brother when he interjects the conversation with a comment. This is presumably because Carolines attempts to gain Darcy’s attention have been deferred with simple and non-conversational answers to her questions.
     Another way the Pride and Prejudice film uses language as a tool is in its descriptive dialogue. A scene that stands out is when Darcy confesses his love for Elizabeth, but they end in an argument. This confession scene (Pride and Prejudice, Wright, 2005) supplies a part of the descriptive dialogue that makes this film so great. Although stilted and robotic, Mr. Darcy’s confession described many of his feelings in detail. A little distasteful when insulting her status in society and stating that he is fighting himself on the decision to ask her to marry him, he describes every aspect of the proposal, ending with a heartfelt admission of love. In between the escalating argument and the previously mentioned syntax and vocabulary, the descriptive dialogue can also be confounding especially when spoken in a rush.
     In conclusion, the language used throughout Pride and Prejudice (wright, 2005) adds greatly to the quality. With its use of vocabulary, syntax, and descriptive dialogue, it allowed for an immersive experience into the film's historical setting. Although these same attributes that made the film great also made it hard for first time viewers to understand, it more than makes up for the necessary rewatch.

 
 
                     Works Cited
Austen, Jane. “It Is a Truth Universally Acknowledged, That a Single Man in Possession of a Good Fortune, Must Be in Want of a Wife.’” Pride and Prejudice, Routledge, London, 1994, p. 1.
Bromley, Anne E. “It's a Good Time to Binge on 'Pride and Prejudice' Adaptations.” UVA Today, 23 Nov. 2021,news.virginia.edu/content/its-good-time-binge-pride-and-prejudice-adaptations.
“Composition.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., britannica.com/topic/English-language/Composition.
“English Language.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., britannica.com/topic/English-language.
“Pride And Prejudice.” The Internet Movie Script Database, imsdb.com/Movie%20Scripts/Pride%20and%20Prejudice%20Script.html.
“Victorian Era English Language.” Victorian Era, 30 June 2020, victorian-era.org/victorian-english.html.
Wright, Joe, director. Pride & Prejudice. Universal Studios, 2005.