Function of dance in Jane Austen's novels

The Function Of Dance In Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice

In Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice, set in the Regency Period, dance performs several important functions. Dance patterns emulate courtship rituals, marking dance as a microcosm for courtship and marriage – two main themes of the novel. The Regency period propagated the belief that no ingredient was more essential to a courtship than dancing: “To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love…” (Austen 7). Therefore, knowledge of dance – dance steps as well as dance etiquette – was a crucial necessity and was often acquired through study and awareness of conduct codes. These crucial codes were disseminated through popular courtesy/conduct books, which informed readers of correct dance steps, movements, and patterns, as well as socially acceptable etiquette.

Regency conduct codes also influenced interpretations of individual character, as social behavior was often considered the physical embodiment of character; thus, Austen’s characters typically reveal their inner selves through their manners. And, in the manner of courtesy writers who were �

William, ‘Indeed, Sir, I have not the least intention of dancing.-I entreat

Some examples of negative manifestations of character include Lydia and Kitty Bennet and Mr. Collins. Lydia and Kitty exhibit an extreme irreverence and total lack of societal understanding; from their shameless soldier-chasing to Lydia’s scandalous affair with Wickham, these two exemplify social behaviors to be avoided. They reveal their weak natures on the dance floor through excessive giggling, cavorting, and tipsiness. Mr. Collins’s behavior marks him as a comic figure. During the first two dances at Netherfield, Mr. Collins reveals his character in a way contrary to his own self-perception. As Elizabeth, his partner for those dances, recalls:

you not to suppose that I moved this way in order to beg for a partner.’

Some topics in this essay:
Elizabeth Darcy, Regency Period, Sir William, Darcy Elizabeth, Bingley Elizabeth, Austen’s England, Miss Bennet, Lucas Darcy, Netherfield Collins, Jane Bingley, elizabeth darcy, dance floor, darcy elizabeth, jane bingley, sir william, pride prejudice, elizabeth dance, austen 12, dancing step towards, lucas darcy, individual worth, darcy overcomes prejudice, step towards falling, “to fond dancing, fond dancing step,