Cognitive and Discursive Framing of Prejudice: Elizabeth Bennet's Mental Model of Mr. Darcy in Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Abstract

This study uses van Dijk's (1997, 2017) socio-cognitive approach to examine a critical scene in Jane Austen's (1994) Pride and Prejudice, in which Elizabeth Bennet hears Mr. Darcy make a derogatory remark about her family. The study observes how language influences ideological narratives within the novel's setting and period. It does this by combining linguistic analysis with social cognition. It reveals that certain linguistic features, including modality and evaluative language, reveal how individuals perceive themselves and their social status. It also examines how people's behavior in the situation supports or challenges the social hierarchy. It also illustrates how mental models and social representations shape people's perceptions and interactions with one another. This adds to the novel's complex picture of social mobility and human agency. The results suggest that van Dijk's socio-cognitive CDA is still helpful in figuring out how literary works relate to society. They also provide us with new ways to think about how Austen critiques social norms and unfairness.