| This thesis traces and identifies dialectical elements in Jane Austen's six completed novels and analyzes the working of such elements in the learning process of the protagonists. It investigates and makes clear the extent to which contrary, if not contradictory, elements function in her narrative. In doing so, it aims to offer a comprehensive view of Jane Austen's novels.; The thesis begins with an introductory chapter outlining the generic change of dialectic both as an approach to and as an integral part of discourse, logic and knowledge. It then sketches relevant aspects of the political, social and literary scene in England about the time of the French Revolution, and characterizes Austen's dialectical stance which enables her to learn from both conservative and reform-minded writers of the time. The six chapters that follow discuss how these dialectical elements affect aspects of character, plot and structure in Austen's fiction, how they generate the intellectual complexity therein, and how they challenge our understanding of her vigorous and comprehensive intellect.; The analysis shows that Jane Austen is concerned with a moral and philosophical regeneration of the mind of individuals within existing social structures, and that her viewpoint is subtly conveyed through her art of dialectic. |
