Pride and Prejudice

 

Jane Austen published during the early part of Edward Bulwer-Lytton's career. Unlike his writing, hers  continues to find a wide audience. 

Now that there is an entire industry in Jane Austen-inspired media, I’ve seen this line played upon again and again. It’s a lovely line. It has struck me with different forces as I’ve reread Pride and Prejudice at varying intervals. The first time I read it, I was too innocent to hear the irony. I rushed by, eager for plot and character. 

But look at the delicate tensions already in these first words: truth and acknowledged – as if it’s the popularity of a statement that creates its veracity; single and of good fortune – because the unmarried state only needs remedy when there is money to support it; must and wife – must marking necessity where one could hope that wife sprang from love. 

There are more implied tensions: between the universal acknowledgers and the singular man and wife, and between the man and the wife he "must be in want of." Must he? Is he forced to take one, whether it's his taste or not? These are the archetypal conflicts between society and individuals, and between one individual and another. One sentence winds the spring of all the action to come. 

The words "truth universally acknowledged" have a similar effect to "everybody knows." They establish the common agreement – the judgment of society. If I cut this down to contemporary, informal language, I might write "Everybody knows a rich bachelor must want a wife." What's lost? Both the emotion and the rhythm are blunter. It's also a little harder to question. The pauses that come from the commas, and the extra time to reflect as we follow the extra words, make it a little easier to start to wonder if this "truth universally acknowledged" is actually true. 

All the clauses of the sentence work together. "It is ... acknowledged" is a passive verb form, which hides who takes action. Modern style discourages passive verb forms, and so do I. However, passive tense sets an expectation here – that people will not act outside the dictates of society – which is core to her story, and it also gives Austen a chance to insert some wry awareness of that non-action. 

The first sentence of Pride and Prejudice is quite a bit shorter than the first sentence of Paul Clifford, which I looked at last time. That helps it appeal more to current tastes. What helps more is that the sentence maintains its focus, and has a touch of self-awareness and humor. Jane Austen, with her "universally acknowledged" is looking at her society, and she invites us to share the view.