D.W. Harding: Agree and Disagree

Disagree: "Austen as satirist is misleading; she has none of the underlying didactic intention ordinarily attributed to the satirist."

• I believe that characterizing Austen as a satirist is right, even when considering D.W. Harding's definition a satirist.  Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice, uses satire to comically poke fun at the faults of society.  There is much to learn from the novel, such as weather one should act based on individual motives or by social norms, that can be applied to modern day times.

Agree:"Caricature served Jane Austen's purpose perfectly. Under her treatment one can never say where caricature leaves off and the claim to serious portraiture begins"

• I believe that Austen's use of "caricature" and "portaiture" is perfectly used in the novel to clearly emphasize the characteristics of a character, which helps the reader connect characters to people they know in real life.  This connection that is created with the reader and the book not only creates comedy, but also helps the reader understand Austen's perception of people that contain similar qualities with characters in her book.  Austen's use of caricature also helps the reader clearly identify conflicts that arise in the novel because most characters are so black and white that it is clear when a conflict will arise and why the outcome was so.