Which of the following literary devices is employed by the author in Pride and Prejudice to slide into the character’s mind and/or emotions without stepping away from third-person narrative?

Correct option is B

Explanation:

The correct literary device used in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is Free Indirect Discourse (FID). This technique allows the narrator to blend third-person narration with the character’s inner thoughts and emotions, providing insight into their mindset without explicitly shifting to first-person narration.
In Pride and Prejudice, Austen often conveys Elizabeth Bennet’s thoughts and feelings without using direct speech or first-person perspective. This creates a smooth narrative flow and allows readers to engage deeply with the character’s perspectives while maintaining an omniscient third-person voice.
For example, rather than writing:
Direct Speech: Elizabeth thought, "How foolish I have been to misjudge Mr. Darcy."
Free Indirect Discourse: How foolish she had been to misjudge Mr. Darcy!
The second example is written in third person but still reflects Elizabeth’s inner thoughts. This technique helps convey subtle shifts in perception as the characters develop throughout the novel.
Austen is regarded as a master of Free Indirect Discourse, as it allows for irony, humor, and psychological depth, making Pride and Prejudice highly engaging and sophisticated.

Information Booster:
Free Indirect Discourse (FID):

• A literary technique that combines third-person narration with the thoughts and emotions of a character.
  
• It allows readers to experience a character’s mindset without using direct quotes or first-person narration.
  
• Examples from Pride and Prejudice
  When Elizabeth begins to realize her misjudgment of Mr. Darcy:
  "She grew absolutely ashamed of herself. Of neither Darcy nor Wickham could she think without feeling that she had been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd."
  
• This is not direct speech or a traditional third-person narration, but a blend of both, making it Free Indirect Discourse.
  
  

Impact of Free Indirect Discourse:

• Enhances the novel’s psychological depth.
  
• Allows the narrator to maintain an objective stance while subtly aligning with a character’s perspective.
  
• Helps Austen infuse irony and humor, particularly when the narrator gently mocks the characters.
  Jane Austen and FID:
  
• Austen is one of the first English novelists to use Free Indirect Discourse extensively.
  
• It influenced later authors such as Virginia Woolf, Henry James, and James Joyce.
  
  

Jane Austen's much-adapted novel is famed for its witty, spirited heroine, sensational romances, and deft remarks on the triumphs and pitfalls of social convention.

Additional Knowledge:

Stream of Consciousness represents a character’s continuous thought process in an unfiltered and often fragmented way. It was popularized by writers like James Joyce and Virginia Woolf, but Austen’s writing is much more structured and controlled.
Flashback is incorrect because Pride and Prejudice is told in a mostly linear fashion, without the frequent jumps back in time that define a flashback narrative. While characters recall past events, these are narratively integrated, not presented as distinct flashbacks.
Epistolary Writing is incorrect because Pride and Prejudice is not written in the form of letters. Epistolary novels, like Samuel Richardson’s Pamela, are told entirely through letters, but Austen only includes letters as part of the story rather than using them as the primary narrative structure.