An Analysis of Conversational Implicature in Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice is the masterpiece of the English novelist Jane Austen and is noted mainly for its successful characterization through conversations. Witty and delightful dialogues run through a large part of the book. Through the dialogues and their implied meanings, readers can gain revealing insights into the inner world of the characters, their personalities, desires and intentions and also their weaknesses. This paper attempts from the perspective of Grice’s Conversational Implicature Theory to analyze the potential meanings of conversations in the novel, mainly those between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Elizabeth and Darcy, Elizabeth and Mr. Collins, and finds that conversational implicature is generated via the violation of Grice’s Cooperative Principle, namely, maxims of quantity, quality, relation and manner. Thus readers can further understand the characters’ feelings, images, the theme of the work and the artistry of the authors. It is hoped that the study aims to deepen the understanding of Conversational Implicature Theory and the novel as a world classic.