The Dramatic Features Of The Structure Of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park

Austen has created six influential novels during her short life time. In all hernovels, the reader can discover that humorous language, burlesque dialog andcontinuous action make her novels full of dramatic features. Especially MansfieldPark, it is an outstanding works with dramatic features. Combined with the study ofthe structure of the novel, this thesis emphasizes on the study of the dramatic featuresof the novel to highlight Austen’s special favor for drama and her skillful use ofdrama writing techniques in the novel.This thesis is mainly made up of three chapters to analyze the dramaticfeatures of the structure of Mansfield Park.Chapter one analyzes the dramatic features of the external structure of thenovel. The whole structure of the novel or the structure of some chapters of the novelcan be traced the footprint of the theory “Freytag Pyramid”, which makes theexternal structure of the novel dramatic. Second, the external structure of the novelachieves integrity which is overall consistent with drama structure. With this feature,the structure of the novel is more contact, the plot development is more continuousand the end is more natural.Chapter two expounds the dramatic features of the internal structure of thenovel. In this part, it emphatically analyzes Austen’s use of different dramatic writingtechniques in the novel. On the one hand, Austen employs single linear plot tonarrate the story to make the gist of the novel clear. For example, in Mansfield Park,all the events evolve around the growth of Fanny. On the other hand, Austen usesmany dramatic writing techniques in the novel, such as internal conflict and externalconflict, anagnorisis and peripeteia, chance and coincidence, and tension, whichfurther strengthen the dramatic effect of the internal structure.Chapter three mainly explores the reasons contributing to Austen’s adoptdramatic features in her novel. In this chapter, two aspects are detailedly explored. First, it is Austen’s own reasons, which include her family’s influence on her writingand her contemporary writers’ effect on her novel creation, such as Dr SamuelJohnson, Cowper, Daniel Defoe, Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding and FannyBurney. Next, the drama development since the era of Elizabeth has influencedAusten’s novel writing. This thesis emphasizes the drama development in the17thand18thcentury.By combined the theory “Freytag Pyramid”, William Archer’s drama theoryand Austen’s drama writing techniques in the novel, this thesis proves the dramaticfeatures of the structure of Mansfield Park, which further shows that Austen’s lovefor drama and indicates that drama has influenced her novel creation.