The Subtle Humor of "Pride and Prejudice", by Jane Austen

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…satirizing were real for her in her time as well. However, the ultimate irony falls on us, Austen's readers, who laugh at Austen's characters. We are the characters in the novel to Jane Austen. We recognize ourselves in the characters that Austen enjoys criticizing. It's that recognization of ourselves that we laugh at and what we find amusing is the fact that Austen makes us view ourselves this way. We laugh at our own faults.