To Say or Not to Say Letters and Letter Writing

In her novels, Jane Austen frequently uses letter writing between characters as a way to explain past events and the roles certain characters played in them. This character development strategy is used to articulate many of the themes in her novels. A prevalent thematic structure in Austen's work is to satirize nineteenth century manners and morals, especially as they relate to courtship. The misinterpretations of these behaviors stand to be clarified through letterwriting, offering insight …

…ridiculous nature, while Mr. Darcy's shows the sincere qualities of his persona that had not been seen before. Mrs. Gardiner's letter further illustrates traits we had seen before, but also helps Elizabeth figure out how she felt about Mr. Darcy. Whatever each letter accomplished, they are all critical to the structure of the novel. Without them, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth would have never gotten together, and neither character would realize their own pride and prejudice.