'pride and prejudice' question . . .

[HiddenOne]

ok, at the persistance of a friend, i started reading 'pride and prejudice' and i'm wondering why some of the city names aren't complete. it'll say something like "And she wanted to meet him in ----shire". why the heck doesn't it have the whole city name? thanks so much!

[Adelheid]

When I first read books like that I thought that mine was a spoiled copy :D But I guess I'm not very sure about this, but maybe it's because there is such a place ---shire, but no such manor or town in that place???? I'm not very sure too. That'a just a guess. ;)

Someone please let us know quickly!!!

[Sitaram]

The old "Dragnet" television series, from the late 1950s, always started each episode by saying, "The names have been changed to protect the innocent."

In Jane Austin's day, they had not yet come up with that all too familiar boilerplate: "Resemblance to any persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental..."

http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/fiction/2005/01/any_resemblance.html

[HiddenOne]

hmm - that makes sense. awesome - thank you! ;)

[mono]

I have also noticed this trend of witholding city and town names in novels of this era. Not only Jane Austen, but Charles Dickens, the Brontë sisters, and D.H. Lawrence did the same; that they all came from England I find even more ironic, but, yes, as Sitaram mentioned, the purpose aimed to delete any existing city or town names, yet still hint that the imaginary place existed. It can add a little confusion, but, I think, it just requires the reader to devote more attention to what he/she reads. :nod:

[shortysweetp]

i agree with mono and sitaram i have seen this in all of Austen's work and the Bronte's work (well the 3 that i have read).

[HiddenOne]

sweet - thank you guys so much! :D

[appledips]

hmm interesting