Why is the tone of Pride and Prejudice sarcastic?

Answer 1

I think it would be more accurate to say that the tone was ironical. Sarcasm implies contempt, and though Jane Austen may have held some people in contempt, the effect was probably intended to be more one of comedy than contempt.

Jane Austen enjoyed irony, and used it in everything she wrote. It was more blatant and silly in her Juvenalia, where she actually refers to herself as ignorant and prejudiced in the title of a book of history. Her use of irony in Pride and Prejudice is commonly regarded as one of the more endearing things about the novel.

Answer 2

The tone of Pride and Prejudice can be sarcastic because Austen uses wit and irony to highlight the social norms, hypocritical behavior, and absurdities of the characters and society in the novel. This sarcastic tone allows Austen to critique the class structure and gender roles of her time in a humorous and cutting way.