4.2.2 Breaches
Example 3
Nothing could be more expressive of attachment to them all，than Willoughby's behavior.To Marianne it had all the distinguishing tenderness which a lover's heart could give，and to the rest of the family it was the affectionate attention of a son and a brother....
When I first became intimate in your family，I had no other intention，no other view in the acquaintance than to pass my time pleasantly while I was obliged to remain in Devonshire，more pleasantly than I had ever done before.Your sister's lovely person and interesting manners could not but please me；and her behavior to me almost from the first，was of a kind—it is astonishing，when I reflect on what it was，and what she was，that my heart should have been so insensible！—But at first I must confess，my vanity only was elevated by it.Careless of her happiness，thinking only of my own amusement，giving way to feelings which I had always been too much in the habit ofindulging，I endeavored，by every means in my power，to make myself pleasing to her，without any design of returning her affection.（Willoughby）
Willoughby appeared as a rather typical character in this book.At first，Willoughby was so attracted by Marianne's beauty and manners，but because Willoughby，in fact，was such a person full of meanness，selfishness，cruelty，and vanity，who had always been expensive，always in the habit of associating with people of better income than himself，so fortune came first to him.He would rather sacrifice his feelings to vanity.So at last he deserted Marianne and married a woman of fortune.Going back on his previous words，Willoughby was ranked among the typical person who treated fortune as everything at that time.Therefore，what Willoughby said here were breaches.Consequently，there arose illocutionary force.Willoughby's breaches revealed his vanity and meanness.The contradiction between what he said before and after was laid bare here.
Example 4
“Colonel Brandon is certainly younger than Mrs.Jennings，but he is old enough to be my father；and if he were ever animated enough to be in love，must have long outlived every sensation of the kind.”（Marianne）
...
“Did not you hear him complain of the rheumatism？And is not that the commonest infirmity of declining life？”（Marianne）
...
“But he talked of flannel waistcoats，”said Marianne；“and with me a flannel waistcoat is invariably connected with aches，cramps，rheumatisms，and every species of ailment that can afflict the old and feeble.”（Marianne）
...
Marianne Dashwood was born to an extraordinary fate.She was born to discover the falsehood of her own opinions，and to counteract，by her conduct，her most favorite maxims.She was born to overcome an affection formed so late in life as at seventeen，and with no sentiment superior to strong esteem and lively friendship，voluntarily to give her hand to another！—and that other，a man who had suffered no less than herself under the event of a former attachment，whom，two years before，she had considered too old to be married，—and who still sought the constitutional safeguard of a flannel waistcoat！
This part is really one of the most ironic of Jane Austen's notably arrangement.In Marianne's mind，Colonel Brandon was too old to have the feeling of love.He was physically ill，and had no tastes for every romantic thing.But it is this man whom Marianne looked down upon that became Marianne's husband at last.What Marianne said and thought at first was really a contradiction to what she did at last.So what Marianne did finally breached her former statements.Consequently，there arose illocutionary force again.On the one hand，the writer wants the readers to get to know Marianne's character deeply through this ironic arrangement.She was over-ardent in her enthusiasm，and very absolute in her judgments.With excess of sensibility，she talked rather too decidedly and authoritatively，and was fond of making final pronouncements，as on the lack of love to be expected in a marriage between a man of thirty-five and a woman of twenty-seven.On the other hand，the author wants to tell us that at that time marriage was a source ofpower and protection and fortune for a female.
Example 5
...
“Well，then，let something be done for them；but that something need not be three thousand pounds.Consider，”she added，“that when the money is once parted with，it never can return.Your sisters will marry，and it will be gone for ever.If，indeed，it could ever be restored to our poor little boy—”（Mrs.John Dashwood）
...
“Perhaps，then，it would be better for all parties if the sum were diminished one half.—Five hundred pounds would be a prodigious increase to their fortunes！”（John Dashwood）
...
“There is no knowing what they may expect，”said the lady，“but we are not to think of their expectations：the question is，what you can afford to do.”（Mrs.John Dashwood）
“Certainly—and I think I may afford to give them five hundred pounds a-piece.As it is，without any addition of mine，they will each have above three thousand pounds on their mother's death—a very comfortable fortune for any young woman.”（John Dashwood）
“To be sure it is：and，indeed，it strikes me that they can want no addition at all.They will have ten thousand pounds divided amongst them.If they marry，they will be sure of doing well，and if they do not，they may all live very comfortably together on the interest of then thousand pounds.”（Mrs.John Dashwood）
“That is very true，and，therefore，I do not know whether，upon the whole，it would not be more advisable to do something for their mother while she lives rather than for them—something of the annuity kind I mean.—My sisters would feel the good efforts ofit as well as herself.A hundred a year would make them all perfectly comfortable.”（John Dashwood）
His wife hesitated a little，however，in giving her consent to his plan.
“To be sure，”said she，“it is better than parting with fifteen hundred pounds at once.But then if Mrs.Dashwood should live fifteen years，we shall be completely taken in.”（Mrs.John Dashwood）
...
“I believe you are right，my love；it will be better that there should be no annuity in the case；whatever I may give them occasionally will be of far greater assistance than a yearly allowance，because they would only enlarge their style of living if they felt sure of a larger income，and would not be sixpence the richer for it at the end of the year.It will certainly be much the best way.A present of fifty pounds，now and then，will prevent their ever being distressed for money，and will，I think，be amply discharging my promise to my father.”（John Dashwood）
...
“Upon my word，”said Mr.Dashwood，“I believe you are perfectly right.My father certainly could mean nothing more by his request to me than what you say.I clearly understand it now，and I will strictly fulfill my engagement by such acts of assistance and kindness to them as you have described.When my mother removes into another house my services shall be readily given to accommodate her as far as I can.Some little present of furniture too may be acceptable then.”（John Dashwood）
...
“Yes；and the set of breakfast china is twice as handsome as what belongs to this house.A great deal too handsome，in my opinion，for any place they can ever afford to livein....”（Mrs.JohnDashwood）
The dialogue between this couple is a satiric study of avarice and also typical breaches.John Dashwood had no sensibility to keep him up to his dying father's request，instead，his conservatism consisted a desire to keep tight hold on his goods.John Dashwood，“cold hearted and selfish”，was encouraged by his even“more narrowminded and selfish”wife to prefer his own child's interest，and to do in effect nothing at all for his sisters.In this dialogue，as John was moved from his first plan of offering the girls 1000 pounds each，through various stages to the point where he could be satisfied with the idea of sending the widow and her daughters occasional presents of fish and game，and so forth.Every paragraph is the contradiction of last.Therefore，we can say here that all his sayings here were breaches.Here，we can't help thinking his current behaviors deviated so much from previous words and performances.His breaches revealed that the painting of John Dashwood and his wife by Jane Austen was really true to life.Austen provided an accurate definition of their personalities，but the definition was so far abstract at the beginning of this dialogue when John Dashwood promised to provide 1000 pound to the Dashwood women.But as the dialogue went on，as the John Dashwood went back on his words again and again，we readers could get a more and more lifelike picture of this couple.So here we can say that John Dashwood's breaches sayings have a strong illocutionary force to expose to readers the real personalities of this couple，just as they are standing before our eyes.
Example 6
“I have only to add，my dear Willoughby，that at Barton cottage you will always be welcome...”
...
“Has not his behavior to Marianne and to all of us，for at least the last fortnight，declared that he loved and considered her as his future wife...”
...
“How strange it is！You must think wretchedly indeed of Willoughby，if after all that has openly passed between them，you can doubt the nature of the terms on which they are together.Has he been acting a part in his behavior to your sister all this time？Do you suppose him really indifferent to her？”
...
“Is he not a man ofhonor and feeling？Has there been any inconsistency on his side to create alarm？Can he be deceitful？”
...
“There was always a something，—if you remember，—in Willoughby's eyes at times，which I did not like.”
Elinor could not remember it.
...
“Their gentleness，their genuine attention to other people，and their manly unstudied simplicity is much more accordant with her real disposition，than the liveliness—often artificial，and often ill-timed of the other.”
All the sentences above were said by Mrs.Dashwood.Going back on her previous words，her sayings here were breaches.At the beginning，Mrs.Dashwood thought Willoughby was an upright，good man with a lot of fortune to entail and especially in her mind.She was sure about the marriage between Willoughby and her daughter Marianne.She even defended him from Elinor's accusation and doubts about him.But in the end，when she got to know that her daughter was deserted by Willoughby and was certain of the marriage between Marianne and Colonel Brandon，her attitude towards Willoughby and even Brandon changed dramatically.For Brandon，she instantly thought highly of him than ever before，and for Willoughby，she said he was the one that she did not like and artificial，ill-timed.This was quite opposite of the beginning of her attitude.Through these perspicuous breaches of speech acts，Austen successfully produced a comic old lady with an unsteady temper，the business ofwhose life was to get her daughters married.
Example 7
“As good a kind of fellow as ever lived，I assure you.'（Sir John）
...
“Upon my soul，”said he，“I do not know much about him as to all that.But he is a pleasant，good humored fellow.”（Sir John）
...
“Such a scoundrel of a fellow！Such a deceitful dog！It was only the last time they met that he had offered him one of Folly's puppies！And this was the end ofit！”（Sir John）
Just imagine it was only several months ago that Sir John even announced Willoughby was the best man the he had ever met.We can't help thinking his current behaviors deviated so much from previous words and performances.Isn't every word，every sentence a penetrating satire upon his unreliability and folly？