No one appreciates art anymore
Alert Janeite Ann sent us a link to an article about grammatical errors that contained the following:
The truth is that writers–even great, dead ones–sometimes make grammatical errors.
In Pride and Prejudice, for example, Jane Austen’s narrator says, “Every body declared that he [Wickham] was the wickedest young man in the world; and every body began to find out that they had always distrusted the appearance of his goodness.”
To be correct, she should have written “and people began to find out that they had always distrusted the appearance of his goodness.”
This doesn’t mean Jane Austen was anything less than a brilliant writer. Grammar is important, but it’s not the hallmark of great writing. Rather, it’s a tool to help us express ourselves and understand others.
But using “people” instead of “every body” in that context ruins the repetitive cadence of the first clause of the sentence:
“Every body declared that he [Wickham] was the wickedest young man in the world; and
every body began to find out that they had always distrusted the appearance of his goodness.”
It’s art, people! To heck with grammar! 
August 14th, 2007 at 12:36 am
And it doesn’t even appear to be grammatically incorrect art.
I ran the sentence by my partner just to be sure (he’s a freelance editor, and a very good one at that) and he agreed that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that sentence. Not only that, but he disapproves of substituting the word “people” for “every body,” as it’s too imprecise.
I also find it funny that in an article about why grammar shouldn’t be tyrannically stuck to because it can ruin the sound and sense of some speech/writing, she essentially ruined the sentence’s sound and sense by “correcting” its grammar.
And what’s her justification for saying that sentence is wrong anyway? If your going to claim something is incorrect, you should at least say why.
August 14th, 2007 at 5:08 am
I am also an editor and copywriter and agree there’s nothing wrong with those sentences whatsoever. The word ‘people’ is not only too generic for the for the subtly cynical point Jane is trying to make, I don’t think the way we use it today (i.e., to refer to ‘everybody’) had worked it’s way into the language back then. Next you thing you know, she’s going to start taking up Henry Tilney’s incorrect use of the word ‘nice’ in the walk to Beechen Cliff since – as everyone knows – that can have nothing to do with the binding of a book.
August 14th, 2007 at 8:57 am
freelance proofreader here–and i’ve never understood why some people get in a huff over “everybody” vs “everyone” vs “people”. she used the correct verb tense and the sentence flows beautifully; i see nothing wrong with it. and i agree, substituting “people” is awful. look at shakespeare, didn’t he invent words right and left to fit his purposes? and now we use them as “correct” english today.
August 14th, 2007 at 10:40 am
So there are rules to art? Geeze, nothing like grammer nazis.
August 14th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Actually, that’s the argument that the woman is making - that there are certain grammatical rules that should be done away with, by and large.
Whoops - I ended a clause with a preposition. “This is the sort of English up with which I will not put.”
August 14th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
If you read the whole article, it’s actually saying “Lighten up Grammar Police! It doesn’t matter if I end my sentence with a preposition!” She’s not criticizing Jane Austen’s grammar. While it wasn’t the best example, I think the author chose the Jane Austen quote to show that it sometimes sounds better to say, “screw the rules, here’s how I’m writing it!”
So take a breath…chill out…it’s not that big a deal
August 14th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
AMEN! Down with grammar!
August 16th, 2007 at 8:58 am
Lead on, Macduff
August 19th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
The grammatical error is a lack of agreement between the plural pronoun (”they”) and the singular antecedent (”every body”). The plural noun “people” would restore the agreement in number between pronoun and antecedent. Unless you want to construe “every body” as a plural, which may be possible. The conventions of grammar (and spelling) have changed subtly since Jane Austen’s time, and even today the British are more likely than Americans to construe a collective noun (for example, “the family,” “the audience,” “the team,” as a plural). And, of course, great writers often bend and expand the language.
Pendantically yours,
Rob