High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Jane Austen`s (1775–1817) distinctive literary style relies on a combination of parody, burlesque, irony, free indirect speech, and a degree of realism. She uses parody and burlesque for comic effect and to critique the portrayal of women in 18th-century sentimental and gothic novels. Austen`s irony is used similarly, but extends her critique, highlighting social hypocrisy. She often creates an ironic tone through free indirect speech, in which the thoughts and words of the characters mix with the voice of the narrator. The degree to which critics believe Austen`s characters have psychological depth informs their views regarding her realism. While some scholars argue that Austen falls into a tradition of realism because of her diligent, finely executed portrayal of individual characters and her emphasis on "the everyday", others contend that her characters lack depth of feelings compared with earlier works, and that this, combined with Austen`s polemical tone, places her outside the realist tradition.