Analyzing Writing Style in Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Read the following excerpt from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Consider how Austen's distinctive writing style contributes to the overall meaning of this passage. In your response, analyze the specific elements of writing style, such as choice of diction, syntax, and figurative language. Discuss how these elements enhance character development or theme within the context of the excerpt provided.

Excerpt from Pride and Prejudice:

'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.'