RAJIV GANDHI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LAW,

PUNJAB

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

SUBMITTED TO : SUBMITTED BY:

Dr.Tanya Mander Muskaan koul
Assistant Professor of English 17172
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my special gratitude to my teacher, Dr. Tanya Mander, Assistant
Professor of English, who gave me this golden opportunity to do this wonderful project on the
book ‘Pride and Prejudice’ which also helped me in doing a lot of research and I came to know
about many new things.

Secondly, I would also like to thank my friends who helped me a lot in finalizing this project
within the limited time frame.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR...................................................................................................................................4

CHARACTER SKETCH.........................................................................................................................5
SUMMARY........................................................................................................................................8
1. PEMBERLEY...........................................................................................................................17
1. COURTSHIP.............................................................................................................................18
2. JOURNEYS...............................................................................................................................18
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Jane austen was a Georgian author

 She is best known for her social commentary in novels including ‘Sense and Sensibilty’, ‘
Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Emma’.

 She was not very famous at her own time but her novels gained fame after 1869.

 Her novels like ‘Pride and prejudice’ and ‘Sense and Sensibility’ are considered literary
classics which bridge the gap between romance and realism.

 Her parents were very well respected members of the community. Also, they were very
encouraged to learn and think creatively.

 When Jane was young, she and her siblings were encouraged to read extensively from
their father’s library.

 In 1816, at the age of 41, jane became ill and died of the illness. Her some of the works
were published posthumously and were greatly appreciated.
 CHARACTER SKETCH

 Elizabeth Bennet – She is the novel’s protagonist. She is the second daughter of Mr.
Bennet. Elizabeth is the most intelligent and sensible of the five Bennet sisters. She is
well read and quick-witted, with a tongue that occasionally proves too sharp for her own
good. Her realization of Darcy’s essential goodness eventually triumphs over her initial
prejudice against him.

 Fitzwilliam Darcy – He is a wealthy gentleman, the master of Pemberley, and the

nephew of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Though Darcy is intelligent and honest, his excess
of pride causes him to look down on his social inferiors. Over the course of the novel, he
tempers his class-consciousness and learns to admire and love Elizabeth for her strong
character.

 Jane Bennet - The eldest and most beautiful Bennet sister. Jane is more reserved and
gentler than Elizabeth. The easy pleasantness with which she and Bingley interact
contrasts starkly with the mutual distaste that marks the encounters between Elizabeth
and Darcy.

 Charles Bingley - Darcy’s considerably wealthy best friend. Bingley’s purchase of

Nether field, an estate near the Bennett, serves as the impetus for the novel. He is a
genial, well-intentioned gentleman, whose easygoing nature contrasts with Darcy’s
initially discourteous demeanor. He is blissfully uncaring about class differences.

 Mr. Bennet - The patriarch of the Bennet family, a gentleman of modest income with
five unmarried daughters. Mr. Bennet has a sarcastic, cynical sense of humor that he uses
to purposefully irritate his wife. Though he loves his daughters (Elizabeth in particular),
 he often fails as a parent, preferring to withdraw from the never-ending marriage
concerns of the women around him rather than offer help.
 Mrs. Bennet - Mr. Bennett’s wife, a foolish, noisy woman whose only goal in life is to
see her daughters married. Because of her low breeding and often unbecoming behavior,
Mrs. Bennet often repels the very suitors whom she tries to attract for her daughters.

 George Wickham - A handsome, fortune-hunting militia officer. Wickham’s good

looks and charm attract Elizabeth initially, but Darcy’s revelation about Wickham’s
disreputable past clues her in to his true nature and simultaneously draws her closer to
Darcy.

 Lydia Bennet - The youngest Bennet sister, she is gossipy, immature, and self-
involved. Unlike Elizabeth, Lydia flings herself headlong into romance and ends up
running off with Wickham.

 Mr. Collins - A pompous, generally idiotic clergyman who stands to inherit Mr.
Bennett’s property. Mr. Collins’s own social status is nothing to brag about, but he takes
great pains to let everyone and anyone know that Lady Catherine de Bourgh serves as his
patroness. He is the worst combination of snobbish and obsequious.

 Miss Bingley - Bingley’s snobbish sister. Miss Bingley bears inordinate disdain for
Elizabeth’s middle-class background. Her vain attempts to garner Darcy’s attention cause
Darcy to admire Elizabeth’s self-possessed character even more.

 Charlotte Lucas - Elizabeth’s dear friend. Pragmatic where Elizabeth is romantic,

and also six years older than Elizabeth, Charlotte does not view love as the most vital
component of a marriage. She is more interested in having a comfortable home. Thus,
when Mr. Collins proposes, she accepts.
 Georgiana Darcy -  Darcy’s sister. She is immensely pretty and just as shy. She has
great skill at playing the pianoforte.

 Mary Bennet -  The middle Bennet sister, bookish and pedantic.

 Catherine Bennet - The fourth Bennet sister. Like Lydia, she is girlishly enthralled
with the soldiers.
 SUMMARY
The author states at the beginning of the novel that,

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good

fortune must be in want of a wife.”

The story starts with Mrs. Bennet informing her husband, Mr. Bennet about the new
neighbor. Mrs. Bennet appreciates that the new comer in the neighbourhood, Mr. bingley
is a man of large fortune. Another reason of Mrs. Bennet’s joy is that he is single. As the
only motive of her life is to get her daughters married, she thinks to make Mr.Bingley one
of her daughters’ husbands. For this, she asks her husband to first him and to know Mr.
Bingley better. But Mr.Bennet is not so appreciative of his wife’s idea. He suggests that
Lizzy (Elizabeth) is the best for Mr.Bingley. at this statement, Mrs. Bennet reacts
negatively to this suggestion of him, says that Lizzy is half not as pretty as Jane and half
not as humorous as Lydia.

Mr. Bennet did’nt tell his family that he had already paid visit to Mr.Bingley. on
the other hand, Mrs. Bennet was very worried because she thought that she won’t
be able to introduce her daughters to Mr. Bingley. But during the discussion when
they come to know that Mr.Bennet had already paid a visit to the new neighbor,
they were really astonished on this fact. Suddenly, Mrs. Bennet and her daughters
start appreciating Mr.Bennet and state that he’s such a good father and loves his
daughters so much.

Mrs.Bennet and her daughters tried to draw a sufficient description about

Mr.Bingely through Mr.Bennet but they were unsuccessful in doing so. So they
had to ultimately depend upon second hand information of their neighbor, Lady
Lucas. Her report was highly favorable. According to the neighbor, Mr.Bingley
was quite young, wonderfully handsome and extremely agreeable. A few days
later, Mr.Bingley returned Mr.Bennet’s visit and sat for about ten minutes in his
library. Next day there was assembly in thw town and Mr.Bingley entered there
with his two sisters, husband of the eldest and another young man. Mr.Bingley
was good looking, gentleman like, had easy and unaffected manners. His siters
were fine women, conscious of their dress and physical appearnamnce. His
brother in law Mr.Hurst merely looked like a gentleman. But his friend, Mr.Darcy
soon drew the attention of the whole room by his fine, tall person, handsome
features, noble manners. Also there was another report which was in circulation
that he earns ten thousand a year. Ladies started saying that he was uch better than
Mr.Bingley till his manners gave a disgust which turned of his popularity. He was
discovered to be very proud, to be above his company and above being pleased.

Mr.Bingley on the other hand, made himself aquainted with all the principal
people in the room, he was lively and unreserved and danced every dance whereas
Mr.Darcy only danced with two of the sisters of Mr.Bingley and declined being
introduced to any other lady. This shows how both of the best friends were poles
apart. He was the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world and everyone
hoped that he never came there again. Also, Elizabeth hears Darcy and bingley’
conversation, where Darcy was forcing him to have a dance but Dracy says that
he might not like dancing with anybody except his partener. Moreover, dancing
with anybody other than Bingley’s sisters were not less than any punishment to
him. Darcy praised Bingley’s partener Jane’s beauty. At this, Darcy replied that
there was also her sister who was as pretty as her and pointed towards Elizabeth.
Darcy replied that she was tolerable but not enough to tempt him. Bingley goes
back to have dance with Jane. Atlast they all came back to their home.
Mrs.Bennet told Mr.Bennet as soon as she entered the room, that they had a
delightful evening , jane was also admired very much and also Mr.Bingley is
excessively handsome. His siters are charming women. She also told his husband
about Mr.Darcy.

The morning after the ball, the women of the two families were discussing
everything ( Bennets and Lucas). The discussion moves from Mr.Bingley to
Mr.Darcy and everone agrees that the latter even if having famiky and fortune, is
too proud to be likeable. Binglesy sisters start paying visits to Bennets and start
befriending Elizabeth and Jane. On the other hand, Charlotte lucas and Elizabeth
have very different views on Jane falling in love with Bingley, too early. Darcy
starts finding himself to be attracted towards Elizabeth. He begins listening to her
conversations at the parties. To his surprise, at one party Elizabeth refuses to
dance with him and after that he tells Binlgey’s unmarried sister that he is his
object of admiration.

Now, another thing which comes in light that the property of Mr.Bennte is to be
passed to a man other than his daughters that means his daughters will get nothing
out of his property. One night when the Bennets were discussing the soldiers over
dinner, a note arrives inviting Jane by horse rather than coach, knowing that it
might rain and she would have to then spend the whole night at the Bingleys.
Their plan works out and Jane has to stay there as she falls ill. Elizabeth goes
there to meet her sister. She reaches there with soaked and dirty stockings. Jane
insists her sister to spend a night there and the Bingleys also consent.

That night, bingley sister poke fun at the Bennets. Darcy and Mr.Bingley defend
them, though Darcy concedes first that he’d never want any of sisters to ever go
out on such a walking expedition and , second, that the Bennets’ lack of wealth
makes them a poor marriage prospects. When Elizabeth returns to the room, the
topic however gets truned to Darcy’s opinion on an “accomplished woman”. After
he and Bingley list the attributes that such a woman would possess, Elizabeth
declares that she” never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and
elegance, as you describe, united,” implying that Darcy is far too demanding.

The next day, Mrs. Bennet arrives with Lydia and Catherine to visit Jane. To
Elizabeth’s distress, Mrs. Bennet spends mch of her visit to convince Bingley to
remain at Netherfield. During her stay, she makes a fool out of herself, firstly by
comparing country life to city and secondly, boasting about Jane’s beauty. In the
evening, Elizabeth observes Miss Bingley piling compliments upon Darcy as he
was writing letters to her sister. Afterwards Miss Bingley plays the piano,
Elizabeth again refuses to dance with Darcy. This only increases his admiration
for Elizabeth. Miss Bingley on observing his attraction towards Elizabeth, gets
jealous and thus, makes fun of Bennets all day.
Miss Bingley spends the whole night in the same way, first reading (just to
impress Darcy) and also criicisez the foolishness of balls and finally by walking
out of the room. Also, Elizabeth and she gets involved in a discussion about the
possibility of finding something to be ridiculed in Darcy’s character. Darcy says
that his only fault is resentment. Elizabeth attracts Darcy more than he liked her.

The continuation of Elizabeth’s visits to Bingley house accentuates the respective

attitudes of Miss Bingley and Darcy towards her; jealousy on the part of the
former, admiration on the part of the latter. Miss Bingley fears that she’ll gain all
the attention and love of Darcy whereas Darcy fears that he’ll die from his
growing attraction for Elizabeth despite knowing the fact that there marriage is
impossible as lizy belongs to inferior rank. So fearful of the class consciousness,
darcy fears that he may affect his own reputation by linking it to Elizabeth.

Miiss Bingley is afraid that she cannot compete with Elizabeth on the basis of her
virtues and talents. Her means of defense is by bringing class- anxiety to bear. She
now uses the entire social institution of class to maintain her superiority.

The following chapter introduces Mr. Collins, the novel’s most villainous
character. Collins is the person by whom Mr.Bennets property is to be inherited.
He differs from Miss Bingley and Lady de Bourgh in the way that he is not
snobbish because of his rank but his association. His absurdity increases as the
story progresses. He I full of importance and exragarrated politeness.

The arrival of Collins is immediately preceded by thje first appearance of

Wickham., and the clergyman’s follishness ontrasts with Wickham’s ability to
charm. Wickham himself is one of the only male member who’s been described
as extremely good looking by Austen. His superficial appeal is crucial because it
makes Darcy’s mistreatment of him believable, atleast to Elizabeth. The pride of
Darcy has been ver obvious from the start of the story but trusting Wickham
introduces the ‘prejudice’ of tElizabeth. These chapters also introduce to
Mrs.Phillips’s house for the first timte.
Elizabeth’s prejudice against Darcy survives all these chapters, despite Miss
Bingley’s warnings. Elizabeth is unsuccessful in directly talking to Darcy about
Wickham’s matter and when she brings up the matter, she does it in a way that
assumes Wickham to be saying the truth. Darcy is unwilling to talk, given those
terms.

Mr.Collins proposes Elizabeth in a very absurd manner. Elizabeth refuses to his

proposal but Collins expectation of no other answer than ‘No’ is very
unsurprising. Subsequently, he proposes Charlotte Lucas. She accepts the
proposal because of money and moreover unmarried women are left with no
future in the society. Whereas, Elizabeth is an ideal women who won’t solely
marry for money. Also, charlotte in a dialogue says that she is not a romantic but
only desirable of a comfortable home, shows that romanticism expected by
Elizabeth is far more than what can society provide her with.

Also, miss bingley considers Jane ‘too low’ to marry her brother. Darcy thinks the
same. Also, in the end Dracy is blamed for temporary separation of Bingley and
Jane. But, miss bingley also had her part in the separation.

Next four chapters introduce the Gardiners who prove to be Elizabeth’s most
sensitive relatives. The gardiners are very caring, they take Jane to London to
distract her from her unhappiness over Bingley. Mr.Bennet in contrast never
knows when his children need help. He prefers to withdraw to his library
whenever there is any problem. His wit and intelligence makes him a sympathetic
character in many ways, but he seems to be absent from various important
matters. And later because of his negligence, Lydia elopes with Wickham.

Wickham is not suitable for marrying Elizabeth for the same reason she she’s not
suitable to marry Darcy. But later wickham’s interest shift to Lydia. Wickham
eloped with elizabeth’s sister just to obtain her fortune. Elizabeth encounters
Darcy and his cousin frequently in her walks through the countryside. She viws
darcy as an agent to her sisters’ unhappiness. She demands to know that if he had
separated Jane and Bingley. He agrees to do that. She then repeats Wickhim’s
accusations abd declares that Darcy is a very proud and selfish person and that
marriage to him is utterly unimaginable.

Another character, Lady Catherine de Bourgh who’s favourite past time is

ordrring everyone else. The only individual who has the courage to stand up
against her is Elizabeth. When lady Catherine criticizes Bennet family, Elizabeth
stands against her.

Darcy’s proposal is the turning point in the story. Until that moment, Elizabeth
had just feelings of dislike for him. After the proposal, her feelings turn into love
gradually. She refuses him because she thinks that he is too arrogant and also, he
has a role in the separation of Jane and Bingley. In darcy’s proposal to marry her,
mostly he spends time on emphasizing about Elizabeth’s lower rank instead of
asking her to marry him.

Later, darcy’s letter leads to maturation of their attitude towards each other. In
darcy’s case, the rejection of his proposal strikes a blow to his pride and compels
him to respond to Elizabeth’s anger. And in case of Elizabeth, she realizes that
how she had misjudged both Darcy as well as Wickham. Now, she is ready to
look at Darcy in a new light. They take their own time to adjust with their feelings
and behavior

Elizabeth’s visit to Pemberley constitutes a critical step in her progress toward

marrying Darcy. Mr. Reynolds tells a hidden side of Darcy to Elizabeth. This
makes her realize that how fast had he judged Darcy. She has the ability to accept
her mistakes. The arrival of Darcy encourages the change of Elizabeth’s heart. He
proposes her in a different conduct and this shows that he really loves her. Also,
he overcomes his pride for her and she overcomes her prejudice. This is an
indication that they both love each other.

Georgiana Darcy, sister of Darcy is seen to be the possible wife of Bingley. As

she is very shy she is seen as a threat to Jane. Elizabeth realizes that Darcy is
exactly the man who’ll suit is very ironic. Elizabeth feels that Darcy’s feelings
might have changed for her which fortunately untrue. She thinks that because of
Lydia’s elopement, Darcy might not associate his family name with her. Also,
during the search of Lydia in the city Mrgardiner comes forward instead of
Mr.Bennet.

The happy conclusion to Bingley’s courtship of Jane suggests that Darcy no

longer cares about the Bennet sisters’ low social status. Jane and bingley get
engaged which somehow indicates that another marriage may follow.

After a week of Jane and Bingley getting engaged, Lade Catherine visits
Elizabeth to have a talk with her. She tells her that there are rumours that Darcy is
planning to marry her. She asks her to promise that she won’t accept the proposal
as Elizabeth’s family have such low connections and that her marriage to darcy
will make him an object of contempt in the society. Elizabeth refuses to make any
such promise and also tells Lady Catherine that people like her, Miss Bingley and
Mr.Collins always snub the people who’re inferior to them. She says that she
won’t let her decision affect by people who are totally not connected to her.

Lady Catherine is the last obstacle in the marriage of Darcy and Elizabeth.
Though Elizabeth had’nt received any new proposal from Darcy’s side, still the
love she had for Darcy made her stand against the snobbishness of Lady
Catherine. That also showed enduring strength of her will and self respect. And
finally, Austen briefs the Darcy’s proposal to Elizabeth for marriage.

In the end love wins over pride in social status for Darcy and prejudice for
Elizabeth.
 THEMES

 LOVE
Pride and Prejudice contains one of the most cherished love stories in English
literature. As in any good love story, the lovers must overcome numerous hurdles,
beginning with the tensions caused by the lovers’ own personal qualities. Elizabeth’s
pride makes her misjudge Darcy on the basis of a poor first impression, while
Darcy’s prejudice against Elizabeth’s poor social standing blinds him, for a time, to
her many virtues. One could also say that Elizabeth is guilty of prejudice and Darcy
of pride—the title cuts both ways. Austen, meanwhile, poses countless smaller
obstacles to the realization of the love between Elizabeth and Darcy, including Lady
Catherine’s attempt to control her nephew, Miss Bingley’s snobbery, Mrs. Bennet’s
idiocy, and Wickham’s deceit. In each case, anxieties about social connections, or
the desire for better social connections, interfere with the workings of love. Darcy
and Elizabeth’s realization of a mutual and tender love seems to imply that Austen
views love as something independent of these social forces, as something that can be
captured if only an individual is able to escape the twisted effects of hierarchical
society. Austen shows the reality of society on the topic of love, using the character
of Charlotte Lucas, who marries the buffoon Mr. Collins for his money, to
demonstrate that the heart does not always dictate marriage. Yet with her central
characters, Austen suggests that true love is a force separate from society and one
that can conquer even the most difficult of circumstances.

 REPUTATION

Pride and Prejudice depicts a society in which a woman’s reputation is the most

important. A woman is expected to behave in certain ways. Stepping outside the
social norms makes her vulnerable to exclusion from the society or the group. This
theme appears in the novel, when Elizabeth walks to Netherfield and arrives with
muddy skirts, to the shock of the reputation-conscious Miss Bingley and her friends.
 At other points, the ill-mannered, ridiculous behavior of Mrs. Bennet gives her a bad
reputation with the more refined (and snobbish) Darcys and Bingleys. Austen pokes
gentle fun at the snobs in these examples, but later in the novel, when Lydia elopes
with Wickham and lives with him out of wedlock, the author treats reputation as a
very serious matter. By becoming Wickham’s lover without benefit of marriage,
Lydia clearly places herself outside the social pale, and her disgrace threatens the
entire Bennet family. The fact that Lydia’s judgment, however terrible, would likely
have condemned the other Bennet sisters to marriage less lives seems grossly unfair.
Why should Elizabeth’s reputation suffer along with Lydia’s? Darcy’s intervention
on the Bennets’ behalf thus becomes all the more generous. If Darcy’s money had
failed to convince Wickham to marry Lydia, would Darcy have still married
Elizabeth? Does his transcendence of prejudice extend that far? The happy ending
of Pride and Prejudice is certainly emotionally satisfying, but in many ways it leaves
the theme of reputation, and the importance placed on reputation, unexplored.

 CLASS

The theme of class is related to reputation, in that both reflect the strictly regimented
nature of life for the middle and upper classes in Regency England. The lines of class
are strictly drawn. While the Bennets, who are middle class, may socialize with the
upper-class Bingleys and Darcys, they are clearly their social inferiors and are treated
as such. Austen satirizes this kind of class-consciousness, particularly in the
character of Mr. Collins, who spends most of his time toadying to his upper-class
patron, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Though Mr. Collins offers an extreme example,
he is not the only one to hold such views. His conception of the importance of class
is shared, among others, by Mr. Darcy, who believes in the dignity of his lineage;
Miss Bingley, who dislikes anyone not as socially accepted as she is; and Wickham,
who will do anything he can to get enough money to raise himself into a higher
station. Mr. Collins’s views are merely the most extreme and obvious. The satire
directed at Mr. Collins is therefore also more subtly directed at the entire social
 hierarchy and the conception of all those within it at its correctness, in complete
disregard of other, more worthy virtues. Through the Darcy-Elizabeth and Bingley-
Jane marriages, Austen shows the power of love and happiness to overcome class
boundaries and prejudices, thereby implying that such prejudices are hollow,
unfeeling, and unproductive.

SYMBOLS

1. PEMBERLEY

Pride and Prejudice is remarkably free of explicit symbolism, which perhaps has
something to do with the novel’s reliance on dialogue over description. Nevertheless,
Pemberley, Darcy’s estate, sits at the center of the novel, literally and figuratively, as
a geographic symbol of the man who owns it. Elizabeth visits it at a time when her
feelings toward Darcy are beginning to warm; she is enchanted by its beauty and
charm, and by the picturesque countryside, just as she will be charmed, increasingly,
by the gifts of its owner. Austen makes the connection explicit when she describes
the stream that flows beside the mansion. “In front,” she writes, “a stream of some
natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance.”
Darcy possesses a “natural importance” that is “swelled” by his arrogance, but which
coexists with a genuine honesty and lack of “artificial appearance.” Like the stream,
he is neither “formal, nor falsely adorned.” Pemberley even offers a symbol-within-
a-symbol for their budding romance: when Elizabeth encounters Darcy on the estate,
she is crossing a small bridge, suggesting the broad gulf of misunderstanding and
class prejudice that lies between them—and the bridge that their love will build
across it.
 MOTIFS

1. COURTSHIP

In a sense, Pride and Prejudice is the story of two courtships—those between Darcy

and Elizabeth and between Bingley and Jane. Within this broad structure appear
other, smaller courtships: Mr. Collins’s aborted wooing of Elizabeth, followed by his
successful wooing of Charlotte Lucas; Miss Bingley’s unsuccessful attempt to attract
Darcy; Wickham’s pursuit first of Elizabeth, then of the never-seen Miss King, and
finally of Lydia. Courtship therefore takes on a profound, if often unspoken,
importance in the novel. Marriage is the ultimate goal, courtship constitutes the real
working-out of love. Courtship becomes a sort of forge of a person’s personality, and
each courtship becomes a microcosm for different sorts of love (or different ways to
abuse love as a means to social advancement).

2. JOURNEYS

Nearly every scene in Pride and Prejudice takes place indoors, and the action centers
around the Bennet home in the small village of Longbourn. Nevertheless, journeys—
even short ones—function repeatedly as catalysts for change in the novel. Elizabeth’s
first journey, by which she intends simply to visit Charlotte and Mr. Collins, brings
her into contact with Mr. Darcy, and leads to his first proposal. Her second journey
takes her to Derby and Pemberley, where she fans the growing flame of her affection
for Darcy. The third journey, meanwhile, sends various people in pursuit of
Wickham and Lydia, and the journey ends with Darcy tracking them down and
saving the Bennet family honor, in the process demonstrating his continued devotion
to Elizabeth.