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Pride and Prejudice

Type of Work
.......Pride and Prejudice is a novel of romance and social satire with comic episodes, as in a comedy of manners.

Composition and Publication

.......Jane Austen wrote the first version of the novel in 1796 and 1797, calling it First Impressions, but failed to get it published. In 1809, she began revising the novel and completed it in 1812 for publication by Thomas Edgerton on January 28, 1813 in London.

Settings
.......The action takes place in England between the fall of 1811 and the Christmas season of 1812 in the counties of Hertfordshire, Derbyshire, Kent, and Sussex and in the city of London.

Characters
Mr. Bennet: Husband and father of five daughters who owns a small estate, Longbourn, and runs his home on a modest income of his own, supplemented by money his wife brought to their marriage. He is generally a passive observer of events involving his daughters, although he takes an active part in attempting to find a daughter who has run off with a man of questionable reputation. He tries to stand clear of his wife's schemes to match their daughters with well-to-do bachelors. The Bennets have been married twenty-three years. Mrs. Bennet: Wife of Mr. Bennet. She devotes her time to finding opportunities for her daughters to meet young men of wealth and social status. Her efforts are often clumsy and comical, making her something of a caricature of the matchmaking mother. Elizabeth (Lizzy) Bennet: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's second-oldest daughter (not yet twenty-one early in the novel) and the novel's main character. She is attractive, witty, compassionate, and morally upright. When confronted with rude or unreasonable behavior, she is not afraid to stand up for herself. At first, she is attracted to George Wickham and repelled by the FitzWilliam Darcy. Later, when she learns more about Wickham and Darcy, she gradually softens toward the latter and eventually falls in love with him. FitzWilliam Darcy: Wealthy bachelor, about twenty-eight, and owner of a sprawling estate, Pemberley, in Derbyshire. When he attends a dance in Meryton, he looks down on the local attendees--including Elizabeth Bennet--thinking them common and provincial. However, in time, he falls in love with Elizabeth, finding her intelligent and attractive with an independent spirit. Next to Elizabeth, he is the most important character in the novel. Old Mr. Darcy: Deceased father of Darcy. He was married to Lady Anne FitzWilliam, the daughter of an earl surnamed FitzWilliam. Jane Bennet: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's oldest daughter, about twenty-two. She is blessed with beauty and a sweet disposition. She suffers great disappointment when the man she loves--a genial and handsome bachelor, Charles Bingley, who is well endowed with money and property--one day severs all connections with her. Charles Bingley: Wealthy young bachelor attracted to Jane Bennet. While sojourning near the Bennet home, he develops a promising relationship with Jane, then abruptly ends it and takes up residence in London. Lydia Bennet: Outspoken, irresponsible daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. She is an incessant talker who is "untamed, unabashed, wild, noisy, and fearless" (Chapter 51). Lydia, described in Chapter 29 by Elizabeth as "not sixteen," is enthralled with the young military officers stationed at Meryton and eventually runs away with one of them. George Wickham: Handsome, charming lady-killer who deceives Elizabeth into believing that Darcy cheated him out of an inheritance. After he joins the military at Meryton, he attracts the attentions of Lydia, and they run off and live together. To prevent a scandal that would ruin the Bennet name, Darcy tracks them down and makes a financial arrangement with Wickham that requires him to marry Lydia. Mary Bennet, Catherine (Kitty) Bennet: Daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. They are the only Bennet siblings who remain unmarried at the end of the novel. Caroline Bingley, Mrs. Louisa Bingley Hurst: Snobbish sisters of Charles Bingley. They look down upon the Bennets and belittle Jane and Elizabeth in the eyes of Charles Bingley and Darcy. Mr. Hurst: Husband of Louisa Bingley Hurst. Colonel FitzWilliam Darcy: Affable thirty-year-old cousin of the aforementioned FitzWilliam Darcy. He and Darcy share the name of their grandfather, an earl. Edward Gardiner: Brother of Mrs. Bennet. Unlike her, he exhibits refinement and good judgment.

Mrs. Gardiner: Edward Gardiner's elegant wife, who is a favorite of the Bennet girls. When Jane Bennet visits London, she stays with the Gardiners. Mrs. Phillips: Sister of Mrs. Bennet. Lydia and the other Bennet girls visit her often at her home in Meryton. She provides them the latest news of the area, especially when it concerns the officers of the militia regiment stationed in the town. Mr. Phillips: Husband of Mrs. Phillips. He took over the law office of the deceased father of Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Phillips. Lady Catherine de Bourgh: Officious, arrogant aunt of the Darcy cousins and widow of Sir Lewis de Bourgh. She is mistress of a lavish estate, Rosings Park, in Kent. Lady Catherine attempts to control the lives of others and succeeds in turning Mr. Collins into her lackey. Elizabeth Bennet rebuffs her when she attempts to make Elizabeth sever her relationship with Darcy (of Pemberley). Anne de Bourgh: Daughter of Lady Catherine. The Rev. Mr. Collins: Pompous, long-winded but harmless distant cousin of Mr. Bennet. The twenty-five-year-old Collins, who is in line to inherit the Bennet property, proposes to Elizabeth. After she turns him down, he marries Elizabeth's friend, Charlotte Lucas. Thanks to the sponsorship of Lady Catherine, to whom he kowtows, he receives a parsonage and a good income. Georgiana Darcy: Sixteen-year-old sister of Darcy (of Pemberley). Sir William and Lady Lucas: Good friends of the Bennets. Charlotte Lucas: Twenty-seven-year-old daughter of Sir William and Lady Lucas. She is Elizabeth's best friend. A practical young lady, she marries the well-placed Colllins. Maria Lucas: Daughter of Sir William and Lady Lucas. Mrs. Long: Neighbor of Mrs. Bennet. Mrs. Bennet both vilifies and praises her, depending on whether she acts against or in accord with Mrs. Bennet's wishes. Nieces of Mrs. Long: Young ladies whom Mrs. Bennet regards as rivals to her own daughters in their attempts to win the attentions of young bachelors. Colonel Forster: A commander in the militia regiment at Meryton. Harriet Forster: Young wife of Colonel Forster. In temperament, she is not unlike Lydia Bennet, and the two young ladies become good friends. Mr. Denny: Member of the militia regiment at Meryton and an acquaintance of Wickham and the Bennet girls. Mr. Chamberlayne: Member of the militia regiment at Meryton and an acquaintance of Lydia Bennet. Captain Carter: Member of the militia regiment at Meryton. Lydia Bennet is attracted to him before she turns her attention to George Wickham. Mr. Pratt: Member of the militia regiment at Meryton. Mrs. Hill: The Bennets' housekeeper. Mrs. Reynolds: Housekeeper at Pemberley. Mrs. Jenkinson: Companion of Lady Catherine's daughter, Anne. Nieces of Mrs. Jenkison: Young ladies for whom Lady Catherine finds a governess. Mr. Jones: Apothecary who treats Jane Bennet when she becomes ill at Netherfield Park. Mary King: Wealthy young lady at one time wooed by Wickham. Dawson: Lady Catherine's maid. Miss Grantley: Acquaintance spoken of by Caroline Bingley. Lady Metcalf: Acquaintance of Lady Catherine. Mr. Morris: Owner of Netherfield Park, which he rents to Charles Bingley. Miss Pope: Governess whom Lady Catherine found for the home of Lady Metcalf. Mr. Nicholls: Charles Bingley's cook at Netherfield Park. Mrs. Nicholls: Wife of Charles Bingley. She reports to Mrs. Phillips news of Bingley's return to Netherfield Park. Mrs. Phillips, in turn, tells her sister, Mrs. Bennet, the news. Haggerston: Attorney retained by Edward Gardiner to handle legal matters involving Lydia Bennet and George Wickham. Mr. and Mrs. William Goulding: Neighbors of the Bennets. John: Servant at the Collins parsonage. John: Servant at the Gardiner home. Mr. Robinson: Man at the Meryton ball who asks Charles Bingley which young lady he believes to be the prettiest in the room. Mr. Stone: London business acquaintance of Mr. Gardiner. Richard: Servant of Mr. and Mrs. Phillips.

Narration
.......Austen presents the novel in third-person point of view, often omniscient, enabling her to reveal the ruminations of the protagonist, Elizabeth, as in the following passages: They had now entered a beautiful walk by the side of the water, and every step was bringing forward a nobler fall of ground, or a finer reach of the woods to which they were approaching; but it was some time before Elizabeth was sensible

of any of it; and, though she answered mechanically to the repeated appeals of her uncle and aunt, and seemed to direct her eyes to such objects as they pointed out, she distinguished no part of the scene. Her thoughts were all fixed on that one spot of Pemberley House, whichever it might be, where Mr. Darcy then was. She longed to know what at the moment was passing in his mind--in what manner he thought of her, and whether, in defiance of everything, she was still dear to him. Perhaps he had been civil only because he felt himself at ease; yet there had been that in his voice which was not like ease. Whether he had felt more of pain or of pleasure in seeing her she could not tell, but he certainly had not seen her with composure. (Chapter 43) In seeing Bingley, her thoughts naturally flew to her sister; and, oh! how ardently did she long to know whether any of his were directed in a like manner. Sometimes she could fancy that he talked less than on former occasions, and once or twice pleased herself with the notion that, as he looked at her, he was trying to trace a resemblance. But, though this might be imaginary, she could not be deceived as to his behaviour to Miss Darcy, who had been set up as a rival to Jane. No look appeared on either side that spoke particular regard. Nothing occurred between them that could justify the hopes of his sister. On this point she was soon satisfied; and two or three little circumstances occurred ere they parted, which, in her anxious interpretation, denoted a recollection of Jane not untinctured by tenderness, and a wish of saying more that might lead to the mention of her, had he dared. He observed to her, at a moment when the others were talking together, and in a tone which had something of real regret, that it "was a very long time since he had had the pleasure of seeing her;" and, before she could reply, he added, "It is above eight months. We have not met since the 26th of November, when we were all dancing together at Netherfield." (Chapter 34) The author also frequently reveals the thoughts of other characters. For example, the following sentences from Chapter 2 present the concerns of Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Lucas. Mrs. Bennet was quite disconcerted. She could not imagine what business he could have in town so soon after his arrival in Hertfordshire; and she began to fear that he might be always flying about from one place to another, and never settled at Netherfield as he ought to be. Lady Lucas quieted her fears a little by starting the idea of his being gone to London only to get a large party for the ball. . . . However, Austen sometimes keeps secret what a character is thinking in order to heighten suspense and keep the reader turning the page. The following passage demonstrates this approach: But why Mr. Darcy came so often to the Parsonage, it was more difficult to understand. It could not be for society, as he frequently sat there ten minutes together without opening his lips; and when he did speak, it seemed the effect of necessity rather than of choice--a sacrifice to propriety, not a pleasure to himself. He seldom appeared really animated. Mrs. Collins knew not what to make of him. Colonel Fitzwilliam's occasionally laughing at his stupidity, proved that he was generally different, which her own knowledge of him could not have told her; and as she would liked to have believed this change the effect of love, and the object of that love her friend Eliza, she set herself seriously to work to find it out. She watched him whenever they were atRosings, and whenever he came to Hunsford; but without much success. He certainly looked at her friend a great deal, but the expression of that look was disputable. It was an earnest, steadfast gaze, but she often doubted whether there were much admiration in it, and sometimes it seemed nothing but absence of mind. (Chapter 32)
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Themes
Travails of Courtship .......In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare wrote, "The course of true love never did run smooth" (Lysander, 1. 1. 134). That statement appears to sum up the theme of Pride and Prejudice. True, Elizabeth and Darcy, Jane and Bingley, and Lydia and Wickham all end up in what promise to be happy marriages. But they all had to overcome formidable obstacles to get to the altar. Pride and Prejudice .......Darcy exhibits undue pride at the beginning of the novel, believing he is superior to the Hertfordshire denizens, while Elizabeth exhibits prejudice, believing she correctly judges Darcy's character. But because she lacks substantial information about his background, she actually prejudges him. However, both later realize and acknowledge their shortcomings, preparing the way for their reconciliation and marriage. Snobbery

.......Darcy, Lady Catherine, and Bingley's sisters all exhibit hauteur in the company of people they believe are inferior in terms of breeding, social status, education, and wealth. Only Darcy reforms his ways; the others remain insufferably arrogant. Misplaced Values .......Lady Catherine, Bingley's sisters, and other characters measure others according to their rank, money, property, and social connections rather than their integrity, compassion, humility, and other qualities. Know Thyself .......Pride and Prejudice devotes considerable attention to self-discovery. The ancient Greeks so valued self-knowledge that they inscribed the words "Know Thyself" at the entrance to one of their most sacred shrines, the Temple of the oracle at Delphi. At the beginning of the novel, both Elizabeth and Darcy are ignorant of their own shortcomings. Elizabeth readily perceives the faults of others but fails to perceive a serious character flaw in herself: her tendency to prejudge others, notably Darcy. Likewise, Darcy quickly recognizes the deficiencies of the people he meets but overlooks a considerable defect in himself: great pride. As the novel progresses, however, Elizabeth and Darcy begin to discover their own imperfections and eventually acknowledge and apologize for them. Knowing themselves, they realize, enables them to root out the pride and prejudice that has stood between them and then prepare the way for their life together. Individualism .......Elizabeth refuses to conform to the expectations of society. She tramps through mud to visit her ailing sister, no doubt well aware that her less-than-ladylike appearance will invite criticism. She refuses a proposal of marriage from Mr. Collins, who has a parsonage, an income, and the favor of Lady Catherine. And, as the pice de rsistance, she refuses the first proposal of marriage from the august Darcythe handsome master of a vast estate. In all of her decisions, she acts on principle, eschewing the dictates of custom and society in favor of what her conscience tells her to do. Reputation .......In Pride and Prejudice, members of the upper classes generally wish to maintain their reputations as wealthy, cultured, and powerful citizens of the realm. Members of the middle classes, such as Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Collins, generally wish to enhance their reputations by linking their destinies with the high and mighty. Lydia Bennet threatens the aspirations of both upper and middle-class characters when she runs off with Wickham and lives with him out of wedlock. Her scandalous behavior threatens to ruin the reputation of the entire Bennet family and destroy her sisters' chances of marrying a respectable young man. Darcy comes to the rescue, of course, providing the wherewithal for Lydia and Wickham to marry. One may fairly wonder, though, whether Darcy acts out of goodwill or whether he wishes to purify a family into which he plans to marry.

Climax
.......The climax of a novel or another literary work, such as a short story or a play, can be defined as (1) the turning point at which the conflict begins to resolve itself for better or worse, or as (2) the final and most exciting event in a series of events. According to the first definition, the climax of Pride and Prejudice occurs the moment that Elizabeth begins to alter her negative opinion of Darcy. This moment occurs when Elizabeth reevaluates Darcy's character while perusing his letter (Chapter 36). According to second definition, the climax occurs when Darcy and Elizabeth admit their faults to each other (Chapter 58) and acknowledge their feelings for each other, preparing the way for their engagement and eventual marriage.
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Austin's Writing
.......Austen writes lively and lucid prose. The vocabulary is relatively simple, and there are few, if any, obscure allusions. Chapters are short, and the author intersperses narrative and descriptive passages with dialogue to avoid the monotony of long blocks of type.

.......Although Austen frequently describes a character directlyas tall or haughty, for exampleshe just as frequently delineates him (or her) through what he says, what he does, or what he thinks. For example, we know that Mr. Collins is a sycophant because of his groveling praise of Lady Catherine. And we know that Caroline Bingley is a bumptious snob because of her unfair criticism of the Bennet girls. .......In satirizing the English society of her time, Austin sometimes uses caricature. Collins, Lady Catherine, Caroline Bingley, and Mrs. Bennet are all cartoonish figures who had their real-life English counterparts in churches, in the drawings rooms of great estates, and in parlors of modest homes with mothers contriving to append their daughters to wealthy bachelors. The author draws her caricatures skillfully so that they act and soundalbeit with a goodly modicum of exaggerationlike people we know, people we love to laugh at, or people we love to despise.

Darcy's "Dual Personality"

.......At the Meryton dance in Chapter 2, Darcy seems incurably arrogant, every bit as toplofty as Lady Catherine in later chapters. But in Chapter 43, his housekeeper characterizes him as almost saintly, saying he has been a perfect gentlemen since childhood. What accounts for his "dual personality"? Before attempting to answer that question, let us first consider key passages in both chapters, the first attesting to Darcy's arrogance and the second attesting to his seeming impeccability. Chapter 2 A conversation between Darcy and Bingley when the latter coaxes him to dance with one of the young ladies: ......."I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner. At such an assembly as this it would be insupportable. Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with." ......."I would not be so fastidious as you are," cried Mr. Bingley, "for a kingdom! Upon my honour, I never met with so many pleasant girls in my life as I have this evening; and there are several of them you see uncommonly pretty." ......."You are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room," said Mr.Darcy, looking at the eldest Miss Bennet. ......."Oh! She is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld! But there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and I dare say very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you." ......."Which do you mean?" and turning round he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said: "She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me; I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me." Chapter 43 A conversation at Pemberley in which Mr. Gardiner asks the housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds, about Darcy. ......."If your master would marry, you might see more of him." ......."Yes, sir; but I do not know when that will be. I do not know who is good enough for him." .......Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner smiled. Elizabeth could not help saying, "It is very much to his credit, I am sure, that you should think so." ......."I say no more than the truth, and everybody will say that knows him," replied the other. Elizabeth thought this was going pretty far; and she listened with increasing astonishment as the housekeeper added, "I have never known a cross word from him in my life, and I have known him ever since he was four years old." .......If what Mrs. Reynolds says is truethat Darcy never uttered a cross word since his childhoodwhat accounts for his abominable behavior at Meryton? Is he a Jekyll and Hyde? In a sense, perhaps. When Austen wrote the novel, England and other European countries were nervous about the outcome of the French Revolution. In that landmark historical event, the common people overthrew the monarchy and the established social order. Consequently, the upper classes lost their inherited titles and privileges; sometimes they lost their heads to the guillotine. Meanwhile, the English upper classes feared that revolutionary fervor would cross the channel and upset the social order there. As a result, many of the entrenched aristocrats became highly protective of their privileges and domains and looked with suspicion and disdain upon those beneath them in the social structure. Darcy's arrogance thus may well have been a conscious or unconscious expression of the prevailing attitude of long-standing aristocrats toward anyone who would invade their rankssocially, militarily, or otherwise. In other words, in Meryton he may have viewed the gathered provincial folk as a potentially threatening group. Elizabeth, of course, was part of this group. Later, however, he began to view her as an individual--as he had always viewed Mrs. Reynolds and the others at Pemberley.

Unfair Treatment of Women

.......Unfair treatment of women is an issue in Pride and Prejudice. At the time that the novel was written, it was not uncommon in England for a property owner to will his real estate to a male heir with the condition that the heirs of succeeding generations also had to be male. If, in these succeeding generations, the current custodian of the estate had no sons (like Mr. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice), he had to bequeath the property to his nearest male relative (Mr. Collins, in Pride and Prejudice) even if he had at least one daughter. .......This unfair practice was used at a time when society generally refused to allow women to become lawyers, physicians, bankers, architects, and so on. Consequently, the only way for many young women to prosper was to marry an affluent bachelor. This situation partly explains why Mrs. Bennet and other mothers, as well as marriageable young ladies, are preoccupied with discovering well-to-do bachelors, such as Darcy. Consider the attention he receives when he enters the dance at Meryton: "Mr. Bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike . . . but his friend Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien, and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year."

Study Questions and Essay Topics

Besides Elizabeth, which female character in Pride and Prejudice do you most admire? Explain your answer. . Which female character do you least admire? Explain your answer. Write an essay that compares and contrasts Elizabeth and Jane Bennet. Write an essay that attempts to explain why Charles Bingley is so warm and friendly and his sister Caroline is so cold and condescending. What characteristics of Lady Catherine are reflected in the appearance of Rosings Park? When Darcy provides the wherewithal for Lydia and Wickham to marry, his action seems noble and selfless. Is it possible, though, that his sole motive is to maintain the reputation of the family into which he plans to marry? If Lydia and Wickham had refused Darcy's help and foolishly decided to live together without marrying, would Darcy have married Elizabeth? In Chapter 47, Lydia writes in a letter to Harriet Forster that she and Wickham are bound for Gretna Green. Where was Gretna Green? Why was it a popular destination of young couples? After the Meryton ball, Mrs. Bennet says she hopes Elizabeth never dances with Darcy if an opportunity presents itself. However, Charlotte Lucas observes that his pride is at least somewhat forgivable: One cannot wonder that so very fine a young man, with family, fortune, everything in his favour, should think highly of himself. Do you agree or disagree with her observation? Explain your answer.