The book I chose was Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen and published in 1813.

And I just chose it because it is one of my favorite books.

In chapter 1

The novel begins in Longbourn, at the Bennet family home. The Bennets are engaged in a
conversation about Mr. Bingley, "a bachelor with a large fortune" who is soon to move to
Netherfield Park nearby.

Mrs. Bennet expects Mr. Bingley to be a possible suitor for one of her daughters. She desperately
wants her husband to visit him, hoping to generate a relationship. However, Mr. Bennet is not so
enthusiastic, and refuses to commit himself. This attitude infuriates his wife, whose main concern
in life is finding husbands for her daughters.

There are five daughters in the Bennet family (from oldest to youngest): Jane, Elizabeth, Mary,
Kitty and Lydia. It is clear from the beginning of the novel that Elizabeth is Mr. Bennet's favorite
because of her practical nature. Mrs. Bennet, on the other hand, seems to be more fond of Jane,
because of her beauty, and Lydia, because of her good humor.

In Chapter 2

Mr. Bennet visits Mr. Bingley without telling his family, and only mentions him, in passing, a few
days later. He had always intended to visit him, but kept refusing in order to annoy Mrs. Bennet.
After this revelation, Mr. Bennet continues to pester his wife, and also his younger daughters, by
refusing to answer any of their questions about the mysterious Bingley.

The novel allows us to discuss the following current issues in my country:

1. Feminism:

In English society at that time, a woman's only social role was to be a mother and wife. There was
no possibility of having professional, financial or social ambitions.

Against this struggle, the protagonist, cultured and intelligent, nonconformist with the social
order, does not allow herself to be subdued and decides to marry only for love. At a time when
women were raised to be wives and mothers, Lizzie sees beyond.
2. Property:

Women were seen as inferior and incapable of owning property, in the book we see that inherited
property could not pass to daughters. By law, when the patriarch died, the estate had to pass to
the sons and, if there were none, the fortune passed to the man closest to the family.

In the case of the Bennet family, the estate could pass neither to the wife nor to the daughters,
but to Mr. Collins, a cousin. It is to this type of social organization that the author, Austen, directs
her greatest criticism.

3. Marriage:

The protagonist argues and rebels against her circumstances, because her mother wants her to
marry someone rich and she wants to be independent; she repudiates a marriage motivated by
convenience. Unlike the other women of the time, Lizzie does not assume that a man is the
solution to her financial problems.

What she detests are the values that motivated women to find a well-to-do husband, such as
social climbing. She wants to marry whomever she wants and with no interests involved.

With this English classic, your students can not only see how society has evolved, but learn about
one of England's best-known authors. By reading her book, your students may be attracted to the
themes it deals with, mainly social criticism mixed with romance, and thus motivate reading about
historical processes.