Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

There’s news in two that a wealthy man named Bingley is in Netherfeild Park and the Bennett family in Longbourn gets excited, Mrs. Bennet is eager to hopefully marry one of her five daughters to the eligible and wealthy Bingley. After teasing them a little, Mr. Bennet reveals that he’s talked to Bingley and they’re all (minus him) going to a ball hosted by Bingley. There, Bingley dances twice with Jane, the Bennet’s eldest and prettiest. Elizabeth, the second oldest and clever one of the sisters is offended by Bingley’s close friend, Darcy after he insults her beauty and refuses to dance with her. Although later, it’s revealed that Darcy is actually attracted to Eliza’s sharp eyes. Weeks later, a letter arrived from Miss Bingley, Bingley’s sister, inviting Jane to Bingley’s place. Jane goes but catches a cold so Eliza comes to tend to her the next day. Darcy puts his attention to Eliza, much to Miss Bingley’s disdain and she rivals for his attention.

Jane eventually gets better and Eliza and Jane leaves Netherfeild and return to Longbourn. There, they find out that Mr. Collins is visiting, a foolish man in which the Bennet’s property is entailed to after Mr. Bennet’s death. He takes interest in Eliza after finding out Jane is taken with Bingley and promptly purposes to her. She declines his proposal. All the while, all the sisters excluding Jane take interest in some military officers in town, Eliza drawn especially to Wickham, a charming officer that also knows Darcy. Eliza grows to hate Darcy even more whenWickham tells her that he cheated him out of an inheritance.

Mrs. Bennet’s plans of hooking up her daughters go awry when winter arrives, the Netherfield group leaving to London and Mr. Collins has abruptly purposed to Charlotte, Eliza’s best friend, and she has accepted. They attend the wedding, Jane hoping to find Bingley but gets Miss Bingley instead, complete with her rudeness. She says that Bingley will most likely not revisit Netherfield. Spring arrives and Eliza visits Charlotte and Mr. Collins as well as his patron, Lady Catherin de Bourgh. It turns out she’s also Darcy’s aunt. They meet once at the Lady’s mansion and many more times at the Collin’s residence. Out of the blue, Darcy purposes to Eliza on the reasons that she’ll gain lots from him and it’s the best financial move she can make for her family. Offended for the last time, Eliza declines and reveals to him the knowledge she’s gained from Wickham and how she knows he’s the reason for Jane’s failed prospect in Bingley.

Darcy leaves but not before writing a letter telling her that he did in fact keep Bingley from marrying Jane because of Mrs. Bennet and her actions. He also reveals that Wickham is a liar and he refused him his inheritance because Wickham tried to marry his sister. Knowing this, Eliza returns to Longbourn and distances herself from Wickham. The militia leaves town but Lydia convinces Mr. Bennet is let her stay near the place where the militia will be stationed next. In the same time period, the Gardiners arrive, relatives of the Bennets. They take Eliza on a trip up north and to Pemberley, Darcy’s estate. Eliza is hesitant but agrees to visit because she thinks Darcy isn’t there. When Darcy arrives and treats her with great respect, introducing Eliza to his sister.

During the visit, Eliza gets news that Lydia has run away with Wickham. The Gardiners and Eliza promptly leave, fearing the disgrace Lydia will bring to the Bennet family’s name. Mr. Bennet and Mr. Gardiner leave Longbourn to search for Lydia. Mr. Gardiner eventually finds her and says that Wickham has agreed to marry Lydia if they pay him. Eliza finds out that it’s actually Darcy that tracked down and found Wickham and he is the one that paid for Wickham to marry Lydia.

Lydia and Wickham visits Longbourn but leaves because of Wickham’s job and Bingley comes back into town. He begins to charm Jane again and proposes to her. The family celebrates when Lady Catherine drops by for a visit, privately telling Eliza to decline a second marriage proposal by Darcy. Eliza refuses to do so, wanting to leave her options open. Darcy proposes to her a little later, she accepts.

Characters

Elizabeth Bennet- the main character of Pride and Prejudice. She’s judgmental but clever and quick witted with sharp eyes. This is what attracts Darcy. Unlike Jane, she isn’t gentle or easy with her words, speaking with her mind and enjoys to laugh.

Jane Bennet- Eliza’s sister, the prettiest out of all the sisters. She’s gentle and lady like in demeanor, although Eliza’s stated that she’s shy and does not display her emotions well.

Darcy- The charismatic, smart yet prideful man who eventually wins Eliza’s heart. He’s caustic and somewhat daunting, the town liking him at first glance but his manners so “awful” that it’s a deal breaker at the first ball. As it turns out, he’s softer and more loyal to those who are closer to him.

Bingley- Like Jane, he’s friendly and easy mannered, compatible with Jane. Unlike Darcy, he does not care for the class difference.

Mrs. Bennet- The sort of “classic” mother, she desperately wants her daughters to get married to wealthy men. She’s intensely hateful of Collins, the man who will entail their property until she learns that he plans on marrying Eliza. She causes shame upon Eliza because she’s very gossipy and comes off as desperate.

Mr. Bennet- The father of the five girls, it seems as if Eliza’s cleverness and playfulness comes from his genes. He’s sarcastic and looks out for the girl’s best interest, either out of love or because it’ll get them out of his hair or maybe both.

The Gardiners- The parental figures in the novel. They prove to be more attentive and action oriented than the actual parents, they even help to reunite Eliza with Darcy.

Narrative Voice

Much of P and P is narrative driven. Any imagery given is to inform the reader of the place and date, there’s no magnificent paragraph describing the details of something, the most Austen describes are the houses. Heck, we never actually get to know what makes Jane so pretty and the only detail we get about Eliza is the fact that she’s got nice sharp eyes. This is very typical of the Jane Austen style, making the plot driven by conversation and meetings of people. It’s written in third person omniscient, mostly to show Eliza’s thoughts and feelings. There isn’t a specific tone to the novel, much of it is written objectively.

Symbols

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL THIS IS JANE FREAKING AUSTEN. SYMBOLS. WHAT SYMBOLS.

No seriously. I don’t know any…..

Quotes

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

Ah. The starting quote for Jane Austen’s infamous novel. It’s a accurate glimpse in their society, a vastly different one from ours but still so, so true. (Unless he’s gay) It seems to be a fact of life or atleast an assumption that any goodlooking rich guy must want a lady. It’s clearly biased and mislead but this is the assumption that Mrs. Bennet and just about every single person with two X chromosomes thinks.

“Nine out of ten cases, a woman had better show more affection than she actually feels…When she is secure of him, there will be leisure for falling in love as much as she chooses”

Another insight to Jane Austen’s world, (in and out of universe), this shows the pressure that a woman is under when she is trying to find a husband. Along with that, it reveals the novel idea of falling in love after

marriage, one that Eliza fights with all through the novel.

Theme

Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice is written to comment on the social standards of Austen’s time, particularly on the role of love in marriage and class differences.

The themes within Austen’s novel is shown through the character’s relationships, each one representing a different viewpoint. For example, Charlotte’s marriage to Collins is for comfort rather than love, the reason Eliza holds out for marriage. The reason there’s strain within the Darcy/Elizabeth is because of their differences in class. Contrastingly, Bingley is pretty much blind to Jane’s inferior statues. Austen’s novel lacks any significant tangiable symbols but what makes the novel a classic is the fact that she carries out these messages through relationships.