Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Plot

The story deals with issues surrounding marriage among the landed gentry in the late 18th century and early 19th century . The main character is Elizabeth Bennet , a 20-year-old girl possessed of a quick mind, sharp wit, and keen sense of justice. Elizabeth's father, Mr. Bennet , spends much of his time hiding in his study, a refuge from Elizabeth's mother. Mrs. Bennet (whose manners and conduct are decidedly "of the people") is determined to see each of her five daughters successfully married to gentlemen of sufficient fortune to support a wife. The Bennet family's modest estate is entailed in default of heirs male—which means a cousin, Mr. Collins, will inherit the estate on Mr. Bennet's death, due to the lack of sons in the Bennet family. This will leave Mrs. Bennet and any unmarried daughters homeless and trying to live on a very small income.

The beginning of the novel describes Mrs. Bennet's excitement over the arrival of a single man "of considerable fortune" in their neighbourhood. The man, Mr. Bingley, has recently leased the estate of Netherfield to live in with his single sister Miss Bingley and his married sister, Mrs. Hurst, whose husband has more fashion than wealth. After a short period, Mr. Bingley goes on a short trip to London and returns with his friend, Mr. Darcy . Shortly after their arrival Mr. Bingley and his guests attend a public ball in the village of Meryton. At the beginning of the ball, Mr. Darcy is widely regarded as a most agreeable gentleman due to his fine figure and £10,000 a year. However, halfway through the party, the neighbourhood comes to perceive him as a most disagreeable sort, one who believes himself above the country folk of Elizabeth's town. This is perpetuated within the Bennet family afterwards because Mr. Darcy slights Elizabeth—Mr. Bingley suggests that Darcy dance with Elizabeth and he notes that "she is not handsome enough to tempt me." Mr. Bingley, on the other hand, proves himself to the neighbourhood to be a fine, most agreeable gentleman. Mr. Bingley also is noted for his admiration of Elizabeth's dearest sister, Jane.

Shortly after the ball, Mr. Bennet announces to the family that a visitor will be arriving shortly. Mrs. Bennet and the girls amuse themselves with guesses as to who the man is, but are disappointed to find out it is only their cousin, Mr. Collins. Collins is a clergyman who tends to be wordy and snobbish, and whose idea of a pleasant evening activity is to instruct his female cousins by reading to them from Fordyce's Sermons . Collins is forever searching for opportunities to drop the name of his patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, whom he fawns over like a puppy dog. Following Lady Catherine's suggestions that he get a wife, Collins immediately looks to his "poor cousins" to find a wife and make up for his involvement in the oft mentioned ruination of the Bennet girls (the fact that he is even concerned with his role suggests an ignorance of the law concerning entails and Collins's overall ineptitude). Collins, upon being informed that Jane (Elizabeth's elder sister and the only other "sensible" Bennet girl) was "practically engaged" to Mr. Bingley, begins to eye the lovely Elizabeth Bennet. Mrs. Bennet highly encourages the match and tries to force Elizabeth into the marriage. However, Mr. Bennet saves Elizabeth by mentioning that if she does not marry Collins, Elizabeth's mother will never speak to her again, but if she does then Mr. Bennet will never speak to her again. Meanwhile, Elizabeth also begins falling for a recently arrived military officer, Mr. Wickham, a man who claims to have been robbed of his rightful inheritance by none other than Mr. Darcy.

Having been rejected by Elizabeth, Mr. Collins turns to Elizabeth's best friend Charlotte Lucas, and they are soon married—to Mrs. Bennet's profound disappointment. Soon after this disappointment, Mrs. Bennet is further discouraged by the sudden departure of Bingley from the neighbourhood. Jane is also heartbroken and Mrs. Bennet's disparaging remarks about Bingley only heighten Jane's sorrow. Elizabeth is invited to visit the newlyweds, Mr. Collins and Charlotte, in their parish. While Elizabeth is visiting the Collinses, Darcy is visiting his aunt, the same Lady Catherine de Bourgh, at her estate Rosings. Elizabeth and Darcy end up spending a lot of time together, leading Mr. Darcy to eventually declare his love for Elizabeth "against his own will" and his desire to marry her. Elizabeth is appalled (especially since she had recently learned that Darcy dissuaded Bingley from proposing to Jane) and informs Darcy "he is the last man on earth [she] would ever desire to marry."

The morning after her rejection of Darcy, Elizabeth runs into him on a walk. Darcy gives Elizabeth a letter before coldly leaving. In the letter, Darcy attempts to defend his actions to Elizabeth. He notes that, apart from her embarrassing relations, Darcy did not believe Jane a suitable match for Bingley because of her own seeming indifference to Bingley. (Elizabeth herself admits that Jane's reserved character makes it difficult for others to ascertain her true feelings.) Darcy also reveals Wickham's true character as a womanizing cad and opportunist. This throws all of Darcy's past actions in a new light for Elizabeth and gradually her prejudices against Darcy are broken down.

Later, while on vacation in with the Gardiners, her aunt and uncle, she finds herself persuaded to visit Pemberley, the estate of Mr. Darcy. While on a tour around the grounds, she bumps into him unexpectedly. His behaviour, distinctly warmer since her rejection, begins to persuade her that his pride hides a true and generous nature. Just at the point of improving her relationship with Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth finds out that Lydia has eloped with Wickham. In Elizabeth's absence sixteen-year-old Lydia became Wickham's dupe when he fled his regiment to evade gambling debts. Darcy finds Wickham and forces him into marriage with Lydia, but guards this a secret from Elizabeth and her family. Elizabeth finds out about Darcy's help from Lydia's callousness and finally by Mrs. Gardiner's confession. This final action completes a reversal in Elizabeth's sentiments. Finally when his aunt Lady Catherine threatens her because she has heard about Darcy's inclination for a girl lesser than he, she comes to realize that despite her rejection at his first proposal he still loves her and when he brings back Bingley to the country and in her sister Jane's life (and they soon become engaged), she opens up her heart to him and both his pride and her prejudices are forgotten, ensuring their happiness.

Reviews

Hey, any girls out there who love “chick-flick” novels, do you need a new one to read? Try Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This book is truly a romantic girl's dream come true, complete with suspense, misconceptions and, of course, a large supply of love.

Elizabeth Bennet is lively, imaginative, young, independent and convinced that she does not need a man to rule her life. When she is introduced to the dashing Mr. Darcy, her feelings about men are confirmed because she finds him excessively proud, rude and conceited. He also finds fault with her looks, family and connections. Their relationship is anything but friendly, with Elizabeth developing a strong prejudice against him and Mr. Darcy having too much pride to associate with her.

Gradually, though, Mr. Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth, and through many mishaps, she learns to love him in return. It is not easy, with many people determined to keep them apart. It seems that these two should not have been able to overcome this many obstacles, but somehow they do, and teach everyone the valuable lesson that first impressions are often not truly representative of a person's character.

For anyone who loves this type of book, this excellent novel will stay in your hands from the moment you pick it up until you reach the romantic conclusion. The plot and characters draw the reader into a world where a person's acquaintances depend on social status and connections, and there are rare times when a person marries for true love, but that is the case in Pride and Prejudice.