Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

Jane Austen: her Life and her Works

A. The Life of Jane Austen (1775-1817)
Birth and Parentage
Jane Austen was the younger daughter of a Hampshire clergyman, rector of Steventon. She
was born on December 16, 1775.
Her father, Geoge Austen, was a scholarly type of man; and her mother, Cassandra Austen, was
a keen gardener. Jane Austen had six brothers, and one sister whose name was also Cassandra.
Two of her brothers became naval officers and attained the rank of admiral. Her sister,
Cassandra, was her close companion and friend. The immediate social circle of Jane Austen
included the kind of men whom we meet in her novels—a landowner, a militia officer, two
clergymen, and two sailors. The circle was later enlarged by the addition of her brothers' wives
and their children.
An Accomplished Woman
Her father's house at Steventon remained Jane Austen's abode for a quarter of a century. The
Austen family was at that time reasonably well off, mixed in the best society of the neighbourhood,
and owned a carriage and a pair of horses. For their education, Jane and Cassandra depended
largely on their father and brothers, the cultured atmosphere of their home, and their contacts
with relatives. Readingoccupied much of Jane's time; and it was not only reading to herself but
reading aloud as a family entertainment. Jane Austen could sing, dance, and play the piano. She
also had some knowledge of French and Italian.
Early Writings
Jane Austen began to write stories early. Some of her early works survive in three note-books
entitled Volume the First, Volume the Second and Volume the Third, containing short novels,
plays, etc., all written before she was sixteen. By 1796, she had written a novel called Elinor and
Marianne, in the form of a series of letters modelled onRichardson. This was afterwards re-cast
and re-written in 1797, and became Sense and Sensibility. Pride and Prejudice, which shows her
at the height of her powers, was written in 1796-97. In 1798, she wrote Northanger Abbey, which
was bought by a publisher in 1803, but not published by him.
A Family Tradition
There is a family tradition that, during a visit to Devonshire, Jane Austen met a young man
who attracted her greatly but who died soon afterwards. In 1795, Cassandra got engaged to a
young man who died in 1797.
The Decision Not to Marry
In 1801, the Austen family moved to Bathwhich Jane Austen had previously been visiting on
occasions. George Austen had retired, and he had decided to settle in Bath. It is believed that Jane
was at first unhappy about living there. Perhaps there is a bit of autobiography in
Persuasion, where Jane Austen writes of Anne Eliot: "She dislikedBath, and did not think it agreed
with her and Bath was to be her home." (Chapter II). From Bath the family went on expeditions
to various places, one of them being Lyme Regis, which is the setting for part of the story of
Persuasion. It was on one of these expeditions to Lyme that Jane rashly accepted a proposal of
marriage and then changed her mind the very next day, because she realized that she should not
marry simply from worldly motives and without love. During this period at Bath, George Austen
died (1804). In 1809, the family shifted to Chawton, near Winchester.
Publications
It may be noted that Jane Austen wrote hardly anything during the period the family lived
in Bath. Her interest in writing seems to have revived after the family moved to Chawton. It was
at Chawton that she began to publish her writings, though her life as a publishing author lasted
only six years.Sense and Sensibility was the first of her novels to be published, appearing in
1811.Pride and Prejudice appeared in 1813.Mansfield Park, which had been begun in 1811, was
published in 1814. Emma, begun in 1814, appeared in 1815. All these novels were published
anonymously. Nonhanger Abbey and Persuasion were the only novels that were published under
her own name. Persuasion was written in failing health.
Death
Until 1816, there had been no sign of Jane Austen being ill, but early in that year her health
was somewhat impaired. She still wrote cheerful letters to her relatives, but she became less and
less active. In May 1817, she and Cassandra went to Winchester to get medical aid but there was
no hope of a cure. She became seriously ill and died on July 18, 1817, in the arms of her sister. She
was buried on the 24th July, 1817, in the cathedral church of Winchester.
Her Character and Temperament
Jane Austen had a lovable character and temperament. "Of personal attractions she
possessed a considerable share. Her stature was that of true elegance. It could not have been
increased without exceeding the middle height. Her carriage and deportment were quiet, yet
graceful. Her features were separately good. Their assemblage produced an unrivalled expression
of that cheerfulness, sensibility, and benevolence, which were her real characteristics. Her
complexion was of the finest texture. It might, with truth, be said that her eloquent blood spoke
through her modest cheeks. Her voice was extremely sweet. She delivered herself with fluency and
precision. Indeed, she was formed for elegant and rational society, excelling in conversation as
much as in composition....She became an authoress entirely from taste and inclination. Neither
the hope of fame nor profit mixed with her early motives. Most of her works were composed many
years previous to their publication. It was with extreme difficulty that her friends, whose partiality
she suspected whilst she honoured their judgment, could prevail on her to publish her first work.
She could scarcely believe what she termed her great good fortune when Sense and
Sensibility produced a clear profit of about £150. Few so gifted were so truly unpretending."
(Henry Austen)
B. THE WORKS OF JANE AUSTEN
The Writing of the Novels
Jane Austen started writing from an early age, perhaps from the age of sixteen or even before.
In 1795, when she was twenty years old, she completed a novel in the form of letters. It was "Elinor
and Marianne", which, after revision, became Sense and Sensibility and which was published in
1811. Between 1796 and 1797, she was writing "First Impressions" which, after considerable
revision, appeared as Pride and Prejudice in 1813. In 1797-98, she wrote Nonhanger Abbey (then
called "Susan"). This manuscript, after undergoing some revision, was sold in 1803 to Richard
Crosby who, however, did not publish it and from whom it was bought back in 1816; it appeared
in print in 1817 after Jane Austen's death. Mansfield Parkwas begun in 1811, and it appeared in
1814. Emma was begun in 1814 and published in 1815. Emma was the last of her novels that Jane
Austen was to see in print. In 1816, she completed Persuasion which she had begun a year before.
Persuasion, too, appeared posthumously in 1817. Between January and March 1817, she was at
work on the fragment known as "Sandition". Another fragment, "The Watsons" was written by
her during the years she spent in Bath andSouthampton.
Her Leisurely Manner of Writing
Jane Austen spent something like twenty-seven years on her six novels, writing them with
care, constantly revising and then allowing a full twelve months for each final re-writing before
publication. Her leisurely method of writing may be contrasted with the haste of Sir Walter Scott,
who at times produced four novels in one year. It is not surprising therefore that the final versions
of her novels have a formal perfection—no loose ends, no padding, no characterization for its own
sake, and a flawlessly consistent idiom suited to the person who used it. Nothing is allowed in a
Jane Austen novel that is not there for a clearly defined reason, to contribute to the plot, the drama
of feelings, the moral structure, or the necessary psychology.
The Novels in the Order of Publication
1. Sense and Sensibility (1811)
2. Pride and Prejudice (1813)
3. Mansfield Park (1814)
4. Emma (1815)
5. Northanger Abbey (1817)
6. Persuasion (1817)

The Salient Features of Jane Austen's Fiction

Not Among the Greatest of the Novelists

Jane Austen occupies a high rank among English novelists, though she is certainly not one of
the greatest of them. Her chief characteristics as a novelist are as follows:
A Realist
She is a realist who draws her materials from actual life as she sees it. Her stories are perfectly
credible and convincing. There is nothing fantastic, fanciful, or far-fetched in them. She depicts
the social life of her time and is thus a practitioner of the domestic novel or the novel of manners.
Realism is the keynote of her novels whether they are considered from the point of view of story,
characters, or setting.
Matrimony, Her Principal Theme
The principal theme of her novels is matrimony. She is pre-occupied with the business of
making matches for her heroines. Generally, the heroine, after a few false starts, meets the right
man, and a series of misunderstandings and frustrations occur to delay but never to prevent their
union. Morning calls, dinner parties, dances, shopping expeditions, weddings, etc., are the
principal ingredients of her stories.
Her Humour and Irony
Jane Austen is a humorist whose favourite weapon is irony. Irony is her forte and most of the
humour proceeds from her use of it. Her novels are all comedies in which she exposes the
absurdities and failings of her characters. She has a comedian's attitude to life, and her vision is
ironical and satirical. However, her humour is not of the boisterous type; it is a mild and subdued
kind of humour. It may be noted also that there is little malice in her attitude, though a note of
bitterness occasionally creeps into it. Her humour has been compared to that of Shakespeare, but
that is an exaggeration.
Character-Portrayal
She gives us an abundance of character-portraits. She shows an acute grasp of the human
mind and human motives, and reveals these with great skill. She is not only concerned with the
externals of character, but also with a psychological portrayal of it. Her studies of women are more
successful than those of men. Another noteworthy feature about these novels is that there are
neither any perfect or idealized characters nor any thorough villains in them.
Few Dramatic or Melodramatic Incidents
There are few dramatic or melodramatic incidents in her stories. Her exquisite touch renders
commonplace things and characters interesting by virtue of the truth of description and the truth
of sentiment. She is not interested in the paraphernalia of the "romantic" novel. Nor does she
show any capacity to depict "passion". There are no fiery outbursts in her stories, and no dwelling
upon the passion of love. Nor do we have many tragic or heart-rending or deeply poignant
situations to grieve us. She deals principally with the comic side of life, not its painful side.
Her Detachment
Her narration shows a remarkable detachment or objectivity on her part. She does not
interrupt her stories with her personal comments (as Thackeray and George Eliot often do). She
does not obtrude herself on the reader's attention, and her novels are free from intrusions by her.
Nor is there any moralizing in her stories. A moral purpose is certainly there, but the reader is
allowed to reach it by his own effort.
Her Limited Range
As her stories are based on her personal experience and an observation of the life around her,
her range is extremely limited. She deals with a narrow mode of existence, and does not even show
much interest in external nature. She excludes much of human life from her novels, because she
does not have imagination enough to carry her beyond her own observation. But within her
narrow range she is supreme. Her characters are true to life, and all her work has the perfection
of a miniature painting.
LOUIS CAZAMIAN'S VIEW OF JANE AUSTEN
A Limited Outlook
The novels of Jane Austen deal almost wholly with the restricted circle of home life, and round
it all social interests are gathered. The atmosphere is one of provincial calm with a very limited
outlook, where the extremes of wealth and poverty are unknown. We find ourselves in a small
world of country gentry, clergymen, and middle-class people, where social intercourse is smooth
and simple. There are few incidents which can be called dramatic, although our attention is
focused on shades of character. Jane Austen's realism is more truly psychological than that
of Richardson, for it is free from the tragic obsessions of a moral conscience. There is an
extraordinary degree of truth in her pictures of reality. Each of her novels depicts a group of
human beings, their relations with one another, their clashes and affinities, their mutual
influences, and their conversations.
Her Understanding of the Human Character
Jane Austen shows an intuitive understanding of human character. Her intuition is so natural
and supple that it appears absolutely simple. She reads the inner minds of her characters as if
those minds were transparent. She seizes them in their depths. The secret complexities of self-
love, the many vanities, the imperceptible quiverings of selfishness, are all indicated or suggested
so calmly and with so sober a touch that the author's personal reaction is reduced to a minimum.
Her stories are perfectly objective and show a spirit of gentle tolerance, though a subtle suggestion
of irony hovers over every page and reveals a sharpness of vision that could be extremely severe.
The Spirit of Classicism
There is little sentimentality in her novels which show a delicacy of touch, a sense of balance,
and a serene reasonableness. These novels reflect the spirit of classicism in its highest form and
in its most essential quality. They show a safe, orderly harmony in the writer's mind, a harmony
where the intellect is supreme. So classical is her method that we are strongly reminded of the art
of the great French analysts. She writes in a manner that shows her aloofness from the
Romanticism which had spread its power around her. One of her first novels, Northanger Abbey,
is a most penetrating criticism of the self- deception practised by those whose souls are intoxicated
with the spell of artificial fear. Her attitude towards Romanticism became less critical with the
passing of time. InMansfield Park and Persuasion there is a warming of the thought, a greater
tenderness of feeling, and an easier reconciliation with the spirit of her times. She is not in
complete agreement with the hierarchy of the social order, but she does not give any signs of
revolt. Her moral teaching is characterized by a wisdom which is free from all illusions. Her moral
teaching is the fruit of a perfectly healthy heart and mind.
The Delineation of Women
Her novels contain a wealth of character studies. These character studies are not all equally
good. Her studies of women are more searching and more life-like than those of men. She has
delineated character from the inside with the full and finished touch of the great masters; and she
can also sketch figures with so sure and suggestive a pen that they stand out on a strong and
unforgettable ground. Her power of perception is keen and fresh. She immediately grasps the
individual traits, the odd as well as the comic. Her work represents in an original way the internal
comedy of life with all its whims and fancies. Reality awakens in her a spirit of amusement without
bitterness. Her grasp of character does not destroy the concrete sense of faces, gestures, and acts.
She abundantly possesses the implicit eloquence of humour.
A Unique Charm
Her range of effects is wonderfully varied. Pride and Prejudice shows a piquant, youthful
gaiety. Her art here is almost perfect. Her last novels show a mellow maturity, though a less sure
art. They are less free from lengthy or weak passages, but are richer in moral significance. But all
the novels possess a unique charm associated with a most sober distinction of technique and style.
 SOME OTHER OPINIONS ABOUT JANE AUSTEN
1. The Truth of the Description and the
Sentiment in Her Novels
"That young lady had a talent for describing the involvements, feelings, and characters of
ordinary life which is to me the most wonderful thing I have ever met with. The big bow-wow I
can do myself like anyone going, but the exquisite touch which renders commonplace things and
characters interesting from the truth of the description and the sentiment is denied me.—Sir
Walter Scott.
2. Unequalled Within Her Own Field
Very few English writers ever had so narrow a field of work as Jane Austen. Like the French
novelists, whose success seems to lie in choosing the tiny field that they know best, her works have
an exquisite perfection that is lacking in most of our writers of fiction. With the exception of an
occasional visit to the watering-place of Bath, her whole life was spent in small country parishes,
whose simple country people became the characters of her novels. Her brothers were in the navy,
and so naval officers furnished the only exciting element in her stories; but even these alleged
heroes lay aside their imposing martial ways and act like themselves and other people. Such was
her literary field, in which the chief duties were of the household, the chief pleasures in country
gatherings, and the chief interests in matrimony. Life, with its mighty interests, its passions,
ambitions, and tragic struggles swept by like a great river; while the secluded interests of a country
parish went round and round quietly. We can easily understand, therefore, the limitations of Jane
Austen; but within her own field she is unequalled. Her characters are absolutely true to life, and
all her work has the perfection of a miniature painting. The most widely read of her novels is Pride
and Prejudice: but three others, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Mansfield Park, have slowly
won their way to the front rank of fiction. From a literary view-pointNorthanger Abbey is perhaps
the best; for in it we find that touch of humour and delicate satire with which this gentle little
woman combated the grotesque popular novels of the Udolpho type.—William J. Long.
3. Her Realism
The area of experience with which she could deal was naturally determined by her own life.
She has been said to hold a mirror up to life and it is apparent to any reader of her letters that she
mirrors the life she knew. The family names --Marianne, Anne, Henry; the family professions —
the church, the militia, the navy, landowning; the family gatherings, journeys, walks; the
countryside she knew; the streets of Bath and Lyme; the conventions and the manners of her time
are all recorded. But we must remember that the mirror is not a true one -- it is deflected by her
own outlook as moralist and ironist.
Character-Analysis
Her interest is in human motive, the reactions of individuals to each other; and therefore a
narrow social setting was ideal material for her. The small area of experience allowed closer
analysis of recurring situations and types; she could deal with them with absolute accuracy by
never stepping beyond the limits of her personal knowledge.
No Strong Passions
Charlotte Bronte said that the passions were perfectly unknown to Jane Austen. Certainly the
surface of the novels does not immediately suggest strong passions. Jane Austen, in choosing to
delineate as accurately as possible the life she knew, recognized that life was not likely to include
mad wives, French mistresses, orphans and the rest of the paraphernalia of the romantic novel.
Her prime belief that one should come to terms with the reality of life, that one should deal only
with what was probable, is as much part of her first published novel, Sense and Sensibility, as it
is of Emma. And since her settings are the drawing-rooms, ball-rooms, parks and gardens of a
civilized, leisured class, she was unlikely to introduce lunatics, villains, or ghostly figures.
Her Limitations
As a novelist, Jane Austen works within strict limitations. This is often put forward as a
criticism of her work. It has been said, for example, that she had only one plot, that her subject-
matter is limited, superficial, repetitive, and without any real seriousness or relevance to life.
Certain limitations were imposed upon her by the conventions of the romantic novel, whose plot
demanded that she should deal with the courtship and marriage of her heroine. But she herself
claimed that she worked on a "little bit (two inches wide) of ivory". She was conscious of her
limitations, worked strictly within them, and turned them to her adavntage.-- Norman Sherry
4. The Comic Spirit
Two-thirds of her dramatis personae are regular comic character- parts. And even those
figures with whom she is most in sympathy, even her heroines, are almost all touched with the
comic spirit. Two of them, Emma and Elizabeth Bennet, are a great deal cleverer than most
heroines of fiction; one of them, Anne Elliot, is very good. But all three are flesh and blood
workaday creatures, able to laugh, if not to be laughed at.
Living Characters
She possesses in the highest degree the one essential gift of a novelist, the power to create
living characters. It is true that she only draws them in their private aspect, but this is not a
superficial aspect. A man's relation to his wife and children is at least as important a part of his
life as his relation to his beliefs and career, and reveals him as fundamentally. Indeed, it reveals
his moral side more fundamentally. If we want to know about a man's talents, we should see him
in society; if we want to know about his temper, we should see him at home. Furthermore, Jane
Austen shows man as a rule not in moments of crisis but in the trivial incidents of every day. After
all, life is made up of little things, and human nature reveals itself in them as fully as in big ones.
A picnic shows up selfishness, kindness, vanity, sincerity, as much as a battle. Only we must have
the faculty to perceive them. Jane Austen had this faculty. Not Dickens himself can visualise
outward idiosyncrasies of his creatures more vividly, their manner, their charm, their tricks of
speech. But she does not have to present man involved in major catastrophes. However, if her plot
demands it, she shows adequate capacity for portraying her characters in moments of serious
crisis. Lousia Musgrove, skipping down the steps of the Cobb at Lyme, stumbles and falls
apparently lifeless. With acute insight Jane Austen illustrates the way the rest of the party react
to this disaster: how the egotistic Mary Musgrove is absorbed in her egotistic agitation, how the
unrestrained Henrietta collapses, how Wentworth's sympathetic imagination pictures at once the
effect of the news on Louisa's parents, how Anne alone, unselfish, self-controlled, keeps her
presence of mind. But though we admire Jane Austen's insight, it tells us nothing new about these
people. The uneventful walks and dinner-parties where we have already seen them have already
revealed their temperaments and natures to us.
— Lord David Cecil
5. Her Finely Etched Pictures of Social Life
In the daily routine of visits, shopping, sewing, gossip, and other trivial matters which are
regarded with an easy liveliness in her letters, Jane Austen found the raw material of her novels.
The world which her books present to us is essentially an eighteenth-century world in its habits,
tastes, and appearance. She wrote just before the Industrial Revolution changed for the worse so
much of the face of England, and the clean stillness of her country-towns, the unspoiled beauty of
her countryside with its well-kept estates and cheerful farms, provide a perfect background to her
finely etched pictures of social life. There is a luminous clarity about her style as well as about the
scenes she portrays. She was describing, though she did not know it, the last generation of
Englishmen and Englishwomen who could face life with cheerfulness, decorum, and
determination to go through the appropriate motions with grace, elegance, and enjoyment. This
is neither romanticism nor sentimentality but she shows a remarkable insight into the relation
between social convention and individual temperament.
Her Deliberately Restricted Scope
It has often been remarked that, although the Napoleonic Wars were going on throughout
Jane Austen's writing career, she keeps mention of them out of her novels, in which soldiers
appear only as attractions for the girls or in some similar social capacity. This is a tribute not to
her narrowness, but to the calm accuracy with which she saw her subject. In the days when wars
were fought by small professional armies, the impact of the fighting on the daily life of people
living in small country-towns was negligible, and it would have unrealistic as well as artistically
inappropriate for Jane Austen to have expanded her horizon to include discussions of world-
affairs which were not relevant to the situations she was presenting. She worked deftly and wittily,
and restricted her scope deliberately because her intention was—miscrocosmic—to create a world
in little, perfectly proportioned and shown in the liveliest detail, and an accurate model of the total
social world of which this was only a small part. — David Daiches
6. Vicious Men in her Novels
Jane Austen knew that vicious men existed, and frequently flourished. Wick-
ham, Willoughby, and Crawford are all seducers, but she warns us that we must not look for the
satisfaction of seeing them ruined. Of Willoughby she expressly says: "That he was for ever
inconsolable, that he fled from society, or contracted a habitual gloom of temper, or died of a
broken heart, must not be depended on, for he did neither. He lived to exert, and frequently to
enjoy himself." Each had at some stage a prospect of gaining the heroine's affections, and each
failed: Elizabeth looked first for Wickham at Netherfield ball; Fanny was softening towards a
reformed Crawford; Willoughbyheld Marianne's heart in his hand. Their real crime is that they
do not know a good thing when they see it, and their punishment is that they miss their chance.
And they do not care a bit. Frank Churchill, prepared to risk Emma's happiness to provide cover
for his own, is let off with mere strictures; and Mr. Woodhouse, gentlest of rebukers, sums him
up as "not quite the thing". Mr. Woodhouse may not be formidable, but his disapproval is.
7. The Reputation of Jane Austen
Jane Austen's literary reputation established itself unobtrusively but steadily. Within her own
generation she obtained recognition. Scott was among her earliest and most spontaneous
admirers; but, to the generation that followed, her novels necessarily appeared old-fashioned: the
very language belonged to the past century. Macaulay's enthusiasm, when he likened her to
Shakespeare and Moliere, was premature, and perhaps unguarded. Other writers, from Southey
to Henry James, have been content to cherish a private appreciation of her art. General
approbation grew, however, until in 1910 E.V. Lucas called her "an English classic". Since A.C.
Bradley recalled critical attention to the peculiar quality of her genius (in 1911), her standing as a
novelist has not been seriously challenged; detraction has fastened on her character, alleging that
her apprehension was dull, her temperament cold, her mind and heart narrow -- despite the
contrary witness of biographical accounts based on personal recollection or family tradition.
Appreciation of the moral sensibility and seriousness discoverable in her novels has lately
advanced, at some cost to the enjoyment of her wit. — Mary Lascelles
A Brief Critical Examination of the Novels of Jane Austen

I. "SENSE AND SENSIBILITY" (1811)

A Dual Thesis in the Novel
The main theme of this novel is the danger of sensibility in temperament, and the advantage
of sense. This double theme ofSense and Sensibility involves two heroines and a double plot.
Marianne and Elinor Dashwood must each be shown pursuing her private fate according to her
individual outlook and belief. The fate in each case is an unhappy love-story, but this provides us
with parallel plots which are demonstrations of the dual thesis.

The Contrast between Sense and Sensibility as Represented by Elinor and

Marianne Respectively
Charater and theme are firmly presented in the opening chapters. "Marianne's abilities", we
are told, "were in many respects quite equal to Elinor's. She was sensible and clever, but eager in
everything: her sorrows, her joys, could have no moderation. She was generous, amiable,
interesting: she was everything but prudent." Elinor, on the other hand, possessed a strength of
understanding and a coolness of judgment. She had an excellent heart; her disposition was
affectionate, and her feelings were strong but she knew how to govern them. At the death of her
father she shows her control over her feelings while her mother and sister give themselves up to
an "excess of sensibility".
The Relationship between Edward and Elinor
The theme of sense begins with the relationship between Edward Ferrers and Elinor which
Marianne finds so odd because neither of them shows much emotion. Elinor's caution and
Edward's reserve are opposed to Marianne's impetuousity andWilloughby's
outspokenness. Willoughbyenters the novel in the guise of the true romantic hero, having carried
Marianne home when she sprained her ankle, and having all the energy, enthusiasm, and
sensibility she could desire.
The Two Romantic Stories
The two plots are now carefully interwoven. Marianne's romance appears to flourish with all
possible unconventionality until Willoughby leaves, and she is in anguish. Elinor's romance does
not progress. She learns that Edward is secretly engaged to Lucy Steele, and she is forced to listen
to Lucy Steele's confidence. The move to London, which brings about the final break with
Willoughby, the revelation of his true character, and Marianne's intense sorrow, is followed by the
insults which Elinor receives from Edward's mother, and by the success of Lucy with that lady.
The final outcome follows Marianne's illness and near-death, and Lucy's elopement with Edward's
brother.
The Different Reactions of the Two Sisters
We are involved, therefore, in alternate testing of each sister on the grounds of her love.
Marianne's reaction is always the wild, irrational one, while Elinor's is the controlled, sensible
one. While Marianne is so debilitated by grief that she easily catches a putrid fever, Elinor is able
to pass on to Edward the kindness of Colonel Brandon in presenting him with a small living, and
she can go so far as to leave Lucy and Edward alone together.
An Ironic Twist to the Plot
 Sense is justified, while sensibility is shown as a weakness. And there is an ironic twist to
these two plots. Romantic Marianne suffers no doubt, but she comes eventually to a prosaic
marriage with Colonel Brandon, while Elinor, the sensible Cinderella is involved in all the
trappings of the romantic plot—losing her lover, forced to listen to confidences from Lucy,
despised by his mother, and eventually united with him but living much more modestly than
Marianne and Colonel Brandon.
Three Mothers Distinguished from One Another
Mrs. Dashwood's sensibility and concern for her daughters' happiness is contrasted with Mrs.
Jennings' common sense. Whereas Mrs. Dashwood rejects the idea of deliberately making
matches and ensnaring young men, Mrs. Jennings is always match-making, and has the
satisfaction of having married off two not very promising daughters successfully. Mrs. Ferrars as
a mother is selfish, designing, and cold-hearted but approaches burlesque in her habit of
disinheriting her sons. This seems to link her with the wicked parents and guardians in the
contemporary novel.
Not a Great Success
This novel is not one of Jane Austen's great successes. The didactic theme splits plot and
characterization, leaving us with no entirely sympathetic heroine. The tone is sombre; and even
the comic characters are more grating than comic.
"PRIDE AND PREJUDICE" (1813)
Before completing Sense and Sensibility,Miss Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice in 1796-97,
entitling it originally "First Impressions". This book is her accepted masterpiece. It tells how a
young lady, whose thoughtful and demurely critical disposition reflects her creator's, is affronted
by the haughtiness of a patronizing gentleman, who subsequently falls in love with her. Incidents
occur which deepen her prejudice and intensify his pride. He proposes marriage to her, but rides
the high horse so stubbornly that a fall is inevitable. With her refusal of a condescending offer of
his hand begins the delicate process of disillusionment and revelation of true character, by which
the clouds of misunderstanding are eventually dispelled. Darcy's haughtiness is humbled, and the
lovers are gradually led to mutual knowledge, respect, and affection. The clever, unbalanced,
sarcastic father, Mr. Bennet, and his silly wife, the absurd clerical toady Mr. Collins, and the
magnificent snob Lady Catherine de Bourgh, with a large number of lesser personages, furnish
out the story with delicious comedy.
III. "MANSFIELD PARK" (1813)
An Examination of the Validity of
Christian Attitudes to Life
This is the most serious and also the most controversial of Jane Austen's novels. The
seriousness of tone here is deliberate. Ordination (meaning admission to the ministry of the
Church) is a serious subject and it, together with the discussions of the profession of a clergyman,
adds to the seriousness of the novel. Mary Crawford and Edmund Bertram argue over Edmund's
ordination. She is reluctant to come to terms with the idea of him as a clergyman, but it is what
Fanny Price, the heroine, most approves of. Considering the clergymen who appear elsewhere in
Jane Austen's novels, the seriousness here is unusual. Besides, it is not only ordination but the
whole question of Christian attitudes to life which Jane Austen takes up in this novel. In fact, the
theme of the novel may be described as an examination of the validity of Christian attitudes to
life. From this emanate the many discussions of Christian concern in the novel, such as the duties
of the clergy and the importance of family prayers.
The Adoption of Fanny Price by the Bertram Family
Benevolence, charity, and good deeds are the beginnings of this novel which centres round
the adoption of nine-year old Fanny Price. The conditions of the two sisters, Lady Bertram and
Mrs. Price, are early established, one rich and the other poor; and out of the desire to help Mrs.
Price comes the suggestion of the third sister, Mrs. Norris, that one of the Price children should
be adopted. Sir Thomas Bertam hesitates on the ground that the adopted child might contaminate
his own family, but he is urged not to be frightened by such trifles. Thus, Fancy Price is introduced
into MansfieldPark, where the Bertram family lives.
The Character of Fanny
Fanny is completely misunderstood in her new home. The members of the Bertram family do
not understand the predicament of the new arrival. Fanny is treated simply as a curiosity because
of her silence or her ignorance; she is a means for the young Bertram girls to show off their
superior attainments and an object for Mrs. Norris's scolding on her need to be grateful. Only her
cousin Edmund perceives and understands her unhappiness, and helps her to get over it. Fanny
is retiring by nature but she is also naturally good. She learns much from Edmund who forms her
taste; but she learns also from her position the Christian virtues of humility and self-denial.
The Chief Weakness of the Book
The book thus centres round Fanny, though she is not the centre of the action at least in the
first part, her social position being insignificant, her character timid, and her constitution sickly.
At first, therefore, she is merely static and observant, while the others take up the action around
her. In the second part she is forced into prominence. To many readers the character of the
heroine in this book is the book's chief fault. Fanny has no energy, no brilliance, no wit. She is like
Elinor Dashwood in being always right in her actions and judgments, but she lacks Elinor's
decisiveness and occasional irony. Besides, while Elinor had sympathy for others, could see the
best in them, and was candid, Fanny seems to have no sympathy, can only condemn and then be
proved right.
The Skilful Portrayal of the Crawfords
Jane Austen's portrayal of the Crawfords is very skilful. Obviously, she intended from the
outset to condemn them, but she has made them attractive because she knew that such people
were attractive. At first, we are certainly impressed by their good looks, their wit, their vitality,
and their good nature. It is only afterwards that we perceive their faults.
The Unpleasant Character of Mrs. Norris
Mrs. Norris is perhaps Jane Austen's most unpleasant character. She is strongly linked with
the Christian theme, being the widow of a clergyman and pretending to be charitable, self-
denying, frugal, and principled. In fact, she is a hypocrite in this, being a miser, completely
uncharitable, and a flatterer. There is nothing humorous about her faults, and we cannot laugh at
her as we can at, say, Lady Catherine de Bourgh (inPride and Prejudice).
Lady Bertram's Selfishness
Lady Bertram is more comic than Mrs. Norris. In the moral scheme, she represents
selfishness, and she is again a foil to Fanny.
The Contrast between Fanny and the Bertram Sisters
The two Bertram girls are intended as further contrasts to Fanny, both being selfish,
conceited, spoilt, and used to having their own way. It is their nature and education which are
tested at first by temptation and proved inadequate, while Fanny's nature and education, which
are tested afterwards, are proved sound.
Fanny, the Only Character in the Novel to Prove Right
There is no other character, apart from the heroine, in this novel representing right judgment
and feeling. Sir Thomas is regarded as such a person by the other characters, but he is proved
wrong. Edmund has many virtues and is able at first to guide Fanny, but he also yields to
temptation. And so we are left with a heroine who is also the representative of right, as was Elinor
Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility and as Anne Elliot is to be in Persuasion.
IV. "EMMA" (1815)
The Characters in the Story
Miss Emma Woodhouse, from whom the book takes its name, is the daughter of a gentleman
of wealth and consequence residing at his seat in the immediate neighbourhood of a country
village called Highbury. The father, a good-natured, silly invalid, abandons the management of
his household to Emma, he himself being only occupied by his summer and winter walk, his
physician, his gruel and his whist table. His house is visited by various persons from
the village of Highbury. There is the smiling and courteous vicar who nurses the ambitious hope
of obtaining Emma's hand in marriage. There is Mrs. Bates, the wife of a former rector, past
everything except tea and whist; there is her daughter, Miss Bates, a good-natured, vulgar, and
foolish old maid; there are Mr. Weston, a gentleman of a frank disposition and moderate fortune,
and his wife, an amiable and accomplished person who had been previously Emma's governess
and who is still devotedly attached to Emma. Among all these persons, Emma walks forth,
superior to all her companions in wit, beauty, fortune, and accomplishments. Her father and the
Westons dote upon her, while all the others admire and almost worship her.
Emma, the Match-Maker
The object of most young ladies is, or least is usually supposed to be, to find a suitable life-
partner or husband. But Emma Woodhouse, preferring the welfare of other girls to her own
private interest, unselfishly sets about finding matches for her friends without thinking of
matrimony on her own account. We are informed that she had been eminently successful in the
case of Mr. and Mrs. Weston; and when the novel begins she is exerting her influence in favour of
Miss Harriet Smith, a boarding-school girl without family or fortune, very good-humoured, very
pretty, very silly, and what suits Emma Woodhouse's purpose best of all, very much inclined to
get married.
Emma's Failure to Bring About a MaritalUnion between Harriet and Mr. Elton
In these matrimonial efforts, Emma is frequently interrupted not only by the advice of her
father who is particularly opposed to anybody's committing the rash act of getting married, but
also by the warnings and rebukes of Mr. Knightley, the elder brother of her sister's husband. Mr.
Knightley is a sensible country gentleman of thirty-five, who has known Emma from her cradle
and who is the only person venturing to find fault with her. However, in spite of Mr. Knightley's
disapproval and warnings, Emma forms a plan to bring about the marriage of Harriet Smith with
the vicar, Mr. Elton. Emma fully succeeds in diverting the simple-minded Harriet's thoughts from
an honest farmer, Mr. Martin, who had made a proposal of marriage to Harriet, so that Harriet
begins to entertain a hope of marrying the vicar. But the vicar, Mr. Elton, misunderstands the
nature of the encouragement held out to him by Emma, and begins to think that Emma herself is
greatly in love with him. This at length leads him to make a presumptuous declaration of his love
to Emma who, of course, rejects his offer of marriage. Mr. Elton thereupon looks for a wife
elsewhere, and ultimately marries a dashing young woman who is not only rich but presumptuous
and ill-mannered.
The Entanglements
While Emma is thus vainly engaged in making matrimonial plans for others, her friends are
making similar plans for her. The man chosen by them for Emma is a son of Mr. Weston by a
former marriage, who bears the name of his rich uncle and is to inherit that uncle's fortune. The
young man's name is Mr. Frank Churchill. This young man, however, had already settled his
affections on Miss Jane Fairfax, a young lady of reduced fortune. But as the relationship between
Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax was not known to anybody, Emma has some thoughts of being
herself in love with Mr. Churchill when he first appears on the scene. However, Emma soon
recovers from this feeling, and makes up her mind to unite him with her friend Harriet Smith.
Harriet has, in the meantime, fallen desperately in love with Mr. Knightley; and, as the people of
the village suppose Frank Churchill and Emma to have become attached to each other, there are
cross-purposes enough to bring about much friction and heart-burning. The various
entanglements bring about a series of mistakes, embarrassing situations, and dialogues at dances
and parties, in which the author shows her peculiar powers of humour and knowledge of human
life.
The Solution to the Entanglements
The solution to the entanglements is found to be quite simple. Frank Churchill's aunt dies;
his uncle, no longer under her baneful influence, gives his consent to Frank Churchill's marriage
with Jane Fairfax. Mr. Knightley and Emma are led by this unexpected development to discover
that they have been in love with each other all along. Mr. Woodhouse's objections to the marriage
of his daughter are overcome by his fears of a burglary in his house, and the feeling of safety which
he hopes to derive from having a son-in-law living under the same roof as he himself. The
affections of Harriet Smith are transferred to her former suitor, the honest farmer, Mr. Martin,
who had found a favourable opportunity of renewing his attentions to her.
A Happy Ending
Emma suffers and repents. After Mr. Knightley's scoldings she does penance with Miss Bates.
She tries to do penance with Jane Fairfax and is rejected. She finds her protegee, Harriet, to be
her rival in love. She lays herself open to be the dupe of others. Her sufferings are so great, her
plight eventually so humiliating that we must sympathize with her. And since it is a world of
comedy, she is united with Mr. Knightley, while Harriet marries her first lover, Robert Martin.
V. "NORTHANGER ABBEY" (1817)
The Story of a Rather Ordinary Girl
Northanger Abbey is the story of Catherine, a rather ordinary girl, good-hearted and rather
simple, who spends some weeks in Bath with a middle-aged couple who are friends of her family,
and makes various friends and acquaintances there, including a girl with whom at first she
becomes very friendly, and who becomes engaged to her brother. But later this girl is found to be
an unscrupulous careerist who breaks off the engagement when something better comes in sight.
Catherine also meets, in Bath, Henry Tilney and his sister. The former is a rich and intellectually
superior young man who is attracted by the heroine's simple good-heartedness; the latter becomes
the heroine's good friend. The heroine (Catherine) falls in love with Henry, whose father invites
her to the family home, under the impression that she is a wealthy heiress who would be a good
match for his son. The home is an old Abbey, and the heroine expects to find there the atmosphere
and even some of the adventures which she had learned from Mrs. Radcliffe's novels to associate
with old Abbeys. She misconstrues some very ordinary circumstances as part of a Radcliffian
situation and is temporarily humiliated. Henry's father, discovering that she is not an heiress after
all, rudely terminates her visit, but in the end he is brought round, and the hero and heroine finally
marry.
Conceived As a Burlesque
Northanger Abbey began as a burlesque of the contemporary novel of horror and of
sentiment, and much of the story still depends on this. The major purpose of the novel seems to
be to show the author's own development from a concern with literature to a concern with life.
Catherine Morland, the heroine, has first to learn to distinguish between literature and life, and
then has to learn the difficulties of ordinary life.
A Double Theme
As a satire on the Gothic horror-novel, Northanger Abbey contains all the ingredients of this
kind except the hero and the heroine who are deliberately normalized, partly for the purpose of
heightening the ridicule. Like all parodies, the book exhibits two sets of values; one is satirized,
the other is shown to be truer. The Gothic world is shown to be one of fancy, while the world as
apprehended by good sense is "real". But the book goes somewhat beyond these limits – it goes
beyond to explore the limitations of good sense itself. The author shows that, though we must
reject the Gothic world as inadequate and false, we cannot altogether apprehend the real world by
good sense alone. In other words, good sense is limited too.
Catherine, Purged of Her Gothic Illusions
It is in the second part of the book that Jane Austen traces Catherine's Gothic adventures at
Northanger Abbey to which Catherine has been invited. Having expected "long damp passages,
narrow cells, and a ruined chapel, some aweful memorials of an injured and ill-fated nun", she
finds lodges of a modern appearance, smooth, level roads of fine gravel, without obstacle, alarm,
or solemnity of any kind. In her bedroom she finds a mysterious chest, but it contains a cotton
counterpane. Another chest, which frightens her out of a full night's sleep, is found to contain an
inventory of linen. She steals to the room where Mrs. Tilney died, expecting to see evidence that
the lady is still alive and cruelly imprisoned—but finds instead a neat, well-lighted, rusty bedroom.
Henry Tilney finally convinces her that his mother had died quite normally of a bilious fever. And
so at last Catherine is purged of her Gothic illusions.
Catherine's Realization of the Limitations of Good Sense
But, side by side with her awakening from the Gothic dream, is her much more important
emergence as a human being of good sense, and the gradual realization of the limitations of even
that quality. It is chiefly through her relationship with Isabella and with John Thorpe that she is
thus educated.
VI. "PERSUASION" (1817)
Over-Persuasion, One of the Two Themes
According to Andrew H. Wright, the theme of the novel is two- fold; first, "over-Persuasion",
and second, the conflict between prudence and love. Says he: "The theme of Persuasion is over-
Persuasion. The stuff of the book is made of Anne Elliot's ill-adised refusal of Frederick
Wentworth when, as a girl of nineteen, she was persuaded that he was unacceptable as a husband.
And what happens is that Anne almost loses him for ever; it is a set of very fortunate (and
fortuitous) circumstances—the renting of Kellynch to his sister's husband, his own remarkable
success in the navy, the fall of Miss Musgrove at Lyme—that finally brings them together again. A
tart, pompous, and superficial early reviewer laments the moral of the book, "that young people
should always marry according to their inclinations and upon their own judgment." Almost no
one today can be satisfied to read Jane Austen's novels so superficially.
The Conflict between Prudence and Love
"Although over-Persuasion is, in one aspect, the theme of Persuasion, the story is also one of
the conflict between parental authority (prudence) on the one hand, and the sanguine hopes for
love, on the other. Which is right? Which should be obeyed? At first glance, it would seem that the
book underscores the value of yielding to the importunities of love. Anne has—before the happy
ending—more than one bitter comment of self- reproach because she attended too well to the
advice of her elders; only a series of coincidences makes possible her reunion with Frederick
Wentworth. Yet we find her saying, near the end: "I was right in submitting to Lady Russell".
Prudence and love are thus in conflict, as indeed they are in Pride and
Prejudice, when Charlottemakes her purely prudential match with William Collins. Here, as
in Pride and Prejudice, both qualities seem to be desirable; both are defended with warm
sympathy by Jane Austen; but neither can be achieved without some sacrifice of the other. Anne
Elliot and Frederick Wentworth do come together happily at the end of Persuasion, but only after
almost a decade of being apart.
A Sad Love Story with a Happy Ending
Andrew H. Wright goes on to say thatPersuasion is a sad love story with a happy ending. It
exposes the conflict between two schemes of values; those of prudence and those of love. Anne
Elliot represents both these schemes of values, and the result is a contradiction which causes
seven or eight years of unhappiness to her. Her reconciliation with Captain Wentworth results not
from any resolution of the conflict, but from a series of coincidences which make the union
between the two possible after all. Even at the end of the book, Anne does not give up her values
of prudence, not even when she is happily engaged to be married to Captain Wentworth.
The Dramatic and the Spiritual Unity of the Novel
"Persuasion is its author's greatest formal achievement. For in it Jane Austen gives her story
not only a dramatic but also a spiritual unity. Its subject is love, the constant love, renounced from
an unwise prudence, that Anne Elliot feels for Wentworth. Every episode in the story—the rash
happy marriages of the Crofts, the love, enduring through hardship, of the Harvilles, the
inconstancy of Benwick-and Louisa Musgrove—all these, by contrast or similarity, illustrate
Anne's situation: now in the major key, now in the minor, now simply, now with variations, they
repeat the main theme of the symphony. Even the tender autumnal weather, in which most of the
action takes place, echoes and symbolizes the prevailing mood of the story. Such singleness of
structure gives Persuasionan emotional concentration unattainable by any other means. Yet the
structure is not emphasized in such a way as to destroy the illusion of everyday reality. The reader
never feels that Benwick and the rest of them are put in to play their part in the harmony, but just
because they happen to be features of the bit of actual life Jane Austen has chosen to describe. By
a supreme feat of dexterity she has managed to compose a symphony on the theme of love, which
is also a realistic story of ordinary human beings."
"Pride and Prejudice": an Introduction to the Novel

Dates of Composition and Publication

Jane Austen's first novel was Sense and Sensibility which was written in 1792, but published
several years later, in 1811. Pride and Prejudice was her second novel. It was written in 1796-97 and,
again, published several years later, in 1813. The original title of this novel was First
Impressions. Subsequently, the novel was revised and renamed. The theme of Pride and Prejudice is
very much the same as that of her other novels. The theme here also is love and marriage.

Its Popularity
Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen's most popular novel. Anybody who knows Jane Austen as a
novelist is familiar with the title of this novel also. It has a very interesting plot. The portrayal of
characters in it is, on the whole, very realistic and convincing. The portrayals of the hero, Mr. Darcy,
and the heroine, Elizabeth, are especially noteworthy. The novel gains in value because of its realistic
pictures of domestic and social life, and of social scenes and manners. The novel has a compact
structure which shows a high degree of craftsmanship. There are several passanges of psychological
analysis in the novel to lend depth to it. Above all, the novel is rich in comedy, with irony as a most
striking ingredient of it.
The Comic Elements
Perhaps the most outstanding feature of Pride and Prejudice is its rich comedy. Mrs. Bennet and
Mr. Collins are among the famous comic characters in English fiction. Mrs. Bennet amuses us greatly
by her obsession with the marriages of her daughters, and by her vanity and airs of self-importance,
combined with her constant endeavour to please those who can contribute in any way to the success
of her plans regarding the marriages of her daughters. She amuses us also by her garrulity, and her
incapacity to judge when to talk and when to keep silent. Mr. Collins amuses us by his sycophancy,
his pompousness, his self-conceit, his flexibility so far as the choice of a wife is concerned, and his
reasons for wanting to get married. Sir William Lucas and Lady Catherine de Bourgh also contribute
to the comedy in the novel, the former by his pre-occupation with his own knighthood and by his
empty-headedness; and the latter by her air of superiority and her tendency to bully those beneath
her in social status. Mr. Bennet is another character who makes a substantial contribution to the
comedy. But he amuses us not so much by any absurdity in him as by his sarcastic wit and humour.
He is ever ready with a sarcastic remark; and he especially makes use of his talent in this respect by
poking fun at his wife whenever he gets an opportunity. The use of irony by the novelist is also an
ingredient in the comedy of the novel. There are several ironic reversals of situation in the course of
the development of the various stories; and, of course, there is an abundance of ironical remarks
made by various characters, especially by Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth.
The Story in Outline: the Main Plot
The main plot in this novel pertains to Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy is a very proud
man who, at his very first appearance at a social gathering, offends Elizabeth by making an adverse
comment upon her. She begins to dislike him on this account; and her dislike deepens into hatred
when Mr. Wickham falsely tells her that Mr. Darcy is a very callous and unjust man, in addition to
being very proud. She becomes so prejudiced against Mr. Darcy that she rejects his proposal of
marriage which, in ordinary or normal circumstances, she would have gladly accepted because Mr.
Darcy is a very wealthy man, while Elizabeth belongs to a family which can hardly afford any dowry
for her. Mr. Darcy is astonished by Elizabeth's rejection of his proposal. However, afterwards Mr.
Darcy begins to realize that he is too proud and haughty a man to be accepted by a self-respecting
girl like Elizabeth. Elizabeth on her part comes to know, chiefly from a letter handed over to her by
Mr. Darcy, that he is, after all, not a bad man as depicted by Mr. Wickham and as imagined by her. The
attitude of each now undergoes a change towards the other, and eventually, when Mr. Darcy proposes
marriage to her for the second time, she accepts the proposal. This happens when Mr. Darcy has been
cured of his pride and arrogance, and when Elizabeth's prejudice against him has completely melted
away. Certain happenings, such as Mr. Darcy's intervention in the Lydia-Wickham affair, and Lady
Catherine's interview with Elizabeth at Longbourn, help to bring about the marraige of these two
persons who have discovered that they can be very happy together.
The Love-Affair of Jane and Mr. Bingley
Interwoven with the above main plot is a sub-plot pertaining to Jane Bennet and Mr. Charles
Bingley. Jane is the eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, while Mr. Bingley is a close friend of Mr.
Darcy. Jane and Mr. Bingley fall in love with each other at their very first meeting at an assembly. In
a few weeks only, the attachment between them grows to such an extent that Mr. Bingley is expected
to propose marriage to Jane any day. Mrs. Bennet feels certain that the proposal would be made soon,
and Elizabeth shares this certainty. Jane herself is sure that a proposal of marriage from Mr. Bingley
would soon be forthcoming. However, this love-affair receives a setback. An obstruction in the way
of Mr. Bingley's proposal of marriage to Jane is caused by Mr. Darcy who honestly believes that Jane
would not prove to be a suitable wife for Mr. Bingley. Jane feels greatly puzzled as to why Mr. Bingley
has not made a proposal of marriage to her. Mrs. Bennet and Elizabeth also cannot understand the
reason for this indefinite delay. Eventually, however, Mr. Bingley does make a proposal of marriage
to Jane, and she accepts it gladly.
The Sub-Plot Pertaining to Mr. Collins
and Charlotte Lucas
Another sub-plot in the novel pertains to Mr. Collins and Miss Charlotte Lucas. Mr. Collins is the
man to whom the entire property of Mr. Bennet is entailed because Mr. Bennet has no male issue and
Mr. Collins is his nearest relative. Mr. Collins is a rector at Hunsford. He would like to get married to
one of the Bennet sisters. He proposes marriage to Elizabeth who rejects him because in many ways
he is an absurd fellow. Then he proposes marriage to Miss Charlotte Lucas who gladly accepts his
proposal because she is already twenty-seven years of age and, if she were to miss this chance, she
would live only to be a spinster. After marrying Mr. Collins, Charlotte leaves her parents' home and
settles down at Hunsford as Mr. Collins's wife. Contrary to Elizabeth's expectations, Charlotte feels
quite happy as the wife of Mr. Collins. Elizabeth pays a visit to Charlotte at Hunsford, and it is during
this visit that Mr. Darcy also goes to Hunsford on a visit to his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh who is
a rich widow and who lives there. And it is at Hunsford that Mr. Darcy makes his first proposal of
marriage to Elizabeth who rejects it.
The Lydia-Wickham Affair
There is yet another sub-plot which, however, develops only in the last one-third of the novel. It
concerns Mr. Wickham and Lydia Bennet (the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennt). Mr.
Wickham and Lydia appear in the novel quite early, but the love-affair between them begins quite
late. Actually, it is only Lydiawho is in love with Mr. Wickham, while Mr. Wickham is a fortune-hunter
and a seducer. Lydia cannot boast of any dowry; and Mr. Wickham elopes with her only with the
object of seducing her and then forsaking her. However, at Mr. Darcy's intervention in the whole
affair, Mr. Wickham feels compelled to marry Lydia, though the marriage does not prove to be a happy
one because Mr. Wickham ceases to love Lydia soon afterwards, and because Lydia's love for Mr.
Wickham lasts only a little longer than Mr. Wickham's for her.
Note: The time span of the novel is just one year. The novel begins in autumn and it ends in the
next autumn. All the events and incidents of the novel take place during this period between one
autumn and the next.
A Critic's Comment on the Novel
The following comment by a critic on Pride and Prejudice is noteworthy: "One of her most
popular works, it is notable for the finely drawn portrait of the vivacious Elizabeth Bennet, whose
prejudice against the proud Mr. Darcy gradually turns to understanding and love. Its subsidiary
characters reveal Jane Austen as a master of gentle satire: the brilliantly drawn portraits of Mr. and
Mrs. Bennet, the sycophantic Mr. Collins, the bombastic Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and the feckless
Lydia Bennet."
Note: A film version of the novel came in 1940, starring Greer Garson as Elizabeth, and Laurence
Olivier as Mr. Darcy.

Persons and Places in "Pride and Prejudice"

PERSONS: THE MEN

1. Mr. Bennet
He is the head of the Bennet family living in the village of Longbourn in
theCounty of Hertfordshire. He is described by the novelist as an odd mixture of quick parts,
sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice. Of the five daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Elizabeth is
Mr. Bennet's favourite. Mr. Bennet's favourite pastime is to poke fun at his wife whom he has
found to be a very ignorant and foolish woman.

2. Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy

He is a very rich young man and a close friend of Mr. Charles Bingley who comes to
occupy Netherfield Park. He falls in love with Elizabeth Bennet, though in the beginning he forms
a rather unfavourable impression about her physical appearance. His most striking trait is pride
which renders him a most unpleasant and disagreeable man in the entire social circle in which he
moves. However, he is cured of this defect of pride by Elizabeth whom he eventually marries. (The
name "Fitzwilliam" is common to both Mr. Darcy and his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam who appears
much later in the story).
3. Mr. Charles Bingley
He is also a rich young man. He takes the palatial house called Netherfield Park on rent and
begins to live there, with his sister Miss Bingley as his housekeeper. He falls in love with Jane
Bennet at his very first meeting with her, and she fully responds to his love. After a setback to the
development of his love-affair, he does ultimately succeed in marrying this girl.
4. Mr. William Collins
 He is a clergyman, and the rector of the parish of Hunsford. He is the man to whom the entire
property of Mr. Bennet is entailed because Mr. Bennet has no male issue. He is a very pompous
and conceited man but, at the same time, a great flatterer. After having been rejected by Elizabeth,
he marries Miss Charlotte Lucas.
5. Mr. George Wickham
He is a young and handsome officer in the militia regiment which is at first stationed near the
town of Meryton and subsequently shifted to a site near the town of Brighton. He is a crooked
fellow who manages to create a favourable impression upon Elizabeth in the beginning.
Eventually he elopes with Mr. Bennet's youngest daughter, Lydia, but marries her only after
certain conditions laid down by him have been fulfilled. He may be described as the villain in the
story.
6. Mr. Denny
He too is an officer in the militia regiment referred to above. He is a friend of Mr. Wickham;
and he is the man who supplies some useful information about Mr. Wickham's nature and plans.
7. Colonel Fitzwilliam
He is a cousin of Mr. Darcy. The name "Fitzwilliam", which is common to both these men,
should not confuse us regarding the separate identity of each. It is from her talk with this man
that Elizabeth obtains the information that it was Mr. Darcy who had initially obstructed Mr.
Bingley's marriage to her sister Jane.
8. Sir William Lucas
He was at first a businessman in the town of Meryton; but, having been knighted, he gave up
both his business and his residence in Meryton, and shifted to a cottage in the countryside, with
his whole family consisting of his wife and several children, among them Charlotte and Maria. He
is constantly occupied with a sense of his own importance, but he never fails to show the utmost
courtesy to all those with whom he comes into contact.
9. Mr. Gardiner
He is a brother of Mrs. Bennet's. He is living in London with his wife and is a respectable
trader. He is a very decent and dignified man, unlike his sister, Mrs. Bennet, and also unlike his
other sister, Mrs. Philips.
10. Colonel Forster
He is the colonel of the militia regiment in which Mr. Wickham and Mr. Denny are
commissioned officers. He feels greatly perturbed on being informed that Lydia Bennet has eloped
with Mr. Wickham; and he tries his utmost to trace the runaways.
11. Mr. Hurst
He is the husband of one of Mr. Bingley's sisters. He is described as a man who is interested
only in eating, drinking, and sleeping. He is thus a comic character.
12. Mr. Philips
He is the husband of Mrs. Bennet's sister, and therefore a brother-in-law of Mr. Bennet. Mr.
Philips had originally been a clerk to Mrs. Bennet's father, but had taken over the business at the
death of his employer. He hardly plays any role in the novel, but he does have social contacts with
the officers of the militia regiment and often invites them to dinner at his residence in Meryton.
 PERSONS: THE WOMEN
1. Mrs. Bennet
She is the wife of Mr. Bennet, and the mother of five daughters. She is one of the well-known
comic characters in English fiction. The marriages of her daughters are an obsession with her.
2. Miss Jane Bennet
She is the eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. She falls in love with Mr. Bingley and, after
a setback to her love-affair with him, ultimately gets married to him.
3. Miss Elizabeth Bennet
She may be regarded as the heroine of the novel. She is the second daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Bennet. It is because of one of the marked tendencies of her nature that the word "prejudice"
occurs in the title of the novel. She eventually marries Mr. Darcy whom she initially dislikes and
afterwards hates. She consents to marry him when his pride has melted away and when her own
prejudice against him has disappeared.
4. Miss Mary Bennet
She is the third daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. She is a studious girl, though not very
intelligent. She is a half-pathetic and half-comic figure.
5. Miss Catherine (Kitty) Bennet
She is the fourth daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. She is excessively interested in the officers
of the militia regiment stationed near the town of Meryton. She is a silly girl. Mary and Kitty are
the only daughters of the Bennet family who remain unmarried throughout the novel.
6. Miss Lydia Bennet
She is the youngest of the Bennet girls. She too is interested very much in the militia officers
and, in fact, encourages Kitty in the same direction. She loves a gay life and subsequently elopes
with Mr. Wickham with whom she has fallen in love. Mr. Wickham does marry her ultimately,
though not without making a good deal of fuss.
7. Miss Caroline Bingley
She is the unmarried sister of Mr. Charles Bingley, and she keeps the house for him when he
occupies Netherfield Park. She is interested in marrying Mr. Darcy who, however, pays little
attention to her. She is a malicious girl who is always scheming against Elizabeth because of Mr.
Darcy's liking for her (Elizabeth).
8. Mrs. Hurst
She is the married sister of Mr. Charles Bingley, and she too lives at Netherfield Parkwith her
husband. She has no independence of mind and is constantly echoing the opinions and views of
her sister, Miss Bingley.
9. Lady Lucas
She is the wife of Sir William Lucas. She is described as a good kind of woman. Being a
neighbour of Mrs. Bennet, she is on visiting terms with her.
10. Mrs. Charlotte Lucas
 She is the eldest daughter of Sir William and Lady Lucas. She agrees to marry Mr. Collins
after he has been rejected by Elizabeth Bennet. As Mr. Collins's wife, she begins to live at Hunsford
where Mr. Collins is the rector of the parish.
11. Mrs. Philips
She is a sister of Mrs. Bennet, and is as talkative and vulgar as Mrs. Bennet. She lives in the
town of Meryton and receives frequent visits from her nieces, particularly from Kitty
and Lydia who come to her to gather information about the officers of the militia regiment.
12. Mrs. Reynolds
She is the housekeeper at Pemberley House of which Mr. Darcy is the owner. She is full of
praise for her employer, Mr. Darcy.
13. Lady Catherine de Bourgh
She is a widow lady owning a large estate and a country house called RosingsPark where she
lives with her daughter. She is a very proud and arrogant kind of woman.
14. Miss Ann de Bourgh
She is the daughter of Lady Catherine. She is a pale, sickly girl who is half-pathetic and half-
comic.
15. Mrs. Jenkinson
She is the governess to Miss de Bourgh. Her chiel responsibility therefore is to take good care
of that girl who, being sickly, requires special attention.
16. Miss Georgiana Darcy
She is the sister of Mr. Darcy and the special responsibility of that young man. She is under
the joint guardianship of Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam.
17. Mrs. Forster
She is the wife of Colonel Forster. It is she who invites Lydia Bennet to stay with her
at Brighton; and it is from Brighton thatLydia elopes with Mr. Wickham.
18. Mrs. Gardiner
She is the wife of Mr. Gardiner and, therefore, Mrs. Bennet's sister-in-law. She is a well-
wisher of the Bennet family, and she has a great affection for all her nieces, particularly
for Elizabeth. It is in her and her husband's company that Elizabeth goes to Derbyshire and visits
Pemberley House.
PLACES IN THE NOVEL
1. Herfordshire, Kent, and Derbyshire
These are the names of English Counties. (A County is the name used for a division
ofEngland for purposes of local government. The word "shire" means the same thing).England is
divided into about forty Counties of which the best-known are Norfolk,
Warwickshire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Kent, and Hertfordshire.
2. Meryton
 The name of a town in the County ofHertfordshire. Here live Mr. and Mrs. Philips; and here
also lived Sir William Lucas with his family at one time.
3. Longbourn
The name of a village in the County ofDerbyshire. This village is situated at a distance of one
mile from the town ofMeryton. The name "Longbourn" is also used in the novel for the house in
which the Bennet family lives.
4. Lucas Lodge
The name given by Sir Lucas to his house in the country. Lucas Lodge is also situated at a
distance of a mile from the town ofMeryton. This house is within a walking distance of Longbourn.
That is why the Bennet and the Lucas families are on intimate terms with each other.
5. Netherfield Park
The name of a palatial house which is taken by Mr. Charles Bingley on rent, and where he
begins to live, with his sister Miss Bingley as his housekeeper. Mr. and Mrs. Hurst also begin to
live there, while Mr. Darcy is a frequent visitor at this house.Netherfield Park is situated at a
distance of three miles from Longbourn which is the residence of the Bennet family.
6. Hunsford
The name of a village in the County ofKent. Here lives Mr. Collins, the rector, in his
parsonage. Charlotte also begins to live here after getting married to Mr. Collins. Close by is the
residence of Lady Catherine deBourgh. It is at Hunsford that Mr. Darcy first proposes marriage
to Elizabeth and is rejected by her.
7. Lambton
The name of a town in the County ofDerbyshire. To this town, come Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner
in the company of Elizabeth to spend their holidays.
8. Pemberley House
The name of the country residence of Mr. Darcy and his sister Georgiana. This palatial
building, famous as a tourist attraction, is situated close to the town ofLambton.
9. Gretna Green
The name of a town in Scotland, It is barely mentioned in the novel. This was a place which,
in those days, served as a refuge for runaway lovers who could get married there without a licence
and without having to undergo the usual formalities.
10. Brighton
The name of a famous English city. It is a health and holiday resort. It is from here
that Lydia runs away with Mr. Wickham.
Note: The word "assembly" occurs several times in the novel. It is used here to mean an
informal social gathering at which people belonging to the same neighbourhood gather for gossip
and dancing. Similarly, the word "ball" is also used a number of times in the novel. It means a
dance in which couples participate. At a ball, a man has to choose a woman as his partner. She
may agree to dance with him or may politely refuse. A man may have arranged a partner for
himself in advance, in which case the lady concerned has to keep her commitment.
 Note: The word "entail" also needs to be explained. The whole property of Mr. Bennet is
entailed to Mr. Collins who is a cousin of Mr. Bennet. Mr. Bennet has five daughters but no son.
According to the laws of the time, girls could not inherit the property or estate of their fathers. In
the absence of a male issue, a man's property was entailed to his nearest male relative. In the case
of Mr. Bennet, his property would pass to Mr. Collins at Mr. Bennet's death. Mr. Bennet's
daughters would thus get nothing at their father's death. Even Mr. Bennet's wife would get nothing
from his property.

"Pride and Prejudice": the Story of the Novel in Brief

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, and their Five Daughters

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet live in the village ofLongbourn which is situated in
the Countyof Hertfordshire. They have five daughters — Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine (or
Kitty), and Lydia. The youngest is fifteen years old. Mrs. Bennet's chief desire in life is to see all
her daughters suitably married and happily settled. In fact, the marriages of her daughters have
become an obsession with her.

Mrs. Bennet's Expectation

A rich young man by the name of Mr. Charles Bingley takes a palatial house
calledNetherfield Park on rent. This country house is situated at a distance of about three miles
from the village of Longbourn. Mr. Bingley begins to live in this house with his sister, Caroline
Bingley, as his housekeeper. He has a friend by the name of Mr. Darcy who joins him at
Netherfield Park for a short stay, but continues to stay there for a couple of months. Mrs. Hurst,
a married sister of Mr. Bingley, also comes with her husband to stay at Netherfield Park. Mrs.
Bennet feels very glad to know that the new occupant ofNetherfield Park is a rich bachelor. She
tells her husband that there is every possibility that Mr. Bingley would choose one of their
daughters as his would-be wife. Mr. Bennet does not share his wife's enthusiasm though he too
would like Mr. Bingley to choose one of his daughters as his future wife. As Mrs. Bennet is a
woman of a mean intelligence, and as her talk is very often foolish, Mr. Bennet has got into the
habit of making sarcastic remarks to her and about her. In other words, he often pokes fun at her.
Mr. Darcy, a Very Proud Man; Elizabeth's Prejudice against Him
An assembly is held periodically in the town of Meryton which is situated at a distance of
about one mile from Longbourn. This assembly is a kind of social gathering which is attended by
all the respectable families of the town and the neighbouring villages. At the first assembly, which
is attended by Mr. Bingley and the other inmates of Netherfield Park, Mr. Bingley feels greatly
attracted by Jane Bennet who is the prettiest of the Bennet sisters. He asks Jane for a dance, and
she gladly accepts his request. In fact, he dances with her a second time also. Mr. Bingley suggests
to his friend Mr. Darcy that the latter should not stand idle but should dance. He suggests that
Mr. Darcy that should dance with Elizabeth Bennet who is sitting nearby. Mr. Darcy, however,
replies that this girl is not attractive enough to tempt him to dance with her. Elizabeth overhears
this remark and conceives a dislike for the man who has made such a disparaging remark about
her in her hearing. In fact, from this time onwards, she becomes prejudiced against him. Mr.
Darcy, on his part, is a very proud man. Like Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy is also a very rich and
handsome bachelor. Any girl in this neighbourhood would be glad to marry him, but his pride is
a most disagreeable trait of his character. Mrs. Bennet describes him to her husband as a haughty
and horrid man. In fact, everybody at the assembly finds him to be too proud.
Mr. Bingley, Expected to Propose Marriage to Jane
Mr. Bingley's preference for Jane Bennet is noticed by everybody at the assembly. In fact,
both Mr. Bingley and Jane have felt mutually attracted by each other. Mr. Bingley's two sisters,
Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst, also develop a liking for Jane. In fact, Miss Bingley invites Jane to
dinner atNetherfield Park; and the Bennet family considers this invitation to be a great honour
and also a golden opportunity for Jane. Jane goes to Netherfield Park but catches cold on the way
because it has been raining. The consequence of her indisposition is that she has to stay on
at Netherfield Park for about a week during which Elizabeth also joins her in order to attend upon
her. The intimacy between Jane and Mr. Bingley's sisters now increases; and both Jane and
Elizabeth begin to think that Mr. Bingley would surely propose marriage to Jane soon. However,
Miss Bingley does not feel any liking forElizabeth. In fact, Miss Bingley begins to feel jealous
of Elizabeth.
A Change in Mr. Darcy's Attitude toElizabeth
In the meantime, Mr. Darcy's attitude towards Elizabeth changes. On a closer acquaintance
with her, he finds that there is, after all, a good deal of charm about this girl. She has a very
intelligent face; and she has dark eyes which add to the charm of her countenance. She also has a
pleasing figure and a lively temperament. Mr. Darcy begins actually to like this girl of whom he
had originally disapproved even for the purpose of dancing. Miss Bingley begins to
dislikeElizabeth all the more because she finds Mr. Darcy feeling inclined towards her (Elizabeth).
Miss Bingley wants Mr. Darcy for herself. In other words, she hopes that Mr. Darcy might marry
her; and therefore Miss Bingley would not like any other girl to catch Mr. Darcy's fancy and thus
to come in her way. It is during Elizabeth's enforced stay with her sister Jane
at Netherfield Park that Mr. Darcy gets the opportunity to knowElizabeth better. Elizabeth takes
an active part in the conversations which takes place between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley, with
Miss Bingley participating in those conversations.
Miss Charlotte Lucas, the Daughter of Sir William Lucas
Within a walking distance of Longbourn, there lives a family which is on visiting terms with
the Bennet family. The head of that family is Sir William Lucas, and he lives in a house, which he
has named "Lucas Lodge", with his wife and several children, the eldest of whom is Charlotte
Lucas, aged twenty-seven years. Charlotte is a great friend of Elizabeth; and they always talk to
each other frankly. Charlotte expresses toElizabeth her view that Mr. Bingley has felt greatly
attracted by Jane and might marry her if Jane encourages him and reciprocates his interest in
her. Elizabeth agrees with this view.
Elizabeth's Continuing Prejudice;
and Darcy's Continuing Pride
Elizabeth finds herself no closer to Mr. Darcy. If anything, the rift between them has become
wider. Mr. Darcy would certainly like to marry Elizabeth but he finds that she belongs to a much
lower status than he does, and he, therefore, finds it most improper on his part to marry a girl of
that status.Elizabeth continues to harbour her original prejudice against Mr. Darcy, and therefore,
does not show any special attention to him. In fact, in the course of a conversation,Elizabeth says
to him that he has a strong tendency to hate everybody, while he says in reply that she has a strong
tendency deliberately to misunderstand everybody.
Mr. Collins's Proposal of Marriage, Rejected by Elizabeth
 Mr. Collins now appears on the scene at Longbourn. He is a cousin of Mr. Bennet; and he is
the man to whom Mr. Bennet's whole property is entailed. On Mr. Bennet's death, Mr. Collins
would inherit all Mr. Bennet's property because Mr. Bennet has no male issue. On Mr. Bennet's
death, therefore, Mrs. Bennet and her daughters would find themselves impoverished. Mr. Collins
comes on a visit to the Bennet family, his intention being to choose one of the Bennet sisters and
propose marriage to her. As Jane is expected by everybody to marry Mr. Bingley, Mr. Collins
makes a proposal of marriage to Elizabeth. Elizabeth, however, has found Mr. Collins to be an
oddity, that is, a queer kind of man. Mr. Collins speaks a good deal about his patroness, Lady
Catherine de Bourgh who has been kind enough to him to confer a living upon him and to appoint
him the rector at Hunsford. The manner in which he talks about Lady Catherine shows him to be
an accomplished flatterer. At the same time, he has too high an opinion of himself. Elizabeth,
therefore, rejects Mr. Collins's proposal without the least hesitation. Mr. Collins makes his
proposal of marriage a second time, butElizabeth refuses again, this time even more
firmly. Elizabeth is privately supported in her decision by her father though she is scolded by her
mother for her failure to avail this opportunity of getting a husband. Mr. Collins now leaves
Longbourn and returns to his parsonage at Hunsford.
Elizabeth's Prejudice, Deepened by
Mr. Wickham's Account
Another character now enters the story. He is Mr. George Wickham, an officer in the militia
regiment which is stationed near the town of Meryton. Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy had known
each other in their boyhood because Mr. Wickham's father was the steward to Mr. Darcy's father.
Mr. Wickham has certain grievances against Mr. Darcy, though these grievances are baseless and
show only Mr. Wickham's ill-will towards Mr. Darcy. In the course of a social gathering, Mr.
Wickham gets acquainted with Elizabeth and tells her his grievances against Mr. Darcy,
emphasizing the fact that Mr. Darcy is a very proud man. Elizabethdevelops a liking for Mr.
Wickham who is a very handsome man and whose talk is very interesting. In fact, she fancies
herself as being in love with Mr. Wickham. If Mr. Wickham were to propose marriage to her, she
would probably have accepted the proposal. In any case, she now feels further prejudiced against
Mr. Darcy because of Mr. Wickham's tale of injustices and wrongs which, according to his account,
he has suffered at Mr. Darcy's hands. At a ball which Mr. Bingley has arranged
atNetherfield Park, Elizabeth is told both by Mr. Bingley and Miss Bingley that Mr. Wickham is
an undesirable man, and that he seems to have told many lies to her about Mr. Darcy;
but Elizabeth is not convinced by what she is told by these persons. She cannot believe that Mr.
Wickham could have told any lies. In this, of course, she is badly deceived because later she will
discover the reality of this man.
Mr. Collins, Married to Miss Charlotte Lucas
Mr. Collins visits Longbourn again. Having come into contact with Miss Charlotte Lucas, he
decides to propose marriage to her. He is very anxious to get married because Lady Catherine has
been pressing him to get married, and also because he thinks that a clergyman should set an
example of marriage to his parishioners. So he proposes marriage to Miss Charlotte Lucas who is
only too pleased by this proposal because, having already attained the age of twenty-seven, she is
very keen to get married at the earliest opportunity. And thus Mr. Collins and Miss Charlotte
Lucas get married. Mr. Collins takes his newly wedded wife to the parsonage at Hunsford where
Lady Catherine is quite pleased to meet the rector's wife.
A Setback to Jane's Hope of Marrying Mr. Bingley
Instead of receiving a proposal of marriage from Mr. Bingley, Jane now receives a letter from
Miss Bingley informing her that all the inmates ofNetherfield Park are leaving for London. This
piece of information comes as a great blow to Jane's hopes. Then Miss Bingley writes another
letter to Jane, this time fromLondon. Miss Bingley, through this letter, informs Jane that Miss
Bingley and the others might not return to Netherfield Parkduring the whole of the coming
winter. Furthermore, Miss Bingley informs Jane that Mr. Bingley is thinking of marrying Mr.
Darcy's sister, Georgiana, who is a very beautiful and highly accomplished girl. Thus, Jane finds
that her hopes of marrying Mr. Bingley have been dashed to the ground.Elizabeth, on learning
from Jane the contents of Miss Bingley's second letter, feels as disappointed and distressed as
Jane herself. Elizabeth is deeply attached to Jane; and therefore, she fully shares all Jane's
anxieties and Jane's joys.
Elizabeth's Visit to Hunsford
Elizabeth now pays a visit to Charlotte at Hunsford. She goes there in the company
ofCharlotte's father, Sir William Lucas, andCharlotte's younger sister, Maria. Charlotteintroduces
her friend and her relatives to Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Lady Catherine is a very proud woman
who takes every opportunity to impress upon others the fact that she is socially superior to them.
Lady Catherine invites them all to dinner at her house which has the name of "Rosings Park" and
which is a splendid mansion, splendidly furnished. Sir William and Maria are deeply impressed
and awed by the splendour around them; but Elizabeth remains calm and composed.
Elizabeth's Rejection of Mr. Darcy's Proposal of Marriage
A new development now takes place. Mr. Darcy, accompanied by a cousin, Colonel
Fitzwilliam, comes on a brief visit to Lady Catherine who is Mr. Darcy's and Colonel Fitswilliam's
aunt. And now the stage is set for another meeting between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. At a party
which is held by Lady Catherine at her house, Elizabeth plays on the piano and also has much
conversation with Colonel Fitzwilliam who impresses her as a very nice kind of man. Mr. Darcy
and Colonel Fitzwilliam now begin to call at the parsonage daily to meet the inmates. However,
Mr. Darcy's chief interest in paying these visits is to meet Elizabeth. Actually, Mr. Darcy is now
more in love withElizabeth than he had been before. And so one day he makes a proposal of
marriage to her. However, in the course of making this proposal, he emphasizes her social
inferiority to him, and he makes her conscious of the fact that he is doing her a favour by proposing
marriage to her. As a self-respecting girl, Elizabeth does not like the condescending and
patronizing tone in which Mr. Darcy proposes marriage to her. She, therefore, declines his
proposal. But she gives two other reasons also for her refusal. One is that Mr. Darcy had been
unjust and cruel to Mr. Wickham; and the other is that Mr. Darcy had advised Mr. Bingley not to
marry Jane. The information about Mr. Darcy's having obstructed Mr. Bingley's proposal of
marriage to Jane has been given to Elizabeth by Colonel Fitzwilliam who, however, is not himself
aware of the exact particulars regarding Mr. Darcy's intervention in Mr. Bingley's plans of
marriage. Elizabeth has been able to infer the correct situation from Colonel Fitzwilliam's talk.
Mr. Darcy's Defence Against Elizabeth's Charges
On the following day Mr. Darcy hands over a letter to Elizabeth. On going through the
letter, Elizabeth is filled with astonishment. This letter contains Mr. Darcy's defence of himself
against the charges which Elizabeth had levelled against him on the previous day. In this letter
Mr. Darcy states the true facts about Mr. Wickham, exposing that man as a most unreliable fellow
and a rogue. In this letter he also admits that he had prevented Mr. Bingley from proposing
marriage to Jane but he defends himself by saying that he had done so under a genuine belief that
Jane was not really in love with Mr. Bingley. This letter produces a deep effect on Elizabeth. In
fact, her reading through this letter marks a turning-point in her attitude towards Mr. Darcy. She
begins to think that she had been totally wrong in her judgment of Mr. Darcy's character and also
that she had been grossly mistaken in having relied upon Mr. Wickham's account of his relations
with Mr. Darcy. At the same time, Elizabeth finds that Mr. Darcy's letter, though containing a
defence of himself, is written in a tone which is insolent and haughty. Thus, Mr. Darcy's pride still
remains intact, though Elizabeth's prejudice has begun to crumble.
No Development in the Jane-Bingley Affair
Mr. Darcy leaves Rosings Park forLondon before Elizabeth can take any action on the letter
which he had handed over to her. After a few days she herself leaves Hunsford for Longbourn. On
her way home, she stops in London for a day with her uncle and aunt Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner with
whom Jane has already been staying for the past three months. Although Jane had been staying
in London for such a long period, she had not been able to meet Mr. Bingley who also lives there.
Jane had during this period called on Miss Bingley but even she had shown some indifference to
Jane. This creates an impression in Jane's mind that perhaps she is now permanently alienated
from Mr. Bingley whom, at one time, she had hoped to marry. Both sisters now return
home. Elizabeth informs Jane of what had passed between Mr. Darcy and herself. She also tells
Jane of Mr. Wickham's real character as revealed in Mr. Darcy's letter to her. Jane feels shocked
to know that such a handsome and smart man as Mr. Wickham possesses a wicked heart.
Lydia, Invited by Mrs. Forster to Brighton
The militia regiment stationed near the town of Meryton is now shifted from there to a site
near the city of Brighton. Lydia feels very depressed because she would no longer be able to
mingle with the officers of that regiment and would therefore not be able to lead a gay life.
However, Mrs. Forster, the wife of the colonel of that regiment invitesLydia to accompany her
to Brighton. Lydiafeels delighted by Mrs. Forster's invitation because, by going to Brighton, she
can continue her contacts with the officers.Elizabeth privately urges her father not to
allow Lydia to go to Brighton because she is already a spoilt girl and might go astray if she gets
too much freedom. Her father, however, does not wish to stop Lydia from going thither.
An Unexpected Meeting between Elizabeth
and Mr. Darcy
Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner come to Longbourn on their way to Derbyshire whither they intend to
go on a pleasure trip. They would leave their two children with the Bennet family, and themselves
proceed to Derbyshire. They had previously arranged with Elizabeth that she would also
accompany them on their trip. Originally, they had wanted to go to the Lake district, but
subsequently they had changed their minds. In any case, Elizabeth now goes with them. On the
way they visit Pemberley House which is tourist attraction. Pemberley House is a splendid
mansion and belongs to Mr. Darcy. When going round this great country house, they happen to
meet Mr. Darcy himself. Mr. Darcy was not expected at the house till the following day when he
was to arrive here from London; but he has come a day earlier because of a change in his schedule.
Mr. Darcy greets Elizabethmost cordially and shows a lot of courtesy to her uncle and aunt. There
is not the least touch of arrogance in Mr. Darcy's attitude at this time. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner
get the feeling that Mr. Darcy is in love withElizabeth. On the next day, Mr. Darcy calls on Mr. and
Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth at the inn where they are staying in the nearby town of Lambton. He
brings his sister Georgiana with him. This visit further strengthens Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner's belief
that Mr. Darcy is in love with Elizabeth.Elizabeth too gets the same impression. In response to
Mr. Darcy's visit, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, accompanied by Elizabeth, call at Pemberley House
where Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst are also present, having come from London.
The News of Lydia's Elopement with Mr. Wickham
Now Elizabeth has also begun to feel attracted towards Mr. Darcy. This attraction had begun
at Hunsford after Elizabeth had gone through Mr. Darcy's letter. It is now quite likely that Mr.
Darcy would renew his proposal of marriage to Elizabeth. But an unexpected event occurs to
disturb the peace of the Bennet family. Colonel Forster informs Mr. Bennet by an express letter
thatLydia, who was staying with Mrs. Forster inBrighton, had eloped with Mr. Wickham whom
she had been meeting frequently. When Elizabeth learns this sad news from a letter written to her
by Jane, she tells her uncle and aunt that she must get back home to provide whatever comfort
she can to her parents in this crisis. She also tells Mr. Darcy of what has happened.
Elizabeth, Back at Longbourn
Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner now cut short their holiday and return with Elizabeth to Longbourn.
Mrs. Bennet is almost crazy with grief at Lydia's misconduct and at the disgrace which Lydia has
brought to the family. Mr. Bennet has gone to London in order to trace the runaway lovers. Mr.
Gardiner now also proceeds to London in order to help Mr. Bennet in his efforts to trace Lydia.
After a few days Mr. Bennet returns to Longbourn, having failed in his efforts to trace Lydia or
Mr. Wickham. Mrs. Gardiner now leaves Longbourn with her children, and joins her husband
in Londonwhere they have their home. Mr. Bennet feels most repentant of his having always
indulged Lydia's desires and whims.
Lydia, Married to Mr. Wickham,
Through Dairy's Intervention
After a few days, a letter is received by Mr. Bennet from Mr. Gardiner. According to the
information contained in this letter, Mr. Wickham and Lydia have been traced and are staying
in London without having got married. Mr. Wickham has said that he would marry Lydia only on
certain conditions. These conditions include the payment of a certain amount of money to him.
At the same time, Mr. Gardiner has informed Mr. Bennet that everything is being settled with Mr.
Wickham and that Mr. Bennet should not worry about the welfare of Lydia. A marriage duly takes
place after Mr. Wickham's demand for money has been met. The Bennet family gets the
impression that the money has been paid by Mr. Gardiner. But Elizabeth soon learns from her
aunt, Mrs. Gardiner, that the whole settlement had been arrived at by the intervention of Mr.
Darcy, and that the entire money had been paid by Mr. Darcy himself. This information produces
a profound effect upon Elizabeth regarding the character of Mr. Darcy who has done a great
service and a great favour to the Bennet family by saving the good name of the family. But for Mr.
Darcy's intervention, Mr. Wickham would never have marriedLydia but would have forsaken
her. Lydiawould in that case have been a deserted girl with a shameful past.
Mr. Bingley's Proposal of Marriage to Jane
A change now takes place in Mr. Bingley. This change is as sudden as the change which had
been responsible for his having given up his intention to marry Jane. Accompanied by Mr. Darcy,
he now goes toNetherfield Park and gets into touch with the Bennet family. He makes a proposal
of marriage to Jane which she most gladly accepts.
Elizabeth's Acceptance of Darcy's
New Proposal of Marriage
Lady Catherine de Bourgh now pays a visit to Longbourn and has a private interview
with Elizabeth. She warnsElizabeth not to agree to marry Mr. Darcy in case he makes a proposal
of marriage to her. Lady Catherine says that Mr. Darcy has to marry her own daughter, Miss Ann
de Bourgh, and that Elizabeth should, therefore, not come in the way. Elizabeth, however, refuses
to give Lady Catherine any promise in this connection. After a few days, Mr. Darcy comes to
Longbourn and proposes marriage to Elizabeth. By this timeElizabeth's attitude towards Mr.
Darcy has undergone a complete change. All her prejudices against him have disappeared. She
now feels that he would be the right kind of husband for her. She, therefore, accepts his proposal
without the least demur or hesitation. Thus, Mr. Darcy whose pride has by now completely melted
away, and Elizabeth whose prejudices have completely disappeared, are united in wedlock. In fact,
the marriage of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth takes place on the same day as the marriage of Mr.
Bingley and Jane.

"Pride and Prejudice": A Critical Assessment

The Characters
This novel tells the story of the gradual union of two people, one held back by unconquerable
pride and the other blinded by prejudice. In spite of the thin plot, the interest is sustained
throughout the book. The characters are drawn with humour, delicary, and an ultimate knowledge
of men and women that Jane Austen always shows.
Mr. Bennet, amiable and peace-loving, leaves to Mrs. Bennet, his querulous, ambitious, and
narrow-minded wife, the difficult task of marrying off his five daughters. His daughter
Elizabeth, though not so beautiful as Jane, is the brightest and most attractive member of the
family. She has a lively disposition, frank, pleasing manners, and a warm heart; and, though
bitterly prejudiced against Mr. Darcy, the wealthy, dignified hero, his excellent qualities and
faithful devotion win her at last, and she forgives the pride from which he stooped to conquer
her. Among the minor characters are George Wickham, fascinating and unprincipled, who
elopes with Lydia Bennet; Mr. Bingley, Darcy's handsome friend who marries Jane Bennet; and
Mr. Collins, a small-souled, strait-laced clergyman. The scene is laid in England in the
countryside; and the characters are the ladies and gentlemen Jane Austen describes so well in
her novels.
The Author's Dramatic Power
In the sustained scenes between the more developed characters where the dialogue is highly
charged, Jane Austen shows dramatic power of a high order. One of the best of these scenes is
that between Elizabeth Bennet and Lady Catherine de Bourgh, in which Elizabeth, like a good
swordsman, light on her feet and ever ready, completely disarms her lumbering opponent.
Miss Bingley
As in Northanger Abbey, so in this novel, the subsidiary characters tend to demonstrate
further aspects of the main theme. Thus, we have the theme of pride and its adjunct, flattery and
sycophancy, repeated in the characterization. Darcy's status and his pride attract Miss Bingley
who constantly flatters him and tries to ingratiate herself with him. There is no possibility of her
succeeding in her aim of marrying him, and she lacks the shrewdness of a Lucy Steele in such
matters. She is frequently discomfited, and does not cause Elizabethany real unhappiness.
Lady Catherine
Lady Catherine de Bourgh is an extension of the Darcy pride to the limits of caricature. She
has all his pride of family and position plus an unfailing sense of her own personal superiority. It
is a sad reflection on Lady Catherine's self-esteem that she requires and can tolerate a flatterer so
obvious as Mr. Collins who is an out-and-out sycophant.
 Mr. Collins
Mr. Collins's proposal to Elizabeth is in its way an early parody of Mr. Darcy’s proposal. Mr.
Collins, running through his reasons for marriage, can find three good ones without ever
mentioning Elizabeth. And Mr. Darcy's proposal rests primarily on his sense of her inferiority, of
the obstacles provided by her situation in life and by her family.
Mrs. Bennet, Mary, and Mr. Bennet
Mrs. Bennet is pure stupidity, and she develops a prejudice against Mr. Darcy stronger and
more blind than Elizabeth's. Mary is perhaps the only comic character who is not a success; she
proves to be a source only of tedium, though Mr. Bennet's wit compensates us for that tedium.
The Element of Caricature
Elizabeth is certainly attractive and convincing as a woman, and Jane in her own way is
equally convincing, but the comic characters generally go too far towards caricature. And for this
reason we often have the feeling that the heroine is moving among a world of grotesques who do
not really convince us of their truth to life.
Reasons for the Popularity of this Novel
Pride and Prejudice is by far the most popular of all Jane Austen's novels. Jane Austen said
of it that it "is rather too light, and bright, and sparkling; it wants shade"; and this is perhaps the
reason for its popularity. The precision and vivacity of style carry the reader through the novel
with ease and spirit; there is a sparkling life about the characters and a freshness about the scenery
which combine to make this the gayest of Jane Austen's novels, in spite of deeper overtones which
emerge when Charlotte Lucas agrees to marry the egregious Mr. Collins or when Lydia is
discovered to have run off with Mr. Wickham with no prospect of marriage. The speed and skill
with which the author moves into the story are remarkable:
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good
fortune, must be in want of a wife.
The pace never falters, and even in that middle section of the book when Mr. Bingley and company
have left the neighbourhood apparently for good, the plot continues to unfold with new and
arresting developments, each arising naturally out of the preceding action and leading as naturally
to the conclusion.
Craftsmanship
Structurally, the novel shows the highest degree of craftsmanship. We begin with the Bennet
family and their interest in the new tenant of Netherfield Park; Jane and Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth
and Mr. Darcy, come together (helped by Jane's illness) and, in the process, produce the
appropriate revelations of character from Miss Bingley and others. The appearance of Mr.
Wickham, who first claims Elizabeth's attention, diversifies the picture and prepares the way for
developments which are to be so necessary to the later working-out of the plot. The ball
at Netherfield Park helps to centre the action and concentrates Elizabeth's dislike of Mr. Darcy as
well as providing a clue to Mr. Wickham's true character by making it clear that he avoids the ball
to escape a confrontation with Mr. Darcy. Uptill now the characters have circled round each other
in an almost ballet movement: beautiful and kind-hearted Jane, witty and high-spirited Elizabeth,
charming Mr. Bingley, proud Mr. Darcy, gallant Mr. Wickham, scheming Miss Bingley, not to
mention foolish and garrulous Mrs. Bennet and her self-defensively offensive husband. Each
reveals his or her character in conversation, helped out by an occasional flashing forth by the
author of a brief but pungent descriptive remark.
The Problem of Marrying Off the Elder Bennet Girls
The problem posed in what might be called the first movement of the novel is the marrying
off of the elder Bennet girls. They have beauty and intelligence, but inconsiderable fortune. Mrs.
Bennet's desire to have them married, though her
expression of that desire reveals the defects of her character in a richly comic manner, is in itself
both natural and laudable; for girls of negligible fortune genteelly brought up must secure their
men while they may, or face a precarious shabby-genteel spinsterhood with few opportunities of
personal satisfaction or
social esteem. The problem as originally posed has its comic side, but the arrival of Mr. Collins
shows it in another light though he himself is a highly comic figure.
Economic Security and Marriage
Mr. Collins is a kind of grotesque, who takes his place in the stately ballet of social life in a
surprisingly awkward manner. By his proposal of marriage to Elizabeth (again, a richly comic
incident in itself) he points up another side of the marriage-seeking business; economic security
can be won at too great a cost. When Elizabeth's friend Charlotte Lucas accepts Mr. Collins, we
are for the first time made fully aware of some of the ugly realities underlying the stately social
ballet. It is a dance on the sunlit grass, but some of the dancers at least are in earnest, and if they
do not secure a permanent partner before the end of the day they will be alone for ever on the dark
and deserted lawn, or forced to find refuge in the pathless woods which surround the trimly-kept
grassy plot. Rather than face such a fate-rather, that is, than be left with no prospect of social or
economic security in an age when few means of earning an independent livelihood were open to
the daughters of gentlemen — Charlotte Lucas, an intelligent girl, marries the grotesque Mr.
Collins. She knows that it is her last chance, and she takes it deliberately, weighing the future
husband's intolerable character against the security and social position he offers. Elizabeth is
shocked, but Jane Austen takes some pains to let her readers know how hopeless the choice was,
and how in fact Charlotte has chosen the lesser of two evils.
The Re-introduction of Mr. Darcy
Elizabeth's visit to the Collinses after their marriage gives the author her opportunity of
clarifying this aspect of marriage and showing how calmly and deliberately Charlotte makes a
livable way of life out of her situation — a scene in which Jane Austen shows her underlying
compassionate awareness of the ordinariness of ordinary life that both sets off and in a way
enriches her sharp irony. With skilful structural economy, she uses the same episode to re-
introduce Mr. Darcy in connection with Mr. Collins's patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. The
re-introduction, which gives Mr. Darcy an opportunity to propose to Elizabeth and be refused,
marks the turning-point in the relationship of these two, for the refusal is followed by Mr. Darcy's
letter of explanation about Mr. Wickham, so that from this point Mr. Darcy is in the ascendant
and Mr. Wickham's stock is steadily falling. It also marks the movement of Mr. Darcy away from
pride to a genuine awareness of values hitherto outside his class-bound scheme of things, and a
similar movement in Elizabethaway from undue dependence on her own judgment and a greater
concession to the social view. For these two originally represented the two extremes, each of which
must be modified if happiness is to be achieved — the extreme of putting social position and
obligation before private feeling, and the extreme of depending entirely on individual judgment
rather than on the public or social view. Happiness is achieved by the proper combination of
character and fortune. Society is kept going by its members continually compromising between
the individual impression and desire on the one hand and public tradition and duty on the other.
And the basis of such a view, which underlies all Jane Austen's novels, is a clearly apprehended
moral vision.
A New Twist to the Plot
Elizabeth's visit to Derbyshire with the Gardiners is neatly contrived to bring Mr. Darcy into
the picture again, and in a still more favourable light, but the interruption of the visit by news
of Lydia's elopement with Mr. Wickham gives the plot an effective new twist. Mr. Wickham's past
is itself so tied up with that of Mr. Darcy that, instead of the elopement alienating Mr. Darcy from
the Bennet family (as Elizabeth fears), it gives him the opportunity of showing his love
for Elizabeth by using his influence to make Mr. Wickham marry Lydia.
The Possible Fate of the Indiscreet or
Unfortunate Marriage-Seeker
At the same time the episode of the elopement gives us once again a glimpse of the abyss that
yawns for the indiscreet or unfortunate marriage-seeker. The lot of the "fallen woman" in this
kind of society is indeed hopeless, and reckless or stupid playing of one's cards might, as it almost
did with Lydia, lead one to that final degradation. It is significant that the shock ofLydia's
behaviour forces Mr. Bennet for once out of his mood of sardonic teasing into genuine suffering
and self-reproach.
The Development in the Character ofElizabeth
and of Mr. Darcy
The tying up of the action, with the cunning use of Lady Catherine de Bourgh's offensive
intrusion into Elizabeth's affairs to produce a result exactly the reverse of what she intended,
could not be more neatly done. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have each discovered themselves and
each other in their loss of pride and prejudice, while the other characters (who, unlike these two,
achieve no real development) settle back into their accustomed modes of behaviour, symbolized
by Mr. Bennet's remarking, after giving his consent to Elizabeth's marriage with Mr. Darcy so
soon after having done the same for Jane and Bingley: "If any young men come for Mary or Kitty,
send them in, for I am quite at leisure." And, a little later on: "I admire all my sons-in-law highly",
said he. "Wickham, perhaps, is my favourite; but I think I shall like your husband quite as well
and Jane's".
A Disastrous Marriage
The characters of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet illustrate clearly how Jane Austen could use comic
characterization to reveal a marital situation which, if fully explored, would show its tragic aspect.
Mr. Bennet had been captivated by a pretty face, and the resulting marriage tied him to a foolish
and vulgar woman for the rest of his life. Mrs. Bennet, in the genteel world where eligible
marriages are young ladies' chief objectives, had succeeded in her aim, using her good looks while
she had them. The result was disastrous to Mr. Bennet's character: he was forced into an
unnatural isolation from his family, into virtual retirement in his study, and the cultivation of a
bitter amusement at his wife's folly and vulgarity. He, thus, as is made clear in the latter part of
the novel, in some degree abdicated his role as husband and father, with Lydia's behaviour as one
of the results. He is shocked into momentary self-reproach in talking to Elizabeth afterLydia's
escapade, but he only really lifts the mask once, in discussing with Elizabeth her engagement to
Mr. Darcy: "My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in
life".
Jane Austen's Attitude to the Class Structure of her Time
In the gradual unfolding of the truth about Mr. Darcy's character, the revelation of his
goodness to his tenants and in general of his playing the part of the land-owner who understands
the social duties that ownership implies (we see this in the housekeeper's talk to Elizabeth and
her aunt and uncle at Pemberley) represents a crucial stage. Jane Austen had a strong sense of
class duty and a contempt for any claims for superiority based merely on noble birth or social
snobbery. Lady Catherine de Bourgh is a monstrous caricature of Mr. Darcy; she represents pride
without intelligence, moral understanding, or understanding of the obligations conferred by rank.
Jane Austen of course accepts the class structure of English society as she knew it; but she accepts
it as a type of human society in which privilege implies duty. Her view of life is both moral and
hierarchical. But it is far from snobbish, if by snobbery we mean the admiration of rank or social
position as such.

Some Comments on "Pride and Prejudice"

Irony, the Pervasive Quality of the Novel

They have, however, not yet done with the irony that has dogged them from the beginning.
They still have to explain themselves to their sceptical friends and relations. The reader has
learned to look out for irony in every twist of the story, and particularly in the speeches, many of
which have had to be unsaid by the speakers, or wished unsaid, not least by Elizabeth.
It penetrates the whole structure of the novel. Observe how skilfully Wickham's rascality is made
the chief agency in the reconciliation of Elizabeth and Darcy, providing a signal occasion for
Darcy's magnanimity to transpire. Note how the pompous stupidity of Mr. Collins's proposal
to Elizabeth, the crowning example in fiction of pertinacious and unacceptable addresses,
softens by contrast the infatuated assurance of Darcy's, which speedily follows. Jane Austen
herself pauses to count the nails which Miss Bingley hammers into her own coffin when she
teases Elizabeth, in Darcy's presence, about the departure of the officers, including Wickham,
little aware of the pain she is inflicting by reminding him of Wickham's nearly successful
attempt to run off with his sister Georgiana. It is Darcy, his solemnity gone now that he is an
accepted lover, who points out the irony of his aunt's intervention: "Lady Catherine has been of
infinite use, which ought to make her happy, for she loves to be of use." Elizabeth, with her
formidable wit, can hold her own with anyone; she can also be humorous, about herself, as when
she answers Jane's inquiry when she first did find out that she loved Darcy, "It has been coming
on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began; but"—and this is only half raillery—" I believe
I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley." It was not the grounds
that were the grounds for the change, but she was right about the date. Irony is the soul of Jane
Austen's comedy; the comic aspects of life are the ironical aspects, visible to good sense in its
contemplation of erroneous judgments and bigoted or merely indolent persistence in error, of
the contradiction between our desires and the good that we desire. Mrs. Gardiner was not far
wrong about Darcy, who is a comic figure alongwith the rest of them, when she remarked, "I
fancy, Lizzie, that obstinacy is the real defect of his character, after
all." — EA. Baker
The Minor Characters in the Novel
For it is not only the protagonists that engross interest, the minor characters are as perfectly
studied, in their due perspective. Leaving Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine out of account, not as
extraneous, however, for together they provide a magnificent comic pendant to the more intense
drama of Elizabeth and Darcy, look at the others. The Bennets are a comedy in themselves, and
Mary is a failure only because she remains an unfinished sketch. But the two elder sisters, so finely
contrasted, and the pair of hoydens, the empty-headed, flirting Lydia, and Kitty who so narrowly
escapes the same fate; and their friends, the over-genial, babbling Sir William Lucas, so uplifted
with his knighthood; his womenfolk, and the officers from Meryton; every one is individualized
with masterly precision. With such figures may be coupled that amiable, colourless young fellow
Bingley, and his insincere sister, and the easy-going scamp Wickham, whose worst faults are left
unprobed. Mrs. Bennet is a comic production of high order. Silly, incredibly ignorant, and
irresponsible, she was a dreadful infliction for those who were in any way dependent upon her.
She alone would justify all Darcy's strictures upon the Bennet family, and what a thorn in the flesh
she must have been toElizabeth! Yet she is never made an object of satire. On the contrary, it is
an exquisitely kind touch on Jane Austen's part when her namesake, who has regained the laggard
Bingley, will not lose a moment before consoling her mother with the glad news. Elizabeth, with
less tenderness if equal affection, thinks first of her father, when Darcy's suit is in question, and
the interview is one to be read with mixed feelings. In drawing the hare-brained, vulgar,
incontinent Lydia, Jane Austen seems at times to be trembling on the verge of some personal
resentment. Regarded less indulgently, Lydia would be a terrible example of moral and mental
recklessness, and can be made to point the lesson which it is easy to draw from this history, that
education, discipline, and self-control are all-important, and that parental Laodiceanism bears
pernicious fruits. Her father and mother are another Mr. and Mrs. Shandy. He has cultivated
impassivity as an antidote to his wife's shallow effusiveness, and the attitude has set. Lizzie, the
only member of the family who inherits his sense of humour, comprehends him; to his wife he is
as inscrutable as Mr. Shandy was to his better half. Sterne was one of the classic authors whom
Jane Austen knew well enough to quote from.
—E A. Baker.
The Structure and form of the Novels
of Jane Austen's Novels
But, if her range was thus limited, within it she was supreme. Absolutely sure of her material,
undistracted by external interests, she wrote with a singular freedom from uncertainty; and her
novels have, in consequence, an exactness of structure and a symmetry of form which are to be
found more often in French literature than in English. Of this precision, Pride and Prejudiceis an
admirable example. Here the plot is the chief interest; simple, but pervasive; controlling every
incident, but itself depending for its outcome upon the development or revelation of the principal
characters. Surrounding these characters is the world of provincial folk which Miss Austen
handled brilliantly—cynical Mr. Bennet and his fatuous wife; Mary Bennet, the pedant, and
Lydia, the flirt; Mr. Collins, the type of pretentious conceit, and Sir William Lucas, of feeble
dullness. These "humours" Miss Austen develops chiefly through her wonderful faculty for saying
the thing appropriate to the character at the moment.... Miss Austen's later stories,Mansfield Park
and Emma, are longer and slightly more elaborate than Pride and Prejudice, but in them the
essentials of her art are still the same: a well-defined story, growing naturally out of the influence
of character on character, and developed in the midst of a society full of the mild humours of
provincial life.
—Moody and Lovett.
Some of the Comic Elements in the Novel
The logic underlying this position is that in the long run good breeding goes back to property
and privilege, so that the genteel principle need not be violated by a marriage with the poor.
Elizabeth Bennet (in Pride and Prejudice) is given a decided advantage over the stiff and snobbish
Mr. Darcy, who is brought so reluctantly to propose marriage; her pride is justified by his lofty
condescension; yet the principle of gentility tells us he was essentially right in not wishing to lower
himself, and he can easily be forgiven when once he comes to acknowledge that her personal worth
makes her his social equal. But while it lasts, his conflict of sentiments makes him a very funny
person. He is the ideal English gentleman as comedy sees that type, honourable and sure of
himself, dense and stiff, and easily made a fool of. Broader comedy is provided by the cruder
snobbishness of Lady de Bourgh and the oily sycophantic clergyman, Collins; and the plot is
managed by misunderstandings over matters of fact coming to reinforce the misunderstandings
bred by sensitiveness and pride.
—J.W. Beach
The Portrayal of Mrs. Bennet and of Mr. Collins
The fool simple is soon exhausted; but when a collection of fixed ideas is grafted upon him,
he becomes a theme for endless variations. Mrs. Bennet is one of this kind. She is no sooner
introduced than she is defined. She is "a woman of mean understanding, little information, and
uncertain temper". That makes up the fool negative. Her positive qualities are these: "When she
was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters
married; its solace was visiting and news." Her fixed ideas of the happiness of catching any young
man for any of her daughters, of the inequality of an entail which prevented their succeeding to
her husband's estate, and of her weak nerves, make up the staple of her talk, always amusing
because never to the purpose. Another fool of the same novel is Mr. Collins, somewhat of a
caricature and, therefore, easier to analyze. He has a mean understanding, and is a bore to boot;
that is, he esteems himself worthy to be always occupying a place in the notice of those with whom
he associates, and he thinks it incumbent upon him always elaborately to explain his motives and
his reasons. At the same time, he has some sense of the necessity of humility and lays claim to this
virtue by always speaking of himself and his belongings as "humble", and by the most expansive
display of humility towards his patrons, and towards any one of a rank above his own. To his own
personal claims he adds the official claim derived from his being a rector in the Church of England,
which gives him occasion to obtrude his advice, always wrong in the various vicissitudes of the
tale. The contrast between his empty head and heart and his fixed ideas constitutes the diversion
of the portrait. He is perfect when he expects a father to forgive his erring daughter like a
Christian, and never to speak to her again. —Richard Simpson
The Character and Personality of the Heroine in "Pride and Prejudice"
An Attractive Woman, With a Lively Disposition
Elizabeth Bennet finds a mention in the very opening chapter, but all we learn here about her
is that her father is more favourably inclined towards her than her mother. Soon afterwards we
find her attending an assembly at which a gentleman by the name of Mr. Darcy expresses a rather
unfavourable opinion about her appearance.
When his friend, Mr. Bingley, suggests that Mr. Darcy should dance with Elizabeth whom Mr.
Bingley describes as very pretty and very agreeable, Mr. Darcy gives a reply which is overheard
by Elizabeth and which greatly offends her. Mr. Darcy's reply is that this girl is just tolerable so
far as her looks are concerned and that she is not handsome enough to tempt him. The dislike,
whichElizabeth conceives so early in the story for this man because of a disparaging remark that
he has made about her, persists for quite a long time. In fact, this dislike soon deepens into a
hatred because of various reasons. This dislike, which is not baseless, and the hatred which
follows soon afterwards but which does not have a very sound basis, constitute the "prejudice"
which may be regarded as a prominent trait of her character, at least in the first half of the novel.
Actually, Elizabeth is physically by no means unattractive or unhandsome as Mr. Darcy thinks.
Soon afterwards Mr. Darcy himself recognizes the fact that Elizabethhas alight and pleasing
figure, and that she has a pretty face with beautiful dark eyes the expression of which lends a
great charm to her face. So far as Elizabeth's disposition is concerned, she is by no means sour
or sullen. In the author's words, she has a lively, playful disposition. Towards the end of the
novel, Mr. Darcy, on being asked byElizabeth what it was that had attracted him to her after his
initial unfavourable impression, replies that it was "the liveliness of her mind" which had
impressed him most. Nor is there any doubt that Elizabethhas a ready wit which she shows in
the course of her conversation with various persons in the story. She has a quick mind and a
sharp intelligence; and she has a more than ordinary conversational ability. Although much
lower in social standing than Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley, she can hold her own while talking to
them. She never feels at a loss for words even in such elegant company as these gentlemen and
also Mr. Bingley's two sisters. And she has the courage to differ with these persons who occupy
much higher social positions than she does. For instance, when Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy are
talking about the accomplishments which a woman should possess, Elizabeth says that she has
never seen a woman possessing all the accomplishments enumerated by Mr. Bingley. She
says that she has never found such capacity, such taste, and such elegance united in one single
woman. Nor doesElizabeth feel awed by the conceited sisters of Mr. Bingley or by the arrogant
Lady Catherine. She can even poke fun at a man like Mr. Darcy in such a sly manner so that he
does not perceive the mockery in her words. For instance, she tells Miss Bingley that Mr. Darcy
has no defect at all in his character, and that Mr. Darcy himself admits that he is free from all
defects of character. Now, this remark by Elizabeth is a sarcasm directed against Mr. Darcy,
though Mr. Darcy does not become aware of it. She can even make a joke at her mother's cost.
When Mrs. Bennet expresses her unhappiness at Lydia's departure from the house after a brief
stay there with her husband, Elizabeth says to her mother: "This is the consequence you see,
madam, of marrying a daughter. It must make you better satisfied that your other four are
single." And Elizabeth has not only a keen sense of humour but also much sense (meaning
wisdom). Here is a gem of a thought which she speaks to Mr. Darcy: "Think only of the past as
its remembrance gives you pleasure."
Her View of Mr. Collins
Elizabeth is an excellent judge of character. She is able to assess the worth of Mr. Darcy, Mr.
Bingley, and Mr. Bingley's sisters early in the story, and she also quickly understands the character
of Mr. Collins. Without having met Mr. Collins, and after listening only to the letter which he has
written to her father, she expresses the opinion that Mr. Collins seems to be an "oddity" and not
a sensible man. Her opinion of Mr. Collins is confirmed when she meets him, with the result that,
when he proposes marriage to her, she refuses him without the least hesitation, though her refusal
is couched in polite language. When he reiterates his proposal, she again refuses him, this time
more firmly. She has formed a rather low opinion about the intelligence of Mr. Collins who seems
to her to be a sort of clown. Although her mother scolds her in strong terms for having refused a
good offer of marriage, she does not change her mind and feels stronger when her refusal of Mr.
Collins's proposal is supported by her father. She has such a low opinion of Mr. Collins that she
feels shocked when her intimate friend Charlotte agrees to become his wife. On being told
by Charlotte that she has accepted Mr. Collins's proposal of marriage,Elizabeth cries out:
"Engaged to Mr. Collins! My dear Charlotte, impossible!" Later she describes him as a man who
has not one agreeable quality, and who has neither manners nor sense to recommend him.
Indeed, Elizabeth has been thinking that no decent girl would accept a proposal of marriage from
Mr. Collins. In view of her opinion of Mr. Collins, and also in view of the manner in which Mr.
Bingley has abruptly terminated his relationship with Jane, Elizabeth now forms a rather cynical
view of human nature. Speaking to Jane, she says: "There are few people whom I really love, and
still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it;
and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters. " Elizabeth's
opinion about Sir William and his daughter Maria are also in line with her thinking as indicated
in these lines. When she sets out with Sir William and Maria for Hunsford, their company is not
really agreeable to her because she thinks both of them to be "empty-headed"
persons. Elizabeth enjoys the absurdities of the human character, but the absurdities of Sir
William no longer interest her because she has long been accustomed to them. She enjoys the
absurdities of Mr. Collins a little longer. And of course his absurdities include his extravagantly
flattering manner of speaking about Lady Catherine.
Her Misjudgment of the Character of Mr. Wickham
In spite of her maturity of judgment and of her exceptional intelligence, Elizabethfails to
understand the character of Mr. Wickham. Like everybody else, she is fascinated and charmed by
his handsome appearance, his pleasing manners, and his winning talk. In fact, she half falls in
love with Mr. Wickham. She regards every word that he has said about Mr. Darcy as true. In fact,
Mr. Wickham's charges against Mr. Darcy deepen Elizabeth's dislike of that man and create an
additional prejudice in her mind against him. So impressed does she feel by Mr. Wickham that
she would most probably have accepted a proposal of marriage from him in case he had made one
to her. Afterwards, of course, Elizabeth is sadly disillusioned about Mr. Wickham's character.
Her Attachment to Jane
Elizabeth is deeply attached to her family, and more particularly to her father and to Jane.
For Jane especially, she harbours feelings of the deepest tenderness and affection. She shares
Jane's every mood. She feels happy when Jane is happy, and she feels gloomy when she finds Jane
in a gloomy mood. She feels very happy when there is every sign that Mr. Bingley would propose
marriage to Jane. But she feels very distressed when soon afterwards Mr. Bingley leaves
for London and does not communicate with Jane for several months together. During this period
of Jane's despondency, Elizabeth is always striving to cheer her up.
Her Views about Her Father and Her Mother
She is her father's favourite; and, though she too feels a deep affection for him, she is not
blind to his faults. For instance, she thinks it highly objectionable that her father should behave
towards her mother rudely because she thinks that her father's bad treatment of her mother would
have most undesirable effects on their daughters. She is fully alive to her mother's faults also. In
fact, her mother's manner of talking embarrasses her very much on various social occasions. She
also finds much truth in Mr. Darcy's view that Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Bennet's younger daughters
always talk and behave in a most undignified manner.
Her Understanding of the Nature of Lydia
Elizabeth shows her deep concern for her family when she receives news thatLydia has eloped
with Mr. Wickham. She gets this news when she is staying at Lambton with her uncle and aunt;
but on receiving this news she decides at once to rush home in order to give whatever comfort and
consolation she can give to the members of her family. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, who share her
anxiety, thereupon also decide to cut short their holiday, and come back with her to Longbourn.
On the way Elizabeth offers to her aunt a penetrating analysis of the mind of Lydiaand the
character of Mr. Wickham who has lured her away. Elizabeth tells her aunt that Lydia had for the
last one year or so been giving herself upto nothing but amusement and vanity, and that she had
been allowed by her parents to spend her time in the most idle and frivolous manner.
Thus Elizabethhere indirectly blames her parents for having neglected their duty in keeping a
watch over Lydia. Even when Lydia was about to leave for Brighton in the company of Mrs.
Forster, Elizabeth had urged her father not to allow Lydia go to away from home. She had warned
her father that Lydia, being an irresponsible type of girl, might come to harm if she were allowed
to go toBrighton. Her father had paid no heed toElizabeth's advice, with the result thatElizabeth's
prediction proves to have been right. Elizabeth now also tells her aunt that, although Mr.
Wickham has every charm of person and manner, yet he has actually been living the life of a
profligate man. Thus, here also we get evidence of Elizabeth's having a mature judgment and a
capacity to understand events and situations.
The Development of Her Relationship with Mr. Darcy
The most important aspect of Elizabeth's life is, of course, her relationship with Mr. Darcy.
Initially, Elizabeth feels a dislike of Mr. Darcy who had made a disparaging remark about her to
Mr. Bingley. This dislike, or we may call it prejudice, soon deepens into hatred when Mr. Wickham
gives her a long account of the injustices and the wrongs which, according to his version, he had
suffered at the hands of Mr. Darcy. At this stage we, as well as she, are deceived by Mr. Wickham's
account, which is totally false. When, later, she learns that Mr. Darcy had prevented Mr. Bingley
from marrying her sister Jane, she begins to hate Mr. Darcy even more than before. In other
words, her prejudice against Mr. Darcy deepens still further. Mr. Darcy, on the other hand, has
gradually been falling under her spell and, when she is staying at Hunsford, he makes a proposal
of marriage to her. She immediately and unhesitatingly rejects this proposal. However, when Mr.
Darcy hands over a letter to her, answering all the charges which she had levelled against him, she
feels compelled to modify her view of Mr. Darcy, even though this letter too is written in the same
insolent manner in which he had made his proposal of marriage to her. Her reading of this letter
marks a turning-point in her attitude to Mr. Darcy. Her prejudice against Mr. Darcy had earlier
reached such proportions that she had begun to entertain thoughts of marrying Mr. Wickham,
and, later, of marrying Colonel Fitzwilliam. However, now she feels drawn towards Mr. Darcy
because she finds that he is not essentially a bad man, and that his only fault was pride which too
now seems to have considerably diminised. The courteous and kind manner, in which he behaves
towards her at Pemberley, and at the inn at Lambton, further softens her towards him. She now
begins to think that her rejection of his proposal of marriage had been a mistake. She now feels
convinced that Mr. Darcy is exactly the man who, by virtue of his temperament and his abilities,
would have suited her as her husband. The service which Mr. Darcy had done to the Bennet family
by bringing about the marriage ofLydia and Mr. Wickham too has greatly influenced Elizabeth's
new attitude to him. Then comes her confrontation with Lady Catherine. In this interview, which
is perhaps the most gripping scene in the whole novel, Elizabeth rises to the stature of a true
heroine. Already, we have formed a highly favourable view of her abilities, attainments, and
intelligence; but now we find that she is a most intrepid[1] woman who cannot be cowed by a
haughty and bullying woman like Lady Catherine.Elizabeth gives bold answers to all Lady
Catherine's questions, and fearlessly rejecs all her suggestions which are aimed at preventinga
marriage between her and Mr. Darcy. Lady Catherine's questions and her suggestions have clearly
indicated toElizabeth that Mr. Darcy is most probably thinking of proposing marriage to her. And,
when Lady Catherine soon afterwards meets Mr. Darcy and gives him an account of her interview
with Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy gets a clearidea of Elizabeth's having softened towards him and of her
inclination to accept a proposal of marriage from him. And so Mr. Darcy goes to Longbourn and
makes his proposal of marriage to her. She gladly accepts the proposal. Mr. Darcy's pride has been
humbled, and Elizabeth's prejudices against him have melted away. And nowElizabeth regains
her playfulness, and gives clear evidence of it even in his conversation with Mr. Darcy who is by
nature a grave man. She asks him what it was that had attracted him to her even though she had
been uncivil to him. And his reply is that he had been attracted to her by the liveliness of her mind.
She thereupon proceeds to give him an analysis of his own mind, and the reasons which had made
him fall in love with her. She tells him that too much civility and deference from people had begun
to bore him, and that he had been feeling disgusted with the women who had always been eager
to please and humour him, till she entered his life. She points out to him that he had found her to
be a different kind of woman, and that he had therefore felt attracted towards her. This analysis
of Mr. Darcy's mind by Elizabeth does much credit to her intelligence. This analysis tallies with
the account which Mr. Darcy had himself earlier given of how he had been a selfish and proud
man all his life, and how she had been instrumental in curing him of his defects.
One of the Best-Loved Heroines in English Fiction
Elizabeth is undoubtedly an adorable woman. She is not only a heroine but a memorable
heroine whom it is difficult to forget. Indeed, she is one of the best-known and best-loved heroines
in English fiction. She was a favourite of Jane Austen herself. In fact, one of the reasons for the
vast popularity of Pride and Prejudice is the portrayal of Elizabeth in it. Apart from the liveliness
of her mind, which is the quality that chiefly appealed to Mr. Darcy, Elizabethis distinguished by
her sheer goodness of heart and her outspoken nature. Her heart is as transparent as a crystal.
There is not the least touch of trickery or cunning in her nature. Any kind of manipulation is alien
to her nature. And, then, she has a healthy, wholesome mind. She is able to laugh at human
absurdities, and she is capable of making witty and amusing remarks.

The Development of the Darcy-Elizabeth Relationship

Mutual Dislike in the Beginning; Marriage at the End
Pride and Prejudice is largely the story of Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy,
although certain other characters such as Mr. Bingley, Miss Jane Bennet, and Mr. Wickham also
figure prominently in the novel. Both Elizabeth and Darcy create a forceful impression on us.
In fact, we would be perfectly justified in designating Elizabeth as the heroine, and Mr. Darcy as
the hero of the novel. The Elizabeth-Darcy relationship dominates the novel. These two persons
begin with a mutual dislike of each other, but then they both begin to feel drawn towards each
other till they find that they are both in love with each other and are, in fact, indispensable to
each other. Marriage is the natural consequence of this discovery by them.
Elizabeth's Self-Esteem, Hurt By Mr. Darcy's Remark
Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy meet each other at an assembly (that is, a social gathering). Mr.
Darcy has come to this assembly in the company of his intimate friend, Mr. Bingley. The girls
attending the assembly are greatly attracted by Mr. Darcy chiefly because of his handsome
appearance and his large estate (which is situated in Derbyshire). The girls are also attracted
greatly by Mr. Bingley who too is a good-looking and very rich man. While Mr. Bingley shows a
lot of interest in the girls, and more especially in Miss Jane Bennet, Mr. Darcy does not feel much
attracted by any of the girls. In fact, Mr. Darcy thinks that none of the girls present suits him as a
partner in the dancing and therefore he dances only with the two sisters of his friend, Mr. Bingley.
When Mr. Bingley suggests to Mr. Darcy that he should dance with Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy speaks
disapprovingly of her, saying that there is not much charm about her. This uncomplimentary
remark by Mr. Darcy about Elizabeth is overheard by her, and she therefore feels very annoyed
with him. Otherwise too Mr. Darcy seems to be a very proud man. Mrs. Bennet, after attending
the assembly, and speaking to her husband, describes Mr. Darcy as a very rude kind of man. Thus
on the occasion of their very first meeting, Mr. Darcy expresses the view that Elizabeth is not
beautiful enough to tempt him, while Elizabeth feels deeply offended with him after overhearing
this remark.Elizabeth feels that Mr. Darcy is a very proud man who has mortified her own pride.
What she means is that Mr. Darcy has hurt her self-esteem.
A Change in Mr. Darcy's Opinion ofElizabeth.
When Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy meet again, Elizabeth is determined not to dance with him
because of the grudge which she is harbouring against him. However, a slight change now takes
place in Mr. Darcy's view of Elizabeth. He begins to find thatElizabeth's face is rendered
uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. He also finds that her figure
is light and pleasing; and he is impressed by the easy playfulness of her manners. He now tells
Miss Bingley that Elizabeth is a pretty woman having a pair of fine eyes. Miss Bingley regards Mr.
Darcy's praise ofElizabeth as a clear signal that he is thinking of Elizabeth as his would-be wife.
She then makes a sarcastic remark, telling Mr. Darcy that, in case he marries Elizabeth, he would
get a charming mother-in-law in Mrs. Bennet. Actually, Mrs. Bennet has not produced a good
impression on either Miss Bingley or Mr. Darcy, and Miss Bingley's remark is therefore meant to
lower both Elizabeth and her mother in Mr. Darcy's estimation.
Mr. Darcy's Comment upon Elizabeth's Long Walk
When Jane has fallen ill at NetherfieldPark, Elizabeth goes to attend upon her
sister. Elizabeth walks the whole distance of about three miles from Longbourn
toNetherfield Park. Mr. Bingley’s two sisters mock at Elizabeth for having walked such a long
distance because they think themselves to be fine ladies and because, in their opinion, only a low-
class girl would care to walk such a long distance. However, Mr. Darcy does not share the opinion
of these two ladies in this respect. He defendsElizabeth for having walked this long distance, and
says that her eyes looked brighter after she had walked that long distance. Elizabeth, of course,
does not know the comments which these persons have made upon the long walk that she has
taken. She continues to nurse a grievance against Mr. Darcy for having made an adverse remark
about her at the assembly.
Mr. Darcy, Charmed by Elizabeth;
her Handicap in his View
Mr. Darcy now becomes more and more interested in Elizabeth. Miss Bingley perceives this
change in Mr. Darcy, and she tries her utmost not to allow Elizebeth to get too close to him because
Miss Bingley is herself interested in him. Mr. Darcy has now begun to like Elizabeth very much
and is, in fact, feeling thorougly charmed by her. Her only handicap in his eyes is that she does
not belong to the aristocratic class of society to which he himself belongs. If she had been the
daughter of aristocratic and rich parents, Mr. Darcy would certainly have proposed marriage to
her at this very stage in the story. Mr. Darcy is a proud man and a snob who believes in distinctions
of class and rank. Elizabeth, on her part, continues to feel prejudiced against Mr. Darcy because
of the adverse opinion which he had initially expressed about her.
Different Points of View
In the course of a conversation, Mr. Darcy happens to say that it has always been his effort to
avoid weaknesses which invite ridicule. Elizabeth asks if vanity and pride are among the
weaknesses which he tries to avoid. Mr. Darcy replies that vanity is surely a weakness which
should be avoided, but that pride has to be properly regulated if a proud man has a really superior
mind.Elizabeth, speaking to Miss Bingley, says half ironically that Mr. Darcy suffers from no
defect. Mr. Darcy, intervening, says that he has his full share of faults, though his faults are not
due to any mental deficiency in him. He then goes on to say that he cannot ignore the follies and
vices from which other people suffer; and he adds: "My good opinion once lost is lost for
ever." Elizabeth, however, tells him that it is surely a fault in him if he can never ignore other
people's follies and vices. She even says to him at this time that his defect is a tendency to hate
everybody, to which he replies that her defect is deliberately to misunderstand everybody. Now,
it is clear to us thatElizabeth is keen to maintain the independence of her mind. Any other girl
would have been at pains to humour Mr. Darcy and to endorse whatever opinion he might have
expressed. But Elizabeth has the courage to differ with him. Mr. Darcy, it seems, does not
resent Elizabeth's disagreeing with the opinions which he expresses. On the contrary, Mr. Darcy
finds that he is feeling more and more drawn towards her.
Mr. Darcy, Almost in Love with Elizabeth
Mr. Darcy now thinks that, if he comes into contact with Elizabeth more often, he might
actually fall in love with her. The author in this context writes: "He began to feel the danger of
paying Elizabeth too much attention." Mr. Darcy pays little heed to Miss Bingley who tries her
utmost to win his good opinion and his heart. At this point we get the feeling that Mr. Darcy has
already fallen in love with Elizabeth though he does not yet admit this fact even to himself. The
chief obstruction in his way is Elizabeth's lower social position. He thinks that his
marryingElizabeth would be an unseemly step because he is far above Elizabeth in social
standing.
Elizabeth Hardening; and Darcy Softening
A new complication arises in the Elizabeth-Darcy relationship when Mr. Wickham appears
on the stage. This man, who becomes rapidly familiar with Elizabethbecause of his social charm,
tells Elizabeththat Mr. Darcy had done him a great wrong and a great injustice. Mr. Wickham
represents himself to Elizabeth as a victim of Mr. Darcy's callousness and high-handedness, with
the result that Elizabeth's prejudice against Mr. Darcy is now increased. In this frame of
mind, Elizabethtells her friend Charlotte that she is determined of hate Mr. Darcy and that there
is no possibility at all of her finding him an agreeable man. Then another event takes place which
further intensifies Elizabeth's bitterness against Mr. Darcy. She learns from Colonel Fitzwilliam
that Mr. Darcy had dissuaded Mr. Bingley from proposing marriage to her sister Jane. Thus
several reasons have now combined to hardenElizabeth's attitude towards Mr. Darcy, while Mr.
Darcy, on his part, has been softening towards Elizabeth.
Darcy's Proposal of Marriage; andElizabeth's Rejection of It
Mr. Darcy is now so much in love withElizabeth that he proposes marriage to her. This
happens when Elizabeth is staying at Hunsford. However, his consciousness ofElizabeth's social
inferiority to him has by no means weakened or diminished. Even while making this proposal of
marriage to her, he goes out of his way to emphasize the fact of her being socially very much
beneath him. Elizabeth, who is a very self-respecting girl, feels deeply offended by the
condescending manner in which Mr. Darcy has made his proposal of marriage, and she therefore
summarily rejects his proposal not only because of his arrogant manner but because of other
reasons as well. She gives him her reasons for this rejection in some detail. She tells him that he
had prevented his friend Mr. Bingley from marrying her sister Jane. She tells him that he had
most unjustly and cruelly treated Mr. Wickham, the son of the steward to Mr. Darcy's late father.
And, of course, she points out to him the superiority complex from which he is suffering.
Darcy's Letter to Elizabeth in Defence of Himself
On the following day, Mr. Darcy hands over a letter to Elizabeth. This letter contains Mr.
Darcy's defence of himself. Through this letter he informs Elizabeth that he might have been
mistaken in his judgment of her sister Jane and might have committed an error of judgment in
preventing Mr. Bingley from marrying Jane, but that his treatment of Mr. Wickham had fully been
justified because Mr. Wickham, far from deserving any favour or any kindness, is an obnoxious
man, having no scruples at all. Mr. Darcy further points out that the behaviour ofElizabeth's
mother and her two youngest sisters has been far from pleasing.
A Change in Elizabeth's View of Darcy
Although Elizabeth finds that the tone of Mr. Darcy's letter is insolent and haughty, yet the
letter does bring about a certain change in her. She begins to realize that Mr. Darcy had, after all,
not been unjust in his treatment of Mr. Wickham. She also realizes that Mr. Darcy had some valid
ground for preventing Mr. Bingley from marrying Jane because Jane had really not given to Mr.
Bingley a sufficient indication that she was deeply in love with him. Elizabeth also admits to
herself that the behaviour of her mother and her two youngest sisters has been undignified and
therefore disagreeable.
Mutual Appreciation of Each Other
During Elizabeth's stay at Lambton and her visit to Pemberley House, Mr. Darcy is at pains
to please Elizabeth by his talk and by calling in her in the company of his sister Georgiana. So
anxious is Mr. Darcy to placeElizabeth at Lambton that Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner feel convinced that
he is in love with her. On one occasion when Miss Bingley begins to speak unfavourably
aboutElizabeth's physician appearance, Mr. Darcy says that Elizabeth is one of the handsomest
women of his acquaintance. Elizabeth, on her part, has now begun to think that Mr. Darcy is
exactly the man who, in disposition and talents, would suit her most as her husband. She believes
that his understanding and temper, though unlike her own, would answer all her wishes.
Elizabeth's Admiration for Darcy for his
Role in the Lydia-Wickham Affair
Elizabeth begins to admire Mr. Darcy still more when she comes to know of the role which he
had played in bringing about the marriage of Lydia and Mr. Wickham. She now thinks that the
Bennet family has reason to feel deeply indebted to Mr. Darcy for having saved them from disgrace
and infamy. Mr. Darcy's action in having paid Mr. Wickham the required sum of money and
having settled the whole matter amicably shows him to be a high-minded man.
The Effect on Mr. Darcy of Lady Catherine's
Talk with Elizabeth
Another event now takes place to bring Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy closer to each other. This
event is a visit by Lady Catherine to Longbourn. Lady Catherine, in a private meeting
with Elizabeth, warns her against agreeing to marry her nephew, Mr. Darcy. Lady Catherine says
that Mr. Darcy is to marry her own daughter Miss Ann de Bourgh and that Elizabeth should not
dare to think of marrying him. Lady Catherine utters all sorts of threats to Elizabeth;
butElizabeth remains calm and unafraid, and her answers to Lady Catherine show that she would
decide the matter in accordance with her own wishes in case Mr. Darcy at all proposes marriage
to her. Lady Catherine feels most annoyed by Elizabeth's attitude. When Lady Catherine meets
Mr. Darcy inLondon, she tells him of the meeting which she has had with Elizabeth, and the
answers which Elizabeth had given to her. Mr. Darcy now feels convinced that Elizabeth has a soft
corner for him, and so he decides to renew his proposal of marriage to her.
Elizabeth's Acceptance of Mr. Darcy's
Proposal of Marriage
At his next meeting with Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy once again proposes marriage to her, admitting
that he is now a changed man and that all his pride, vanity, selfishness, and arrognce have been
humbled by her. He says that he owes the great change in his character to the manner in which
she had been behaving towards him. Elizabeth, whose own attitude towards Mr. Darcy has
undergone a great change on account of various reasons including the role which Mr. Darcy had
played in the Lydia-Wickham affair, gladly accepts the proposal. And so, after the permission of
Mr. Bennet has been obtained by Mr. Darcy, the marriage of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth takes place
amid great jubilation.

Bring out what you think to be the most attractive traits of Elizabeth's
character. Do you find anything disagreeable about her?

One of the Best-Loved Heroines in English Fiction

Elizabeth is one of the best-loved heroines in English fiction. She possesses several traits
which appeal to us greatly. These traits are her liveliness of temper, her sense of humour and her
wit, her mature thinking, the ripeness of her judgment, her attachment to her family and
especially to her elder sister Jane, her self-confidence and boldness, her realization of her
mistakes and her feeling of repentance about them. However, she is not a perfect woman. She has
her weaknesses and her faults.

Her Wit and her Capacity to Laugh at Absurdities

Elizabeth has a healthy outlook on life. She is a lively girl with a keen sense of humour and
with a capacity to make witty remarks. She has a strong tendency to laugh at the absurdities to
people, and she is capable of making sarcastic remarks. She is quite a sprightly girl though she
certainly has her serious moods and moods of reflection and even gloom. She is very good at
conversation, and is not at all the type of the demure and dumb girl who has nothing to say at a
party or a social meet. To take only two examples of her wit, she makes fun of Mr. Darcy early in
the novel by saying that he suffers from no defects at all; and, much later in the novel, when her
mother complains that the departure of Lydia from the house has made her sad, Elizabeth says
that her mother should be happy at the thought that she still has four unmarried daughters at
home with her. At the same time, it is to be noted that Elizabeth does not indulge in frivolous or
flippant talk. She strongly disapproves of the kind of talk in which her two youngest sisters often
indulge, and also of the kind of trivial and vulgar talk in which her mother indulges. She often
feels embarrassed by the kind of remarks which her mother makes at social gatherings.
The Maturity of her Mind
Elizabeth shows the maturity of her mind when she urges her father not to allowLydia to go
to Brighton with Mrs. Forster. She tries to impress upon her father the unpleasant consequences
which are likely to result from Lydia's stay in Brighton where she would be absolutely free to
behave just as she likes. She describes Lydia as a vain, ignorant, and idle girl who is likely to go
astray because of her exuberant spirits and the absence of any parental control. It is another
matter that Mr. Bennet pays no heed to Elizabeth's advice. Subsequently, the news of Lydia's
elopement with Mr. Wickham justifies Elizabeth's prediction about Lydia's conduct
at Brighton. Elizabeth once again shows the maturity of her mind by telling her aunt Mrs.
Gardiner that there is little possibility of Mr. Wickham actually marrying Lydia. In this context
she says that Mr. Wickham has every charm of person and conversation to captivate a woman,
and that he is likely to take undue advantage ofLydia who does not yet have enough experience of
life to understand the workings of the mind of a man like Mr. Wickham. Elizabeth says
that Lydia can fall an easy prey to Mr. Wickham's lust. This analysis by Elizabeth of the minds of
Mr. Wickham and Lydia is perfectly sound.
Her Concern for her Family
Elizabeth is deeply attached to her family. She is aware of the faults of her mother and even
more keenly aware of the faults of her two youngest sisters, Kitty andLydia. In spite of that, she
feels a deep concern for the welfare of the family. On receiving the news of Lydia's elopement,
when Elizabeth is staying at Lambton in the company of Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, she feels most
upset to think of the disgrace which the Bennet family would now have to face. She has now no
peace of mind and, therefore, she rushes back home in order to give what comfort she can to her
parents and to Jane who is also feeling deeply disturbed byLydia's shameful behaviour.
Her Deep Attachment to Jane
Elizabeth's attachment to Jane is one of the most striking traits of her character. Sisters
always love each other; but, inElizabeth's love and affection for Jane, there is something
exceptional and something extraordinary. Elizabeth feels constantly worried about Jane after Mr.
Bingley has leftNetherfield Park, probably never to return. From this point on wards, Elizabeth is
constantly thinking of how to comfort and console Jane. While Jane keeps saying that she would
get over her disappointment,Elizabeth knows that inwardly Jane is feeling most
dejected. Elizabeth's chief anxiety now is to bring good cheer into Jane's life. Such affection for a
sister is really touching; and this is certainly one ofElizabeth's most attractive traits.
Her Self-Confidence and her Boldness
Her self-confidence and her boldness are some other attractive traits of Elizabeth's character.
She never feels nervous or awed in the company of persons who are socially above her. For
instance, when she has to stay at Neitherfield Park for a few days in order to attend upon Jane
who has fallen ill there, she takes an active part in the conversations which take place there
between Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, and Miss Bingley. She has the courage to differ with them when
her view of a matter is different from theirs. When Mr. Bingley says that there are many girls who
possess all the accomplishments, Elizabeth boldly says that she has never come across any girl
who possesses all the accomplishments on a later occasion, she tells Mr. Darcy that he has a
tendency to hate everybody; and she tells him her view without flinching. She remains perfectly
cool and composed when she pays a visit to Rosings Park in the company of Sir William and Maria
both of whom feels awed by the splendours of Lady Catherine's mansion. Nor does she feel
unnerved by the insolent questions which Lady Catherine asks her. However, Elizabeth's self-
confidence and self-assertion are exhibited in a most striking manner in the scene of her
confrontation with Lady Catherine when the latter pays a visit to her at Longbourn. On this
occasion Elizabeth is not in the least cowed by Lady Catherine's threats, and refuses firmly to give
her the promise which Lady Catherine has demanded from her in an authoritative and bullying
manner. HereElizabeth surely rises to the stature of a true heroine.
No Self-Deception; No Cunning or Trickery about her
Elizabeth is an honest woman. She is honest with herself and with others. She is a woman of
integrity. She does not believe in cunning or trickery. She is filled with self-reproach when she
discovers the mistake she had made in judging Mr. Wickham's character. She had been deeply
impressed by that man's outward charm and had almost fallen in love with him. She had taken
his account of Mr. Darcy's past dealings with him on its face value, without having tried to seek
any evidence to support his allegations against Mr. Darcy. But when the truth becomes known to
her, she is filled with the deepest regret. She now admits to herself that, in believing Mr. Wickham,
she had been "blind, partial, prejudiced, and absurd". She says to herself: "How despicably have I
acted! I, who have prided myself on my discernment!" Such a confession shows that Elizabeth has
the courage to face the realities.
Her Occasional Moods of Cynicism
Even Elizabeth's occasional moods of cynicism lend her a certain charm. On oneoccasion, she
tells her sister Jane that there are very few people whom she really loves and still fewer of whom
she has a high opinion. She says that the more she observes the world, the more dissatisfied she
feels with it. She then complains of the inconsistency of all human beings. This is a realistic
appraisal of the world and of human nature, even though the example which she gives to illustrate
her view is not quite convincing. (The example which she here gives is Charlotte's decision to
marry Mr. Collins). Luckily she is not a confirmed cynic at all. Her admiration for Jane's goodness,
as also the admiration which she begins to feel for Mr. Darcy in course of time, amply shows that.
Her Shortcomings
However, Elizabeth does suffer from certain shortcomings and faults. She is easily
prejudiced, and her prejudices sometimes take deep roots in her mind. Such is the prejudice she
harbours against Mr. Darcy, especially after Mr. Wickham has spoken to her about that man. In
this particular case,Elizabeth betrays a strange lack of the power to judge human character. She
is completely taken in by Mr. Wickham's deceptive looks and his plausible manner of talking. Even
more glaring is her prejudice against Mr. Collins. There is no doubt that Mr. Collins is a fool and

a clown; but Elizabeth goes so far in her criticism of his character as to become almost
hostile to him. She uses very strong language to condemn and censure him; and she feels deeply
offended with Charlotte for agreeing to marry him. She does not realizeCharlotte's compulsions
in taking this decision. Even after she has observed with her own eyes Charlotte's happiness in
her married life, she does not relent in her bitterness against Mr. Collins, and her opinion of him
does not undergo any change.

What estimate have you formed of the character of Mr. Darcy? Do you
think that, in portraying him, Jane Austen has portrayed an incredible
person?

A Handsome Man, with a Disagreeable Disposition

We meet Mr. Darcy quite early in the novel. In fact, we meet him at the very outset on the
occasion of an assembly which is held in the town of Meryton and which is attended by all the
leading families of the neighboured. Mr. Darcy is described by the author as a fine figure of a man,
and as a tall person with handsome features and a noble bearing. All the ladies at the assembly
look at him with great admiration so far as his appearance is concerned. But all the ladies turn
away from him as soon as they perceive that he is a proud and haughty man with a most forbidding
and disagreeable disposition.

Pride, his Most Glaring Trait in the Beginning

Mr. Darcy's pride is, indeed, the most glaring trait of his character when we meet him at this
assembly. He is an arrogant man who thinks that there is hardly any lady attractive enough for
him to dance with. He dances only with the two sisters of his friend Mr. Bingley and, when urged
by Mr. Bingley to dance with Elizabeth, he gives the haughty reply that she is tolerable but not
handsome enough to tempt him. The ladies attending this assembly find him to be the proudest
and most disagreeable man in the world; and everybody hopes that he would never attend an
assembly again. Amongst the most hostile to him is Mrs. Bennet whose dislike of his general
behaviour deepens into a strong resentment when he refuses to dance with one of her daughters
(namely Elizabeth). Although Miss Charlotte Lucas defends him to her friends by saying that he
has every right to be proud, we are not much impressed by this argument. Pride is an odious trait
in a human being, no matter how sound and strong are the grounds for that pride. No intelligent
man and no sensible woman can ever feel attracted by a proud man. Later in the story we find Mr.
Wickham also describing Mr. Darcy toElizabeth as a very proud man, though we cannot attach
much importance to Mr. Wickham's opinions because Mr. Wickham himself turns out to be a
most unreliable kind of man. Talking of his pride, we perceive a striking contrast between him
and his friend Mr. Bingley. Mr. Bingley can feel sure of being liked wherever he goes, while Mr.
Darcy can be sure only of giving offence to all those with whom he happens to come into contact.
Mr. Darcy is clever but he is at the same time haughty, reserved, and fastidious, while. Mr. Bingley,
though not so intelligent as Mr. Darcy, has a most agreeable temper and most pleasing manners.
The Development of His Relationship withElizabeth
Mr. Darcy's initial attitude to Elizabeth is determined by his pride which, at this early stage
in the story, provides the clue to his character. He brushes aside Mr. Bingley's suggestion that he
should dance with Elizabeth and he goes so far as to say, in the very hearing of Elizabeth, that he
has not come to this assembly to dance with girls who may have been rejected by other men. This
is hardly a gentlemanly way of speaking. Nor does this way of speaking about a girl show the good
breeding which Mr. Darcy can otherwise claim. However, Mr. Darcy does have the good sense and
the judgment to discover his error and to make amends for it. Soon afterwards he finds
thatElizabeth's face looks very intelligent because of the beautiful expression in her dark eyes. Not
only that; he now finds her figure and her manners also to be very pleasing. He now tells Miss
Bingley that a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can be a source of very great pleasure
to a man. Later, when Elizabeth has walked a distance of three miles or so, Mr. Darcy says that
her face looks brighter because of the physical exertion she has undergone while others at
Netherfield Park speak contemptuously of Elizabeth's having walked such a long distance. And so
Mr. Darcy begins to feel more and more attracted by Elizabeth till he gets the feeling that he is
almost on the brink of falling in love with her. In fact, he now admits to himself that he had never
been so bewitched by any woman as he is by Elizabeth. And the only circumstance which prevents
his proposing marriage to her immediately is her social inferiority to him. Soon afterwards he is
able even to push the fact of her social inferiority into the background, and to make a proposal of
marriage to her. Elizabeth, a self-respecting woman as she is, finds his very manner of proposing
marriage to her to be condescending and patronizing; and she rightly rejects his proposal. This
rejection deeply hurts his pride; and, in order to raise himself in her estimation, he writes a letter
to her defending himself against the charges which she had brought against him, the charges being
that he had treated Mr. Wickham most unjustly and cruelly, that he had prevented his friend Mr.
Bingley from marrying her sister Jane, and that his very manner of proposing marriage to her had
been insolent. But, to her surprise, the very tone of this letter, in which Mr. Darcy has tried to
defend himself, is haughty and insulting; and so she takes no notice of it though, on second
thoughts, she begins to modify her opinion of Mr. Darcy and begins to soften towards him. She
reads this letter again and again, so that he greatly rises in her estimation. Later, when Mr. Darcy
and Elizabeth meet again at Pemberley, the mutual attraction between the two has grown very
strong. And then it is wholly and solely to render a service to Elizabeth's family that Mr. Darcy
goes to London, traces the whereabouts of Mr. Wickham and Lydia, and brings about the marriage
of the runaway couple by paying to Mr. Wickham as much money as has been demanded by him
as a condition for his marrying Lydia. Lady Catherine's version of her meeting with Elizabeth and
the talk which she has had with Elizabeth clinches the issue. Mr. Darcy now goes and renews his
proposal of marriage to Elizabeth who has, by this time, discovered that Mr. Darcy is the right
kind of man to be her husband, and that he and she would make the happiest couple in the world.
She therefore, readily accepts his proposal.
His Misjudgment of Jane's Feelings
In spite of all his intelligence of which he feels proud, Mr. Darcy is unable to judge Jane's
feeling for Mr. Bingley correctly. According to Mr. Darcy's view, Jane does not love Mr. Bingley as
deeply as he loves her. Having formed this opinion, which is absolutely wrong, he then puts
pressure on Mr. Bingley to give up his intention to marry Jane. Of course, we do not doubt Mr.
Darcy'sbona fides. There is no doubt that, in urging Mr. Bingley to give up his intention to marry
Jane, Mr. Darcy acts from the best of motives. Mr. Darcy actually thinks that Mr. Bingley would
not be happy with Jane. However, his advice to Mr. Bingley, well-meant though it is, causes much
distress and pain to Jane. In fact, for several months Jane's life becomes miserable after Mr.
Bingley's abrupt termination of his relationship with her. She simply cannot understand what has
gone wrong and, even though she tries to put up a good face on her disappointment, her plight is
really pitiable. And her sister Elizabeth too suffers deeply on her account. Mr. Darcy is to be held
squarely responsible for the misery which he causes to both sisters, though he never intended to
cause this misery, and though he is not even aware of this misery being experienced by the two
sisters.
His Sense of Duty; His Kindness
to his Tenants and Servants
Mr. Darcy is a very loving brother. He looks after his sister Georgiana with great affection and
tenderness, and takes every possible step to ensure a comfortable life for her. He is a dutiful
nephew to Lady Catherine, though he does not follow her advice blindly because he knows her
limitations and her shortcomings. He knows that Lady Catherine is a selfish woman who wants
him to marry her own daughter and who therefore goes to an extreme length in an effort to
prevent Elizabeth from agreeing to marry him. Mr. Darcy is a good master to his servants. As a
landlord, he is very kind to his tenants. His housekeeper at Pemberley, Mrs. Reynolds, speaks very
highly of him. In fact, she describes him to others as a very considerate and generous master; and
she cannot understand why people think him to be proud. However, it is possible for a man to be
proud and yet be kind towards his tenants and servants.
A Serious-Minded, Grave Kind of Man
Mr. Darcy is by nature a serious-minded man. Gravity is the hallmark of his disposition. He
never talks light-heartedly. He is not a jovial or gay type of man. There is nothing frivolous or
flippant about his talk at any time. He is by nature a reticent or silent kind of man. Often he calls
on the Bennet family and on Elizabeth, but talks so little during his visits that they begin to wonder
why he came at all. But he is a thorough gentleman, though flawed by pride which, however,
ultimately gives way to a balanced outlook upon life.
By No Means an Unconvincing Portrayal
The portrayal of Mr. Darcy is by no means unconvincing. He is certainly not an incredible
figure, as is alleged by some critics. He is as convincing a man as is Mr. Bingley to whom he
otherwise presents a striking contrast in almost all respects. Mr. Darcy is thought to be an
unconvincing man perhaps because of the transformation which takes place in his character in
the course of the novel. From a proud and haughty man, he changes, in course of time, into a man
who has learnt to assess his own worth and the worth of others rightly and correctly. This change
takes place in him as a result of the treatment which he receives from Elizabeth at various stages
in the story. Towards the close of the novel, Mr. Darcy, speaking to Elizabeth, traces the
development which has taken place in his character. He tells her that he had been a selfish person
all his life. As a child, he had been spoilt by his parents. His parents were themselves very good
people, and his father particularly was a very benevolent and amiable man. But they had taught
him to be selfish and dominating, to care for nobody outside his own family circle, and to have a
mean opinion of all the rest of the world. He further tells Elizabeth that he had been this kind of
man from the age of eight to the age of twenty-eight; and that he would have continued to be such
a man if it had not been for her influence upon him. And he concludes this account, which he gives
toElizabeth, with the following words: "What do I not owe you! You taught me a lesson, hard
indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled. I came to you without a
doubt of my reception. You showed me how insufficient were all my pretensions to please a
woman worthy of being pleased." The last two sentences of this speech refer to Mr. Darcy's sense
of complete complacency at the time of making his first proposal of marriage to Elizabeth. While
making that first proposal, he had thought that he was conferring a great favour and a great
honour on Elizabeth. But her summary rejection of his proposal had set him thinking. And by
degrees he had begun to realize that he had been too presumptuous in dealing with her, and that
he had under-rated her self-respect and her worth. Now, this change in Mr. Darcy is by no means
something impossible. There are many cases in which the character of a man undergoes a change
with the change of circumstances or with the change of environment or with the change of the
people with whom one associates. Elizabeth's rejection of Mr. Darcy's proposal of marriage had
given a jolt to Mr. Darcy's feelings of pride and self-importance. Then her continuing indifference
to him had made him realize that his high rank and social position were not by themselves such
virtues as could place him on a pedestal. And thus he had learnt a lesson. This change in Mr. Darcy
is not abrupt or sudden as is the transformation in Duke Frederick or in Oliver in Shakespeare's
play As You Like It.The change in Mr. Darcy comes about by degrees, and occurs over a period of
several months. There is nothing impossible or unbelievable about a change of this kind; and the
portrayal of Mr. Darcy in this novel is therefore by no means faulty. If anything, this portrayal is
a triumph of characterization. Jane Austen has shown great skill and subtlety in delineating the
complex character of a member of the landed aristocracy which was in those days a highly
privileged class of people.

On what grounds does Elizabeth reject Mr. Darcy's proposal of

marriage, and how does Mr. Darcy defend himself against her
allegations?
Mr. Darcy's Offensive Sense of His Social Superiority
Elizabeth gives three distinct reasons to Mr. Darcy for having rejected his proposal of
marriage. Firstly, she says that he has always been speaking to her from a higher level because he
is too proud a man and because he has been always acutely conscious of his social superiority over
her. Even while making his proposal of marriage, she says, he had told her that he had been loving
her against his will, against his reason, and even against his character. How can a girl accept a
proposal of marriage from a man who adopts such an arrogant attitude even while making a
proposal of marriage?

Mr. Darcy's Role in Causing a Breach between

Mr. Bingley and Jane
 Elizabeth next says that Mr. Darcy has given her several grounds to think ill to him. One such
ground is that he had played an unjust and ungenerous role in the love-affair of Mr. Bingley and
Jane. She says that he had been the chief means of dividing the lovers from each other. Mr. Darcy
had, by playing a wicked role, brought about a breach between Mr. Bingley and Jane. In this way,
Mr. Darcy had misled people into thinking that Mr. Bingley was an inconsistent and fickle-minded
man, and that Jane was a foolish girl to have fallen in love with such a man. Elizabeth further says
that Mr. Darcy had caused misery to both Mr. Bingley and Jane.
Mr. Darcy's Alleged Injustices towards Mr. Wickham
Elizabeth's third reason for rejecting Mr. Darcy's proposal is that, according to Mr.
Wickham's account of Mr. Darcy's dealings with that man, Mr. Darcy had been most unjust and
callous towards him. Elizabethsays that Mr. Darcy had been responsible for reducing Mr.
Wickham to a state of poverty, that Mr. Darcy had withheld the benefits which Mr. Darcy was
expected to confer upon Mr. Wickham, and that Mr. Darcy had deprived Mr. Wickham of
everything which he had deserved by virtue of his merits.
Elizabeth's Initial Dislike and
Subsequent Hatred of Mr. Darcy
Elizabeth then proceeds to inform Mr. Darcy that, from the very beginning of her
acquaintance with him, he had behaved towards her in a manner which showed him to be an
arrogant and conceited man, disdainful of the feelings of others. This initial impression of hers
about him had been strengthened by the developments which had followed. Those developments
were the dirty role which he had played in the Jane-Bingley affair, and Mr. Wickham's catalogue
of the grievances which Mr. Wickham had against Mr. Darcy and of which Mr. Wickham had
himself informed her. She finally tells him that her dislike of him had become so strong as to be
"immovable", and that within a month of her having known him she had decided that he was the
last man in the world whom she should marry.
Darcy's Reason for Preventing a Marriage between
Mr. Bingley and Jane
Mr. Darcy in his letter explains his position with regard to the charges whichElizabeth had
brought against him. He admits that he had strongly urged Mr. Bingley not to make a proposal of
marriage to Jane. Mr. Darcy had found that Mr. Bingley had very strongly been attracted by
Jane's beauty. At first Mr. Darcy had treated this matter very casually, thinking that, in course of
time, Mr. Bingley would himself give up any thought of marrying Jane. Subsequently, however,
Mr. Darcy had found it necessary to intervene in the matter. He had watched Jane's behaviour
and had found that her look and manners did not give any sign that she was deeply in love with
Mr. Bingley. He had, on the contrary, formed the impression that, while Mr. Bingley was intensely
in love with Jane, Jane's attitude was one of indifference. From this observation, Mr. Darcy had
concluded that Mr. Bingley would not find much happiness in life with Jane as his marriage-
partner. And this was not the only reason why he had exerted his influence upon Mr. Bingley to
prevent him from marrying Jane. Another reason was the foolish and sometimes absurd
behaviour of Mrs. Bennet and her two youngest daughters. Mr. Darcy had not been able to tolerate
the silly talk of Mrs. Bennet and the silly behaviour of the two youngest girls. Even Mr. Bennet's
behaviour had not always been dignified. Mr. Bingley too would have found such persons to be
most embarrassing as his relations.
Darcy's Defence against the Charge
of Injustice to Wickham
 Mr. Darcy then proceeds to deal with the charge that he had been very unjust and cruel
towards Mr. Wickham. In this connection Mr. Darcy says that he had done his utmost to establish
Mr. Wickham in life. He would have certainly conferred a living upon Mr. Wickham if Mr.
Wickham had so desired. It was Mr. Wickham himself who had informed Mr. Darcy that he did
not wish to take orders. Mr. Wickham had expressed his intention to study law. Mr. Darcy had
thereupon given him enough money to enable him to study law. Soon afterwards Mr. Darcy came
to know that Mr. Wickham was leading a life of idleness and dissipation. This state of affairs went
on for three years. Thereafter Mr. Wickham wrote to him that his circumstances were very bad
and that he would like to become a clergyman if Mr. Darcy were to confer a living upon him as
had originally been planned. Mr. Darcy did not think Mr. Wickham to be a fit man to serve the
church; and he had therefore rejected Mr. Wickham's request. Mr. Wickham's resentment against
him on this account had been violent, and Mr. Wickham had thereafter been abusing him in the
presence of other people. But that was not the end of the matter. Mr. Wickham had subsequently
been guilty of very reprehensible conduct. He had known Georgiana, the sister of Mr. Darcy, from
her childhood. About a year back, Georgiana had been established in London under the charge of
a certain lady by the name of Mrs. Younge. With the help of this woman, Mr. Wickham had made
Georgiana agree to elope with him. Georgina was at that time only fifteen years old, and had no
experience of the world. Luckily Mr. Darcy had gone to see Georgiana a day or two before the
intended elopement; and then Georgiana had confessed to him the whole plan. Of course,
Georgiana had by then changed her mind because she did not want to displease a brother who
had looked after her like a father. But Mr. Wickham's character had now been fully exposed to
him. From that time onwards Mr. Darcy had never wanted to meet Mr. Wickham. If Mr. Wickham
had been able to elope with Georgiana, and if he had married her, he would have got a fortune of
thirty thousand pounds to which Georgiana was entitled by her father's will. Mr. Wickham's object
had not been Georgiana but her money. Mr. Darcy concludes his letter by saying that,
ifElizabeth doubts any of his statements as given in this letter, she is free to contact Colonel
Fitzwilliam who is surely a reliable man and who would confirm everything that Mr. Darcy has
written in this letter.
Elizabeth's Character as Revealed Here
Elizabeth is fully justified in her rejection of Mr. Darcy's proposal of marriage because all her
grounds except one are solid. Mr. Darcy had certainly been proud and arrogant in dealing with
everybody, including Elizabeth. He had certainly obstructed the marriage of Mr. Bingley and
Jane, thus causing the deepest misery to the latter. Elizabeth's rejection of the proposal and her
stating the reason for this rejection show her to be a brave and fearless girl who hides nothing and
who seeks no excuses and plays no tricks. She is not the kind of girl who would sacrifice all
considerations of self-respect and honour in order to become the wife of a rich man owning a large
estate. The only fault in Elizabeth's case is that she had accepted Mr. Wickham's allegations
against Mr. Darcy without having sought any evidence or proof to support them. She had forgotten
the old adage: "Appearances are deceptive".
Mr. Darcy's Character as Revealed Here
As for Mr. Darcy, his letter shows that he is an honest and truthful man. However, the charge
of pride and arrogance against him is valid and holds good even at the time of his writing this
letter. It is his pride which prevents him from reiterating his proposal of marriage in the letter in
which he has offered a defence of himself against all the charges. He has not denied the charge
that he had come in the way of Jane's marriage with Mr. Bingley, but he offers no apology
toElizabeth for the wrong he had done to Jane. As Elizabeth herself says, this letter itself is written
in an insolent and haughty tone.

Summarize the Bingley-Jane sub-plot in Pride and Prejudice

Mutual Attraction between Mr. Bingley and Jane

Mr. Bingley and Miss Jane Bennet happen to meet each other at an assembly which is held
near the town of Meryton in Hartfordshire after Mr. Bingley has settled down at Netherfield Park.
Mr. Bingley attends this assembly in the company of his friend Mr. Darcy and his sisters, Miss
Bingley and Mrs. Hurst.
Mi. Bingley is greatly struck by the beauty of Jane who is the prettiest of all the girls who are
attending the assembly. Mr. Bingley tells his friend Mr. Darcy that Jane is the most beautiful
creature he has ever beheld. Mr. Bingley dances with Jane twice; and this fact is observed with
great interest by everybody present. Not only does Jane herself feel much gratified by the
honour which Mr. Bingley has done to her by dancing twice with her, but Jane's mother, Mrs.
Bennet, also feels immensely pleased. On returning home, Mrs. Bennet reports to her husband
that she felt delighted to have met Mr. Bingley, and that Mr. Bingley had thought Jane to be
quite beautiful and had therefore danced with her twice. At home, Jane tells her sister Elizabeth
that Mr. Bingley is just what a young man should be. She says that Mr. Bingley is sensible, good-
humoured, and lively, and that she had never before seen such happy manners, so much ease,
and such perfect good breeding in any man. Thus the attraction between Jane and Mr. Bingley is
mutual.
Jane's Illness and her Week-Long Stay
at Netherfield Park
After a few days, Jane receives an invitation from Miss Bingley's sisters to come
to Netherfield Park and dine with them. The Bennet family regards this invitation as a great
honour. Jane duly goes to Netherfield Parkand has to spend the night there because it has been
raining and because she cannot return home. In fact, Jane has to stay on at Netherfield Park for
about a week because she has caught a cold and developed a fever, and is advised by the doctor to
take complete rest. During this period, when Elizabeth also joins her atNetherfield Park, Jane is
nursed by Mr. Bingley's sisters with great care and affection. In this way the intimacy between
Jane and Mr. Bingley's two sisters develops into friendship. Mr. Bingley too now becomes much
more interested in Jane than he was before.
Mr. Bingley, Expected to Propose Marriage to Jane
The next stage in the development of the relationship between Jane and Mr. Bingley is a ball
which Mr. Bingley holds at NetherfieldPark and to which Jane, among others, has been invited.
Everybody now begins to think that Mr. Bingley would propose marriage to Jane and that she
would surely accept him. Mrs. Bennet begins to talk freely about the prospect of Mr. Bingley
marrying Jane. In fact, Mrs. Bennet talks so copiously on this subject that Elizabeth feels rather
upset by her mother's indiscreet and undignified manner of talking on this subject. However,
there is little doubt even in Elizabeth's mind that Mr. Bingley would soon propose marriage to
Jane.
A Setback to Jane's Hope
Contrary to the expectations, the Bingley-Jane affair now receives a setback. Mr. Bingley goes
to London on some business, and he is then followed by all the other inmates of Netherfield Park.
Miss Bingley writes a letter to Jane from London, informing her of the sudden departure of the
whole family, and informing her further that the family would not return
toNetherfield Park throughout the coming winter. This letter from Miss Bingley comes as a big
shock to Jane who had been hoping that Mr. Bingley would soon propose marriage to
her. Elizabeth had been sharing this hope of Jane's, and Mrs. Bennet had been feeling certain in
this respect. Miss Bingley's letter contains also a hint that Mr. Bingley might in due course marry
Mr. Darcy's sister, Georgiana. However,Elizabeth thinks that it is Miss Bingley, supported by her
sister Mrs. Hurst, who wants Mr. Bingley to marry Mr. Darcy's sister, Georgiana. In other
words, Elizabethis of the view that, left to himself, Mr. Bingley would certainly propose marriage
to Jane but that Mr. Bingley's two sisters would do their utmost to press Mr. Bingley to propose
marriage to Mr. Darcy's sister. In any case, Jane no longer entertains any hope that Mr. Bingley
would marry her. She tries to adjust herself to the changed situation.
The Suspense and Anxiety of the Bennet Family
Days pass without bringing any further news of Mr. Bingley to the Bennet family. Now
even Elizabeth begins to fear that Mr. Bingley's sisters would prove successful in keeping Mr.
Bingley away from NetherfieldPark. As for Jane, her anxiety, in this state of suspense, is most
painful to her. Mrs. Bennet feels most wretched at the turn which events have taken. Jane tries
her utmost to subdue her feelings of disappointment and dismay. She assures Elizabeth that she
would get over this disappointment. She says that Mr. Bingley would always remain in her
memory as the most amiable man of her acquaintance but that she would no longer entertain any
hope of getting married to him.
Jane in London; No Meeting with Mr. Bingley
 Jane now goes to London to stay with her uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, who are
living in Gracechurch Street. It is inLondon that Mr. Bingley and his sisters are staying at this
time. They live in Grosvenor Street. Miss Bingley calls on Jane; and Jane in return calls on Miss
Bingley. But there is no meeting between Jane and Mr. Bingley. Nor does Jane have any hope that
she would be able to meet Mr. Bingley. And yet Elizabethhopes against hope that Miss Bingley
would not ultimately succeed in keeping her brother away from Jane. In spite of the fact that Mr.
Bingley is in London at this time, no meeting between him and Jane takes place. In fact, as we
learn later in the novel, Mr. Bingley does not even know that Jane is at this time staying
in London with her uncle and aunt.
Jane's Despondency
When Elizabeth, on her way from Longbourn to Hunsford, stops with Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner
in London for a night, she learns from Mrs. Gardiner that Jane has been struggling to keep herself
cheerful but that there have been periods of dejection for her. Of course, the reason for Jane's fits
of dejection is that she has not been able to meet Mr. Bingley, and that even Miss Bingley has not
shown much enthusiasm for her. Later, when Elizabeth happens to meet Mr. Darcy at Hunsford,
she asks him if he had met Jane, who had been staying in Londonfor the last three months or so;
and he replies, in a confused way, that he had not been so fortunate as to meet Miss Bennet (that
is, Jane).
Mr. Bingley, Prevented By Mr. Darcy
from Marrying Jane
We now learn the true reason why Mr. Bingley had made no efforts to meet Jane after
leaving Netherfield Park. The reason was that his friend Mr. Darcy had begun to feel that Jane
would not suit Mr. Bingley as his wife. Mr. Darcy had formed an impression that Jane was not as
much in love with Mr. Bingley as Mr. Bingley was in love with her. Therefore, he, supported by
both Mr. Bingley's sisters, had prevailed upon Mr. Bingley to give up his intention to propose
marriage to Jane. Thus it was the influence of Mr. Darcy upon Mr. Bingley, which had led to the
termination of the relationship between Jane and Mr. Bingley. This is the information
which Elizabeth gets from Colonel Fitzwilliam's casual talk at Hunsford.
Mr. Darcy's Negative Role, Admitted by Him
When Mr. Darcy proposes marriage toElizabeth, Elizabeth bluntly rejects this proposal and
tells him that one of her reasons for rejecting his proposal is that he had prevented his friend Mr.
Bingley from marrying her sister Jane and had thus destroyed the happiness of a girl who was
most noble-minded and kind-hearted. Mr. Darcy, in his letter to Elizabeth, admits the charge and
explains why he had obstructed Mr. Bingley's marriage with Jane. He says that he had genuinely
been under the impression that Jane was not really in love with Mr. Bingley, and that he had
therefore urged Mr. Bingley to give up his intention to marry her. He regrets the negative role
which he had played in this affair. Jane now returns to Longbourn from London where she has
spent several months with Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. Elizabeth too returns to Longbourn after her
stay at Hunsford. However, Elizabeth does not tell Jane why Mr. Bingley had given up his
intention to marry her (Jane).
A Renewal of Hope; and the Fulfilment of the Hope
Then a new development takes place. Mr. Bingley returns to Netherfield Park and pays a visit
to the Bennet family in the company of Mr. Darcy, thus renewing his contact with this family. Mrs.
Bennet does not attach much importance to this visit by Mr. Bingley because she has ceased to
hope that Mr. Bingley would marry Jane. But Mr. Bingley, in paying this visit, has a specific
purpose in his mind. Even Jane, who finds Mr. Bingley's talk very agreeable and pleasing, does
not have any hope that he would propose marriage to her. But a few days later Mr. Bingley again
calls at Longbourn, this time quite alone. He spends an hour or so with the Bennet family and
seems to be enjoying his conversation with them. Mrs. Bennet invites him to dine at her house on
the following day, and he gladly accepts this invitation. On the following day, he duly calls at
Longbourn. Elizabeth gets the feeling that these visits by Mr. Bingley clearly show that he would
soon be proposing marriage to Jane. And Elizabethproves to be quite right in her conjecture. Mr.
Bingley finds an opportunity to have a conversation with Jane alone; and, in the course of this
conversation, Mr. Bingley does propose marriage to her. Jane's happiness knows no bound.
Immediately afterwards she informs Elizabeth of her having got engaged to Mr.
Bingley. Elizabeth feels overjoyed to know that her hope had not proved to be false. Jane then
hastens to go to her mother to inform her of the happy event.Elizabeth honestly and heartily
expresses her delight to Mr. Bingley at his proposal of marriage to Jane, and she shakes hands
with her would-be brother-in-law with great cordiality. On coming to know of this development,
every member of the Bennet family feels delighted. In due course, Mr. Bingley gets married to
Jane; and the marriage takes place on the same day on which Mr. Darcy marries Elizabeth. Mr.
Bennet's happiness is also immense. He offers his congratulations to Jane, and says that she
would really be happy in her married life. It becomes evident to us that Mr. Darcy must have
spoken to. Mr. Bingley and told him that he had been mistaken in thinking that Jane was not as
deeply in love with him (Mr. Bingley) as he (Mr. Bingley) had been in love with her. Thus Mr.
Darcy plays a positive role just as previously he had played a negative role in the Bingley-Jane
love-affair.

Bring out the contrast between the characters of Elizabeth and Jane.

Contrast in Respect of Physical Appearance

Elizabeth and Jane are more deeply attached to each other than most sisters are; and yet they
offer a sharp contrast so far as their temperaments and inclinations are concerned. To begin with,
they offer acontrast so far as physical appearance is concerned.
Jane is a very pretty girl; she is not only the prettiest of the five daughters of the Bennet family
but prettier than most of the girls living in the neighbourhood of Longbourn.Elizabeth has her
own charm, but she is much less attractive physically than Jane. When Mr. Bingley is dancing
with Jane, he interrupts his dancing to tell Mr. Darcy that his partner (namely Jane) is the
handsomest girl at the gathering, whereupon Mr. Darcy tells him that the other girl (namely
Elizabeth) is not so handsome as to tempt him to ask her for a dance. By ma king this
disparaging remark about Elizabeth's looks, Mr. Darcy offends her greatly because she over-
hears the remark. Later, it is true, Mr. Darcy discovers certain charms inElizabeth's
countenance, in her eyes, and in her figure; but his initial remark about her does indicate the
difference between the two sisters so far as their physical attractions are concerned.
Simplicity Versus Complexity
Jane is a simple-minded girl whileElizabeth has a highly complex nature. Jane's reactions to
people and to situations are those of a girl who does not try in the least to penetrate beneath the
surface;Elizabeth, on the contrary, has a reflective nature and an analytical mind. Elizabeth's
reflective nature is clearly indicated by the author because there are several passages in the novel
in which the state of mind ofElizabeth is described to us. Elizabeth's reflective tendency is clearly
to be seen in her thoughts after she has rejected Mr. Darcy's proposal of marriage, in her
meditations over the letter which Mr. Darcy hands over to her on the following day, in her
thoughts on receiving news of Lydia's elopement, and in her thoughts on learning about Mr.
Darcy's role in bringing about Lydia's marriage with Mr. Wickham. Her analytical tendency is to
be found in her constantly speculating upon the reasons preventing Mr. Bingley from making a
proposal of marriage to Jane. This tendency is also seen in her describing to Mrs. Gardiner the
nature of F Wickham and the character of Lydia, and inner pointing out to Mrs. Gardiner how
easy it would be for Mr. Wickham to take undue advantage of Lydia. Jane has an entirely different
disposition. She accepts things as they happen and tries to reconcile herself to them. Similarly,
she does not make any effort to probe the minds of the people with whom she comes into contact.
She takes them on their face value.
Self-Assertiveness and Dynamism VersusPassivity
Elizabeth is a very self-assertive girl; and she is quick to react to what people say and how
they behave. She takes Mr. Darcy's initial disparaging remark about her to heart, and thereafter
begins to harbour a grievance and a prejudice against him Subsequently, Mr. Darcy tries to
humour and placate her, but she remains adamant; and, in fact, becomes further prejudiced
against him because of Mr. Wickham’s allegations against him. When Mr. Darcy proposes
marriage to her, she promptly rejects the proposal, and frankly states her reasons for doing so.
She does not mince matters here but tells Mr. Darcy the grounds on which she has felt compelled
to reject him. Elizabeth is also a dynamic person who takes initiatives. For instance, when Lydia
gets ready to go to Brighton with Mrs. Forster, Elizabeth urges her father to stop Lydia from taking
this step, and she tells her father of the perils to which Lydia would be exposed during her stay in
that city. It is another matter that her father does not take any action to comply with Elizabeth's
advice. Jane, on the contrary, is entirely a passive girl who makes no attempt at any time to give
a new direction to events. At Rosings Park,Elizabeth remains calm and composed in the face of
the various disparaging remarks which Lady Catherine makes about and her family, and also in
the face of the several insolent questions which Lady Catherine asks her. Elizabeth retains her
presence of mind in the presence of that grand Lady, and is not unnerved. Jane in Elizabeth's
position could certainly not have faced the situation with the same calmness.
Elizabeth's Fastidiousness Versus Jane'sSweetness and Angelic Nature
Elizabeth is a rather fastidious girl who discriminates between one man andanother, and
between one woman and another woman. She quickly perceives the difference between Mr. Darcy
and Mr. Bingley. She quickly understands the character and nature of Mr. Collins whose proposal
of marriage she rejects without the least hesitation. At one point Elizabeth tells Jane that she likes
few people and that she thinks well of even fewer people. She says that she is fed up with the
inconsistencies in human beings. Jane, on the contrary, forms a good opinion about everybody
till she is given some evidence to the contrary. Jane is most undiscriminating in this
respect.Elizabeth, for instance, points out early in the novel that Jane begins to like everybody she
meets and that she likes even stupid persons. Elizabeth further says that Jane has a tendency to
like people in general. She says to Jane: "You never see a fault in anybody. All the world are good
and agreeable in your eyes. I never heard you speak ill of a human being in my life." Later in the
novel,Elizabeth says: "My dear Jane, you are too good. Your sweetness and disinterestedness
are really angelic." Still later in the novel,Elizabeth refers to Jane as a person having the most
affectionate and generous heart in the world. According to Elizabeth, Jane is all loveliness and
goodness. Elizabeth thinks that Jane has captivating manners. Now,Elizabeth can certainly not
be described in these glowing terms which Elizabeth uses about Jane, though Elizabeth is lovable
in her own way.
Elizabeth's Sarcastic Wit Versus Jane's Inoffensive Talk
Elizabeth has a sarcastic wit and she often makes use of it in the course of conversation. She
has a capacity to laugh at people's absurdities, as she herself tells Mr. Darcy early in the story.
Later we are told that Elizabeth had laughed at Sir William's absurdities so often that he had
ceased to be a source of amusement to her. Elizabeth can retaliate when Miss Bingley says
something unpleasant to her. Jane, on the contrary, can never mock at or ridicule anybody. Nor
can she laugh, even stealthily, at people's absurdities. For instance, she has failed to notice the
absurdities of Mr. Collins. Jane is, in fact, perfectly inoffensive in her talk, and would not like to
injure anybody's feelings.Elizabeth describes Mr. Collins as a conceited, pompous, narrow-
minded, and silly man. And Elizabeth further says thatCharlotte has proved to be an irrational
girl by having agreed to marry Mr. Collins. Jane thereupon says that Elizabeth has used too strong
a language in speaking about Mr. Collins and about Charlotte. Here we see clearly the difference
between Elizabeth's outlook and Jane's.
Different Attitudes towards Offending Persons
Jane is a silent sufferer during the period in which Mr. Bingley remains alienated from her.
Of course, she shows rare fortitude in enduring her disappointment in love. And yet she does not
blame Mr. Bingley's sisters for their negative role in the whole affair.Elizabeth tells her that Mr.
Bingley's indifference to her is due chiefly to the bad influence upon him of his two sisters, Miss
Bingley and Mrs. Hurst. But Jane does not accept this view. She is inclined to give Miss Bingley
and Mrs. Hurst the benefit of the doubt.
Elizabeth's Statement about the Contrast
Towards the end of the novel, Elizabeth herself highlights the contrast between Jane and
herself. Jane has expressed her wish that Elizabeth should also get the kind of husband she (Jane)
is going to get, whereupon Elizabeth replies that she could never be happy even if she were to get
forty husbands of the kind Jane is going to get because she does not have Jane's disposition. She
states her view thus: "Till I have your disposition and your goodness, I never can have your
happiness." However, soon afterwards Elizabeth also gets a husband who is sure to make her as
happy as Jane is going to be with Mr. Bingley.

Write a brief character-sketch of Mr. William Collins, and indicate the

importance of his role in the novel.

An Unforgettable Comic Character

Mr. William Collins is a memorable character. If the heroine of this novel is unforgettable, so
is Mr. Collins, the clergyman. If Elizabeth is an adorable woman because of her excellent qualities,
Mr. Collins is unforgettable because of his absurdities. Indeed, Mr. Collins deserves an honourable
place in the gallery of comic characters created by English novelists.

An Oddity, According to Elizabeth

 Before Mr. Collins himself appears on the scene in the novel, a letter is received from him by
Mr. Bennet. This letter throws considerable light on the character of its writer. In the letter Mr.
Collins has expressed his regret over the differences which had existed between his late father and
Mr. Bennet; and he further writes that he would like to heal the breach which now exists between
himself and the Bennet family. He also says that he would like to make amends to the Bennet
family for any injustice that might have been done to it by his late father. And a fact, which he
takes pains to emphasize in the letter, is that the Right Honourable Lady Catherine de Bourgh has
appointed him the rector of the parish in which he lives. Different members of the Bennet family
react differently to Mr. Collins's letter. The comment of Elizabeth is nearest the truth. Elizabeth
thinks that Mr. Collins seems to be an "oddity" and not a sensible man, and further that there is
something very pompous in Mr. Collins's style of writing.
His Compliments to the Bennet Family
Then Mr. Collins arrives personally at Longbourn on a visit to the Bennet family. He is a tall,
heavy-looking young man of five and twenty. His air is grave and stately; and his manners are
very formal. His talk abounds in compliments to the whole Bennet family. He first admires the
daughters of the family, and afterwards the house and the furniture. After dinner, he praises the
family for the sumptuous and delicious dinner which they have served to him.
A Sycophant
After dinner, Mr. Collins informs the Bennet family that he is extremely lucky to have won
the favour of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. He grows eloquent in praise of that lady. He says that she
is so kind to him that she frequently invites him to dinner at her residence. He also describes Lady
Catherine's daughter as a most charming young lady. Indeed, his manner of talking about Lady
Catherine and her daughter is such as to show clearly that he is a born flatterer or
sycophant. Furthermore, he shows himself to be a very self-satisfied and self-complacent kind of
man. Mr. Bennet regards Mr. Collins as an absurd fellow.
His Proposal of Marriage, Rejected byElizabeth
Mr. Collins now reveals the true purpose of his visit to Longbourn. He says that he is thinking of
getting married. Lady Catherine had advised him to get married as soon as possible; as a
clergyman he must set an example of marriage to his parish; and marriage, he thinks, would add
to his happiness. He wants to choose a wife for himself from amongst the daughters of the Bennet
family. This is what he had meant by writing in his letter that he wanted to make amends to the
Bennet family in advance for depriving them of their estate and property by inheriting this
property at the death of Mr. Bennet. Mr. Collins, now finds all the Bennet sisters to be handsome
and amiable; but his choice falls upon the eldest, namely Jane. However, as soon as he learns from
Mrs. Bennet that Jane is already expecting to be married another man, Mr. Collins promptly
transfers his choice to Elizabeth. Soon afterwards, he proposes marriage to Elizabeth who,
however, rejects the proposal, though in a most polite and courteous manner. Mr. Collins's
enthusiasm is, however, not damped by this rejection. He says that Elizabeth would surely accept
his proposal when he repeats it. HoweverElizabeth tells him firmly that she cannot accept his
proposal under any circumstances. The persistence with which he puts forward his case
to Elizabeth is comic. Afterwards Elizabeth describes Mr. Collins to Jane as "a conceited,
pompous, narrow-minded, silly man".
Married to Charlotte Lucas
Mr. Collins does not show any signs of depression or dejection after having thus been
deprived of the hope of marrying either Jane or Elizabeth. By now he has met Miss Charlotte
Lucas also; and he now decides to propose marriage to her.Charlotte is so situated that she cannot
refuse this offer from a man by marrying whom she can lead a comfortable and prosperous life.
And so Mr. Collins gets married to Charlotte.
His Flexibility, Most Absurd and Amusing
The whole account of Mr. Collins's proposals of marriage, and his actual marriage, is a very
amusing one. Indeed, this account constitutes one of the most interesting portions of the novel.
Mr. Collins's flexibility so far as his choice of girls is concerned is most absurd and most comic. If
not Jane, then Elizabeth would do; and, if Elizabeth cannot marry him, he proposes marriage
to Charlotte without feeling ruffled in the least. Here, again, we note his complacency, which is
one of his chief traits, and which contributes to the comic effect that he produces upon us. It is
indeed lucky that Charlotte finds herself quite comfortable and happy as Mr. Collins's wife,
because in Elizabeth's opinion no decent girl could be happy as the wife of this man
whom Elizabeth holds in contempt. In fact, Elizabeth feels shocked on learning thatCharlotte had
agreed to marry Mr. Collins; and Elizabeth is, therefore, very surprised indeed when, on visiting
Hunsford for a brief stay with Charlotte, she finds Charlotteto be quite satisfied with her life as
Mr. Collins's wife.
His Tendency to Offer his Thanks to Everybody
Another comic trait of Mr. Collins is his tendency to offer profuse thanks for whatever
courtesy he receives from anybody. After his first visit to Longbourn, he writes a letter of pro fuse
thanks to the Bennet family for their hospitable treatment of him. When Elizabeth is about to
leave Hunsford after having stayed with Mr. and Mrs. Collins for some time, Mr. Collins offers his
profuse thanks to her for her visit. He is also always at pains to pay compliments to the people
with whom he comes into contact.
His Reaction to Lydia's Elopement
On learning of Lydia's elopement with Mr. Wickham, Mr. Collins writes a letter to Mr.
Bennet, expressing his grief at the disgrace which Lydia has brought to the Bennet family. "The
death of your daughter would have been a blessing in comparison of this," Mr. Collins writes to
Mr. Bennet with regard to Lydia's conduct. Mr. Collins has further written that this false step
taken by one of the Bennet sisters would greatly damage the prospects of all the others. Here, of
course, we cannot find fault with Mr. Collins. His reaction to Lydia's elopement is what any
sensible man's reaction would be.
His Strange Notion of Christian Forgiveness
Mr. Collins writes another letter to Mr. Bennet on hearing that Lydia and Mr. Wickham had,
after getting married, been received by the Bennet family quite warmly. Mr. Collins expresses his
strong disapproval of this hospitality. He writes that, by having allowed Lydia and her husband to
come and stay in his house, Mr. Bennet had provided "an encouragement to vice". Mr. Collins
urges Mr. Bennet to forgive Lydia and Mr. Wickham for their misconduct in having runaway, and
at the same time strongly advises Mr. Bennet never to receive them as part of his family. On
receiving his letter, Mr. Bennet rightly points out to Elizabeth that Mr. Collins has strange ideas
of Christian forgiveness. Here is a clergyman urging forgiveness and vindictiveness at the same
time. This self-contradictory attitude on the part of Mr. Collins further adds to the comic effect of
his portrayal.
The Importance of his Role in the Novel
Mr. Collins's role in the novel is three-fold. First, his plan to marry one of the Bennet girls,
his proposal of marriage toElizabeth and Elizabeth's rejection of it, and his subsequent marriage
with Miss Charlotte Lucas constitute a sub-plot in the novel. After Charlotte has settled at
Hunsford as Mr. Collins's wife, Elizabeth pays her a visit, and during this visit she happens to
meet Mr. Darcy. It is during this visit by her that Mr. Darcy makes his proposal of marriage to
Elizabeth who rejects him. Thus Mr. Collins is the means by which this meeting comes about.
Secondly, it is Mr. Collins who introduces Lady Catherine de Bourgh to the Bennet family through
his letter and his talk before Lady Catherine makes an actual appearance in the novel. Thirdly,
Mr. Collins makes a substantial contribution to comedy of the novel. He possesses a number of
traits which make him a comic character.
The Comic Traits of Mr. Collins's Character
Mr. Collins is wholly a comic character, even though he is a clergyman who, by virtue of his
profession, is entitled to everybody's respect. There are various reasons to make him a comic
figure in the novel. First of all, there is his sycophancy. Every one has a right to praise the good
qualities of any man or of any woman. But we do not expect anyone either to give praise to an
undeserving person or to over-praise a deserving person. Mr. Collins lavishes so much praise upon
Lady Catherine and her daughter that the listeners feel amused whereas he speaks gravely, not
realizing the extreme to which he is going. He is an accomplished flatterer. He keeps harping upon
the excellent qualities of Lady Catherine and her daughter whether they are present or absent,
while we know that Lady Catherine and her daughter do not deserve any praise at all. Secondly,
there is Mr. Collins's flexibility with regard to his choice of a life-partner. He first proposes
marriage to Elizabeth, giving three reasons why he wishes to get married at all. He says that as
clergyman he should set an example of marriage to the people of his parish. Then he says that
Lady Catherine wants him to get married as soon as possible. And, thirdly, he says that marriage
would greatly add to his own happiness. After this comic preface to his proposal, he makes the
proposal in such a way as to indicate his full confidence that Elizabethwould jump at his offer to
marry her. Of course, he is surprised when Elizabethrejects his proposal. But then he persists in
his proposal on the plea that every girl declines a proposal when it is first made, and
that Elizabeth would certainly say "yes" to his proposal when he repeats it or when he makes the
proposal for the third time. Mr. Collins's self-complacency is another comic trait. This man is
blissfully unaware of his own absurdities. He does not know that he is a flatterer by nature, and
that his excessive flattery of Lady Catherine makes other people laugh and jeer at him. Not only
does he flatter Lady Catherine excessively, but he has a highly exaggerated view of his own merits
both as a man and as a professional clergyman. Elizabeth is right when she describes him as a
pompous and conceited man. Finally, the contradiction in his character also makes him a comic
figure. The letter which he writes to Mr. Bennet about Lydia's marriage with Mr. Wickham, and
about the visit of Mr. and Mrs. Wickham to Longbourn, is very amusing indeed. In this letter Mr.
Collins on one hand urges Mr. Bennet to forgive Lydia and, on the other hand, urges Mr. Bennet
never to allow Lydiato enter his house after having disgraced her family. As Mr. Bennet says, Mr.
Collins has really a strange idea of Christian forgiveness.

What estimate have you formed of the character and role of Mr.
George Wickham in the novel Pride and Prejudice!

A Charming Young Officer

Mr. Wickham is described in the novel as a very charming young man with a fine
countenance, a good figure, and a very pleasant manner of talking. He is an officer in a militia
regiment which is stationed near the town of Meryton; and he happens to meet the Bennet sisters
when they, accompanied by Mr. Collins, are walking to that town.
Mr. Wickham is at this time in the company of a fellow-officer by the name of Mr. Denny. It so
happens that Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham see each other at this time, and both change colour.
Mr. Darcy looks red with anger, while Mr. Wickham looks white with fear when they exchange a
brief and formal greeting. There seems to be some kind of mystery about this reaction of Mr.
Darcy and Mr. Wickham to each other. In any case, the Bennet sisters feel greatly attracted by
Mr. Wickham.
The Centre of Interest for Ladies
On the following day, the Bennet sisters meet Mr. Wickham at the house of their uncle and
aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Philips. The eyes of all the girls now turn to Mr. Wickham because all of them
find him to be an extraordinarily good-looking, dignified, and amiable young man. When they all
sit down, Elizabeth finds herself next to Mr. Wickham, who then enters into a conversation with
her.
His Grievances against Mr. Darcy
In the course of this conversation between Elizabeth and Mr. Wickham,Elizabeth says that
she thinks Mr. Darcy to be a most disagreeable kind of man who is not liked by anybody in
Hertfordshire. Mr. Wickham thereupon says that Mr. Darcy's father was an excellent man but that
Mr. Darcy is an odious one. He further says that he has suffered a good deal at Mr. Darcy's hands.
He goes on to say that he had wanted to become a clergyman, and that Mr. Darcy's late father had
left instructions that a family living should be bestowed upon him (Mr. Wickham) as soon as one
fell vacant. Mr. Wickham complains that Mr. Darcy had not carried out the wishes of his late
father. In fact, Mr. Wickham talks as if he has been the victim of a great injustice on the part of
Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth is shocked to learn that Mr. Wickham had been treated by Mr. Darcy in a
most obnoxious and disgraceful manner. Mr. Wickham explains that all Mr. Darcy's evil actions
can be traced to his pride. In fact, Mr. Wickham talks so bitterly against Mr. Darcy that Elizabeth,
who had already been feeling a great dislike of that man, now begins to hate him. On hearing Mr.
Wickham's account of Mr. Darcy's misdeeds, especially his depriving Mr. Wickham of a well-paid
job as a clergyman, Elizabeth exclaims: "How strange! How abominable!" Elizabethnow begins to
think that Mr. Darcy is not only a proud man but also a dishonest one. Now, this is an important
development in the plot. Mr. Wickham deepens Elizabeth's dislike of Mr. Darcy, though very soon
we shall find that Mr. Wickham is the real culprit and that, in talking against Mr. Darcy, he is
telling lies and nothing but lies.
His Absence from Mr. Bingley's Ball
At the ball which is held by Mr. Bingley at his residence, Mr. Wickham, who was expected to
attend the ball, is conspicuous by his absence. Mr. Denny tells Elizabeth's sister Lydia that Mr.
Wickham is absent from the ball because he wanted to avoid a certain gentleman who is present
here.Elizabeth, on coming to know the reason for Mr. Wickham's absence, makes up her mind to
keep aloof from Mr. Darcy on whose account Mr. Wickham has absented himself from this
important occasion. At the end of the dance, Miss Bingley tells Elizabeth that Mr. Wickham's talk
to her about Mr. Darcy had been a tissue of lies. Elizabeth is, however, not very convinced by Miss
Bingley's plea. Elizabeth does not believe that such a fine-looking and well-behaved man as Mr.
Wickham can be a liar.
Elizabeth, Inwardly Inclined to Marry Him
The members of the Bennet family now become quite intimate with Mr. Wickham and keep
meeting him because they find his company to be very pleasant. In fact, Mr. Wickham's presence
serves to dispel the gloom which the various members of the Bennet family are experiencing at
this time on account of the disappointment of their hope of Mr. Bingley's marrying
Jane.Elizabeth feels attracted towards Mr. Wickham more than the others; and she now feels
certain that Mr. Wickham's grievances and complaints against Mr. Darcy are well-founded and
genuine. Elizabethbegins to like Mr. Wickham so much that she even decides to agree to marry
him in case he makes a proposal of marriage to her. However, Elizabeth's aunt, Mr. Gardiner,
cautions Elizabeth against any haste in deciding to many Mr. Wickham. Mrs. Gardiner's chief
reason for giving this advice to Elizabeth is that neither Elizabeth nor Mr. Wickham has any
fortune, and that in the absence of sufficient money, their married life would prove unhappy. But
even Mrs. Gardiner does not know the true reality of Mr. Wickham. As days pass, Mr. Wickham,
whom Elizabeth has been meeting frequently, seems to be losing all interest in her. Elizabeth had
been thinking that Mr. Wickham would definitely propose marriage to her. But now she finds that
he has changed his mind. She then learns that Mr. Wickham is thinking of proposing marriage to
a girl by the name of Miss King who has a fortune of ten thousand pounds.
The Truth about Mr. Wickham's Past Life
Subsequently, from the letter which Mr. Darcy has written to Elizabeth to defend himself
against the charges which had been levelled against him by Elizabeth, she learns that Mr.
Wickham is a rascal who had been leading a dissolute life, who had by his way of life proved
himself unfit for the office of a clergyman, and who had squandered an amount of three thousand
pounds which Mr. Darcy had given him in lieu of a living.Elizabeth is stunned to learn these facts
about Mr. Wickham. But the blackest deed of Mr. Wickham was his attempt to elope with the
young, innocent, and inexperienced sister of Mr. Darcy. Fortunately Mr. Wickham's attempt had
failed; but he had, by this attempt, shown what a scoundrel he was.
Lydia's Elopement with him, and his Mercenary Motives
After some time, Elizabeth learns fromLydia that Mr. Wickham has given up his thought of
marrying Miss King also. This and the other facts show Mr. Wickham to be an utterly unreliable
kind of man. WhenElizabeth tells Jane the true facts about Mr. Wickham, Jane too feels shocked
and says: "Wickham so very bad! It is almost past belief." Mr. Wickham provides further evidence
of his being a rascal and a villain by eloping with Lydia. The news of Lydia's elopement with Mr.
Wickham comes as a great shock to the whole Bennet family, and especially to Elizabeth. It is true
that much of the blame for this elopement rests uponLydia herself; but Mr. Wickham cannot be
exonerated. According to the information supplied by Mr. Wickham's friend Mr. Denny, Mr.
Wickham had no intention to marry Lydia. Thus, Mr. Wickham's real purpose in running
away Lydia had been only to seduce her and to satisfy his lust for her. If Mr. Wickham does
marry Lydiaultimately, it is because of the role played by Mr. Darcy in the whole affair. Mr.
Wickham states certain terms and conditions on which he is prepared to marry Lydia; and Mr.
Darcy goes out of his way to fulfil those terms and conditions. Of course, Mr. Bennet too has to
satisfy certain conditions laid down by Mr. Wickham, but the major role in bringing about the
marriage is that of Mr. Darcy. Mr. Wickham also reveals at this time that he had incurred certain
debts which are also now paid by Mr. Darcy. Thus, Mr. Wickham shows himself to be a mercenary
man, besides being unscrupulous in his relations with girls.
A Shameless Man
After getting married in London, Mr. Wickham and Lydia pay a visit to Longbourn. The
behaviour of neither Mr. Wickham nor Lydia shows any sense of shame. In fact, both behave as if
nothing extraordinary had taken place. Mr. Wickham is a hardened and seasoned man to whom
all shame has become something alien. He speaks to the members of the Bennet family without
feeling embarrassed in the least; and he even speaks to Elizabethas if he had done no wrong at all.
In the last chapter of the novel we learn that Mr. Wickham soon afterwards becomes indifferent
to Lydia, and that Lydia's love for him also does not last for a long time.
His Role in the Novel: the Villain of the Piece
 Mr. Wickham is the villain of the piece. There are deficiencies, shortcomings, and faults in all
the characters in the novel; but Mr. Wickham is a rogue, and a rogue whom we cannot pardon.
Outwardly he is a most amiable young man whose company is a source of pleasure to everybody
and whose talk is most delightful. Upon girls, his personality and his behaviour exercise a special
fascination; but even the men find him outwardly to be a most likable person. But the reality about
him is entirely different. He is a most heartless, callous, and unscrupulous man. He is completely
devoid of all sense of gratitude. Instead of acknowledging the favours which Mr. Darcy had done
to him, he submits to Elizabeth a regular charge-sheet against that man. Nothing could have been
more wicked than Wickham's speaking ill of Mr. Darcy toElizabeth, and speaking in the bitterest
possible tones. His conduct in having tried to lure Mr. Darcy's sister was perhaps his most
disgraceful deed. But even after that misdeed had been exposed, he did not feel any remorse or
repentance. Thus, Mr. Wickham adds to the variety of characterization in the novel. He illustrates
the famous dictum: "Appearances are deceptive". He serves to add to Jane Austen's picture of
English social life. He presents a striking contrast to Mr. Bingley who is a thorough gentleman;
and he presents a striking contrast to Mr. Darcy who is, despite his pride and haughtiness, a man
who commands our respect. In the list of the male characters in this novel, Mr. Wickham stands
at the very bottom of the moral scale. He is a born fortune-hunter who has no notions of gen-
tlemanly behaviour, and who is lost to all shame. His conduct after his attempted elopement with
Mr. Darcy's sister, and his actual elopement with Lydia, show him as a brazen fellow.
A Variation on the theme of Love and Marriage
Mr. Wickham has another role to play in the novel also. The major theme of this novel is love
and marriage. Now, love and marriage take various forms with various human beings. In this
novel, we have the love and marriage of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth; we have the love and
marriage of Mr. Bingley and Jane; and we witness also the marriage, though not the love, of Mr.
Collins and Charlotte. To these may be added the love and marriage of Mr. Wickham andLydia.
Mr. Wickham is surely not in love with Lydia. His eloping with a girl who has neither much beauty
nor much brains, and who is without a dowry to lend her any attraction, shows that it is pure lust
on his part. There is no love on Lydia's side also; it is just infatuation. She runs away with Mr.
Wickham because she fancies herself in love and because she enjoys a romantic thrill in running
away with a man whose reality she does not know on account of her inexperience.
A Didactic Purpose behind the Lydia-Wickham Affair
Indeed, the Wickham-Lydia affair serves also a didactic purpose. This affair is an example
and a warning to those girls, who, having no experience of life and not much respect for their
elders, think themselves to be wise enough to look after themselves, but who meet a sad end.

Do you agree with the view that the structure of Pride and Prejudice is
nearly perfect? Give reasons for your answer.

A Close-Knit Structure: a Common

theme in all the Stories
Structurally, the novel Pride and Prejudice shows the highest degree of craftsmanship. The
novel has a compact, close-knit, and tight structure, inspite of there being several stories in it.
There is the main plot, and as many as three subplots in it. The main plot deals with Elizabeth
Bennet and Mr. Darcy.
Elizabeth is undoubtedly the most impressive female character, and therefore, the heroine of the
novel; while Mr. Darcy is surely the most impressive male character, and therefore, the novel's
hero. The major sub-plot deals with Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley. Then there are two other sub-
plots, one dealing with Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas, and the other dealing with Lydia Bennet
and Mr. Wickham. The novel has a compact structure largely because of its thematic unity. All
the stories have a common theme, which is love and marriage. The novel presents the variety of
forms in which love manifests itself, and the variety of ways in which men and women come
together and get married. The common theme of all the stories unifies them all, so that a single
structural pattern is produced.
Diversity in Unity
In spite of the common theme, there is neither repetition nor monotony in the novel. There
is a diversity in the unity. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy begin with a mutual dislike but, in course of
time, this dislike changes into a mutual attraction which then leads, through several stages of
development, to their union in marriage. Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley fall in love with each other
in the very beginning, and there seems to be an immediate prospect of their getting married.
However, their love-affair receives a setback on account of the manipulations by Mr. Darcy and
Miss Bingley. Ultimately these two also come together, and get married. The case of Mr. Collins
and Charlotte Lucas is entirely different. Here we have a marriage of convenience. There is no love
on either side. Mr. Collins simply wants to get married, and do does Charlotte. The Lydia-
Wickham affair is different from all the above cases. Lydiafalls in love with Mr. Wickham, but
there is no sincerity in the love which he has been professing for her. Mr. Wickham is a seducer
who would have forsaken Lydiaafter taking undue advantage of her. Lydia, in eloping with Mr.
Wickham, feels no doubt at all that he would marry her. However, this marriage is brought about
only by the intervention of Mr. Darcy. The diversity of love-affairs and marriages thus becomes
evident to us as we go through the novel.
The Interweaving to the Sub-Plots with the Main Plot
 The different stories in the novel are not just inter-linked by a common theme. The stories
are interwoven. Each sub-plot is brought into a close relationship with the main plot. The
Elizabeth-Darcy affair and the Jane-Bingley affair begin almost simultaneously, the first with a
mutual dislike, and the second with a mutual attraction. Now, Elizabeth and Jane are sisters, while
Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley are close friends. Mr. Darcy is at first not at all attracted by Elizabeth's
physical appearance, though soon afterwards he begins to perceive a certain charm in her face
and in her figure. Elizabeth, having overheard Mr. Darcy criticizing her physical appearance,
begins to dislike him. Mr. Darcy is a very proud man who is, in fact, disliked by everybody with
whom he comes into contact. Mr. Darcy begins to feel more and more attracted by Elizabeth but
she becomes more and more prejudiced against him.Elizabeth's prejudice against Mr. Darcy
deepens into a hatred for him on account of the account which Mr. Wickham gives to her of Mr.
Darcy's past ill-treatment of him. Mr. Bingley and Jane would have got married by now if Mr.
Darcy had not obstructed his friend's wish and if he had not been assisted in this endeavour by
Miss Bingley. On account of the obstruction caused by Mr. Darcy and Miss Bingley, the Jane-
Bingley sub-plot comes to a stand-still for a time, but the Elizabeth-Darcy plot continues to
develop. Mr. Darcy proposes marriage toElizabeth whose prejudices against him prevent her from
accepting the proposal. Mr. Darcy's obstruction in the way of the marriage of Mr. Bingley and
Jane becomes one of the several grounds for Elizabeth's rejection of Mr. Darcy's proposal.
However, when Elizabeth learns all the true facts, her prejudice against Mr. Darcy begin to
crumble, and she then feels drawn closer and closer towards Mr. Darcy. After Mr. Darcy's quiet
withdrawal from the Jane-Bingley affair, the way becomes clear for that pair of lovers to get
married. Eventually, Mr. Darcy's pride having been humbled, andElizabeth's prejudices having
melted away, they too get married. As for the Collins-Charlotte affair, Charlotte promptly accepts
Mr. Collins's proposal of marriage which Mr. Collins makes after having been rejected twice
by Elizabeth. This marriage provides the reason for Elizabeth to visit Hunsford where she meets
Mr. Darcy after having separated from him at Netherfield Park. It is at Hunsford that Mr. Darcy
gets an opportunity to make his proposal of marriage to Elizabeth who, however, rejects it, giving
him detailed reasons for her rejection. This, then, is the connection of the Collins-Charlotte
marriage with the main plot. As for the Lydia-Wickham affair, Mr. Wickham is first the means of
unknowingly aggravating Elizabeth's prejudice against Mr. Darcy, and then the means of
unknowingly bringing Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth once step closer to each other. Mr. Wickham is
not aware of the fact that Elizabeth already has a prejudice against Mr. Darcy; nor is he aware
 that Mr. Darcy's efforts to induce him to marry Lydia are being motivated by Mr. Darcy's desire
to do a favour and a service to the Bennet family. But Mr. Wickham certainly plays a vital role by
first widening the rift between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, and later by providing Mr. Darcy with an
opportunity to render a valuable service to the Bennet family. This is how the various sub-plots in
the novel are interrelated, inter-connected, and inter-woven, with the main plot.
Mr. Wickham and Mr. Collins, Not Entirely Aliens
It is noteworthy that Mr. Wickham is not entirely new to the social circle at Meryton
or Netherfield Park. He had known Mr. Darcy intimately long ago. In fact, they had known each
other from their boyhood and had been brought up in the same environment. Similarly, Mr.
Collins is not an alienat Longbourn. He is the relative to whom Mr. Bennet's entire estate had
been entailed; and he is the man who will inherit all this estate at Mr. Bennet's death. Mr. Collins's
arrival at Longbourn has thus a strong basis because Mr. Collins wishes to make a mends to the
Bennet family for ultimately depriving them of their property. He wishes to make amends to them
by choosing one of the daughters of the family as his would-be wife, so that one of the daughters
may ultimately become the mistress of her father's estate.
The Roles of the Minor Characters
All the characters mentioned so far are essential to the novel. Each of these characters is
indispensable from the point of view of either the main plot or one of the sub-plots. But none of
the other characters too is unnecessary or unwanted. Each of the minor characters has a certain
role in the drama of events. Mr. Denny, a very minor character, plays an important role by the
information which he supplies about Mr. Wickham's motives and deeds, though he does so by
oblique hints and in an evasive manner. Colonel Fitzwilliam provides, though unknowingly, an
important clue toElizabeth regarding Mr. Bingley's having given up his intention to marry Jane.
Mrs. Reynolds, the housekeeper at Pemberley House, furnishes such information
toElizabeth about Mr. Darcy that Mr. Darcy further rises in Elizabeth's estimation. Lady
Catherine unknowingly plays a vital role in bringing Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth closer still to each
other.
No Digressions; and No Superfluous
Incident or Character
There are no digressions in the novel, and no deviations from the main plot or the sub-plots
in the novel. We are either reading the development in the Darcy-Elizabeth plot, or watching the
lack of progress in the Bingley-Jane sub-plot or observing the appearance of Mr. Collins and of
Mr. Wickham on the social scene and seeing them pursue their respective plans. We are either
being taken into the working of the mind of Elizabeth, or being acquainted with the distress which
Jane is experiencing on account of the setback to her hope of marrying Mr. Bingley. We are either
being shown the way of life of Mr. Collins and Charlotte at Hunsford, and their relations with Lady
Catherine, or we are being told ofLydia's going to Brighton with Mrs. Forster and then suddenly
eloping one day with Mr. Wickham who too is there. When we are taken to Hunsford, we are also
shown the magnificence of Lady Catherine's mansion and the manner in which Lady Catherine
and her daughter Miss de Bourgh are leading their lives. There is a comic touch about the scenes
in which Lady Catherine and her daughter appear. Besides, Lady Catherine contributes to the
theme of pride in this novel. The portrayal of Lady Catherine contributes also to the picture of
the social scene which is an important ingredient of the novel. The scene in which we meet Mr.
and Mrs. Gardiner or Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are equally relevant to the stories of the novel. Mr. and
Mrs. Gardiner play a vital role by taking Elizabeth to Derbyshire and to Pemberley House
whereElizabeth again meets Mr. Darcy whose changed manner raises him in her estimation.
Besides, Mr. Gardiner plays a very useful role by joining Mr. Bennet in the latter's search
for Lydia who has run away with Mr. Wickham. Mr. Gardiner also acts as a cover for Mr. Darcy
who does not want the Bennet family to know that it is he who, by bribing Mr. Wickham and
putting pressure on him, has persuaded him to marry Lydia. But for Mr. Darcy's intervention,
Mr. Wickham would not have married Lydia, and Mr. Darcy would not have further risen
in Elizabeth's esteem. Thus there is nothing superfluous in the whole novel just as none of the
characters is superfluous. The structure of the novel is well-integrated; and the construction of
the plot could not have been more skillfully handled. In the words of a critic, everything is in its
proper place and in proper proportion; there is nothing too much, nor anything too little; no
excess, nor any deficiency.
The Symmetry of the Novel
The symmetry of Pride and Prejudice has been commented upon by several critics. A number
of events occur in the novel at various stages to balance each other. Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy
arrive at Netherfield Park in the very beginning of the novel; then they both leave and remain
absent for a certain period of time; and once again they both arrive there. Their first arrival creates
hope and good cheer in most feminine hearts, but ends in gloom. Their subsequent arrival comes
amid gloom but leads to the fulfillment of several hopes. Of the quartet of marriages in the novel,
one takes place soon after the beginning, and one takes place just before the end. Similarly, in the
beginning, Mr. Darcy intervenes in the Jane-Bingley affair only to bring about aseparation
between the lovers who were expected to get married soon; but the same Mr. Darcy intervenes
towards the end in the Lydia-Wickham affair, this time bringing about a marriage which would
not otherwise have taken place.
Few Coincidences or Chance Happenings
The main plot and the sub-plots all proceed from the inter-action of characters between one
another. The events and happenings in the novel directly result from the nature and disposition
of the persons concerned. There are few accidents and coincidences in the novel to mar the logic
of cause and effect. There is no bolt from the blue. Whether it is a case of good fortune or a case
of misfortune, it is the result of the characters' own deeds or misdeeds. Coincidences there
certainly are, but they are few such as Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham arriving in Hertfordshire at
about the same time; Mr. Darcy visiting his aunt Lady Catherine when Elizabeth is staying with
Mr. and Mrs. Collins; and Mr. Darcy returning to Pemberley House a day earlier than his schedule
and meeting Elizabeth. Similarly, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner's change of plan in visiting
Derbyshire rather than the Lake district is also a matter of chance, though this chance is of vital
importance because the visit to Derbyshire leads to Elizabeth's meeting with Mr. Darcy and thus
advancing her prospects of marriage with him. But, by and large, the important events proceed
from the nature and behaviour of the characters themselves.
All-Pervasive Irony in the Novel
 Pride and Prejudice is pervaded by irony which is one of the most striking features of all Jane
Austen's novels. The all-pervasive irony has its own role in unifying the structure of Pride and
Prejudice. To take only two examples, the very man, Mr. Wickham, who unknowingly aggravates
Elizabeth's prejudice against Mr. Darcy, ultimately proves instrumental, again unknowingly, in
bringing them one step closer to each other; and Lady Catherine, who sets out to obstruct the
marriage of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, unknowingly brings them still closer to each other and, in
fact, clinches the issue. Apart from such ironic reversals, there are several ironical remarks made
by certain characters, more especially by Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth. For instance, Mr. Bennet
makes an ironical remark when he says that Mr. Wickham is the best of his sons-in-law.
Similarly, Elizabeth makes an ironical remark when she says that Mr. Darcy has no defects at all.

"Irony is the soul of Jane Austen's comedy". Substantiate with

reference to Pride and Prejudice.

Some Kind of Contrast at the Root of Irony

Irony arises from some kind of contrast. It is generally a contrast between appearance and
reality. It may be a contrast between what a character thinks himself to be, and what he really is;
between what he believes, and what the reader knows to be actually the case; between what a
character says, and what he really means to convey; between what a character thinks he will do or
achieve, and what he really in the long run does or achieves; between what the reader thinks is
going to happen, and what actually happens; between the reader's or a character's anticipation
and the actual event; and so on.
Irony may produce a comic effect or a tragic effect, depending upon the circumstances of the
case. Thus, we find abundant examples of irony in both the comic and the tragic plays of
Shakespeare. This means that the use of irony by an author may amuse the reader or may
sadden him all the more.
Comic Irony in the Novels of Jane Austen
Jane Austen is a comic writer and, therefore, the use of irony in her novels adds to the comic
effect at which she aims. In other words, in the novels of Jane Austen we have comic irony; and,
indeed, she gives us plenty of it. It may also be pointed out that irony may exist in a situation or
in a piece of dialogue or in a remark or in a belief which a character has or expresses, and so on.
Furthermore, irony may be conscious on the part of a character, or it may be unconscious. On the
part of the author, however, irony is always conscious.
Ironical Reversal of the Situation in
the Darcy-Elizabeth Plot
Irony is all-pervasive in Pride and Prejudice. It penetrates the whole structure of this novel.
We find the use of irony in this novel from its beginning to its end. There are a large number of
situations which are characterized by irony; and there are a large number of ironical remarks. In
several cases what eventually happens is the reverse of what we had anticipated. Indeed, comic
reversals in the novel show how extensive the use of irony here is. There is irony in the very
manner in which the main plot of the novel develops and ends. The main plot pertains to Elizabeth
and Mr. Darcy. This plot begins with a mutual dislike between these two persons. Mr. Darcy does
not feel like dancing with Elizabeth because he does not find her attractive or handsome
enough.Elizabeth who over hears Mr. Darcy expressing an unfavourable opinion about her,
conceives a dislike for him. Elizabeth's dislike goes on increasing because she finds Mr. Darcy to
be a very proud and haughty kind of man. Mr. Darcy's initial opinion ofElizabeth begins to
undergo a change and he feels more and more attracted by her as days pass by. Although Mr.
Darcy has begun to like Elizabeth, yet the idea of marrying her is far from his thoughts because
she is far below him in social status. Such is the situation in the beginning and upto the middle.
We may even describe the initial relationship between these two persons as a sort of mutual
antagonism. And yet eventually these two antagonists are united in wedlock. In fact, both have
now begun to feel that they are best suited to each other as life-partners. Here we have a striking
case of an ironic reversal.
Irony Behind Mr. Darcy's Opposition
to Mr. Bingley's Wish
Then there is irony in Mr. Darcy's urging his friend Mr. Bingley to give up his intention to
marry Jane, and his succeeding in this endeavour. Of course, the irony here is unconscious as it is
in the case cited before. Mr. Darcy tells Mr. Bingley that Jane is not so much in love with him (Mr.
Bingley) as he (Mr. Bingley) is in love with her. Accordingly, Mr. Bingley gives up his idea of
proposing marriage to Jane. But afterwards Mr. Darcy has to change his view and has then to
withdraw the pressure which he had been exerting upon Mr. Bingley. Eventually, Mr. Bingley does
propose marriage to Jane, and she accepts him. This too is a case of an ironic reversal so far as
Mr. Darcy's original opposition to Mr. Bingley's wish is concerned.
Irony in Elizabeth's Contempt for Mr. Collins
Elizabeth finds Mr. Collins to be an oddity not worth her attention. She finds him to be a
pompous, conceited, and silly man whom no decent girl would agree to marry. Elizabeth thus
begins to hold Mr. Collins in contempt. Even Charlotte falls inElizabeth's esteem
because Charlotte agrees to marry that man. And yet the same Mr. Collins provides a basis
for Elizabeth's visit to Hunsford where Mr. Collins lives and where Charlotte has settled down as
Mr. Collins's wife. It is at Hunsford that Elizabethagain happens to meet Mr. Darcy, who now
makes a proposal of marriage to her, though she rejects this proposal. And at Hunsford it is
that Elizabeth receives from Mr. Darcy a letter in which Mr. Darcy has defended himself against
the charges which she had brought against him on the preceding day when he proposed marriage
to her. Her reading of this letter is the turning-point in her attitude to him. Thus Mr. Collins, who
was odious and obnoxious in Elizabeth's eyes, becomes unconsciously and unknowingly
instrumental in bringing Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy a little close to each other. Some of Elizabeth's
prejudice against Mr. Darcy is removed by her reading of Mr. Darcy's letter. Irony in this case
resides in Mr. Collins's serving a purpose which could never be expected from him, though he
serves the purpose unconsciously.
The Irony behind the Expectation Regarding Lydia
The shifting of the militia regiment from a site near the town of Meryton to a site
nearBrighton is expected to put an end to Lydia's meeting its officers frequently and flirting with
them. Lydia was getting spoilt by her mixing with the officers indiscriminately; and the transfer
of the regiment means that she would now be cut off from the officers with whom she was
becoming more and more intimate and thus exposing herself to scandal and even of exploitation
by some of them. But the reverse of what had been expected happens. In Brighton she becomes
even more intimate with one of the officers of that very regiment and elopes with him, thus
bringing disgrace to her family. (That officer is Mr. Wickham). The irony here results from the
contrast between what was expected and what actually happens.
The Irony behind Mr. Wickham's Role
Mr. Wickham is the man who has made a determined attempt to defame Mr. Darcy and to
discredit him in the eyes of Elizabeth. He is the man whom Mr. Darcy held in great contempt; and
he is the man who has been trying to avoid meeting Mr. Darcy just as Mr. Darcy has been trying
to avoid him. He is the man who had almost won Elizabeth's trust and who might even have won
her heart. Mr. Darcy's letter, however, reveals toElizabeth the reality of the man; and she also now
begins to hate him. And yet this man, whom Mr. Darcy had been hating and whomElizabeth has
now begun to hate, ultimately proves instrumental in bringing Elizabethand Mr. Darcy one step
closer to each other. Mr. Darcy's intervention in the Lydia-Wickham affair, and his bringing about
the marriage of the two runaways, creates a profound effect on Elizabeth who therefore moves
emotionally much closer to Mr. Darcy as a consequence of the service which Mr. Darcy has done
to the Bennet family. The irony here resides in the fact that Mr. Wickham, who had
aggravated Elizabeth’s prejudice against Mr. Darcy, ultimately proves the means by
which Elizabeth feels further attracted towards Mr. Darcy. This is a case of an ironic reversal of
the situation. There is similar irony in Lady Catherine's warnings to Elizabeth not to marry Mr.
Darcy. Lady Catherine tries her utmost to prevent a marriage between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy
but in the event she proves instrumental in bringing them closer to each other and hastening their
marriage.
Ironical Remarks, Made by Some of the Characters
We then come to examples of remarks which are ironical. A speaker is said to have made an
ironical remark when he means just the opposite of what he actually says. For instance, Mr.
Bennet has formed a very low opinion of Mr. Wickham who had brought disgrace to the Bennet
family by having lured Lydia to elope with him. AfterLydia has got married to Mr. Wickham and
the couple has paid a visit to Longbourn, Mr. Bennet expresses his opinion about Mr. Wickham
in the following manner: "He is as fine a fellow as ever I saw. He simpers, and smirks, and makes
love to us all. I am prodigiously proud of him." Here is a striking example of irony. On the surface,
Mr. Bennet's remarks about Mr. Wickham are highly complimentary; but actually these remarks
are intended to discredit Mr. Wickham in the eyes of his listeners. In other words, Mr. Bennet
here means exactly the opposite of what he has said. Actually Mr. Bennet is ashamed of having
Mr. Wickham as a son-in-law, but here he says that he is enormously proud of that man. A similar
irony is to be found in another remark which Mr. Bennet makes about Mr. Wickham. Mr. Bennet,
speaking to Elizabeth, says: "I admire all my three sons-in-law highly. Wickham, perhaps, is my
favourite." Here, again, Mr. Bennet seems to be praising Mr. Wickham, but he means just the
opposite when he says that Mr. Wickham is his favourite son-in-law. Mr. Bennet's remark early
in the novel about Mrs. Bennet's nerves is also ironical. Mr. Bennet tells his wife that he has a high
respect for her nerves, adding that her nerves are his old friends. Here he seems outwardly to be
paying a compliment to his wife and her nerves; but actually he is poking funat her. His remark
here is a sarcastic one.Elizabeth's remark early in the novel, that Mr. Darcy has no defects at all
in his character, is ironical because Elizabethmeans just the opposite of what she has said. She
has found a serious fault in him, the fault being pride or vanity; but she conveys her adverse
opinion by making a remark which on the surface is a compliment to Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth makes
an ironical remark about Mr. Collins when she tells her sister Jane that she hopes to find as good
a husband as Mr. Collins is to his wife. Actually, Elizabeth has a very low opinion about Mr.
Collins, and she had rejected Mr. Collins's proposal of marriage twice. Therefore, when she says
that she hopes to find a husband of the same kind as Mr. Collins, she means just the opposite of
what she is saying. Yet another ironical remark made by Elizabeth is that Lady Catherine loves to
be of use to people, and that she has also been of infinite use to her (Elizabeth) and Mr. Darcy.
Actually, of course, Elizabethmeans that Lady Catherine had tried to keepElizabeth away from
Mr. Darcy entirely and had thus been wanting to hurt Elizabeth. But her remark on the surface is
a compliment to Lady Catherine. Sometimes there is unconscious irony in a remark made by a
character. At the very outset Mr. Darcy says that Elizabeth is not handsome enough to tempt him
to dance with her. Now, there is a hidden irony in this remark, and even Mr. Darcy himself is not

conscious of this irony. Subsequently, Mr. Darcy not only findsElizabeth handsome enough to
dance with but handsome enough to propose marriage to. Not many days after making that
remark, Mr. Darcy feels bewitched by Elizabeth's charms. There is unconscious irony also
inElizabeth's telling Mr. Collins that she would never refuse a first proposal of marriage and then
accept a second proposal from the same man. But Elizabeth does exactly what she here says she
would never do. She rejects Mr. Darcy's first proposal of marriage, but later accepts his second
proposal. Finally, the very opening sentence of the novel has been regarded as a striking example
of irony on the part of the author.
Irony, a Source of Mirth and Merriment
As already pointed out at the outset, the irony in Jane Austen's novels is comic irony. And so
the irony in Pride and Prejudiceamuses us and makes us smile, if not laugh. Each of the examples
of irony given above adds to our mirth and merriment. We feel tickled by ironical reversals of
situation and by ironical remarks, and so we enjoy reading the novel even more than we would
otherwise have done.

According to a critic, one of the important themes in Pride and

Prejudice is parenthood. How is this theme dealt with in this novel?

The Need of Parental Supervision over Children

Parenthood is indeed an important theme in Pride and Prejudice. And it is not the
excellences of parenthood which the novel highlights; it is the deficiencies in parental supervision
over children that are brought into prominence by the author. The novel seeks to show that the
upbringing of children is something to which many parents up not attach that importance which
it deserves. In fact, the writer shows her concern for the need of proper upbringing of children by
parents by exposing to our view what goes wrong when parents fail in this duty or take the matter
lightly or are too lazy to pay any attention to it.

The Failure of Mr. Bennet to Put a

Check upon Lydia and Kitty
Early in the novel we witness the sad consequences of parental neglect in bringing up and
educating children properly or adequately. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are the parents concerned and in
Chapter 7 we are told of the excessive interest which their two youngest daughters, Catherine
(Kitty) and Lydia, take in the officers of the militia regiment stationed near their residence. The
minds of these two girls, we are told, were "more vacant than their sisters' ". The two girls pay
frequent visits to their aunt Mrs. Philips who is as silly and vulgar as Mrs. Bennet and who
encourages their passion for the uniforms of the officers and for the officers themselves. After
listening to the chatter of these two girls one morning, Mr. Bennet coolly tells them that, judging
by their manner of talk, they must be two of the silliest girls in the country. There is no doubt at
all that the girls are really very silly, but who is responsible for their silliness? Largely their father,
of course. What is noteworthy here is that he makes his depreciatory remark "coolly". In other
words, he observes the girls' silliness but does not feel perturbed or upset by it and he does not
realize at all that something may have been wanting in the manner in which he has brought them
up. If these two daughters of his are behaving in an indecorous and foolish way, the fault is partly
his own and his wife's. He has done nothing to check them in the beginning, and he does nothing
now. Mrs. Bennet is even more at fault here. Instead of joining her husband in scolding the girls,
she defends them, and she defends them in a manner which shows that she is not only tolerant of
their silliness but shares their silly tastes. First, she says that she would not wish to speak
slightingly of her own children and then she goes on to say that she herself in her younger days
liked an officer's uniform very much and that she likes it still.
Mr. Bennet's Indifference and Mrs. Bennet's Stupidity
During Elizabeth's stay at Hunsford, she is on one occasion interrogated by Lady Catherine
de Bourgh and asked if, without a governess in the family, she and her sisters were not neglected
so far as their education and upbringing were concerned. Elizabethreplies that she and her sisters
had always been encouraged to read but that some of them still spent their time in idleness.
Evidently the girls were encouraged to read by Mr. Bennet, and evidently Mr. Bennet's
indifference and Mrs. Bennet's stupidity were responsible for the idleness of the two who wished
to remain idle, namely, Kitty and Lydia. Character and intelligence are seen by Jane Austen as of
enormous importance; but these qualities require to be supplemented by education and
inculcation of sound principles. Elizabeth and Jane have become sensible, well-behaved, and wise
by their own efforts and in spite of their parents' indifference. Mary has become studious to
compensate herself for her lack of good looks, but her knowledge and "learning" are accompanied
by an absolute want of common sense and sincerely held values. Lydia and Kitty, lacking in
character and intelligence, have been encouraged in folly by the indifference of their father and
the indulgence of their mother.
Mr. Bennet's Evasion of Responsibility
So the embarrassments suffered by Elizabeth and Jane are directly attributable to the
inadequacy of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet as parents. The ultimate effect of their inadequacy is seen in
the behaviour ofLydia. Lydia and her mother feel delighted and thrilled by Mrs. Forster's
invitation toLydia to accompany her to Brighton, and Mr. Bennet remains indifferent. It is only
Elizabeth who realizes the pitfalls and dangers to which Lydia would be exposed if she goes
to Brighton, but Mr. Bennet pays no heed to Elizabeth's apprehensions in this
respect. Elizabeth warns her father thatLydia would be totally spoilt if he does not check her
exuberant spirits and if he does not teach her that her present pursuits should not be allowed to
become the whole business of her life. Mr. Bennet simply replies that both Lydia and Kitty are
silly girls but that neither Jane nor Elizabeth will lose anything by the silliness of those two girls,
adding that there will be no peace in the house if he stops Lydia from going toBrighton. Thus Mr.
Bennet wants peace in the house even if to secure peace he has to abdicate his authority as a father.
He is too indolent to assert himself in the house, and he has to pay heavily afterwards for this
indolence and this abdication of authority and evasion of responsibility.
The Failure of Mr. Darcy's Parents
This theme of the effect of upbringing is not confined to the Bennet family. It occurs also in
Mr. Darcy's account of himself just after Elizabeth has accepted his proposal of marriage. Mr.
Darcy complains that as a child he had been taught what was right but that he had not been taught
to correct his temper. He says that he had been spoilt by his parents who had encouraged him to
be selfish and overbearing, and to care only for his own family circle, disregarding everybody else
in the world. In other words, Mr. Darcy attributes his pride and egoism to his parents' failure to
understand the right values of life. Of that pride he is cured byElizabeth. Here, then, is a case in
which even aristocratic parents failed in their duty.
The Case of Mr. Collins
The theme of the effect of upbringing occurs also in the author's description of Mr. Collins.
Here we are told that Mr. Collins was by nature deficient in intelligence and that this deficiency
had not been assisted by education or society because the largest part of his life had been spent
under the guidance of an illiterate and miserly father. Here Jane Austen tells us precisely what
makes or mars a human being. Natural endowments (character and intelligence) are important,
of course; indeed they are fundamental. Next to them is the way a human being is brought up by
his parents. Nor can we ignore the company a man keeps, because the sort of company a man
keeps also has its share in educating him and moulding his mind.