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Plot summary:
Elizabeth Bennett is born the second oldest into an extraordinarily shallow family. Her one point of comfort is her elder sister, Jane,
who is as quiet and reserved as she is beautiful and level-headed. The rest of her family is a disaster. Her father, while mostly
reasonable, shows little concern for the workings of his family and remains reserved in the peace of his own library, apart from the rest
of his family. Her mother and sisters are incredibly silly and possess only thoughts that involve ribbons, balls, gentlemen, and
particularly the militia. Thus, they are practically worked up into a frenzy when a handsome, young gentleman named Mr. Bingley,
possessing large sums of wealth, moves into the neighborhood with the company of his sister, Caroline, and his long-time friend, Mr.
Darcy. The Bennett family immediately descends upon the single gentleman in hopes of him marrying one of the daughters. Indeed, he
falls in love with Jane who is much too shy to show much encouragement, despite the mutual emotions. Mr. Darcy on the other hand,
fails to impress anyone, despite his wealth. His cold arrogance and apparent disdain for others strike Lizzie particularly hard. She finds
friendship in a handsome young officer who has equal hatred towards Darcy, Mr. Wickham. Meanwhile, Jane is invited to spend time
with Caroline Bingley, and after catching a cold, is requested to stay there awhile with Lizzie as her nursemaid. This only intensifies
Lizzie‟s dislike of everyone but Bingley, Bingley‟s love for Jane, Caroline‟s disdain for the Bennetts, and Darcy‟s attraction towards
Lizzie‟s handsome eyes. Thus, almost everyone is glad to see them go, though the Bennetts less so when they discover Mr. Collins,
who is to inherit everything from the Bennett family has come to visit the family in hopes of securing a wife. His interests first rest on
Jane, but she‟s taken, so he moves on to Lizzie. He proposes to her and she rejects him quite forcefully. He then becomes engaged with
Charlotte, Lizzie‟s dearest friend. The mood around the house grows even more gray when it is discovered Mr. Bingley has departed
for London, dragged along by his sister and Darcy who declares Jane‟s indifference towards him. Jane also goes to London, to be with
her aunt and uncle, and to try to reunite with Mr. Bingley. Meanwhile, Lizzie visits Charlotte and Mr. Collins and meets the
cantankerous Lady Catherine who is Darcy‟s aunt and Mr. Collin‟s patroness. While alone one evening, Darcy barges in and
announces that he can no longer hide how much he loves Lizzie and asks that she marry him. She coldly refuses and accuses him of
separating her sister and Mr. Bingley and of his heartless behavior towards Mr. Wickham. He leaves but writes a letter addressing the
two charges in which he is proven faultless except in thinking Jane didn‟t like Bingley. Lizzie travels with her aunt and uncle and
accidentally encounters Darcy at his home. At the same time, Lydia is discovered to have run away with Mr. Wickham in a scandal that
could ruin the whole family. Unknown to Lizzie, Darcy tracks them down and forces them to marry, paying off Mr. Wickham so that
the scandal is abated. Mr. Bingley arrives back in the neighborhood and Jane faces her feelings reemerging, however there is no fear-
Mr. Bingley appears and asks forgiveness and marriage to Jane who accepts. Lady Catherine arrives to speak to Lizzie of her
engagement to Darcy which Lizzie has no knowledge of. Insulted and humiliated, Lizzie sends her from their home. Later, Darcy asks
if Lizzie‟s feelings are the same as they had been before and she says no. The two sisters have a double marriage and stay tight friends.
Major Works Data Sheet Page 2
Describe the author‟s style, incl narrator/point of view, Examples that demonstrate the style (you need
metaphors/similes: more than one example):
Austen uses a third person omniscient narrator with the “As soon as they were gone, Elizabeth walked out
majority of the novel coming out of Elizabeth‟s point of to recover her spirits; or in other words, to dwell
view through past tense. This point of view often has without interruption on those subjects that must
much of the same wit or wry humor that Elizabeth retains deaden them more.” Chapter 54. Ironic tone about
through the entire novel. The tone is rather light and her own confusion.
comical, almost as Austen describes it “light, bright, and “The tumult of her mind was now painfully great.
sparkling.” Since most of the novel is told and described She knew not how to support herself, and from
through dialogue, there aren‟t all that many metaphors or actual weakness sat down and cried for half an
similies. hour. Her astonishment , as she reflected on what
had passed, was increased by every review of it.”
Chapter 34
Memorable Quotes
Quote Significance
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a This summarizes the assumption of the majority of the Bennett family and gives a
single man in possession of a good fortune, must wonderful insight into the mentality of Mrs. Bennett and the three younger Bennett
be in want of a wife.” Ch. 1 page 5 sisters.
“Which do you mean?” and turning round, he
looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her This firmly establishes his reputation of being rude and haughty among many. It also
eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said, “She is begins the struggle Darcy has with himself in order to confess his attraction towards
tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; Elizabeth and also her own dislike towards him, which is one of the many reasons
and I am in no humour at present to give for her refusal of marriage upon his first attempt.
consequence to young ladies who are slighted by
other men.” Chapter 3, page 13
“Vanity and pride are different things, though the This quote by Mary perfectly describes the majority of the characters in the novel.
words are often used synonymously. A person may Darcy and Elizabeth, while proud, are not exceptionally vain. Meanwhile, Mrs.
be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to Bingley, Mrs. Bennett, Lady Catherine, and Mr. Collins are all incredibly vain.
our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would
have others think of us.” Chapter 5, page 21
“It is better to know as little as possible of the This statement by Charlotte is highly ironic- both Darcy and Elizabeth both know
defects of the person with whom you are to pass each other‟s faults before they ever notice the other‟s good attributes.
your life.” Chapter 6 page 24
“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My Darcy‟s proposal to Lizzie marks the turning-point in the novel. Before hand, she
feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me could only focus on his arrogance and pride and other negative attributes. However,
to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” afterwards, because of what Darcy begins to reveal about his past and his character,
Elizabeth‟s astonishment was beyond expression. she begins to see him in a different light that leads to her love for him in return.
She stared, coloured, doubted, and was silent. This
he considered sufficient encouragement, and the
avowal of all that he felt and had long felt for her,
immediately followed.” Chapter 23
“I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, Elizabeth causes Darcy to have a sort of epiphany about the way he was raised- to be
though not in principle.” Chapter 58 well mannered but never control his temper, to be well educated but never control
his pride. Elizabeth has illuminated for him the faults within himself, something he
feels the need to repay for the generous gift it is to him. This is a truly humbling
statement from Darcy.
Lady Catherine Mr. Collins patroness Makes it exceptionally clear that Rich, bossy, snobby
and Darcy’s aunt Elizabeth is not to marry Darcy due to
her social status.
Georgiana Darcy Darcy’s younger sister Shows one of the softer sides of Talented, shy, beautiful
Darcy‟s loving character.
Major Works Data Sheet Page 4
Setting Significance of the opening scene
The setting is some point during the Napoleonic Wars in The opening scene begins with the information that
Longbourn, rural England. The landscape is comprised of Mr. Bingley has moved into the neighborhood, which
vast amounts of lands and fields dotted with huge manors truly is the impetus behind all the initial foolishness,
owned by both the vastly wealthy and the reasonably well- and, though we don‟t know it, launches us
off. The town is within walking distance and London is a immediately into the action of meeting the future
carriage ride away. Lizzie also visits Pemberley, Darcy‟s husbands. The scene introduces us to the silliness of
home in Darbishire, and the Lake District which comprises the Bennett family, and contrasts sharply so that we
of rugged landscapes of natural beauty including forests, know immediately the kind, gentle spirit of Jane, and
rivers, cliffs and mountains. The journey‟s are particularly the strong-willed and intelligent spirit of Elizabeth.
important in the development of Darcy and Elizabeth‟s This also is one of the very few moments that we see
relationship. Mr. Bennett act in his father role, though it could be
argued that he is only doing it to spur on his wife and
sillier daughters into more foolishness.
How does Pride and Prejudice satirize or criticize the social norms of the day?
How does Pride and Prejudice use class and reputation as obstacles to love?
What does Pride and Prejudice say about the inevitability of love? Consider both Darcy and Elizabeth and
Jane and Mr. Bingley.
What statement about love is Austen trying to deliver through her headstrong romantic heroines?