PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

CRR 6
(DRAMA)

PART 1:

TITLE: Pride and Prejudice

AUTHOR: Jane Austen

(16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six
major novels, which interpret, critique and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end
of the 18th century. Austen's plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage in the
pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security. Her works critique the novels of
sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th-century
literary realism. Her use of biting irony, along with her realism and social commentary, have
earned her acclaim among critics and scholars.

Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice both revolve around sisters, and Austen’s
loving alliance with her only sister Cassandra lasted all her life. Both Jane and Cassandra had
romances, but, like Austen’s heroines, refused to marry for the sake of marriage. They
remained single, supporting their mother after the death of their father in 1805.

Pride and Prejudice, probably the most popular of Austen's finished novels, was also, in a
sense, the first to be composed. Historical Context of Pride and Prejudice

LITERARY/HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The novel Pride and Prejudice was written during the middle of the Romantic period in
western literature, but it is itself rather uncharacteristic of other fictional works of the period.
Unlike the great Romantic novels and poems of the period, which usually praised youthful
passions, Austen's work minimizes them. Compared to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's
classic sturm und drang novel The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774), in which the young
hero is unsuccessful at love and, unable to make his inner visions conform to the reality of the
outer world, finally commits suicide, Austen's works are models of restraint. Instead of the
wild forces of nature, Austen concentrates on family life in small English towns. Instead of
rampant emotionalism, Austen emphasizes a balance between reason and emotion. Instead of
suicide and unrequited love, Austen offers elopement and marriage.

During Austen's career, Romanticism reached its zenith of acceptance and influence, but she
rejected the tenets of that movement. The romantics extolled the power of feeling, whereas
Austen upheld the supremacy of the rational faculty. Romanticism advocated the
abandonment of restraint; Austen was a staunch exponent of the neo-classical belief in order
and discipline. The romantics saw in nature a transcendental power to stimulate men to better
the existing order of things, which they saw as essentially tragic in its existing state. Austen
supported traditional values and the established norms, and viewed the human condition in
the comic spirit. The romantics exuberantly celebrated natural beauty, but Austen's dramatic
technique decreed sparse description of setting. The beauties of nature are seldom detailed in
her work.

Just as Austen's works display little evidence of the Romantic movement, they also reveal no
awareness of the international upheavals and consequent turmoil in England that took place
during her lifetime. Keep in mind, however, that such forces were remote from the restricted
world that she depicts. Tumultuous affairs, such as the Napoleonic wars, in her day did not
significantly affect the daily lives of middle-class provincial families. The ranks of the
military were recruited from the lower orders of the populace, leaving gentlemen to purchase
a commission, the way Wickham does in the novel, and thereby become officers.

VOCABULARY WORDS:

Circumspect, chapter 2, page 8 - heedful of potential consequences

I honour your circumspection. A fortnight's acquaintances is certainly very little. One cannot
know what a man really is by the end of a fortnight.

Caprice, chapter 1, page 5 - a sudden desire

Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that
the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand
his character.

Barefaced, chapter 3, page 10 - unrestrained by convention or propriety

They attacked him in various ways-- with barefaced questions, ingenious suppositions, and
distant surmises-- but he eluded the skill of them all...

Surmise, chapter 3, page 10 - a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence

They attacked him in various ways-- with barefaced questions, ingenious suppositions, and
distant surmises-- but he eluded the skill of them all...

Censure, chapter 4, page 16; Chapter 8, page 42 - harsh criticism or disapproval

"I would wish not to be hasty in censuring any one; but I always speak what I think."

CHARACTERS AND CHARACTERIZATION:

Elizabeth Bennet – the second of the Bennet daughters, she is twenty years old and
intelligent, lively, playful, attractive, and witty – but with a tendency to judge on first
impressions. As the story progresses, so does her relationship with Mr. Darcy. The course of
Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship is ultimately decided when Darcy overcomes his pride,
and Elizabeth overcomes her prejudice, leading them both to surrender to their love for each
other.

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy – the wealthy friend of Mr. Bingley. A newcomer to the village, he is
ultimately Elizabeth Bennet's love interest. Mr. Darcy is the wealthy, twenty-eight year old
owner of the renowned family estate of Pemberley in Derbyshire, and is rumoured to be
worth at least £10,000 a year. While being handsome, tall, and intelligent, Darcy lacks ease
and social graces, and so others frequently mistake his aloof decorum and rectitude as further
proof of excessive pride (which, in part, it is).
Mr. Bennet – A late-middle-aged landed gentleman of a modest income of £2000 per
annum, and the dryly sarcastic patriarch of the now-dwindling Bennet family (a family
of Hertfordshire landed gentry), with five unmarried daughters. His estate, Longbourn,
is entailed to the male line.

Mrs. Bennet – the middle-aged wife of her social superior, Mr. Bennet, and the mother of
their five daughters. Mrs. Bennet is a hypochondriac who imagines herself susceptible to
attacks of tremors and palpitations ("[her] poor nerves"), whenever things are not going her
way. Her main ambition in life is to marry her daughters off to wealthy men. Whether or not
any such matches will give her daughters happiness is of little concern to her.

Jane Bennet – the eldest Bennet sister. Twenty-two years old when the novel begins, she is
considered the most beautiful young lady in the neighbourhood and is inclined to see only the
good in others. She falls in love with Charles Bingley, a rich young gentleman recently
moved to Hertfordshire and a close friend of Mr. Darcy.

Mary Bennet – the middle Bennet sister, and the plainest of her siblings. Mary has a serious
disposition and mostly reads and plays music, although she is often impatient to display her
accomplishments and is rather vain about them. She frequently moralises to her family.
According to James Edward Austen-Leigh's A Memoir of Jane Austen, Mary ended up
marrying one of her Uncle Philips' law clerks and moving into Meryton with him.

Catherine "Kitty" Bennet – the fourth Bennet daughter at 17 years old. Though older than
Lydia, she is her shadow and follows her in her pursuit of the officers of the militia. She is
often portrayed as envious of Lydia and is described a "silly" young woman. However, it is
said that she improved when removed from Lydia's influence. According to James Edward
Austen-Leigh's A Memoir of Jane Austen, Kitty later married a clergyman who lived near
Pemberley.

Lydia Bennet – the youngest Bennet sister, aged 15 when the novel begins. She is frivolous
and headstrong. Her main activity in life is socializing, especially flirting with the officers of
the militia. This leads to her running off with George Wickham, although he has no intention
of marrying her. Lydia shows no regard for the moral code of her society; as Ashley Tauchert
says, she "feels without reasoning."

Charles Bingley – a handsome, amiable, wealthy young gentleman who leases Netherfield
Park, an estate three miles from Longbourn, with the hopes of purchasing it. He is contrasted
with Mr. Darcy for having more generally pleasing manners, although he is reliant on his
more experienced friend for advice. An example of this is the prevention of Bingley and
Jane's romance because of Bingley's undeniable dependence on Darcy's opinion.[6]He lacks
resolve and is easily influenced by others; his two sisters, Miss Caroline Bingley and Mrs.
Louisa Hurst, both disapprove of Bingley's growing affection for Miss Jane Bennet.

Caroline Bingley – the vainglorious, snobbish sister of Charles Bingley, with a dowry of

£20,000. Miss Bingley harbours designs upon Mr. Darcy, and therefore is jealous of his
growing attachment to Elizabeth. She attempts to dissuade Mr. Darcy from liking Elizabeth
by ridiculing the Bennet family and criticising Elizabeth's comportment. Miss Bingley also
disapproves of her brother's esteem for Jane Bennet, and is disdainful of society in Meryton.
Her wealth and her expensive education seem to be the two greatest sources of Caroline
Bingley's vanity and conceit. The dynamic between Caroline Bingley and her sister, Louisa
Hurst, seems to echo that of Lydia and Kitty Bennet's; that one is a no more than a follower
of the other, with Caroline Bingley in the same position as Lydia, and Louisa Hurst in Kitty's.

George Wickham – Wickham has been acquainted with Mr. Darcy since infancy, being the
son of Mr. Darcy's father's steward. An officer in the militia, he is superficially charming and
rapidly forms an attachment with Elizabeth Bennet. He later runs off with Lydia with no
intention of marriage, which would have resulted in her complete disgrace, but for Darcy's
intervention to bribe Wickham to marry her by paying off his immediate debts.

Mr. William Collins – Mr. Collins, aged 25 years old as the novel begins, is Mr. Bennet's
distant second cousin, a clergyman, and the current heir presumptive to his estate of
Longbourn House. He is an obsequious and pompous man who is excessively devoted to his
patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

Lady Catherine de Bourgh – the overbearing aunt of Mr. Darcy. Lady Catherine is the
wealthy owner of Rosings Park, where she resides with her daughter Anne and is fawned
upon by her rector, Mr. Collins. She is haughty, pompous, domineering, and condescending,
and has long planned to marry off her sickly daughter to Darcy, to 'unite their two great
estates', claiming it to be the dearest wish of both her AND her late sister, Lady Anne Darcy
(née Fitzwilliam).

Mr. Edward and Mrs. M Gardiner – Edward Gardiner is Mrs. Bennet's brother and a
successful tradesman of sensible and gentlemanly character. Aunt Gardiner is genteel and
elegant, and is close to her nieces Jane and Elizabeth. The Gardiners are instrumental in
bringing about the marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth.

Georgiana Darcy – Georgiana is Mr. Darcy's quiet, amiable (and shy) younger sister, with
a dowry of £30,000, and is aged barely 16 when the story begins. When still 15, Miss Darcy
almost eloped with Mr. Wickham, but was saved by her brother, whom she idolises. Thanks
to years of tutorage under masters, she is accomplished at the piano, singing, playing the
harp, and drawing, and modern languages, and is therefore described as Caroline Bingley's
idea of an "accomplished woman".

Charlotte Lucas – Charlotte is Elizabeth's friend who, at 27 years old (and thus very much
past contemporary prime marriage age), fears becoming a burden to her family and therefore
agrees to marry Mr. Collins to gain financial security. Though the novel stresses the
importance of love and understanding in marriage, Austen never seems to condemn
Charlotte's decision to marry for money. She uses Charlotte to convey how women of her
time would adhere to society's expectation for women to marry even if it is not out of love,
but convenience. Charlotte is the daughter of Sir William Lucas and Lady Lucas, neighbours
of the Bennet family.
TYPES OF CONFLICT:

1. Man vs. Self

This can be seen when Elizabeth begins to reproach herself for misjudging Mr. Darcy
and being so prejudiced against him. Likewise, it can also be said that Mr. Darcy
exhibits the conflict of Character vs. Self when he begins to realize how his pride
makes him appear to others and just how damaging his pride can be to fulfilling his
character and his reputation.

2. Man vs. Man

Jane and Bingley - The novel begins with the Bennet family learning about a new
neighbor, Mr. Bingley. After a few visits, it becomes clear that Bingley is interested in
eldest Bennet daughter Jane and she in him. However, Bingley leaves town after a
couple of months with no word to Jane. Darcy later confesses to Jane's sister
Elizabeth that he interfered because he thought the romance was not serious. Bingley's
sisters also oppose his relationship with Jane. The combination of Darcy and the
sisters' prejudice and Bingley and Jane's hesitance to act on their feelings almost kept
the two of them apart. However, they overcome these influences by the end of the
novel and marry.

Elizabeth and Collins - The Bennet family consists of five daughters but no sons,
which means it has no male heirs. As a result, Elizabeth's cousin, the obsequious Mr.
Collins, is set to inherit the Bennet estate. Collins visits the Bennet household to
choose a wife from the Bennet sisters, thinking any one of them would be grateful to
marry him. Deflected from Jane, he selects Elizabeth, but her refusal to choose wealth
over personal happiness leads her to reject him. Though the rejection is ultimately the
right choice for Elizabeth, it creates conflict because Collins' wounded pride makes
him abandon the Bennet sisters to marry Elizabeth's best friend, Charlotte Lucas,
leaving the Bennet women in danger of losing their home and fortune when Mr.
Bennet dies.

Wickham and Lydia - George Wickham is a military officer stationed near the
Bennets. He tells Elizabeth that Darcy cheated him out of his inheritance, which
makes her harden her heart against Darcy for his seeming dishonesty and moral
failing. Wickham then runs off with Lydia, Elizabeth's youngest sister, a scandalous
act that threatens to destroy the family's honor and social status. The situation
becomes a great crisis, but it is resolved when Wickham is mysteriously paid off to
marry Lydia. Elizabeth soon learns that Darcy is the one who paid him.
 Darcy and Elizabeth – Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are both passionate people with
strong opinions and personalities. Elizabeth displays these qualities through her wit
and charm and Mr. Darcy through his pride, his faithfulness and his belief in doing
what is right. In the first part of the novel, Elizabeth speaks about her feelings towards
Mr. Darcy, saying, 'The general prejudice against Mr. Darcy is so violent that it would
be the death of half the good people in Meryton, to attempt to place him in an amiable
light.' Oh boy, the venom in Elizabeth's words tells us that she really doesn't care for
Mr. Darcy at this early point of the story. Mr. Darcy later pits himself against
Elizabeth with the zinger 'My good opinion once lost, is lost forever.' It's clear that
these two don't entirely see eye to eye at times.

The love story between Darcy and Elizabeth provides the main conflict for the novel.
They seem at odds right from the start, with their arguments and her thinking he is
arrogant and pretentious. She also believes him to be dishonest and untrustworthy,
responsible for pushing her sister and Bingley apart and disinheriting Wickham. She
even rejects his surprise proposal of marriage because of it. However, she ultimately
learns the truth that he had Bingley's best interests at heart and that it was actually
Wickham who wronged him. She overcomes her pride and her prejudice and finally
agrees to marry him in the end.

3. Man vs. Society

This conflict is mostly shown through the economic problems that are portrayed
throughout the story. For instance, because the Bennet children consist of several
daughters, the Bennet estate is entailed to the next male in line in order to keep the
estate in the family and to keep its worth from being divided. At Mr. Bennet's death,
Longbourn will be entailed to Mr. Collins. The entailment means that the Bennet
daughters will be left with little wealth once their father passed on, and had to rely on
finding financially secure husbands. The entailment led to several conflicts in the
book, particularly the conflict that arose when Elizabeth refuses to marry Mr. Collins.
The entailment also put a great deal of pressure on Jane, the eldest daughter, to marry
well in order to provide for her family when their father passes on.

THEME

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is said to be a satirical and social critique on social status
and the expectations of women during the eighteenth century. Throughout the book, the
strong themes of prejudice, reputation, and class are explored as the romance between
Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy develops.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS - From this title it is clear that Jane Austen wanted to convey to the
reader the importance of first impressions and how we form them so quickly.
PRIDE - Pride is a constant presence in the characters' attitudes and treatment of each other,
coloring their judgments and leading them to make rash mistakes. Pride blinds Elizabeth and
Darcy to their true feelings about each other. Darcy's pride about his social rank makes him
look down on anyone not in his immediate circle. Elizabeth, on the other hand, takes so much
pride in her ability to judge others that she refuses to revise her opinion even in the face of
clearly contradictory evidence. This is why she despises the good-hearted Darcy for so long,
but initially admires the lying Wickham. Yet while Pride and Prejudice implies that no one is
ever completely free of pride, it makes it clear that with the proper moral upbringing one may
overcome it to lead a life of decency and kindness. In the end, the two lovers are able to
overcome their pride by helping each other see their respective blind spots. Darcy sheds his
snobbery, while Elizabeth learns not to place too much weight on her own judgments.

PREJUDICE - Prejudice in Pride and Prejudice refers to the tendency of the characters to
judge one another based on preconceptions, rather than on who they really are and what they
actually do. As the book's title implies, prejudice goes hand in hand with pride, often leading
its heroine and hero into making wrong assumptions about motives and behavior. Austen's
gentle way of mocking Elizabeth's and Darcy's biases gives the impression that such mistakes
could, and indeed do, happen to anyone; that faulting someone else for prejudice is easy
while recognizing it in yourself is hard. Prejudice in the novel is presented as a stage in a
person's moral development, something that can be overcome through reason and
compassion. Austen only condemns those people who refuse to set aside their prejudices, like
the class-obsessed Lady Catherine and the scheming social climber Caroline. Pride and
Prejudice offers a powerful illustration of the damaging effects to people and to society that
prejudice can inflict.

FAMILY - The family is the predominant unit of social life in Pride and Prejudice and forms
the emotional center of the novel. Not only does it provide (or fail to provide, as in the case
of Lydia) the Bennet daughters with their education and manners, but the social ranking of
the family determines how successful they may reasonably expect to be in later life. Austen
skillfully reveals how individual character is molded within the family by presenting Jane and
Elizabeth as mature, intelligent adults, and Lydia as a hapless fool. The friction between
Elizabeth and her mother on the one hand and the sympathy she shares with Mr. Bennet on
the other illustrate the emotional spectrum that colors the family's overall character. The
influence of Elizabeth's aunt and uncle shows how the family works in an extended sense,
with the Gardiners acting as substitute parents, providing much needed emotional support at
key moments of stress.

LOVE - Pride and Prejudice contains one of the most cherished love stories in English
literature: the courtship between Darcy and Elizabeth. As in any good love story, the lovers
must elude and overcome numerous stumbling blocks, beginning with the tensions caused by
the lovers’ own personal qualities. Elizabeth’s pride makes her misjudge Darcy on the basis
of a poor first impression, while Darcy’s prejudice against Elizabeth’s poor social standing
blinds him, for a time, to her many virtues. (Of course, one could also say that Elizabeth is
guilty of prejudice and Darcy of pride—the title cuts both ways.) Austen, meanwhile, poses
countless smaller obstacles to the realization of the love between Elizabeth and Darcy,
including Lady Catherine’s attempt to control her nephew, Miss Bingley’s snobbery, Mrs.
Bennet’s idiocy, and Wickham’s deceit. In each case, anxieties about social connections, or
the desire for better social connections, interfere with the workings of love. Darcy and
Elizabeth’s realization of a mutual and tender love seems to imply that Austen views love as
something independent of these social forces, as something that can be captured if only an
individual is able to escape the warping effects of hierarchical society. Austen does sound
some more realist (or, one could say, cynical) notes about love, using the character of
Charlotte Lucas, who marries the buffoon Mr. Collins for his money, to demonstrate that the
heart does not always dictate marriage. Yet with her central characters, Austen suggests that
true love is a force separate from society and one that can conquer even the most difficult of
circumstances.

REPUTATION - Pride and Prejudice depicts a society in which a woman’s reputation is of

the utmost importance. A woman is expected to behave in certain ways. Stepping outside the
social norms makes her vulnerable to ostracism. This theme appears in the novel, when
Elizabeth walks to Netherfield and arrives with muddy skirts, to the shock of the reputation-
conscious Miss Bingley and her friends. At other points, the ill-mannered, ridiculous
behavior of Mrs. Bennet gives her a bad reputation with the more refined (and snobbish)
Darcys and Bingleys. Austen pokes gentle fun at the snobs in these examples, but later in the
novel, when Lydia elopes with Wickham and lives with him out of wedlock, the author treats
reputation as a very serious matter. By becoming Wickham’s lover without benefit of
marriage, Lydia clearly places herself outside the social pale, and her disgrace threatens the
entire Bennet family. The fact that Lydia’s judgment, however terrible, would likely have
condemned the other Bennet sisters to marriageless lives seems grossly unfair. Why should
Elizabeth’s reputation suffer along with Lydia’s? Darcy’s intervention on the Bennets’ behalf
thus becomes all the more generous, but some readers might resent that such an intervention
was necessary at all. If Darcy’s money had failed to convince Wickham to marry Lydia,
would Darcy have still married Elizabeth? Does his transcendence of prejudice extend that
far? The happy ending of Pride and Prejudice is certainly emotionally satisfying, but in many
ways it leaves the theme of reputation, and the importance placed on reputation, unexplored.

REPUTATION - Pride and Prejudice depicts a society in which a woman’s reputation is of

the utmost importance. A woman is expected to behave in certain ways. Stepping outside the
social norms makes her vulnerable to ostracism. This theme appears in the novel, when
Elizabeth walks to Netherfield and arrives with muddy skirts, to the shock of the reputation-
conscious Miss Bingley and her friends. At other points, the ill-mannered, ridiculous
behavior of Mrs. Bennet gives her a bad reputation with the more refined (and snobbish)
Darcys and Bingleys. Austen pokes gentle fun at the snobs in these examples, but later in the
novel, when Lydia elopes with Wickham and lives with him out of wedlock, the author treats
reputation as a very serious matter. By becoming Wickham’s lover without benefit of
marriage, Lydia clearly places herself outside the social pale, and her disgrace threatens the
entire Bennet family. The fact that Lydia’s judgment, however terrible, would likely have
condemned the other Bennet sisters to marriageless lives seems grossly unfair. Why should
Elizabeth’s reputation suffer along with Lydia’s? Darcy’s intervention on the Bennets’ behalf
thus becomes all the more generous, but some readers might resent that such an intervention
was necessary at all. If Darcy’s money had failed to convince Wickham to marry Lydia,
would Darcy have still married Elizabeth? Does his transcendence of prejudice extend that
far? The happy ending of Pride and Prejudice is certainly emotionally satisfying, but in many
ways it leaves the theme of reputation, and the importance placed on reputation, unexplored.

CLASS - The theme of class is related to reputation, in that both reflect the strictly
regimented nature of life for the middle and upper classes in Regency England. The lines of
class are strictly drawn. While the Bennets, who are middle class, may socialize with the
upper-class Bingleys and Darcys, they are clearly their social inferiors and are treated as
such. Austen satirizes this kind of class-consciousness, particularly in the character of Mr.
Collins, who spends most of his time toadying to his upper-class patron, Lady Catherine de
Bourgh. Through the Darcy-Elizabeth and Bingley-Jane marriages, Austen shows the power
of love and happiness to overcome class boundaries and prejudices, thereby implying that
such prejudices are hollow, unfeeling, and unproductive. Of course, this whole discussion of
class must be made with the understanding that Austen herself is often criticized as being a
classist: she doesn’t really represent anyone from the lower classes; those servants she does
portray are generally happy with their lot. Austen does criticize class structure but only a
limited slice of that structure.

LANGUAGE AND STYLE:

Jane Austen's writing style is a mix of neoclassicism and romanticism. Austen created a
transition into Romanticism which encourages passion and imagination in writing instead of a
strict and stale writing style. It is very emotional and follows a flowing not structured form.
Mixing these two styles was one of Austen's strongest talents, which gave her an edge in the
literary world. No other author in her time was able to create such a strong transition between
writing styles. Austen used her sharp and sarcastic wit in all of her writing including in one of
her most famous works; Pride and Prejudice. She could create a powerful and dramatic scene
and immediately lead it into a satirical cathartic scene.

Austen added a romantic touch when it came to her characters dialogues which were able to
range from sharp and witty to poetic and emotional. Her characters’ words and actions
created a vivid picture of each person and each event to engage the reader into the novel. She
focuses on the beauty of a conversation and allows it to display the development and progress
of each main character in her novels. Her style is unique, yet recognizable. She opened the
door for new authors and exposed people to a new way of life. Pride and Prejudice is a novel
unlike any other, it pushes the limits on what an 18th century society would be exposed to.
Jane Austen’s work ultimately marked the transition in English literature from neo-classicism
to romanticism. Jane Austen is limitless; she wrote about the beauty of ordinary people and
their ordinary lives and allowed that to carry her story forward. She accepted that society was
flawed but basks in the glory of it. She recognized that the beauty in people and in society is
not found in perfection but in the imperfection of them. Austin also recognized the hypocrisy
and stupidity that was present in the game of marriage but she also seemed to recognize the
true value of it.

Austen's novels have variously been described as politically conservative and progressive.
Throughout her work there is a tension between the claims of society and the claims of the
individual. Austen is often considered one of the originators of the modern, interiorized novel
character.

Her main object was to express the ignorance of the people, reflecting common criticism of
the 18th century. Austen is able to convey such a complex message using a simple, yet witty,
style. Austen's graceful, economical narrative style was unique for her time. Austen's powers
of subtle discrimination and shrewd perceptiveness is revealed in Pride And Prejudice. Her
work marked the transition in English literature from Neoclassicism to Romanticism.

PLOT

EXPOSITION

The story begins with the arrival of the rich and handsome Mr.Bingley who occupies
Netherfield Park as a tenant in the county of Hertfordshire a little before Michaelmas (29th of
September). The Bennets are his immediate neighbours and Mrs.Bennet whose main
preoccupation in life "was to get her five daughters married" considers him to be a suitable
match for her eldest daughter Jane and does her best to bring Jane and Bingley together.
However, the plot proper begins In Ch.3 in the Meryton Assembly Ball with Darcy the friend
and confidant of Bingley refusing to dance with Elizabeth and insulting her by remarking,
"she is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me."

RISING ACTION

The plot becomes 'complicated' with Jane Austen ironically revealing to the readers and not
to Elizabeth that Darcy much against his wishes has begun to be attracted to Elizabeth when
she visited Jane who had taken ill and was staying at Netherfield Park: "Darcy had never
been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her. He really believed, that were it not for
the inferiority of her connections he should be in some danger." (Ch.10). The plot becomes
further complicated with the arrival of Collins who after failing to get Jane for a wife sets his
eyes on Elizabeth and furthermore with the arrival of Wickham to whom Elizabeth is
immediately attracted to. Thus in the 'rising action' we have Darcy secretly in love with
Elizabeth, and Collins wishing to marry Elizabeth, and Elizabeth herself being attracted to
Wickham the charming young officer from the militia. The most important incident in which
all these matters come to a head is the Netherfield Ball in Ch.18, which takes place on
Tuesday, November 26th.

CLIMAX
So many feels in this climax. The Crisis, of course, is Darcy finally proposes to Elizabeth, in
Ch.34, which takes place at Hunsford in Collins' parish in the county of Kent during the
Easter vacation and her instant and angry rejection, Elizabeth essentially tells him that she
wouldn't marry him if he was the last man on earth. But! That's not the end of the climax!
Darcy gives Elizabeth a letter that exonerates him from all the charges she leveled against
him and Elizabeth's recognition of her foolishness in Ch.36: "till this moment I never knew
myself." This is the climax of the novel because the greatest attitude shifts come here. It's
smoother (not quite smooth) sailing from here on out for our two main characters.

FALLING ACTION

Is the section in which the plot becomes disentangled. Collins gets married to Charlotte and
Elizabeth writes a letter to her aunt Mrs. Gardiner in Ch.26 clearly stating that she was never
in love with Wickham: "There can be no love in all this." Their visit to Pemberley in Ch.43
marks an important turning point in the plot with Elizabeth realising that Darcy is no longer
his usual proud self and by the end of Ch.46, she is definitely in love with Darcy. But
everything is upset by the news of Lydia's elopement:"and never had she so honestly felt that
she could have loved him, as now, when all love must be vain."

RESOLUTION (DENOUMENT)

The plot ends with Darcy proving that his love for Elizabeth is genuine and that he has been
purged of his pride by secretly making a financial arrangement for Wickham who had eloped
with Lydia in order that he marry her. The story ends with Bingley marrying Jane (Ch.55)
and the plot ends with Darcy once again proposing to Elizabeth and she accepting him this
time (Ch.58).

PART 2:

POINT OF VIEW

The point of view of a novel usually decides which characters we sympathize with. In the
novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Elizabeth Bennett is the focal character, which
causes the reader to feel closest to her. The reader can relate more easily to her feelings and
actions, and given that all of Elizabeth’s opinions on large issues are known and understood,
the reader tends to side with her. By making the story from the point of view of Elizabeth,
Austen is able to take advantage of the closeness between reader and character to make a
political statement about the institution of marriage, and thus shows her own feeling that it is
a mistake to marry for any other reason besides love.

SYMBOLS

Jane Austen does not typically use much in the way of symbolism, but there are a couple of
important images in this novel.
ESTATES (PEMBERLEY) – Throughout Pride and Prejudice, Austen pays particular
attention to the manner and style of many of the characters' homes or estates. Elizabeth's
reaction on first seeing Pemberley and her imagining how it would be to live there illustrates
that even her calm, cool sense of detachment is awed by the beauty and size of the estate. In a
way, houses and estates function as the outward signs of their owner's inward character. They
carry an almost spiritual significance. Rosings may be grand, but it does not possess the
tasteful elegance of Pemberley. Elizabeth's elevation from Longbourn to Pemberley marks
not only a rise in her social position, but an advance in her moral growth as well.

Pemberley is grand, but it's also natural. It should, because it's a big, fat symbol for Darcy
himself. He's a "stream of some natural importance" that's been made even better by good
breeding and good education.

Mr. Darcy (Pemberley): large estate (wealthy) but not tasteless; furniture style reflects
personality (not showy) surrounded by nature (forest, stream, etc). “the rooms were lofty and
handsome, and their furniture suitable to the fortune of their proprietor: but Elizabeth saw
with admiration of his taste, that it was neither gaudy nor uselessly fine; with less of
splendour and more real elegance than the furniture of Rosings” (Austen 237)

BALLS – In the early nineteenth century, fancy people living in London during the social
season could go to weekly balls held at a private club called Almack's. What's going on here
is a lot more than dancing with boys, although that's definitely important. The balls are a way
to form, strengthen, and test community bonds. And if there's one thing we want you to know
about Austen, it's that she's all about the community. What makes a good community? How
does news travel? How do people act in communities vs. how they act in private?

You could even say that the Lucases' ball and the Netherfield ball bookend the novel's first
act: the Lucases' ball introduces Darcy and Bingley, setting the plot in motion; and the
Netherfield ball convinces Darcy to book it out of town, setting up all the complications of
the second act. Yep. Pretty important.

LETTERS - In a novel where the spoken word rules the day, and where private thoughts
don't have too much presence on the page, letters are a stand-in for the interior lives of the
characters. Mr. Collins is all "me, me, me," just like he is in real life. But Mr. Darcy's letter is
different. Sure, he talks about himself—but only in relationship to Lizzy. His letter is all
about making connections and trying to communicate. Lizzy doesn't exactly fall in love with
him after this letter, but it doesn't take much longer.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

"Pride and Prejudice" is one of Jane Austen's most popular novels, and it has been adapted
for film many times. The novel focuses on the love interests of the Bennet girls, but the story
is told against the backdrop of Regency era society with its focus on status through class and
wealth. The underlying source of all the conflict in the novel is reflected in its title. The pride
and prejudices of the characters influence their decisions and threaten to derail happy
relationships for some.

Perhaps one of the most entertaining conflicts in the book, the banter between Elizabeth and
Darcy is always fun to read as they playfully (and occasionally, angrily) argue back and forth.
These small conflicts between the two help us see how their intelligence brings them together
and shows us their compatibility, even if it is through small squabbles.

One of Darcy's biggest problems in Pride and Prejudice is overcoming his own emotions and
accepting his love for Elizabeth. As a man of high social standing, his feelings for a middle
class girl are scandalous for his time period, so he is understandably hesitant about allowing
himself to love a girl he views as "beneath" him in life.

Pride and Prejudice revolves around love and marriage in an acquisitive society. While the
Bennets are members of the leisure class, the family fortune is entailed upon a male heir. This
difficulty causes Mrs. Bennet to act frantically to find husbands for her five daughters.
Elizabeth, the heroine, looks toward marriage with her clear sense of self and her ability to
judge others accurately. To unite with a worthy husband, however, she must change her
perceptions and grow in understanding. The novel is presented in three volumes, the sections
mirroring Elizabeth Bennet’s emotional growth through her response to the hero, Fitzwilliam
Darcy.

The story begins with Elizabeth, like the other young women in Meryton community, looking
forward to a party that introduces two eligible bachelors with fortunes. She sees with pleasure
that Charles Bingley is attracted to her older sister Jane. She dismisses the other bachelor, the
aristocrat Darcy, as a proud man who considers himself their social superior. Elizabeth
painfully recognizes the truth of his assessment as she observes her mother and sister Lydia
in unseemly attempts to ensnare any possible suitor. Elizabeth’s sentiments and values are
further revealed when she rejects the offer of Mr. Collins, the pompous, condescending
gentleman on whom their fortune is entailed and is instead attracted to the handsome
Wickham, who beguiles her with his charm and his story of ill-treatment by Darcy. His story
evokes her sensitive feelings and increases her resentment toward Darcy.

Elizabeth is reconnected with Darcy when she visits her friend Charlotte, who, in a spirit of
expediency, accepts Mr. Collins. Their home is the parsonage on the estate of Lady Catherine
de Bough, Darcy’s aunt. After several visits from Darcy, Elizabeth is shocked and angered
when he proposes to her, despite what he calls her low family connections. Elizabeth not only
refuses but also rebukes him for the part that she suspects he has played in separating Jane
and Bingley and for his reprehensible treatment of Wickham. She is later astonished by the
long letter from Darcy explaining how he misjudged Jane’s affection and how he and his
sister were, in fact, misused by the profligate Wickham. Elizabeth recognizes the error of her
judgment.

In the third section, she develops admiration for Darcy, and indeed he too changes. Believing
him to be away, she accidentally encounters him at Pemberly, his beautiful and tasteful estate
that she tours while traveling with her aunt and uncle, the Gardiners. Here, she observes his
gracious manners with her relatives and learns of the esteem that his servants and tenants
have for him. As her regard for Darcy grows, Elizabeth is once again embarrassed by her
family when Wickham and Lydia run off together. Darcy makes use of this incident to exhibit
his care for Elizabeth by quietly paying off Wickham. He further promotes himself in
Elizabeth’s eyes by influencing the renewed connection between Bingley and Jane. With her
feelings for Darcy transformed, Elizabeth now hopes that he will repeat his request, which he
does, and both couples are united. Elizabeth and Darcy, however, have undergone the trials of
love and learned to value each other.