pride and prejudice example essays

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Have you fallen in the trap of compromised ai learning, clark county schools introduce cell phone pouches to enhance learning focus, science.gov review, pride and prejudice themes.

The following review example can serve as a guide for students trying to find inspiration when writing an assignment. 

A true literary page-turner stands the test of time. Jane Austen’s masterpiece – Pride and Prejudice – has touched many readers and left a trace in the heritage of literary works. To these days, theatrical productions, film adaptations, publishing houses, and modern creators such as Booktubers drive inspiration from this iconic novel. 

Not another love story, P&P’s main characters transcend the conventional “arc of love/hate at first sight” development. Instead, a female writer daringly describes vital issues from marriage and social class to feminism, family connections, and rebellion. Needless to say, the Pride and Prejudice themes are still relevant today.

Social Class and Marriage

What is the theme of Pride and Prejudice? People’s connections and relationships. Pride and Prejudice greets the readers in the first chapter with an acute issue of the 19th century – social class. Austen wittily puts on paper how an emotional and irrational mother of 5 daughters – Mrs. Bennet – strives to find them a perfect rich husband. Yet her endeavors are not appreciated highly by the nobility of the high class. Seemingly silly at first glance, Mrs. Bennet is following her own experiences with marriage and hoping for better outcomes for her children.

She is the opposite of her spouse, Mr.Bennet who appears to be level-headed and rational. He listens to the brain, not the heart. An intellectual man as he is depicted with the most ironic vice – laziness of action. But Mr. and Mrs. Bennet do seem to see eye to eye. They both have an interest in Mr. Bingley as a potential husband for one of their daughters. 

Mr. Bingley and his friends, true upper-class citizens, are a “new talk” on a Sunday morning in church. But there is more, not only do they brew the spread of rumors among the townsfolks, Mr. Bingley and his best friend Mr. Darcy become the “on dit” in the Bennet’s household. Both titled gentlemen fall in love with two older daughters but have rather different courtesy style preferences. For instance, Janne’s grace and angelic beauty enchant Mr.Bennet; while Elizabeth’s boldness and straightforwardness blow away Mr. Darcy. From this point on, the author elaborately weaves a narrative that explores themes of manners, upbringing, morality, and marriage in the society of the British Regency.

The love spark gradually evolves between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. Both main characters blindly believe in bearing the difference while they are the same: ambitious, free-spirited, and honest. Lizy and Fitzwilliam do indeed walk the “hate at first sight” trope but only because their weaknesses sometimes outshine their virtues. Snobbish blue-blooded Darcy and stubborn middle-class Elizabeth mold themselves into better versions before saying how deeply they admire each other. To help them shape and grow, Austen filled their lives with other love interests, impeding aunties, trying life events, and past enemies in the faces of Mr. Collins, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and Mr. Wickham.

The author cherishes pure love but always remembers to bring readers to reality by portraying other sides of romance. Take Lydia Bennet, the youngest in the family, who is desperately searching for love and finds it where it is least expected. A pampered child is foolishly enamored by a mysterious soldier with selfish intentions – Mr. Wickham. The love union is doomed to be tragic. Not only does Lydia marry a man of a lower social status but she also elopes, bringing disgrace upon the family. The Bennets heard judgments and faced biased looks before their name was justified by the efforts and connections of Mr.Darcy.

The novel’s edifying conclusion is that the love story between Darcy and Elizabeth perfectly portrays that true love is capable of withstanding any life obstacles. Most significantly, pure feelings are an excellent nudge to self-improvement. Jane Austen skillfully embedded the moral of romance and partnership in the title of her Regency novel. After all, Lizy learned how to fight prejudice and Fitzwilliam learned not to be stuck up.     

Women’s role in society 

The never-ending battle for equality seems like something we face daily living in the 21st century. But for the folks of yesteryear – the Victoria Age – Austen’s bold pro-feminist vision was something fresh, forbidden, but very needed. 

All the author’s female characters are unique and multifaceted. P&P’s women are perfect proof of these words. All five Bennet sisters are so entirely different that only their surname will give strangers the idea of a family bond. From the youngest to the oldest, the author gifts her ladies with mere mortal virtues and vices: kindness and judgment, playfulness and childishness, level-headedness and irrationality, a thirst for love, and a pursuit of rational affection. 

The main protagonist – Elizabeth Bennet – carries a lot of character development on her shoulders. She is the modern definition of beauty and brains. Being a bright and good-looking lady, Lizy knows her worth and claims to never get intoxicated by the social status of her future spouse. On the other hand, she promises to build an emotional bond with her beloved one. 

A contrasting figure to Elizabeth is her best friend Charlotte Lucas. Wise and pragmatic Lotty does not follow her heart. Instead, she makes pragmatic life choices and settles with a man whom she finds secure and safe. These two females are a perfect example of multi-layered characters who were ahead of their time with their courageous thoughts, actions, and views. 

Austen gives readers a powerful female from the company of upper-class individuals – Lady Cathrine de Bourgh. This overly orthodox woman is shown to use her name and status to patronage everyone around her and tell people what is the right choice for them. She carries herself with confidence and makes everything considers herself the beacon of societal norms and decorum. However, the author lets the readers look past her social status and exterior when Elizabeth confronts her. By colliding two worlds, Austen meant to show how little social rank can mean when compared to a person’s worth and ability to protect personal boundaries. 

Family bonds are recognized in Pride and Prejudice. Not because family plays a grand role in people’s lives but because it influences them too. Dynamics and relationships with the loved ones impact everyone in the novel. 

For instance, Jane and Elizabeth are a textbook case of sisterhood. They are always there for each other: in sorrow and happiness, and in the most challenging life events. When Jane’s relationship with Mr.Bingley gives a first crack, and when Elizabeth experiences mixed signals from Mr. Darcy, or even when Lydia carelessly runs off – the sisters support each other’s backs. 

But if older sisters seem to know a lot about caring relationships, younger ones have different upbringing patterns. Mary, Kitty, and Lydia are three younger sisters who do not seem to bear the resemblance to Jane and Lizy. Mary is introverted and bookish, while Kitty and Lydia are childish and easily influenced by gossip, people’s opinions, and the latest fads. 

Mrs. and Mr. Bennet have their favorites and dedicate all their attention either to Lydia or Elizabeth. The youngest is loved by their mother because Mrs. Betten sees herself in Lydia. And Mr. Bennet admires how intelligent and logical Lizy is about everything.

While Jane’s big heart is full of love for everyone else, Kitty and Mary are left out of family and social events. It is clearly shown in the narration when girls are looking for support from their parents, they do not receive enough attention. 

However, readers do not receive much information about Darcy’s family, apart from the fact that he has an overly controlling aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and a younger sister named Georgiana.

Pride and Prejudice

The main theme of Pride and Prejudice lies in the title. However, as Jane Austen intended, pride and prejudice are intricate parts of the characters’ lives that come with significant costs. 

Characters like Caroline Bingley, Mr. Bingley’s sister, and Lady Catherine de Bourge exemplify pride turned to arrogance due to their wealth and social standing, making them believe they are inherently superior. Their vanity is evident in their obsession with preserving their social image. 

Mr. Darcy, distinct from the others, carries a pride that is more personal and less concerned with external appearances. Initially, his high regard for social rank hinders his interactions and causes him to lose Elizabeth’s favor. Only when Fitzwilliam starts to soften his pride with empathy and understanding does he become a better person and a suitable partner for Lizy.

Prejudice in the novel refers to the characters’ tendencies to make quick and firm judgments. Elizabeth Bennet believes she’s skilled at reading character but her quick judgments often blind her to the truth. Her initial prejudice against Darcy, sparked by his snub and fueled by Wickham’s deceit, nearly costs her a chance at love. The novel suggests that while some level of prejudice or judgment is natural and can be practical, it becomes harmful when it is unreasonable and unchecked. Jane’s inability to see through the Bingley sisters’ deception almost ruins her chances with Mr. Bingley. Essentially, Pride and Prejudice reflects on the balance needed in our judgments and self-esteem. Too much pride or unbridled prejudice can lead to missed opportunities and joy.

Final Thoughts

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice addresses themes such as the intricacies of social class, marriage prospects, romantic evolution, women’s societal roles, and family ties, while illustrating the personal consequences of pride and prejudice in the quest for self-improvement and true love.

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About the Book

Themes and Analysis

Pride and prejudice, by jane austen.

A literary work, such as 'Pride and Prejudice', can be interpreted in multiple ways depending on the mood, prior knowledge, level of understanding, and perspective of the reader.

Written by Mizpah Albert

M.A. in English Literature and a Ph.D. in English Language Teaching.

The analysis here is an example, covering major elements of theme, setting, style, tone, and figurative language. 

Pride and Prejudice Themes

Themes are commonly the central ideas of any piece of literature. They are developed in various ways and characters. Written from the perspective of Elizabeth, the novel explores a number of themes , such as love, marriage, pride, prejudice, class, reputation, and many others.

As the title of the novel suggests, both pride and prejudice play a vital role in the novel. Pride is pronounced through the character of Darcy and prejudice is highlighted through Elizabeth. Darcy acts snobbishly during his first meeting with Elizabeth that eventually makes her hate him. His pride blinds him to the good qualities of Elizabeth, and her prejudice blinds her to see through his outward nature. It takes time for them to realize and evolve out of their pride and prejudice. Besides, Elizabeth, Darcy too out of his pride is exposed to prejudice over the people below his social class and economical status.

Other characters who exhibit pride in the novel are Catherine De Bough and Miss Catherine Bingley.

Love and Marriage

In Pride and Prejudice , Love and Marriage go hand in hand. Especially, it specifies the love and marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth , who strongly believes in marrying for love than anything. As the opening line of the novel suggests, It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife marriage was the major concern of Austen time. That is what would have inspired her to focus on love and marriage in Pride and Prejudice and in her other novels too.

True love, the leads to the happy union of the characters despite all adversity is portrayed through the couples, Darcy and Elizabeth, and Jane and Charles Bingley.  At the same time, the novel also exposes the marriages that happened solely for the purpose of independence, reputation, and financial security, as in the case of Charlotte Lucas and Lydia Bennet. 

Class plays unmistakably a significant role in the novel. The novel draws a clear line between the rich and poor. The theme is employed to foster Austen’s distaste over the society in general.

She makes it clear that people like Lady Catherine, due to their pride in social class act rudely, even in their regular conversation, and forever guilty of mistreating other people. The characters like Mr. Collins and Caroline are defined completely by the dictations of the class system. In contrast to them, Jane Austen produces more positive examples in Bingley and the Gardiners. Through Darcy’s character, she has enumerated class as a force that drives people to have virtue and decency, comparing the situation to the careless behavior of Mrs. Bennet and her daughters.

Darcy is presented as an epitome of an ideal high-class gentleman. Though, he seems to be arrogant and selfish in the beginning, over a period of time, his prejudiced opinion on the lower class changes, when he is exposed to the ideal qualities of Elizabeth. Austen strongly conveys her ideology that class does not determine one’s character, at the same time through love one can overcome all obstacles, including class.

Some of the other themes, one finds in Pride and Prejudice include integrity, family, reputation, etc.

Analysis of Key Moments in Pride and Prejudice

• Bingley arrives at Netherfield along with his sisters and Darcy.
• Darcy insults Elizabeth at the Meryton Ball while Bingley is attracted to Jane
• For the first time in the party arranged by Sir William Lucas, Darcy makes a positive observation on Elizabeth’s fine eyes, after Elizabeth turns down his request for a dance.
• When Jane is sick, Elizabeth arrives at Netherfield to take care of her sister. Positively, Darcy gets to see more of her, which he finds as a danger.
• Collins arrives at Longbourn to choose a wife for him amongst the Bennet sisters. But, he ends up marrying Charlotte Lucas.
• Meanwhile, Elizabeth gets acquainted with Wickham, who tells her the story of him being treated arrogantly.
• Bingley leaves Netherfield uninformed. Desolated Jane goes with the Gardiners to London with the hope of meeting Bingley only to be disappointed.  
• Elizabeth comes to know of Darcy’s involvement in the separation between Jane and Bingley. She vents out her anger and accuses him of spoiling the life of Wickham and her dear sister’s happiness.
• Despondent, Darcy explains the reasons for his actions in a letter to Elizabeth, which softens her feelings towards Darcy but he leaves Rosings to know her reversal of feelings.
• During her visit to the Gardiners, Elizabeth meets Darcy in his Pemberley estate, but her happiness short-lived when she receives a message about Lydia’s elopement with Wickham.
• Elizabeth comes to know of Darcy’s painstaking effort in saving Lydia’s reputation in marriage with Wickham.
• Soon, Bingley proposes to Jane and engaged.
• Infuriated by Elizabeth, Lady Catherine warns Darcy, who regaining hopes proposes to Elizabeth again, who accepts happily.

Style, Tone, and Figurative Language

Pride and Prejudice, on the whole, employed with irony and wit. Austen through the speeches of various characters employed irony that draws a clear line between what is being said and what the readers interpret about the reality of the situation. For example, when Mr. Collins confidently tells Elizabeth that “I am therefore by no means discouraged by what you have just said and shall hope to lead you to the altar ere long,” the reader knows about Elizabeth’s feelings that are direct opposite what he expects.

The tone of Pride and Prejudice , despite it being romance is ironic towards various characters and events in the novel. The ironical is employed to demonstrate the foolishness of characters, the attitude of pretensions social class, and the criticism on gender roles.

Austen exaggerated situations and phrases, also used comparisons to satirize some of the ridiculous courting rituals of her time. Jane Austen’s use of irony, which is common in her novel is highlighted in the novel. She has employed all forms of irony namely: verbal, thematic, situational, and dramatic.

Use of Symbols

One of the prominent symbols in Pride and Prejudice is dancing. An Austen detail on a couple’s compatibility through dancing that symbolizes the level of their relationship. When Elizabeth and Darcy dance together the first time, their steps are stilted and formal, similar to the indifference and formality they had in their relationship at that point. Likewise, when Elizabeth and  Mr. Collins danced, he missteps, grovels, and embarrasses in front of her friends and family, similar to the awkward situation of him proposing to be rejected by Elizabeth. At the same time, Jane and Bingley 4times on a single night, reveals how happy and comfortable they were together.

‘Outdoors’ in the novel has come to symbolize openness and understanding. Many knots in the story are loosened in the outdoor settings in the story. Darcy proposes both the times when they were in the outdoor settings. In contrast, Indoor meetings have often caused to multiply their misunderstanding. Evidently, they were forced into awkward situations during their meeting at Netherfield, in Kent, and at Pemberley.

‘Pemberley’ stands to symbolize the nature of Darcy in the novel. In the beginning, when Pemberley’s pride is mentioned we see Darcy as a man of arrogance and Pride. Later, when Elizabeth visits Pemberley, she sees that as neither “formal, nor falsely adorned” . Following that description, we see the improved Darcy, who is more sociable and friendly. The lack of pretension, refined taste, and gracious welcome, Elizabeth and the Gardiners experienced at Pemberley, is a symbol of refinement in the man. One could see the positive change comes over Elizabeth that makes her fall in love with Darcy as she sees his true character revealed through his home.

About Mizpah Albert

Mizpah Albert is an experienced educator and literature analyst. Building on years of teaching experience in India, she has contributed to the literary world with published analysis articles and evocative poems.

Cite This Page

Albert, Mizpah " Pride and Prejudice Themes and Analysis 📖 " Book Analysis , https://bookanalysis.com/jane-austen/pride-and-prejudice/analysis/ . Accessed 27 March 2024.

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Essays on Pride and Prejudice

Pride and prejudice- women and male role from pride and prejudice to today, pride and prejudice: issues inherent in the title, pride and prejudice: social issues in a novel, pride and prejudice: revealing of social realities, pride and prejudice: analysis of darcy.

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Pride And Prejudice: The Issues Raised In A Novel

Pride and prejudice: the theme of marriage, pride and prejudice and feminism, romanticism in herman melville’s moby dick and jane austen’s pride and prejudice, ideas in works of literature: pride and prejudice and oliver twist, top similar topics.

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Pride and Prejudice

Introduction pride and prejudice.

The universally acclaimed tour de force of Jane Austen , Pride and Prejudice, a novel of manners, is also called a model of the Romantic Movement in literature. It was written and published around 1813 during the classical Regency Period. The storyline revolves around the Bennet family whose mother’s only desire is to see her daughters married to well-off and handsome young men to secure their inheritance. However, the main character , Elizabeth Bennet, shows her evolution from a rash, hasty girl to an appreciably understanding lady, who accepts her mistakes and agrees to Darcy’s proposal by the end.

Summary Pride and Prejudice

A wealthy young man, Charles Bingley, rents a manor in the proximity of Longbourn, a village, where the Bennet family resides. Having five daughters ready to be married, Mrs. Bennet sees Mr. Bingley a likely match for any one of her five daughters. She, therefore, persuades Mr. Bennet to pay him a courtesy visit following which all join a ball at Mr. Bingley’s manor, Netherfield Park. Jane, the second Miss Bennet, succeeds in attracting Mr. Bingley, toward her during the dance, and they both spend much time together. However, it happens that Mr. Darcy, too, joins them, though he is not much pleased with this party where Elizabeth is also present. Both of them show their displeasure, as Mr. Darcy does not join her in dance, a sign of arrogance considered in those social circles.

In the later weeks, when Mr. Bingley is already enjoying his friendship with Jane while Mr. Darcy hopes to see Elizabeth. One day when Jane is caught in the rainstorm and falls ill on her way to Netherfield Park, Elizabeth visits the mansion to take care of her and gets her dress muddied on the way to the mansion. Miss Bingley does not like her appearance and insults her. Mr. Darcy defends her and it angers Miss Bingley and this incident also adds jealousy toward Elizabeth.

Both of the sisters return after Jane recovers. Mr. Collins, their cousin, visits them. Mr. Collins is likely to become the heir of Bennet’s property, as he is the only male member of the family. He instantly falls in love with the Bennet girls and their manners. Soon, he starts courting Elizabeth only to face rejection.

Meanwhile, soldiers stationed near Longbourn keep the Bennet girls busy, where Wickham, a dashing soldier, turns to Elizabeth and tries to win her attention. He berates Darcy alleging that he has tried to cheat him of inherited property. When winter starts, the Bingleys, along with Darcy, return to London which disappoints Jane. Around this time, Collins also gets engaged with Charlotte Lucas, the daughter of a knight. When they get married, Elizabeth promises to visit them. Winter passes without any stir in the emotions of the Bennet sisters due to the long absence of Darcy and Bingley.

When spring arrives, Elizabeth goes to see Charlotte, Mr. Collins’ wife, residing near Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine. Darcy also visits his aunt and meets Elizabeth. He starts visiting her at the Collins’ and proposes to her which invites immediate rejection from her with some words for his arrogant behavior. However, instead of retreating, he leaves a letter for her about Jane and Bingley, and his reasons for distancing from Jane. He also informs her that Wickham, the soldier, is a habitual liar and has been trying to elope with Georgiana, Elizabeth’s younger sister. However, Mr. Darcy from whom Wickham has sought assistance has refused to assist him. This letter reveals the good nature of Darcy to Elizabeth after which she shows cold-shouldering to Wickham. Also, Lydia still seeks permission to stay at Brighton. Elizabeth gets acquainted with the Gardiners, where she, unknowingly, stumbles upon the Pemberley, the estate of Mr. Darcy. She visits and finds him generous in every way. When Mr. Darcy arrives, he serves her well without mentioning her rejection.

During Elizabeth’s stay at the estate, she comes to know that Lydia eloped with Wickham. She hurries home, while Gardiner goes to find the couple. They convince Wickham to marry Lydia at which the Bennets readily agree. They realize that they owe Gardiner as might have paid Wickham to marry Lydia. However, the source of that money remains unknown at this time.

After their marriage, though, Lydia and Wickham come to Longbourn to meet the family, they are not happily welcomed home. Disappointed, the couple leaves. Bingley, afterward, reappears and starts flirting with Jane, while Darcy is there with him to visit the Bennets. Though, he does not mention his wish for Elizabeth. So, Bingley proposes and wins Jane’s hand. Darcy seeks assistance from his aunt, Lady Catherine, who broaches the topic of his marriage with the announcement, asking Katherine to refuse. Elizabeth finally agrees to go out on a date with Mr. Darcy. Three daughters are happily married by the end of the novel.

Major Themes in Pride and Prejudice

• Pride: The novel shows the thematic strand of pride through the characters of Darcy and Elizabeth. They both demonstrate pride toward each other and both think that the other one is snobbish and haughty. However, Mr. Darcy soon learns that Elizabeth is just cautious and responsible. While Elizabeth learns that Mr. Darcy is just an isolated man, but full of kindness and love for others. However, Lady Catherine, by the end, plays a strange game by asking Elizabeth not to accept the marriage proposal of Mr. Darcy to which she refuses to promise. She finally accepts his proposal on her claim that she has the right to be happy.
• Prejudice: This is the second thematic strand is also in the title of the novel. The prejudice lies in the character of Elizabeth that she does not consider Mr. Darcy good enough to dance with him. Both are prejudiced toward each other, as Mr. Darcy, too, shows scorn for those who is not in his personal social circle. However, when Elizabeth enters his social circle, he immediately proposes to her again and marries her.
• Family: Having a complete family is the third major theme as the Bennets are waiting for young men to marry their five young daughters. That is why when Mr. Bingley arrives in Longbourn, Mrs. Bennet immediately asks her husband to visit him. Similarly, Jane and Elizabeth find their matches in Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy in their desires to complete their families through marriages.
• Women: Although there are several towering male characters like Mr. Darcy and Charles Bingley, yet Pride and Prejudice is the novel of women. Women play a central role throughout the story . It also comprises so many marriages. Hence, it has been rightly termed as the novel of manners. Mrs. Bennet is a towering character with her daughter Elizabeth along with Lady Katherine, Darcy’s aunt. Although all men seem to play their role, except Mr. Darcy, all others seem to be going on the way the women choose for them. Mr. Bennet does what Mrs. Bennet asks him to do. Wickham becomes what Lydia wants him; her husband after Mr. Darcy purchases her marriage from him.
• Class: Although the novel supports a no-class system, it emphasizes that the marriages should be based on convenience and status that points to class consciousness. Darcy is clearly conscious of his class. So, when Elizabeth rejects his proposal after he does not dance with her, it becomes a point of the class system. However, when the same Elizabeth visits his estate and comes to know him, she immediately changes her opinion and softens her feelings towards Mr. Darcy. At the end of the story, it does raise her status. Also, Bennet’s sisters flirt with Collins, as he does not belong to their class.
• Marriage: The theme of marriage comes to the readers through the Bennet family, especially plotted by their mother, Mrs. Bennet. She is fully obsessed with the idea of marrying her daughters to any young man who comes their way to secure their inheritance. When Mr. Bingley arrives, she immediately springs up from her stupor to torture her husband, Mr. Bennet to visit her. She even tries to keep Collins for any one of them, but they do not pay heed to her suggestions. Therefore, the first line of the novel presents this major theme.
• Individual and Society: The novel also presents the theme of an individual and his place in society such as Mr. Darcy, who encourages Wickham to marry Lydia, instead of keeping her unmarried with him. Had it not happened, Wickham would have caused embarrassment to the Bennet family. Also, it shows that no individual could find respect and honor in society, for Wickham would have caused damage to himself, too.
• Virtue : The theme of virtue in, Pride and Prejudice, is clear from the character of Elizabeth, who keeps her vanity in front of her, instead of giving priority to her happiness. This becomes her virtue that wins the heart of Mr. Darcy, while Lydia’s act causes damage to her reputation, which becomes Lydia’s vice.

Major Characters in Pride and Prejudice

• Elizabeth: Elizabeth is the protagonist , the most loving character of the novel. She is her father’s pet as well as a center of admiration for Mr. Darcy. She is misunderstood at first. Elizabeth is also called Eliza or Lizzy in her familial circle. As the second daughter of the Bennet family, she wins Mr. Darcy by the end with her quick thinking, despite the initial hiccups in forming relations with the same person. She demonstrates a balanced personality and removes her prejudicial behavior.
• Darcy: Though, Fitzwilliam Darcy called, Mr. Darcy appears haughty and socially shunning he proves equal to Elizabeth in thoughts as well as likes. A person of demanding taste, he shows kindness, manners, and wins the respect of others on account of his rational approach to life despite his initial arrogance toward Elizabeth. However, later he proves that he is a man to be trusted when he helps The Bennets to settle Lydia’s elopement affair. He falls in love with Elizabeth and proposes at the end of the story.
• Jane Bennet: The eldest of Bennet girls, Jane, later, marries Mr. Bingley. However, despite her beauty and fairness, Mr. Darcy prefers Elizabeth to her in the beginning. While Bingley instantly falls for Jane. She is a conventional lady who has faith in her sister Elizabeth, whom she tells about Mr. Bingley. Jane has set an example of marrying in the traditional atmosphere .
• Bingley: The significance of Charles Bingley’s character in the course of the novel lies in that the very first sentence of the novel pays tribute to his wealth and requirement for a wife, which prompts Mrs. Bennet to send her husband for socialization with him. He, seeing beauty in Jane, instantly goes for her, instead of the other clever ones. He also loves Caroline and Louisa, his two sisters, and has a kind heart. Following his marriage, he moves near the Pemberley to stay close to Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth.
• Wickham: George Wickham is a charming soldier and close to Mr. Darcy. He is the most undesirable character in the story due to actions such as beguiling Lydia and lying about Darcy. Elizabeth might have been his intended victim, but her wit saves her from his cheating nature. He then lures Lydia, mired in gambling and bad habits. Wickham has been Darcy’s close relative, the reason that his father has bequeathed some property for him. When he elopes with Lydia, Mr. Darcy intervenes to save his skin and gets them married.
• Bennet: She is a very tiring but inquisitive character. Mrs. Bennet proves a bee in the bonnet for Mr. Bennet whenever she sees any prospect of a coming young man marrying any of her young daughters. It happens in the case of Mr. Bingley when she comes to know that he has not married despite having a good fortune. However, she is deficient in both; the mundane sagacity as well as human relations. She becomes fully satisfied at the end of the novel when she sees all her girls marrying and settling happily.
• Bennet: Mr. Bennet is the head of the Bennet family, and also a legal hand working in the court with a mind full of worldly wisdom. At home, his favorite daughter is Elizabeth to whom he calls Lizzy. Sadly, his relations with his wife are always sour. He is often found cutting jokes at Mrs. Bennet’s bad temper. He suffers and feels insulted at Lydia’s affair from which Mr. Darcy saves him.
• Lydia Bennet: Despite her beauty and closeness to Elizabeth, Lydia proves her stupidity by falling into the trap of Mr. Wickham. She elopes with Wickham without realizing the consequences. However, Mr. Darcy, sensing danger, reaches to assist her in marrying Wickham.
• Catherine Bennett: Kitty or Katherine is the second last Bennet sisters, who despite being young, do not marry and continues with her life like before, which shows her shrewdness for brightening her prospects after getting her sisters married.
• Mary Bennet: She is the most educated or seemingly educated but serious character of the novel. She mostly stays away from others immersed in her books. She also has a very keen interest in human relations and understands more than others.

Writing Style Pride and Prejudice ‎

Jane Austen has shown her amazing linguistic skills through this novel by using simple and straightforward language. This style is meant to hook her readers from any language background and take them on a tour of a family, 18th-century lifestyle, and human relations. However, the specialty of this simple language lies in its iron andy wit. The narrator , the third person omniscient , often says something that means entirely something else. For instance, Mr. Bennet’s comments against his wife, creating an amusing situation. Otherwise, the story goes straightforward without much of twists and turns. The style also stays uncomplicated throughout the novel except in some cases where educated characters talk seriously about issues such as Lydia’s behavior and Wickham’s actions.

Analysis of Literary Devices in Pride and Prejudice

• Action: The main action of the novel comprises the marriage and choices of the Bennet girls. The rising action occurs when Mr. Darcy refuses to dance with Elizabeth, and she rejects his proposal. However, the falling action occurs when Mr. Darcy comes to help the Bennets in the case of Lydia’s elopement, and finally, Elizabeth agrees to Mr. Darcy’s proposal by the end.
• Adage : It means the use of a statement that becomes a universal truth. The novel, Pride and Prejudice, shows this use of the statement in the very first sentence; “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” (Chapter-1)
• Allegory : Pride and Prejudice shows the use of allegory in the initial line which discloses that the characters are going to represent abstract ideas such as Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth both represent abstract feelings of pride and prejudice.
• Antagonist : Although it seems that Mr. Darcy is the main antagonist of Pride and Prejudice in the opening chapters, it is Mr. Wickham who becomes the antagonist later when he causes embarrassment to the Bennet family and Mr. Darcy redeems himself from this initial impression by helping the Bennet settle the elopement affair of Lydia and Wickham.
• Allusion : There are various examples of allusions given in the novel, Pride and Prejudice. The first allusion is a statement of Mr. Darcy that occurs in the 9 th chapter that “I have been used to consider poetry as the food of love”. Here the final part “food of love” alludes to Twelfth Night by Shakespeare. There are several other Biblical allusions such as of “St. James” (Chapter-5), referring to Sir William Lucas.  The second biblical allusion is of “an angel of light” (Chapter-6), which refers to Meryton.
• Conflict : The are two major conflicts in the novel, Pride and Prejudice. The first one is the external conflict that starts between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham and another between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. Mr. Darcy, however, possesses the capability to resolve both with the help of Elizabeth, who is also thankful to him. Another conflict is in the mind of both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, which is resolved at the end of the novel.
• Characters: Pride and Prejudice presents both static as well as dynamic characters . The young man, Mr. Darcy, and his would-be wife are two dynamic characters. However, the rest of the characters do not show any significant change in their roles, the reason that Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet, including the Bingleys and Lady Katherine, are all static characters .
• Climax : The climatic takes place when Mr. Darcy suggests Elizabeth to marry him, but she refuses. This climax slowly starts resolving and comes to an end when she finally accepts his proposal.
• Foreshadowing : The first example of foreshadowing in the novel occurs when Elizabeth knowingly reaches the Pemberley. It shows that she is going to pacify or impress Mr. Darcy, in the first chapter of the third volume of the novel. Even before this, the novel’s title of two abstract feelings shows that there will be something about their relationship and feelings, as shown by Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. However, the question of Mrs. Bennet about Mr. Bingley’s married or single life is also a type for foreshadowing.
• Hyperbole : Hyperbole or exaggeration occurs when Jane Austen opens the book; “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” (Chapter-1). Although it has become an adage , still it is an exaggeration, for several young men may not be in want of a wife. The second hyperbole occurs when Mr. Darcy states that “I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library” (Chapter-11). However, it is an exaggeration of the reading taste of Elizabeth.
• Imagery : Imagery means to use of the five senses such as in the below examples: i. At length the Parsonage was discernible. The garden sloping to the road, the house standing in it, the green pales, and the laurel hedge, everything declared they were arriving. (Chapter-28) ii. The park was very large, and contained great variety of ground. They entered it in one of its lowest points, and drove for some time through a beautiful wood stretching over a wide extent. (Chapter-43) iii. It was a large, handsome stone building, standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills; and in front, a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance. Its banks were neither formal nor falsely adorned. (Chapter-43) The first example shows images of color, the second one of nature, and the third one shows the images of the building as the description shows the use of the senses of sight, smell, and touch in these three examples.
• Metaphor : Pride and Prejudice shows good use of various metaphors such as the extended metaphors of proud love compared to Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth’s match, dance as compared to the cognitive understanding of the body, and idiocy with acts such as of Lydia and Wickham. Some other metaphors are: i. You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. (Chapter-1) ii. “Oh, she is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld.” (Chapter-3) iii. Do not consider me now as an elegant female, intending to plague you, but as a rational creature, speaking the truth from her heart. (Chapter-19)
• Mood : The novel, Pride and Prejudice, shows a satirical mood . However, it also allows characters to be sarcastic and ironic at times to seem biting to some. It, however, becomes tense during the Lydia-Wickham affair but becomes again light-hearted and happy in tone when Mr. Darcy helps the Bennet to settle that affair. It, then, ends on a happy note.
• Motif : The most important motifs of the novel, Pride and Prejudice, are courtships, journeys, dances, and marriages.
• Narrator : The novel, Pride and Prejudice, has been narrated by a third-person narrator. It is also called an omniscient narrator who happens to be the author himself as he can see things from all perspectives . Here Jane Austen is the narrator.
• Personification : Personification means to attribute human acts and emotions to non-living objects such as: i. ‘His pride,’ said Miss Lucas, ‘does not offend ME so much as pride often does, because there is an excuse for it. (Chapter-5) ii. Her heart was divided between concern for her sister, and resentment against all others. (Chapter-24) Both of these examples show pride and heart personified.
• Protagonist : Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist of the novel. She comes in the novel from the very start and captures the interest of the readers until the last page.
• Paradox : Pride and Prejudice shows the use of paradox in its title in that it is a regency paradox of feeling pride and then showing prejudice.
• Rhetorical Questions : The novel shows good use of rhetorical questions at several places such as: i. ‘I cannot believe it. Why should they try to influence him? Elizabeth to Jane (Chapter-24) ii. When is your turn to come? You will hardly bear to be long outdone by Jane. Mr. Bennet to Mrs. Bennet (Chapter-24) iii. ‘Good Heaven! what is to become of us? What are we to do?’ would they often exclaiming the bitterness of woe. ‘How can you be smiling so, Lizzy? (Mrs. Bennet to Elizabeth) (Chapter-41) This example shows the use of rhetorical questions posed by different characters such as first by Elizabeth to Jane, then Mr. Bennet to Mrs. Bennet, and third by Mrs. Bennet to Elizabeth.
• Theme : A theme is a central idea that the novelist or the writer wants to stress upon. The novel, Pride and Prejudice, not only shows the titular thematic strands of pride and prejudice, but also life in general and marriage in particular with communication, conventions, relationships, and status or class as other thematic strands.
• Setting : The setting of the novel, Pride and Prejudice, is the urban and rural areas of the United Kingdom of the 18 th century and places such as Longbourn, Rosings, Pemberley, and Netherfield Park.
• Simile : The novel shows good use of various similes such as: i. …’they are all silly and ignorant like other girls. (Chapter-1) ii. There is nothing like dancing after all, (Chapter-6) iii. Yes, ma’am, that he was indeed; and his son will be just like him—just as affable to the poor. (Chapter-43) The first simile compares the girls to other girls, the second, no-skill to dance, and the third the son to his father.
• Irony : The novel shows irony not only of the situation but also in the language such as: i. It is truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. (Chapter-1) ii. ‘My dear, you flatter me. I certainly HAVE had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be anything extraordinary now. When a woman has five grown-up daughters, she ought to give over thinking of her own beauty.’ ‘In such cases, a woman has not often much beauty to think of. (Chapter-1) iii. ‘And we mean to treat you all,’ added Lydia, ‘but you must lend us the money, for we have just spent ours at the shop out there.’ Ten, showing her purchases—’Look here. (Chapter-19) The first example shows the irony of language as well as the situation, while the second shows Mr. Bennet using irony against his wife and third Lydia against others.

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A Summary and Analysis of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Pride and Prejudice , published in 1813, is Jane Austen’s best-known and probably most widely studied novel. But what does the novel mean? What is it really all about? And where did that title, Pride and Prejudice , come from?

Before we attempt to answer some of these questions, it might be worth recapping the plot of Austen’s novel. So, before our analysis of Pride and Prejudice , here’s a brief plot summary.

Pride and Prejudice : plot summary

A wealthy man named Mr Bingley moves to the area, and Mrs Bennet – mother of five daughters – tells her husband to call on the eligible young bachelor. A match between Bingley and the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane, is soon in the works – but a match between another rich bachelor, Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, and the second-eldest Bennet daughter, Elizabeth, looks less likely.

This is because Mr Darcy’s pride – his haughty attitude towards Elizabeth Bennet and her family – sour her view towards him, while Elizabeth’s prejudice towards Mr Darcy is also a stumbling-block. After he acts in an arrogant and disdainful way towards her at a ball, she learns from a young soldier, Mr George Wickham, that Darcy apparently mistreated him.

Wickham is the son of a man who used to be Darcy’s steward or servant, and Darcy acted unkindly towards the young George. Darcy’s and Bingley’s sisters conspire to drive a wedge between Mr Bingley and Jane Bennet because they believe Bingley can find a wife from a better social station than the Bennets.

Meanwhile, Darcy also has an arrogant aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who acts as patroness to a clergyman named Mr Collins, who in turn flatters her with disgusting servility. (Mr Collins is also Mr Bennet’s nephew: since Mr and Mrs Bennet have no sons, Mr Bennet’s estate is due to pass to Mr Collins when Mr Bennet dies.)

Mr Collins is encouraged to ask one of the Bennet sisters for her hand in marriage, and he decides upon Elizabeth. She, however, turns him down, and he marries Charlotte Lucas instead.

The happy couple get together, and Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, but it’s clear he still views her and her family with some contempt because he is of a higher social status than they are. She responds by citing George Wickham’s accusations against him; she also thinks he played a part in breaking up the match between her sister, Jane, and Bingley.

However, in a later letter to her, Darcy reveals that Wickham cannot be trusted: he is a womaniser and a liar. Elizabeth visits Darcy’s home, Pemberley, while visiting the north of England with her aunt and uncle. Darcy welcomes them and introduces them to his sister.

Darcy’s words about Wickham are proved true, as the soldier elopes with Lydia, the youngest of the five Bennet sisters. Darcy tracks the two lovebirds down and persuades them to marry so Lydia is made an honest woman of. Bingley and Jane finally get engaged, and Darcy and Elizabeth overcome their ‘pride and prejudice’ and become a couple.

Pride and Prejudice : analysis

In his vast study of plot structures, The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories , Christopher Booker suggests that Pride and Prejudice is more straightforwardly in the ‘comedy’ genre than it may first appear to be. He points out that much of the novel turns on misunderstandings, characters misreading others’ intentions or others’ personalities, and people generally getting things wrong: the Bennets think Mr Wickham is the wronged one and Darcy the villain, but it turns out that they have this the wrong way around.

So what used to be more explicit in, say, stage comedies of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries – indeed, going right back to Shakespeare – is made more subtle and internalised in Austen’s novel, and rather than having her characters literally confuse one person with another (because of some absurd coincidence, wearing similar clothing, and so on), her characters find they have misread a person’s motive or misjudged their honesty, as with Mr Wickham.

This is why the title of the novel is so important: Darcy and Elizabeth’s union at the end of the novel strikes us as true because they have had to overcome their own personal flaws, which prevent a union between them, but having done so they have an honest and realistic appraisal of each other’s personality. They have, if you like, ‘seen’ each other.

We might contrast this with the various illusions and misapprehensions in the novel, or the other motivations driving people together (Mr Collins trying to woo Elizabeth simply because she’s the next Bennet sister in the list).

Is  Pride and Prejudice  a late Augustan work or a novel belonging to Romanticism? Romanticism was largely a reaction against Augustan values: order, rationalism, and the intellect were tempered if not wholly replaced by the Romantic values of freedom, emotion, and individualism.

But whether we should regard  Pride and Prejudice  as Augustan or Romantic is a question that divides critics. Terry Eagleton, in The English Novel: An Introduction , points out that Austen was not somebody who trusted wholly in the supremacy of reason, not least because her beliefs – what Eagleton calls her Tory Christian pessimism, which made her alert to the flawed nature of all human beings – would not allow her to be so. Austen is aware that human beings are imperfect and, at times, irrational.

And in this connection, it is worth pondering what Andrew H. Wright observes in Jane Austen’s Novels, a Study in Structure : that the reason Elizabeth Bennet, rather than Jane, is the real heroine of  Pride and Prejudice  is that Jane is not flawed enough. She is too perfect: something that would make her the ideal heroine for most novels, but the very reason she cannot be the protagonist of a Jane Austen novel.

Austen is too interested in the intricate and complex mixture of good and bad, as Wright points out: Austen likes the explore the flaws and foibles of her characters. Elizabeth, in being taken in by Wickham and his lies and in misjudging (or at least partly misjudging) Darcy, is flawed because both her pride  and  prejudice need tempering with a more nuanced understanding of the man she will marry.

The opening line of Pride and Prejudice is arguably the most famous opening line of any novel: ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.’ But what is less widely known is that the tone of this opening line is clearly ironic.

Far from being Austen the detached, impartial narrator, this is actually Austen ventriloquising her characters’ thoughts – specifically, those of Mrs Bennet, whose views in the novel are often derided by Austen’s narrator – using a narrative technique which Austen did so much to pioneer.

This technique is known as free indirect speech , and it is what makes Austen’s prose so full of wit and surprise, so we always have to keep an ear out for her narrators’ arch commentary on the characters and situations being described. (The clue in this opening line is in the phrase ‘universally acknowledged’, since how many things in life really are truly universally acknowledged?)

Pride and Prejudice was originally titled First Impressions , but that eventual title, Pride and Prejudice , was a cliché even when Austen used it for her novel. The phrase is found in two important works of the 1770s, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and Edward Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire .

But the most important precursor to Austen’s novel by a long way is Fanny Burney’s 1782 novel Cecilia , in which that phrase, ‘pride and prejudice’, appears three times in rapid succession, with the words ‘pride’ and ‘prejudice’ capitalised: ‘The whole of this unfortunate business, said Dr Lyster, has been the result of PRIDE and PREJUDICE. […] if to PRIDE and PREJUDICE you owe your miseries, so wonderfully is good and evil balanced, that to PRIDE and PREJUDICE you will also owe their termination.’

Austen learned a great deal from Burney, and refined the comedy of manners which Burney had helped to pioneer several decades earlier.

Pride and Prejudice is, in the last analysis, one of the great comedies in the English language, because in its construction it takes the hallmarks of romantic comedy and refines them, making subtle and abstract what was literal and physical in earlier stage comedies.

It is also a novel about how true love needs to be founded on empirical fact: we need to know the person we’re marrying, to see them with our own eyes, rather than rely on others’ opinion or let ourselves be blinded by romantic notions and delusions.

1 thought on “A Summary and Analysis of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice”

It’s a brilliant romantic novel, but, yes, it’s a comedy as well. Mr Collins, Lady Catherine de Bourgh and even Mrs Bennet verge on the pantomimish sometimes, and Miss Bingley is so bitchy that she’d have fitted very well into Dallas or Dynasty :-) .

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Pride and prejudice (grades 9–1) york notes, jane austen, examiner's notes, you assessed this answer as grades 6–7 . hover over the highlighted text to read the examiner’s comments., question: read from ‘ “engaged to mr collins my dear charlotte ...” ’ to ‘ ... happy in the lot she had chosen ’ (vol. 1, ch. 22). in this extract, charlotte lucas explains to elizabeth her reasons for accepting mr collins’s marriage proposal..

Starting with this extract, explore how Austen presents ideas about marriage.

Write about:

• how Austen presents ideas about marriage in this extract
• how Austen presents ideas about marriage in the novel as a whole.

Marriage is a major preoccupation for the characters in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and Jane Austen is adept at presenting a range of attitudes. These are embedded within the wider social and economic context while also being expressed as important personal decisions. In this brief dramatic exchange, Charlotte Lucas’s decision to marry Mr Collins threatens the continuation of her friendship with Elizabeth Bennet.

Elizabeth’s initial exclamation, ‘Engaged to Mr Collins! My dear Charlotte, – impossible!’ is quite unlike her normal mode of speech and is not within social conventions. Even today it is polite to reply to an engagement announcement with congratulations. Austen frequently reveals her characters’ inner feelings through changes of colour and decisions involving movement. Here Charlotte’s countenance ‘gave way to a momentary confusion’ and later, after ‘an awkward pause’, she and Elizabeth separate.

Fortunately Elizabeth does find more appropriate words and she wishes Charlotte ‘all imaginable happiness’. Yet how much happiness is ‘imaginable’, when an intelligent woman like Charlotte chooses to marry a man like Mr Collins?

The friends have earlier had a discussion about marriage when Charlotte advised Elizabeth that her sister Jane should ‘show more affection than she feels’ in order to ‘secure’ Bingley. Charlotte has a thoroughly pragmatic view of marriage – she is not ‘romantic’ as she tells Elizabeth and she asks ‘only a comfortable home’. Elizabeth has never truly believed this and she is shocked to discover that her friend ‘would sacrifice every better feeling to worldly advantage’. Charlotte is not a weak character. She counter-attacks. ‘Do you think it incredible that Mr Collins should be able to procure any woman’s good opinion because he was not so happy as to succeed with you?’

Perhaps Elizabeth is rather naïve and over-confident in her own point of view? She is certainly left unhappy. Words such as ‘unsuitable’, ‘pang’, ‘sacrificed’, ‘distressing’ colour her reflections. It’s possible that the realisation that she has misjudged her friend may be the first step on the journey towards self-knowledge and humility that she must take throughout this novel.

Charlotte’s acceptance of Mr Collins is a milestone in the exploration of love, marriage and materialism. Austen is not afraid to offer strong arguments on either side and one of the most convincing is the effect that Charlotte’s marriage will have on her family. Her brothers are relieved because they will not have to support Charlotte (as Austen’s brothers supported her and her sister), and her sisters know that this will offer them more opportunities. Austen allows the readers a glimpse inside Charlotte’s mind. She realises Mr Collins ‘is neither sensible nor agreeable’ (stronger words then than now) ‘but still he will be her husband’. It’s as if one can hear her sigh with relief.

Elizabeth’s parents reacted quite differently to her refusal of Mr Collins and this indicates their different views on marriage. Mrs Bennet’s business is to ‘get her daughters married’ so she was angry whereas Mr Bennet offered his complete support. This was expressed with his characteristic irony. ‘Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr Collins and I will never see you again if you do.' Much later in the novel, when Mr Bennet believes that Elizabeth is about to marry a man (Darcy) who she does not love, he expresses his fear more movingly. ‘Oh my child, do not let me have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life.’

Respect is vital (and so is money) but love is the quality which is not mentioned in these conversations. Other marriages, such as that of Jane and Bingley, show how important this is. Love and attraction is the foundation of the relationship between Jane and Bingley and the fact that Jane has made a good marriage financially is seen as of secondary importance. Elizabeth remarks on the balance in their relationship as ‘a general similarity of feeing and taste’. The reader has a sense that Jane and Bingley will be good for one another whereas from the extract we might feel that while Charlotte might be good for Mr Collins he will be far from good for her. We can see other examples of unsuitable marriages in Lydia and Wickham and Mr and Mrs Bennet, which Austen uses to compare with the happy marriages of Jane and Elizabeth.

Having read our examiner’s notes, select another grade if you would like to change your own assessment. Click NO CHANGE if you are happy with your assessment.

This is the copy relating to the passage of highlighted text.

Marriage in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen Essay

The main values for the young women in the nineteenth century were their successful marriage and family. This fact can be explained by the dependent economic position of a woman in society.

Thus, to receive the economic security, a woman should be married or inherit the income from her male relatives. Traditionally, girls and their mothers became preparing for the further marriages in advance because it was the major event in the life of a young woman.

In spite of the predominance of this vision of the marriage and the woman’s role in society, Jane Austen in her Pride and Prejudice proposes several possible variants of realizing the scenario of meeting the further husband and the marriage which can be considered as rather controversial from the point of the ideals of that period.

Although marriage in the nineteenth century is the guarantee of the woman’s definite social status, Jane Austen accentuates that the happy marriage cannot be based successfully on the other factors differed from the mutual love, respect, and understanding.

The social status of married and unmarried women in the British society differed greatly, and mothers used any opportunity to help their daughters marry a noble man with the income. Thus, “it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” (Austen 1).

These words open the novel written by Austen and reflect the opinions of the majority of the women in Britain of that period. This idea was also interesting for Mrs. Bennet who could think only of her own unhappy marriage and successful marriages for her daughters in the future (Shapard). Mrs. Bennet’s example emphasizes the viewpoint that marriage depends not only on the amount of money and status but also on sincere and deep feelings. However, Mrs. Bennet’s personal vision is quite opposite to this statement.

That is why in the case of the unhappy marriage between Lydia and Mr. Wickham the problem of the family status was much more significant for Bennets than the question of real feelings. “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance” (Austen 14). Charlotte Lucas also agrees with this opinion and understands the law of the strict social rules and norms.

Her position seems to be strange for Elizabeth Bennet, the main character of the novel, who is inclined to contradict the social norms, if these norms and rules are opposite to her personal visions. That is why her ideal of marriage is based on the principles of love and respect. If it is difficult to marry such a man who can love you and be intelligent and noble, it is better to be unmarried.

Elizabeth’s position depends on her pride and prejudice. Nevertheless, following her principles, she can be happy in her marriage with Mr. Darcy who is the best part for her.

Moreover, examining all the variants of the marriage presented in the book and shifting from the rational approach to the romantic one, it is necessary to concentrate on the relations between Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley. These relations and their marriage are based on the sincere feeling of love which is not broken by possible social prejudices and personal rationality.

In her novel Pride and Prejudice , Jane Austen vividly discusses the theme of marriage which is realized in the context of the British society of the nineteenth century. This context is familiar for the author. Austen’s rather ironical tone in depicting different visions of marriage accentuates her own position according to the issue with determining the principles of love and understanding as the key ones for marriage.

Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice . USA: Dover Publications, 1995. Print.

Shapard, David M. “Introduction”. Pride and Prejudice . Ed. Jane Austen and David M. Shapard. USA: Anchor Books, 2007. xv-xxxii. Print.

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IvyPanda. (2022, August 4). Marriage in "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen. https://ivypanda.com/essays/pride-and-prejudice/

"Marriage in "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen." IvyPanda , 4 Aug. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/pride-and-prejudice/.

IvyPanda . (2022) 'Marriage in "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen'. 4 August.

IvyPanda . 2022. "Marriage in "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen." August 4, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/pride-and-prejudice/.

1. IvyPanda . "Marriage in "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen." August 4, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/pride-and-prejudice/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Marriage in "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen." August 4, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/pride-and-prejudice/.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Pride and Prejudice — Review Pride And Prejudice By Jane Austen

Review Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

• Categories: Book Review Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice

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Words: 594 |

Published: Mar 18, 2021

Words: 594 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Works Cited:

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• Gibson, R. (2019). Freedom of speech and the limits of social media censorship. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/freedom-of-speech-and-the-limits-of-social-media-censorship-125726
• Gillespie, T. (2018). Custodians of the internet: Platforms, content moderation, and the hidden decisions that shape social media. Yale University Press.
• Hasen, R. L. (2016). Facebook and the new face of media regulation. The University of Chicago Law Review Online, 83, 37-43. https://lawreview.uchicago.edu/sites/lawreview.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/83_u_chi_l_rev_online_37.pdf
• Howard, P. N., Agarwal, S. D., & Hussain, M. M. (2011). When do states disconnect their digital networks? Regime responses to the political uses of social media. The Communication Review, 14(3), 216-232.
• Jørgensen, H. (2018). Facebook and democracy: In defence of an extended understanding of freedom of expression. Information, Communication & Society, 21(10), 1388-1403.
• Mossberger, K. (2008). Virtual Inequality: Beyond the Digital Divide. Georgetown University Press.
• Stevenson, J. (2000). Freedom of speech: The history of an idea. Penguin.

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Related Essays on Pride and Prejudice

The need to reconsider first impressions runs throughout Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Both Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy judge one another harshly based on first impressions, while Elizabeth also forms judgments of Mr. [...]

Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen, is a timeless classic that explores themes of love, society, and personal growth. While much of the discussion around this novel focuses on its characters and themes, the role of [...]

Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, is a rich and complex work that delves into the Igbo culture and the impact of colonialism on traditional societies. Throughout the novel, Achebe uses foreshadowing to hint at the [...]

When Jane Austen published Pride and Prejudice in 1813, England was a society heavily divided by social class, where marriage was viewed as the ultimate goal for women, and where prejudiced opinions were rampant. Through her [...]

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Pride and Prejudice

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Suggested Essay Topics

1. Discuss the importance of social class in the novel, especially as it impacts the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy.

2. Though Jane Austen satirizes snobs in her novels, some critics have accused her of being a snob herself. Giving special consideration to Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Collins, argue and defend one side of this issue.

3. Pride and Prejudice is a novel about women who feel they have to marry to be happy. Taking Charlotte Lucas as an example, do you think the author is making a social criticism of her era’s view of marriage?

4. Giving special attention to Wickham, Charlotte Lucas, and Elizabeth, compare and contrast male and female attitudes toward marriage in the novel.

5. Discuss the relationship between Mrs. Bennet and her children, especially Elizabeth and Lydia.

6. Compare and contrast the Bingley-Darcy relationship with the Jane-Elizabeth relationship.

7. Compare and contrast the roles of Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Mrs. Bennet.

Pride and Prejudice SparkNotes Literature Guide

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Exam-style questions for Pride and Prejudice - Eduqas

Part of English Literature Pride and Prejudice

In the Eduqas exam on Pride and Prejudice , which is part of Component 2: Prose and Poetry, you will be presented with one extract and a question.

This is a closed book exam, which means you will not be allowed to have a copy of the novel with you.

You will usually be asked a question about a theme or character(s).

Characters in Pride and Prejudice - Eduqas

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Themes in Pride and Prejudice - Eduqas

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Language, structure and form in Pride and Prejudice - Eduqas

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