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Pride and Prejudice is a romantic comedy novel by Jane Austen, published in 1813. It follows the story of the Bennet family, who must marry off their five daughters to secure their financial stability. The eldest daughter, Elizabeth, becomes the heroine and falls in love with Mr. Darcy after initially disliking him. The novel explores the role of women in 19th century English society and the importance of inheritance through the male line. The novel has been adapted into films, TV series, and plays.
Pride and Prejudice, published on January 28, 1813, is one of the first romantic comedies in the history of the modern novel. Written by Jane Austen, it follows the story of the Bennet family, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and their five daughters: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia. Elizabeth emerges as the book’s heroine.
One of the major, if subtle, dilemmas of Pride and Prejudice relates to how women are perceived in 19th century English society. The Bennet family, for example, feels the absence of a son and a brother quite intensely. It’s a loss that doesn’t seem to be replaceable even with five daughters. This absence of a son is a major problem because property in the family can only be inherited through the male line, meaning that on the father’s death, the house and surrounding land would go to a distant relative and the girls would become homeless and nearly destitute.
This is the core of the problem that drives Pride and Prejudice forward, for now the task of getting all five daughters married off, and ensuring the well-being and financial stability of the family becomes paramount. The eldest and most beautiful daughter is quickly thrown into the path of Mr. Bingley, a wealthy young man who rents a large property in the neighborhood.
Fortunately, Mr. Bingley and Jane seem to have got off to a good start. Mr. Bingley is regarded as an affable young man, a perfect boyfriend for the lovely and rather shy Jane, and Mrs. Bennet tries to push the affair to a quick and happy conclusion. Unfortunately, the other members of Mr. Bingley’s group, especially his sister and his best friend, the dismissive Mr. Darcy, do not seem to agree. Mr. Bingley is finally persuaded to leave for London.
Meanwhile, the legal heir to the Bennet estate, the pompous clergyman Mr. Collins has made an appearance. In an attempt to make amends for his role in depriving the Bennets of their property, he offers to marry one of his cousins and decides to place his trust in Elizabeth. His proposal, however, is rejected, and he quickly enters an engagement to Elizabeth’s close friend, Charlotte Lucas.
Elizabeth also meets Mr. Wickham, a handsome young officer of the regiment. Mr. Wickham quickly turns Elizabeth against Mr. Darcy, after confiding in her a history of the man’s wrongdoing many years ago. Soon after, Elizabeth is invited to Charlotte’s new home, now Mrs. Collins. Mr. Darcy’s aunt is said to be a benefactor of Mr. Collins.
Fate then brings Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth together, resulting in an unfortunate state of affairs. Mr. Darcy makes a surprising and rather condescending proposition about poor Elizabeth, mocking her inferiority of birth and the improper behavior of her family while at the same time professing his love for her. Insulted, Elizabeth rejects his offer of marriage. In the following argument Mr. Darcy also reveals that he is the cause of Mr. Bingley’s departure for London and consequently of the unhappiness of Jane, Elizabeth’s beloved sister.
Back home, Elizabeth discovers that her younger sister, the insane Lydia, has run off with Mr. Wickham. She also discovers the truth about the alleged “wrong” that Mr. Darcy has committed against Mr. Wickham and she realizes that Mr. Darcy was completely right about her. Elizabeth soon changes her mind and falls in love with Mr. Darcy, who in turn has been trying to remedy the situation with Elizabeth by finding Lydia and Mr. Wickham. She pays off the couple’s wedding, settles Mr. Wickham’s debts, and even buys Mr. Wickham a commission so that she can support Lydia acceptably.
In the end, Pride and Prejudice closes with Jane marrying Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth marrying Mr. Darcy, and Mrs. Bennet as satisfied as possible.
Pride and Prejudice has been made into feature films, television miniseries and plays.
