essay questions on pride and prejudice

• Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

• Literature Notes
• Essay Questions
• Book Summary
• About Pride and Prejudice
• Character List
• Summary and Analysis
• Chapters 1-5
• Chapters 6-9
• Chapters 10-14
• Chapters 15-18
• Chapters 19-23
• Chapters 24-27 (Volume II, 1-4)
• Chapters 28-32 (Volume II, 5-9)
• Chapters 33-36 (Volume II, 10-13)
• Chapters 37-42 (Volume II, 14-19)
• Chapters 43-46 (Volume III, 1-4)
• Chapters 47-50 (Volume III, 5-8)
• Chapters 51-55 (Volume III, 9-13)
• Chapters 56-61 (Volume III, 14-20)
• Character Analysis
• Elizabeth Bennet
• Fitzwilliam Darcy
• Jane Bennet
• Mrs. Bennet
• Lydia Bennet
• George Wickham
• Charlotte Lucas (later Collins)
• Character Map
• Jane Austen Biography
• Critical Essays
• Women's Roles in Early Nineteenth-Century Britain
• Money in Pride and Prejudice
• Full Glossary for Pride and Prejudice
• Practice Projects
• Cite this Literature Note

Study Help Essay Questions

1. Examine Austen's use of irony throughout the novel. Give examples of structural irony as well as irony within the narrator's descriptions and characters' dialogue.

2. Explore the developing relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. How do they misunderstand each other, and when do they reach accord?

3. Why do you think Pride and Prejudice has such moving force for so many readers?

4. Darcy's behavior is very different at the end of the novel from what it is at the start. Do you think this change is credible within the story? Explain why or why not.

5. How do Elizabeth's forthrightness and independence represent an attack on the conservatism of characters like Lady Catherine De Bourgh?

6. The Meryton community is described as materialistic and fickle. How does town opinion affect the novel's progress?

7. Why is Elizabeth so anxious to distrust Mr. Darcy at the start of the novel, and to instead trust Mr. Wickham?

8. How do Elizabeth Bennet's ideas on marriage differ from her society's? Which characters in the novel share Elizabeth's views of marriage and which characters reflect society's perspective?

9. Show how Austen uses minor characters like Miss Bingley, Mr. Collins, and Lady Catherine De Bourgh to bring Elizabeth and Darcy together.

Previous Full Glossary for Pride and Prejudice

Next Practice Projects

Pride and Prejudice

By jane austen, pride and prejudice essay questions.

In which ways is Elizabeth different from the rest of the Bennet family? What does the contrast reveal about her character?

Elizabeth is one of the only characters in Pride and Prejudice who changes significantly over the course of the story. Her distinctive quality is her extreme perceptiveness, which she uses to assess others at the beginning of the novel and understand her own flaws at the end. Most of the other Bennets are stuck in their ways - Jane is eternally optimistic, Lydia and Mrs. Bennet are frivolous, Mr. Bennet is sarcastic and cynical, and so on - but Elizabeth regularly reflects on the events in her life. She learns to question herself whereas most of the others act as though they have settled on a certain worldview. Elizabeth is therefore a true individual who adapts to the world around her, and seeks constantly to better understand her desires so that she can find happiness.

Overall, do you believe Austen has a conservative or radical approach to the issue of class? Why or why not?

Ultimately, Pride and Prejudice takes a moderate stance on class differences. Austen never posits an egalitarian ideology. However, she does criticize the society's over-emphasis on class instead of individual moral character. Darcy's journey from extreme class-consciousness to prioritizing manners over money is the best example of Austen's criticism. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is affected upon visiting Pemberley. The grand estate does have an impact on her already changing feelings towards Darcy, which is one example of Austen justifying the appeal of the upper class. Overall, Austen accepts (and even appreciates) the existence of class hierarchy, but also offers a warning about how class-based prejudice can poison society.

Explore Austen's portrayal of the women in the novel. In what ways does she sympathize with their plight, and in what ways is she unsympathetic?

Austen's attitude towards women is quite complicated. Generally, Austen is critical of the gender injustices present in 19th century English society, particularly in the context of marriage. She is able to voice this criticism through characters like Charlotte Lucas (who marries Collins because she needs security) and even Mrs. Bennet (who, though ridiculous, is the only one to speak out against the entailment of Longbourn). Furthermore, Austen's caricatured portrayal of the younger Bennet daughters is evidence of her disdain for frivolous women. Her opinion was perhaps more in line with Mr. Bennet, Elizabeth, or even the dour Mary. While Austen seems to accept the limitations of her gender, she criticizes a society that forces women to emphasize their least flattering characteristics.

Elizabeth has a markedly different attitude about marriage than other characters - notably Charlotte and Mrs. Bennet - have. To what extent is she unfair in her assessment of their attitudes, and to what extent might they benefit from employing her perspective?

Charlotte and Mrs. Bennet both believe that marriage is a business transaction in which a woman must be the active party in securing a good match for herself. This pragmatic assessment stands in stark contrast to Elizabeth's more romantic worldview. However, at this period in history, at least in certain higher classes, if a man chose not to marry, he only risked loneliness and regret. Meanwhile, a woman in the same situation could lose her financial security. Therefore, it is understandable why Charlotte and Mrs. Bennet believe that a woman must consider employing manipulation for the sake of her future. Charlotte deliberately draws Mr. Collins's attention in order to secure a proposal. However, Jane does not follow Charlotte's advice and nearly loses Bingley's love in the process. Lydia takes a drastic action that forces her marriage to occur. It is only Elizabeth who operates entirely outside the societal norm, but Austen makes it clear that her situation is quite unique.

Some critics applaud Austen's ability to craft psychologically complex and believable characters, while others believe she mostly creates well-drawn comic stock characters. Which argument do you support?

Though this question asks for an opinion, a strong thesis would be that Austen straddles the line between comic stock characters and psychologically complex ones. Elizabeth Bennet has a magnetic and singular personality, as does Darcy. They are arguably one of the most beloved literary couples of all time. On the other end of the spectrum, Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine are almost trapped in their exaggerated personality traits, which Austen often uses for comic (and satirical) effect. However, Austen reveals a keen perception of human psychology, even through these supposedly two-dimensional characters. Mr. Collins, for instance, reflects the truth of a class-obsessed society. Mrs. Bennet embodies the desperation of women to find a good marriage. Therefore, Austen does create unique stock characters that emphasize certain aspects of human psychology while also providing comic relief.

Austen's original draft of this novel was titled First Impressions . Explain why this title makes sense, as explore the reasons why Pride and Prejudice is more apt.

First Impressions describes the main romantic conflict - will Elizabeth and Darcy end up together despite their first impressions of one another? However, Pride and Prejudice suggests a much deeper psychological struggle, more fitting to the complexity of Austen's novel. Whereas First Impressions only implies a story of corrected perceptions, Pride and Prejudice describes a story where the characters must investigate themselves, addressing the unconscious impulses that work to prohibit self-awareness. Finally, the final title is all-encompassing, reaching beyond just Elizabeth and Darcy. It offers a comment on the novel's larger themes like class and the role of women.

Darcy is initially attracted to Elizabeth's "fine eyes." Analyze this symbol, and explain what it shows about both Darcy and Elizabeth.

Despite Elizabeth's obvious coldness toward him, Darcy finds himself increasingly attracted to her, particularly her beautiful dark eyes. The darkness of her eyes also represents Elizabeth's main weakness‹: the pride and prejudice that cloud her perception. Elizabeth prides herself on her ability to judge others and uncover their motives. However, her prejudgment of Darcy makes her blind to his admiration. In the conversation about Darcy at Netherfield, Elizabeth offers that Darcy's defect is "a propensity to hate everybody," while Darcy perceptively replies that hers is "Œwillfully to misunderstand them." Indeed, while Elizabeth judges Darcy for over-valuing his first impression of her, she exhibits the exact same shortcoming. Ultimately, the darkness of her eyes reflects the complexity of Elizabeth's prejudice, but that complexity is very much what draws Darcy towards her in the first place.

In what ways does Austen portray the family and community as responsible for its members?

Though Pride and Prejudice is largely a story about individuality, Austen portrays the family unit as primarily responsible for the intellectual and moral education of children. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's failure to provide a proper education for their daughters leads to Lydia's utter foolishness. Elizabeth and Jane manage to develop virtue and discernment in spite of their parents' negligence, though it is notable that they have other role models like the Gardiners. Darcy shares both his father's aristocratic nature and the man's tendency towards generosity, while Lady Catherine's daughter is too frightened to speak. This attitude extends to the larger community, as well. Lydia's time in Meryton and Brighton bring out her worst impulses. Similarly, the community around Pemberley respects Darcy's generosity and follows his lead in being kind and trustworthy.

Though undoubtedly a comic character, Mr. Collins reflects some rather unattractive qualities of his society. Explain this statement.

Mr. Collins is defined by his rambling speeches of excessive formality and his boorishness disguised as faux-politeness. And yet, Mr. Collins is also a reflection of a society obsessed with class, a monster engendered by this singular pressure. Mr. Collins comes from modest means and likely always dreamed of a respectable position. When he attracted an aristocratic patroness like Lady Catherine, he saw only her rank, which made him blind to her harsh and condescending attitude. He compensates for his insecurity by pretending to act like Lady Catherine and those of her class. In this way, Collins and Lady Catherine are examples of the societal acceptance of class without manners but not the opposite.

Explain why Austen ends her novel with a line about the Gardiners, even though they are minor characters in Pride and Prejudice .

The Gardiners are important because they are a middle-class couple that behaves reasonably and virtuously. Mrs. Gardiner is a great role model for Elizabeth, though she reveals little unique personality of her own. Mr. Gardiner proves to be instrumental in saving Lydia from her scandalous elopement. They both acknowledge the importance of class and education, but place a greater emphasis on personal conduct. The Gardiners also externalize Darcy's inner struggle. When Darcy treats the Gardiners well at Pemberley and then later works with Mr. Gardiner to rescue Lydia, it indicates that he has internalized Elizabeth's view of personality and class. The novel thus ends on the Gardiners because is offers a final illustration that Elizabeth and Darcy have reached a happy medium between class and behavior beyond the barriers of pride and prejudice.

Pride and Prejudice Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Pride and Prejudice is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Elizabeth is one of the only characters in Pride and Prejudice who changes significantly over the course of the story. Her distinctive quality is her extreme perceptiveness, which she uses to assess others at the beginning of the novel and...

What are reasons that Elizabeth thinks darcy may still be interested?

Did you need more detail?

Pride and Prejudice How might Mr. Bennet's earlier actions have prevented this scandal? Is Mr. Bennet responsible for his youngest daughter's behavior?

Mr. Bennet has always been compacent when it came to the well being of his daughters. Mr. Bennet's main interest was that his daughters married into money. Wickham was obviously a pompous jerk but he was also a wealthy well connected jerk. Mr....

Study Guide for Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice study guide contains a biography of Jane Austen, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Pride and Prejudice
• Pride and Prejudice Summary
• Pride and Prejudice Video
• Character List

Essays for Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

• Theme of Pride
• Epistolary Study of Austen
• Money as Social Currency in the Society Described in Pride and Prejudice
• Discretion and Design in Pride and Prejudice
• Eloquence: The Window To the Soul and the Number One Requirement for a Successful Courtship

Lesson Plan for Pride and Prejudice

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Pride and Prejudice
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Pride and Prejudice Bibliography

E-Text of Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice e-text contains the full text of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

• Chapters 1-6
• Chapters 7-14
• Chapters 15-23
• Chapters 24-33
• Chapters 34-42

Wikipedia Entries for Pride and Prejudice

• Introduction
• Plot summary
• Major themes

94 Pride and Prejudice Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best pride and prejudice topic ideas & essay examples, 📌 most interesting pride and prejudice topics to write about, 👍 good research topics about pride and prejudice, ❓ pride and prejudice essay questions.

• Essay on Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen This essay contains the analysis of the novel, including the summary, description of the main characters and themes, personal opinion about the narrative, and conclusion that summarizes the main points of the essay.
• Pride and Prejudice: Film Interpretation Collins, the cousin of the five sisters, is the probable heir to the family’s estate because of his close kinship to the family. In the midst of the journeys between London and Derbyshire, the viewers […] We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
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• Character Analysis in Pride and Prejudice From the Feminist Perspective Darcy is a character who is able to evolve over the span of the story, and eventually, he recognizes his mistakes.Mr.
• Gardens in Pride and Prejudice In the novel, the author compares this garden to Darcy’s perception of himself. He boasts about how he knows the number and the location of each and every tree in the garden.
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• Style as Character Insight: The Use of Irony and Free Indirect Discourse in Jane Austen’s Major Works This event appears to be a seminal one in the life of the author, as the social theme of marriage plays out very much in several of Jane Austen’s novels, including Emma, and Sense and […]
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• “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen: Characters Analysis Pride and Prejudice is, first of all, a profoundly realistic representation of characters and tempers, albeit not of the English society as a whole, but of its privileged groups since the end of the 18th […]
• “Pride and Prejudice”: Analysis of a Passage The story, the characters, the setting, and even the speech of the characters make strong references to the environments of the beginning of the 19th century in England.
• “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen: Research Paper on the Book It is in the third chapter of the novel that Austen builds the characters of Bingley and Darcy through their manners: “Mr.
• Why to Read “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen In addition to undermining the historical gender stereotypes, the novel portrays the importance of women’s social status in the Victorian era and their dependence on their husbands’ or parents’ financial situation.
• The Novel “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice can rightfully be considered one of the best works in the history of literature. But what is most striking in the book, Pride and Prejudice, is the expression of deep topics through […]
• J. Austen’s “Sense & Sensibility”, “Pride and Prejudice”, and “Emma” Dwelling in the world of words and literature, one closed to the ‘fairer sex’ of her time, she earned for herself not just the fame of a good author but one widely read even to […]
• “Pride and Prejudice” by Austen: Chapter 43 The reason for writing the piece was to explore the place of marriage in society and what is meant to women during the 18th century. In such a quote, the reader realizes that Elizabeth wanted […]
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith Zombies described in the book are called the unmentionables and, to the greatest extent, correspond to the classic image introduced by George A.
• Jane Austen’s Novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ The current study explores the link between romance with the natural, the supernatural, and emotion versus reality to understand romanticism characteristics in the novel.
• Robinson Crusoe’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Daniel Defoe and Jane Austen In the novel, Robinson Crusoe, Defoe describes it as a history of facts that seeks to portray the social institutions and structures of the medieval British society.
• Marriage in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen 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 […]
• Pride and Prejudice: Critical Analysis A number of styles are hard to ignore in the second part of the screen play, which focuses solely on the characters and the plot.
• The Adaptation of Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”: A Film Analysis of the Netherfield Ball Scene
• The Ages of the Reason and the Jane Austen’s Characters in “Pride and Prejudice”
• The Allowance of the Dignity and Pride in the Novel “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
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• The Changes Experienced by Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
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• Women’s Rights in “Pride and Prejudice” and Persuasion by Jane Austen
• The Literary Analysis of “Pride and Prejudice” Through an Early Renaissance Prism
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• The Evolution of the Relationship of the Characters of Elizabeth and Darcy in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
• The Matrimonial Value Orientation in “Pride and Prejudice”
• A Comparison of “The Odd Women” by George Gissing and “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
• The Portrayal of the Characters in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”
• The Pride and Prejudice of Elizabeth Bennet in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
• Women’s Social Status and Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”
• The Problems With Marriage: The Contrasting Relationships in “Pride and Prejudice”
• Mrs. Bennet’s Relationship With Her Children in “Pride and Prejudice”
• The Representation of Civility in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austin and in Part IV of “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift
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• The Roles of the Bennet Parents, Elizabeth, and Jane in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
• The Running Theme of Pride and Prejudice in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”
• Women of Different Eras in “Pride and Prejudice” and “Bridget Jones Diary”
• The Satirization of Society’s Flaws in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
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• The Significance of First Impressions in the Victorian Age Portrayed in “Pride and Prejudice”
• The Similarities Between the Novel and Film Version of “Pride and Prejudice”
• Societal Pressures and Expectations in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
• The Theme of Happiness Demands Pride to Be Replaced by Self-Respect and Humility in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
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• The Themes of Marriage, Social Class and Wealth, Love and Pride in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
• The Use of Satire and Irony in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”
• The Value of Letters in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
• The Ways the Theme of Pride and Prejudice Is Revealed Through the Characters of Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy
• Understanding the Characters Through Their Actions in “Pride and Prejudice”
• What Is the Significance of Netherfield in “Pride and Prejudice”?
• Who Was Mr. Collins’ Benefactor in “Pride and Prejudice”?
• How Contrasting Places Contribute to Theme in “Pride and Prejudice”?
• How Accurately Does Truth Universally Acknowledge Prove to Be in the Novel “Pride and Prejudice”?
• How Wealth and Class Contribute to “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen?
• What Year Did “Pride and Prejudice” Take Place?
• How Does Jane Austen Develop Mr. Collins’s Character in “Pride and Prejudice”?
• How Does Austen Use Contrasting Characters in “Pride and Prejudice”?
• How Contrasting Places Contribute to Theme in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”?
• Did Jane Austen Write “Pride and Prejudice” About Herself?
• How Does Austen Portray the Theme of Manners and Etiquette in “Pride and Prejudice”?
• Does the 1995 BBC Adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” Enhance Your Understanding of the Novel?
• How Are the Concepts of Love and Marriage Explored in “Pride and Prejudice”?
• How Does Austen Create Her Novel “Pride and Prejudice”?
• What Are Examples of Irony in “Pride and Prejudice”?
• How Does Austen Present the Relationship Between Darcy and Elizabeth in “Pride and Prejudice”?
• What Are the Reader’s First Impressions of Darcy in the Novel “Pride and Prejudice”?
• How Does Jane Austen Portray Pride in the Novel “Pride and Prejudice”?
• Was Life Easier for the Young Ladies of “Pride and Prejudice” Than It Is for Young Ladies Today?
• Why Does Mr. Darcy Flex His Hand in “Pride and Prejudice”?
• Does Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” Follow the Conventions of a Romantic Novel?
• Why Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” Is Considered a Classic Novel?
• How Does Jane Austen Present Women’s Role in “Pride and Prejudice”?
• How Does “Pride and Prejudice” Reflect Society?
• What Is Ironic About the First Sentence in “Pride and Prejudice”?
• How Does the First Chapter Introduce Us to the Main Themes and Central Concerns in “Pride and Prejudice”?
• What Is the Main Point of “Pride and Prejudice”?
• Why Is the First Line of “Pride and Prejudice” So Famous?
• How Does Jane Austen Create Negative Feelings Toward Mr. Darcy in the First Few Chapters of “Pride and Prejudice”?
• Does “Pride and Prejudice” Reinforce or Erode Sexist Stereotypes of Women?
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Pride and Prejudice

Jane austen, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Pride and Prejudice: Introduction

Pride and prejudice: plot summary, pride and prejudice: detailed summary & analysis, pride and prejudice: themes, pride and prejudice: quotes, pride and prejudice: characters, pride and prejudice: symbols, pride and prejudice: literary devices, pride and prejudice: quizzes, pride and prejudice: theme wheel, brief biography of jane austen.

Historical Context of Pride and Prejudice

Other books related to pride and prejudice.

• Full Title: Pride and Prejudice
• When Written: 1797-1812
• Where Written: Bath, Somerset, England
• When Published: 1813
• Literary Period: Classicism/Romanticism
• Genre: Novel of manners
• Setting: Hertfordshire, London, and Pemberley, all in England at some time during the Napoleonic Wars (1797–1815)
• Climax: The search for Lydia and Wickham
• Antagonist: There is no single antagonist. The sins of pride and prejudice function as the main antagonizing force
• Point of View: Third person omniscient

Extra Credit for Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Silver Screen? Pride and Prejudice was first adapted for movies in a 1940 production starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier. It was again filmed in 1995, as a mini-series for A&E Television, featuring Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet and Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. The most recent production stars Keira Knightley as Elizabeth and was filmed in 2005.

First Impressions: Austen's initial title for her manuscript was "First Impressions." Though the book was eventually published as Pride and Prejudice , the initial title hints at the story's concern for social appearances and the necessity of finding people's true qualities beneath the surface.

Pride and Prejudice

164 pages • 5 hours read

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Volume 1, Chapters 1-3

Volume 1, Chapters 4-6

Volume 1, Chapters 7-10

Volume 1, Chapters 11-15

Volume 1, Chapters 16-18

Volume 1, Chapters 19-23

Volume 2, Chapters 1-6

Volume 2, Chapters 7-11

Volume 2, Chapters 12-15

Volume 2, Chapters 16-19

Volume 3, Chapters 1-3

Volume 3, Chapters 4-10

Volume 3, Chapters 11-14

Volume 3, Chapters 15-19

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

What is Charlotte Lucas’s approach to marriage, and how does it explain why she marries Mr. Collins? How does her decision to marry Mr. Collins reflect women’s roles in Austen’s day?

What is it about Elizabeth that attracts Darcy, and how does she continue to draw him in as the novel progresses? Describe how the qualities criticized by Lady Catherine—and the qualities that make Elizabeth reject Darcy’s first proposal—are the very qualities that make Darcy fall in love with her. Describe Mr. Collins’s opinions of these same qualities.

Compare and contrast the marriages in Pride and Prejudice . Consider Mr. and Mrs. Bennet , Lydia and Wickham, Charlotte and Mr. Collins , Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Jane and Bingley, or Elizabeth and Darcy. Which marriages are unhappy, and why? What, according, to the novel, is necessary for a happy marriage? Why does Mr. Bennet warn Elizabeth against choosing a husband she is “unable to respect” (350)?

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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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Discussion Questions for Pride and Prejudice

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Pride and Prejudice is one of the most well-known works by Jane Austen . A classic piece of literature, the ever satiric Jane Austen brings us a love story that is both critical of 19th-century English society and reminds us not to take first impressions too seriously. 

Still very popular, Pride and Prejudice is a great story to discuss with friends and classmates. Here is a list of questions that can be used for conversation.

• What is important about the title?
• What conflicts did you notice in Pride and Prejudice ? Were they physical, moral, intellectual, or emotional conflicts?
• How does Jane Austen reveal character in Pride and Prejudice ?
• What are some themes in the story? How do they relate to the plot and characters?
• What are some symbols in Pride and Prejudice ? How do they relate to the plot and characters?
• Is Elizabeth Bennet consistent in her actions? Is she a fully developed character? How so?
• Do you find the characters likable? Are the characters people you would want to meet?
• Does the novel end the way you expected? Why?
• What is the primary purpose of the novel? Do you find the purpose important or meaningful?
• How does the novel relate to feminist literature ?
• How essential is the setting to the story? Could the story have taken place anywhere else?
• What is the role of women in the text? How are mothers represented? What about single and/or independent women?
• Would you recommend this novel to a friend?
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Pride and Prejudice: Expectations and Prejudices in 19th-century England

Characters' first impressions in jane austen's pride and prejudice, the evolution of elizabeth and darcy's relationship, the role of historical setting in pride and prejudice, let us write you an essay from scratch.

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Feminism in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

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The Feminist Perspective in Austen's Novel in Pride and Prejudice

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1813, Jane Austen

Romantic Novel; Satire, Historical Fiction

Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Bennet, Jane Bennet, Mary Bennet, Catherine "Kitty" Bennet, Lydia Bennet, Charles Bingley, Caroline Bingley, George Wickham, Mr. William Collins, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Georgiana Darcy, Charlotte Lucas, Colonel Witzwilliam

According to numerous sources, the book is not based on a true story and has been entirely composed by Jane Austen.

Justice, prejudice, misconceptions, love, romance, misjudgement, reputation, class relations, overcoming obstacles, true love.

As one of the most beautiful literary works and the happy ever after tales, it is one of the best romance novels that will be relevant through every decade. The book is teaching us an important lesson about making snap judgments of not judging the book by its cover. Although this book is often read by college students, it is also an important read for educators as well since college professors should not judge their learners too soon.

It revolves around the Bennet sisters called Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia. Their mother wants to see them married in a good, successful way because they won't inherit their family house since only a son can do so. So once Me. Bingle comes down, their mother does her best to help Mr. Bigley fall in love.

Jane Austen has also been rejected for not being rich enough in the past. Mr. Darcy is often made as an equivalent to a Rockefeller. The Gretna Green mentioned in the book by Lydia is the modern-day Las Vegas, which has nearly ruined the Bennet family. Jane Austen has also been very close to her sister, which has influenced her to describe the closeness of Elizabeth to Jane. The publisher has rejected "The Pride and Prejudice" even without taking a closer look or reading it at all. The title originally came from a novel called "Cecilia" by Fanny Burney. Jane Austen always worried that her novel was too frivolous and modern for her times.

“A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.” “There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense.” “Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.” “I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.” “For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?”

The love and marriage through the class relations is the central theme of this romantic story. It focuses on how a person can judge and break down the romantic relations. Jane Austen constantly uses good satire, detalization of her characters, and narration that helps to analyze the vocational nature of being married in the English society. One can also explore an attitude to matrimony.

This novel is an example of pride and prejudice, social relations, class challenges, and the freedom of women to do exactly what they want. It is also used as the analysis of judging something by its cover with the different examples. This romance story can be explored through the lens of any modern situation where the pride and misconception of the first impressions are coming first before a clear judgment is being made.

1. McKeon, R. (1979). " Pride and Prejudice": Thought, Character, Argument, and Plot. Critical Inquiry, 5(3), 511-527. (https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/448004?journalCode=ci) 2. Lacour, C. B. (1992). Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Hegel's" Truth in Art": Concept, Reference, and History. ELH, 59(3), 597-623. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/2873444) 3. Austen, J. (1993). Pride and Prejudice (1813). New York. (https://link.springer.com/book/9780333801338#page=36) 4. Morrison, R. (2009). Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice: A Routledge Study Guide and Sourcebook. Routledge. (https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203868492/jane-austen-pride-prejudice-robert-morrison) 5. Fischer-Starcke, B. (2009). Keywords and frequent phrases of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: A corpus-stylistic analysis. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 14(4), 492-523. (https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/ijcl.14.4.03fis) 6. Lau, B. (2017). Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice. A Companion to Romanticism, 237-244. (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781405165396.ch21) 7. Appel, P. A. (2012). A Funhouse Mirror of Law: The Entailment in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Ga. J. Int'l & Comp. L., 41, 609. (https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/gjicl41&div=25&id=&page=) 8. Wootton, S. (2007). The Byronic in Jane Austen's" Persuasion" and" Pride and Prejudice". Modern Language Review, 102(1), 26-39. (https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/427/article/825032/summary)

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Pride & Prejudice: Essay Topics & Samples

The acuteness of conflicts raised in a literary work defines its value. Pride and Prejudice discussion questions extend from feminist criticism of women’s position in the XIX century to the analysis of the writing devices that Jane Austen employs. Every protagonist is symbolic here. They highlight such or another trait of character. The study of these allusions can be both fascinating and intellectually rewarding.

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Do you need to write a research paper or an essay on Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen? Essay topics can be hard to find, but Custom-Writing.org experts are here to help you! Below you can find the top ten topics and extended Pride and Prejudice essay prompts and samples to draw more ideas.

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💡 Pride and Prejudice: Essay Topics

Don’t know where to start your essay on Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen? Check out the essay ideas to help you write a successful paper!

• The role of books in Pride & Prejudice . In her novel, Austen satirizes the literary works and the readers who represent the two kinds of excess: overly moralizing and overly romanticizing. What are the reading preferences of shallow and selfish Mr. Collins? What does Elizabeth prefer to read? Are characters who like reading better at understanding the background of other people’s actions?
• The meaning of marriage in Pride and Prejudice . The essay should draw the line between a good and a bad marriage as Austen’s contemporaries saw it. Why was a wedding the supreme purpose of life for most women? Was it only striving for love and companionship or an obligatory social construct?
• The theme of letters in Pride and Prejudice . The novel contains about 40 letters, cited or discussed, making them a significant part of the narrative. What role do they play? How do they supplement the dialogues between the protagonists? How do letters introduce the characters’ private thoughts to the reader?
• The role of setting in Pride & Prejudice. The novel takes place in several estates. These houses differ by their design, architecture, wealth, and atmosphere. What does Pemberley symbolize in Pride and Prejudice ? Why is it placed in the center of the entire novel setting? What role does Longbourn play in the life of the Bennet family? What is the symbolism of Lady Catherine’s mansion?
• What is the key message of Pride and Prejudice ? The critical essay should examine why Jane Austen was so concerned about the status of females in the XIX century. A woman’s life depended a lot on her social class. Still, her purposes in life were relatively the same, regardless of her fortune and pedigree.
• The meaning of the first line in Pride and Prejudice . The novel’s first line is saturated with irony: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” Why is this quote ironic in the context of the novel?
• Characters ’ descriptions in Pride and Prejudice. The book is poor in descriptions. How does Austen present her characters? How does the reader learn about their thoughts, weaknesses, appearance, and ways of conduct? Discuss the epithets describing the protagonists and analyze their meaning. How do the characters’ property and their opinion about it characterize them?
• The motif of journey in Pride and Prejudice. The motif of journey holds a valuable place in the destiny of Austen’s characters. During a trip, they can think over their relationships with other people, analyze their mistakes, and reconsider their conclusions. Make a summary of all journeys in the novel and show how they changed the protagonists.
• Whose views on marriage do you support: those of Charlotte Lucas or those of Elisabeth Bennet? Elizabeth is idealistic about marriage: she expects to be happy and marry for love. On the contrary, Charlotte says that “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.” She suggests that happiness is not more than a nice bonus. Whose position do you support? Can we say that Charlotte was happy in her marriage? Can we take for granted that Elizabeth will still be pleased after some years of couplehood?
• Elizabeth or Darcy: who is more prejudiced? The book title shows the reader what to focus on. Find out the manifestations of pride and prejudice in the words and actions of Elizabeth and Darcy. How did these traits complicate their lives? Is Darcy’s prejudice stronger than Elizabeth’s pride, or do both of them have these features in different proportions?

✒️ Pride & Prejudice: Essay Samples

Below you’ll find a collection of Pride & Prejudice essay examples. You are welcome to use them for inspiration!

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