Types of Prose Fiction

The following definitions are based on Barnet/Berman/Burto 1964, Cuddon

1998, Hawthorn 1986, Fowler 1987.

The novel can be defined as an extended work of prose fiction. It derives from
the Italian novella (little new thing), which was a short piece of prose. The
novel has become an increasingly popular form of fiction since the early
eighteenth century, though prose narratives were written long before then. The
term denotes a prose narrative about characters and their actions in what is
recognisably everyday life. This differentiates it from its immediate predecessor
the romance, which describes unrealistic adventures of supernatural heroes.
The novel has developed various sub-genres:

In the epistolary novel the narrative is conveyed entirely by an exchange of

letters. (e.g. Samuel Richardson, Pamela.)

A picaresque novel is an early form of the novel, some call it a precursor of

the novel. It presents the adventures of a lighthearted rascal (pcaro=rogue). It
is usually episodic in structure, the episodes often arranged as a journey. The
narrative focuses on one character who has to deal with tyrannical masters and
unlucky fates but who usually manages to escape these miserable situations by
using her/his wit. The form of the picaresque narrative emerged in sixteenth-
century Spain. Examples are: Cervantes, Don Quixote; and in the English
tradition: Thomas Nash, The Unfortunate Traveler; Mark Twain, The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Daniel Defoe, Moll Flanders.

The historical novel takes its setting and some of the (chief) characters and
events from history. It develops these elements with attention to the known
facts and makes the historical events and issues important to the central
narrative. (e.g. Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities)

The bildungsroman (novel of education) is a type of novel originating in

Germany which presents the development of a character mostly from childhood
to maturity. This process typically contains conflicts and struggles, which are
ideally overcome in the end so that the protagonist can become a valid and
valuable member of society. Examples are J.W. Goethe, Wilhelm Meister; Henr
Fielding, Tom Jones; Charles Dickens, David Copperfield; James Joyce, A
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

The gothic novel became very popular from the second half of the eighteenth
century onwards. With the aim to evoke chilling terror by exploiting mystery
and a variety of horrors, the gothic novel is usually set in desolate landscapes,
ruined abbeys, or medieval castles with dungeons, winding staircases and
sliding panels. Heroes and heroines find themselves in gloomy atmospheres
where they are confronted with supernatural forces, demonic powers and
wicked tyrants. Examples are Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto; Ann
Radcliffe, Mysteries of Udolpho; William Faulkner, Absalom! Absalom!

The social novel, also called industrial novel or Condition of England novel,
became particularly popular between 1830 and 1850 and is associated with the
development of nineteenth-century realism. As its name indicates, the social
novel gives a portrait of society, especially of lower parts of society, dealing with
and criticising the living conditions created by industrial development or by a
particular legal situation (the poor laws for instance). Well-known examples
are: Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton; Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist; Benjamin
Disraeli, Sybil and Charles Kingsley, Alton Locke.

Science fiction is a type of prose narrative of varying length, from short-story

to novel. Its topics include quests for other worlds, the influence of alien beings
on Earth or alternate realities; they can be utopian, dystopian or set in the past
Common to all types of science fiction is the interest in scientific change and
development and concern for social, climatic, geological or ecological change
(e.g. Mary Shelley, Frankenstein; H.G. Wells, The Time Machine; Aldous
Huxley, Brave New World; George Orwell, 1984; Anthony Burgess, A
 Clockwork Orange).

Metafiction is a term given to fictional writing which self-consciously and

systematically draws attention to its status as an artefact in order to pose
questions about the relationship between fiction and reality. It concentrates on
the phenomenological characteristics of fiction, and investigates into the
quintessential nature of literary art by reflecting the process of narrating.
(e.g. Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinons of Tristram Shandy,
Gentleman; John Fowles, The French Lieutenants Woman; Doris Lessing, The
Golden Notebook)

A romance is a fictional narrative in prose or verse that represents a chivalric

theme or relates improbable adventures of idealised characters in some remote
or enchanted setting. It typically deploys monodimensional or static characters
who are sharply discriminated as heroes or villains, masters or victims. The
protagonist is often solitary and isolated from a social context, the plot
emphasises adventure, and is often cast in the form of a quest for an ideal or th
pursuit of an enemy. Examples: Anonymous, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Philip Sidney, Arcadia; Percy B. Shelley, Queen Mab; Nathaniel
Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables.

A short-story is a piece of prose fiction marked by relative shortness and

density, organised into a plot and with some kind of dnouement at the end.
The plot may be comic, tragic, romantic, or satiric. It may be written in the
mode of fantasy, realism or naturalism.

ANALYSIS: SETTING
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Where It All Goes Down

The Country in Turn-of-the-19th-Century England
Gather 'round, everyone. It's time to tell the story of the days of yore. Which yore, you ask? Good
question.
It's easy, from way over here in the future, to just lump all that stuff that happened 100 years ago with the
stuff that happened 150 years ago with whatever else was going on 200 years ago. So you see Austen,
you think "19th century," and you might think stuffy Victorians with their prudish manners and their
uptightness about the human body and their froofy dcor. Well, we're here to tell youthink again.
Austen was writing just as the 18th century was turning into the 19th, way before Queen Victoria gets on
the throne and buttons the whole country up to the neck (even though, let's be honest, those Victorians
could be super wacky), and Austen certainly has no way of knowing that this is what's coming up next.
Instead, let's think about her time period: the Regency.
Basically, we're coming off the high that was the 18th century: the Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, the
philosophical ideas that brought you democracy and the rights of man, and the rise of science and
secularism. At the same time, we're also riding the wave of horror that was the French Revolutiona
people's revolt that turned in on itself with a wave of violence and state terrorism, and ended with the rise
of Napoleon, who England spent a lot of time fighting in Jane Austen's lifetime.
In England, the guy on the throne is the Prince Regent (who later becomes George IV). He's a fun-loving,
spendthrift kind of guy, and it's good times for the aristocracy who go a little nuts with the luxury. It's a
stressful time for them as well, though, since England is at war in America on one side, and Napoleon is
rampaging through Europe on the other. Everyone (well, all the aristocrats anyway) is really, really
keeping their fingers crossed that England doesn't go the way of France.
How does this context play out in the novel? For example, all those massing soldiers? They're about to
ship out to fight. That really puts a damper on the whole "sexy men in uniform" thing.

Temporary vs. Permanent Property

In every single one of her novels, Austen is always letting readers follow the money trail. Say what you
will about whether it makes sense that Darcy goes for Elizabeth, there's never any doubt that the transfer
and flow of wealth is being described flawlessly.
In Pride and Prejudice, money means land ownership. Most of the plot happens because people either
own or don't own the place where they live. The whole thing starts because Bingley randomly decides to
rent Netherfield. This means that he's rich (because he can afford that sucker, baby), but that he's not
staying long (since he's gotta go buy an estate of his own sometime).
Meanwhile, the Bennets are hustling to get the girls married off because their house is going straight into
Mr. Collins' pocket as soon as daddy dearest kicks the bucket, and there's nothing anyone can do about
it. This is why it's so awkward when Mr. Collins visits (because it just looks like he's measuring for new
drapes) and why he proposes to Elizabeth (he feels bad that he's going to get the house and wants to
make it up to them).
Finally, there's Pemberley. Now, that onethat's owned outright by Darcy, without the stress of anyone
coming to take it away, and it is just heavenly and perfect in every way. Check out the novel's other
housesthe Collinses' small house, Lady de Bourgh's house, the place where Lydia goes off with
Wickham. How does their ownership work in the novel?

Public vs. Private Gatherings

Austen doesn't take us on a tour of busy London. In fact, her novels sometimes get criticized for being too
"small"for not taking into account wider social realities. (To which we have to say: how much more
socially realistic do you want, than a bunch of girls trying to get married and preserve your reputations?)
The point is, in the teeny-tiny social world that we're working with here, where everyone knows everyone
else and is all up in their neighbors' business, there's an enormous difference between what people do in
private when around people they know well, and how they act in public. It's a lot harder to reveal anything
about yourself when every small detail of your actions is going to be micro-analyzed by everyone around
you, right?
Take Darcy for example. In public, he's a snappy, rude jerk: "We neither of us perform to strangers"
(32.26), he tells Lizzy. But when he writes Elizabeth that letteror should we say That Letterhe's totally
transformed. Alone, in the privacy of his desk, he is generous, open, and caring. In the same way,
Elizabeth falls in love with him in complete privacy, when she is alone and able to concentrate on Darcy
the letter-writing Pemberley-owner, not Darcy the annoying guy frustrating everyone around him.
Check out the novel's other characters. What are they like in public? In private? Is anyone the same in
both settings? Why or why not?

ANALYSIS: NARRATOR POINT

OF VIEW
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Who is the narrator, can she or he read minds, and, more

importantly, can we trust her or him?
Third Person (Omniscient)
The narration typically stays with Elizabeth, although it occasionally offers us information that Elizabeth
isn't aware of (like Charlotte's pursuit of Mr. Collins). This third person view lends a cold dimension to the
novel, in the sense that dialogue, opinions, ideas, and events dominate the story rather than emotions.
Elizabeth is the exception to this ruleChapter 36, for example, is devoted entirely to her emotional
transformation following her receipt of Darcy's letter. In contrast, even though we do often get to hear the
thoughts of others, it's usually in shorter, less complex bursts.
One totally cool feature of the way the book is narrated is Austen's use of a tricky little doo-dad called
"free indirect discourse." This is when a character's thoughts or spoken words are reported without
quotation marks (or some other kind of indication, like the phrase "she thought" or "he said"). This lets
Austen hook the reader into some of Elizabeth's bad judgment. (And the bad judgment of, well,
everyone.) How long would we have gone along with Wickham's lies if it weren't for the way every time he
gives some long rationalization, Elizabeth's voice pipes up through the narrator? For example, after
Wickham spins his sob story, we get this passage:
Elizabeth allowed that he had given a very rational account of it, and they continued talking together, with
mutual satisfaction till supper put an end to cards, and gave the rest of the ladies their share of Mr.
Wickham's attentions. There could be no conversation in the noise of Mrs. Phillips's supper party, but his
manners recommended him to everybody. Whatever he said, was said well; and whatever he did, done
gracefully. (16.58)
It's easy to read this and feel like all the judgments come from straight from the narratorbut read it again
and you'll see that all of the praise (that his story is "rational" and "satisfying," and that he's got the kind of
face a defense attorney would love) comes straight from our girl Lizzy.
There's one other minor thing we have to mention. At the very end of the book, the narrator speaks in
first-person:
I wish I could say, for the sake of her family, that the accomplishment of her earnest desire in the
establishment of so many of her children produced so happy an effect as to make her a sensible,
amiable, well-informed woman for the rest of her life. (61.1)
Why do we have "third person (limited omniscient)" up there instead of "first person"? Is this the only time
the narrator injects her own perspectiveor does her third person turn out to be just as opinionated as
her first person?

ANALYSIS: GENRE
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Comedy, Coming-of-Age, Literary Fiction,

Comedy
Before we start, Shmoop's going to let you in on a Formal Genre Description Secret. As a genre, comedy
has less to do with funny-ha-ha and much more to do with the kind of ending a work has. If, at the end of
a work, it's all marriage and happily-ever-after and yay-the-princess-found-her-prince? Well, you've got
yourself a comedy, even if you're not busting a gut at any point. Need some examples? How about the
French fairytale "Beauty and the Beast" or Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream or that
movie Love Actually)?
Conversely, if the ending is all misery and people dying and missed opportunities and tears? Well, then,
that's a classic tragedy. Think of Othello or The Great Gatsby or Brokeback Mountain.
What do we have here? Lots of weddings at the end? Check. A light tone? Check. Not too many
suggestions that the world is a dark and horrible place where nothing good can ever happen? Check.
Comedy it is.

Romantic Comedy (Not Really)

People like to say that Austen invented the contemporary romantic comedy. We'd like to say that tooit
sounds catchybut we don't really think it's true. In all of Austen's novels, the reason the hero and
heroine don't get together right from the beginning is that they don't necessarily belong together, and they
both have some serious growing up to do. In Pride and Prejudice, for example, Darcy has to give up
some of his presumptions about himself and other people, and Elizabeth has to learn to give people the
benefit of the doubt. Meanwhile, we're not even convinced they belong togetheror wouldn't have been
reading the book for the first time.
In modern romantic comedies, on the other hand, the hero and heroine are already obviously perfect
people who are perfect for each other. It's the outside world that is keeping them apart through all sorts of
wacky contrivance, and when they do finally get together, it's not because they learned to be better, more
suitable people, but just because they jumped through whatever hoops were standing in their way. So,
yeah, maybe not quite so deep or realistic as Austen.

Coming-of-Age
Fair enough: Pride and Prejudice may not look like your typical coming-of-age novel. Still, Shmoopsters,
we want you to really register it because it'll pop up again and again in Austen's writing. The idea is this:
love really only works when the people getting together are grownups. It's not about looks, and it's not
about wealthalthough for sure those things help alsobecause what really connects two people is a
level of empathy and understanding for other people's points of view.
Think about how it plays out for Darcy and Elizabeth. At first, he thinks "She is tolerable, but not
handsome enough to tempt me" (3.13): i.e., he's not about to ask for her digits. Meanwhile, she thinks
he's so rude that she refuses to acknowledge he might have some other positive character traits. They
both have some major growing up to do. Darcy has to get over himself, which he just starts to do when he
sees how far Elizabeth is willing to go for her sick sister (literally, tramping through the muck and mud
without worrying about her heinous appearance).
And Elizabeth needs to learn to give the benefit of the doubt, which she starts doing when she reads
Darcy's letter, first from her own point of view, and then, crucially, from his. Turns out he's not really a
total jerk so much as an awkward but well-meaning clod. And we all love an awkward but well-meaning
clod, right, ladies?

Literary Fiction
You guys, this is a major work, right up there with all the big ones as a foundational piece of art for
Western literature. Actually, a lot of people argue that Austen is the first modern novelistmeaning, she's
the first to stop writing about crazy adventures and unlikely derring-do, and instead focus on the inner
lives of regular people going about their everyday lives. That makes Pride and Prejudice literary fiction.

ANALYSIS: TONE
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Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it

hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Ironic, Arch, Wry, Full of Witticisms and Bon-Mots, Arm's Length
Reading this novel is kind of like having a conversation with someone who says snarky things in a
deadpan voice while constantly raising her eyebrow. Like Daria. Or Ellen Page. (Not that we're saying
Jane Austen writes like a teenageralthough, hm, on second thought ...)
But really, Austen is just clearly amused by her characters and their nonsense and committed to
discretely pointing out their foibles. It's not that she hates them, but her narrator definitely keeps a
distance and functions as an observer who is always elbowing the reader to look at the next funny thing.
Check out this description of the aftermath of Mr. Collins proposing to Charlotte:
In as short a time as Mr. Collins's long speeches would allow, everything was settled between them to the
satisfaction of both; and as they entered the house he earnestly entreated her to name the day that was
to make him the happiest of men; and though such a solicitation must be waived for the present, the lady
felt no inclination to trifle with his happiness. The stupidity with which he was favoured by nature must
guard his courtship from any charm that could make a woman wish for its continuance; and Miss Lucas,
who accepted him solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment, cared not how soon
that establishment were gained. (22.2)
First, we've got the overhead view, meaning the narrator takes in the scene and shows us the ridiculous
in all its glory: it's funny to try to picture just how not "short" Mr. Collins' "long speech" would be. There's
also that great joke in the idea that the proposal is "settled to the satisfaction of both" (because the
satisfaction is kind of pragmatic since Charlotte is Mr. Collins' third choice and he's her choice only
because he's got a job and a house and it beats living at mom and dad's).
Next, we get to laugh at Mr. Collins more from Charlotte's point of view. Even though they aren't in
quotes, the words about his "stupidity" and the lack of "charm" in his "courtship" are clearly her thoughts
as he goes on and on in his pompous way.
Finally, we circle back around to the narrator mocking the characters again, as we check out how
Charlotte is going to deal with the fact that she can see how awful Mr. Collins is. (Answer: she's going to
deal with things on a purely matter-of-fact basis.) You can have your Seth MacFarlane: this right here is
comedy gold.

ANALYSIS: WRITING STYLE

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Surprising Turns of Phrase, Sarcastic, Subtle, Pointed

Austen is the total master of the slow, subtle burn. Let's watch and learn how a pro does it in this
paragraph that introduces Sir William Lucas, Charlotte's dad:
Sir William Lucas had been formerly in trade in Meryton, where he had made a tolerable fortune, and
risen to the honour of knighthood by an address to the king during his mayoralty. The distinction had
perhaps been felt too strongly. It had given him a disgust to his business, and to his residence in a small
market town; and, in quitting them both, he had removed with his family to a house about a mile from
Meryton, denominated from that period Lucas Lodge, where he could think with pleasure of his own
importance, and, unshackled by business, occupy himself solely in being civil to all the world. For, though
elated by his rank, it did not render him supercilious; on the contrary, he was all attention to everybody.
By nature inoffensive, friendly, and obliging, his presentation at St. James's had made him
courteous. (5.1)
We start off well. Sir William is a well-off guy who even gets to make a speech in front of the king. But
check out the long third sentence, as the narrator masterfully goes from Sir William's point of view (he
now finds actually working for a living "disgusting" and moves to a house in the country) to an outside
perspective on Sir William's growing egotism (all he does now is "think with pleasure of his own
importance"), and then, finally, rounds it off with an amazing judgment on the way climbing the social
ladder creates a useless man out of an industrious one (Sir William is free from the "shackles" of his work
and now just spends his time being "civil").
Funnybut we're not done yet. The problem isn't really just that Sir William himself has become totally
purposeless ever since getting his knighthood and becoming too high class for his business. The narrator
next expands the issue further, pointing to the culture at large, which is more than happy to go along with
Sir William and his new attitude. Check out how, because he's all fancy and titled, in the eyes of his
neighbors he gets a fancier adjective to describe his behavior: instead of simply "friendly" he's become
"courteous," which also carries the pun of "court" (as in royal court) inside itthe place where Sir William
has picked up his new status).

ANALYSIS: WHATS UP WITH

THE TITLE?
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You know how nowadays, the book jackets for novels written by the same author are usually really
similarsame font, same general layout, and so on? (Think about those endless John Grisham novels.)
That's because publishers are going for an if-you-liked-that-you'll-also-love-this approach.
Pride and Prejudice is basically the result of the same kind of thing, turn of the 19th century-style.
Originally, the novel was going to be called First Impressions, but after Austen hit the big time with the
blockbuster sales of Sense and Sensibility, her publisher asked if they could try for a little branding magic
by sticking to the same title formula: noun-and-noun. Sure enough, this new novel went over like
gangbusters.
But titles matter. With First Impressions, readers are thrown into the characters' point of view immediately.
We experience those first impressions right along with Darcy and Elizabeth. Also, first impressions are all
about people interacting with each other, so a novel called First Impressions puts the idea of people
meeting with and reacting to other people front and center. The focus is on manners, behavior, and
outward appearance.
Pride and Prejudice? Not so much.We're no longer looking at things through the characters' eyes.
Instead, it sounds like people are being called namesand it's up to the reader to try to figure out who's
who. The reader isn't buddy-buddy with the characters any more, but is instead all judgy and superior
from the get-go. Our novel BFFs aren't Darcy or Elizabeth at all. Instead, our main pal is the narrator, who
knows ahead of time that someone's full of pride and someone else is probably full of prejudice.
Also, we've now moved into some deep psychological territory here. Feeling prideful and being prejudicial
are things we do in the privacy of our thoughts, not things we wear on our sleeve. A novel named in this
way immediately puts readers all up in the characters' thoughts, seeing how they make decisions and
what their value systems are all about.
Which title do you prefer? Why?
 ANALYSIS: WHAT'S UP WITH
THE ENDING?
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Okay, so Austen is awesome, right? Right. Because of that, many people who read her novels want to
see in them some confirmation of their own ideas and values and moral certainties. They want her to
preach to the choirand they want to be part of that choir.
What does that have to do with the ending? Well, traditionally, the ending is where the moral of the story
or the object lesson goes. It's not always spelled out, but the general theory goes that whoever wins the
prize at the end is supposed to be a shining example to us all, while whoever gets a comeuppance is
supposed to be a cautionary tale.
This is easy enough with fables or afterschool specials, but with a novel like this? Let's just say there are
some disagreements about what this ending is supposed to teach us all.
On the one hand, there is the conservative argument. Now, we're not talking about conservatism as in
right-wing American politicians. Here, we mean more basically the idea of conserving and preserving the
status quo. Things are good now, and they were even better a little while ago, so let's all go back to that
time, shall we? This line of thought reads Austen as very conservative. After all, the end of the novel,
everyone is married and settled and happy ever after. No loose ends, everything packed away into neat
little boxes and squared away. Men are still superior to women, women aren't agitating for rights and
whatnot, and everything is hunky-dory.
Then again, there's a way to see the ending as progressive. After all, Darcy and Bingley are totally upper
class, what with the estate-owning and the not-having-to-work-for-a-living. The Bennets are strictly middle
class, with uncles who work and daughters who won't inherit the house they live in. Still, despite this huge
class barrier, the Bennet girls end up married to Darcy and Bingley. No one is scandalized by this! (Aside
from Lady Catherine de Bourgh.)
More than that, Darcy, Bingley, and Elizabeth all totally throw away marriage matches based on socio-
economic equality (with Miss de Bourgh, Miss Darcy, and Mr. Collins, respectively) and instead hold out
for spouses for whom they have feeeeeeeelings. Youth today! So disrespectful of their elders and the
traditional way of doing things!

We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know

whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you
summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)
(6) Tree Line
The main thing you need when you read any of Austen's novels in generaland this one in particularis
a fine-toothed comb. (Not literally. Although who knows? Maybe you brush your hair while you read, and
it's really not any of our business.) But you certainly need a metaphoric comb, because Pride and
Prejudice depends on nuance. Every tiny turn of phrase, every slightly raised narratorial eyebrow, and
every throwaway aside are crucial.
For example, check out the very first line: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in
possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife" (1.1). Major sarcasm alert, Shmoopers. Austen
doesn't believe this At All, which you find out the next sentence, when we learn that a new single neighbor
"is considered the rightful property of some one or other of [the local] daughters" (1.2).
That snide little "property" upends the typical relationship of in which the man has all the financial power
and gives it to the woman and her family, who consider the man their "property." And hearing the sarcasm
in that line lets you go back and reassess the first line, to realize that we're being set up for a whole novel
that questions the standard quo attitudes toward marriage and money. But see how subtle it is? A
summary doesn't really do it justice: Austen is one writer where form (the how) and content (the what)
can't be separated. (Of course, we're still going to summarize it anyway. But you should definitely read it
for yourself!)
Other than that, there are a few of the usual suspects when it comes to reading something written long
ago and far away: (1) getting used to the different quantitative systemsmoney and distances are really
different when you're pre-industrial revolution and pre-railway travel; (2) adjusting to the different social
norms and valuesback in the day, an unmarried woman is considered a parasitic waste of life,
basically, so getting married is more about life or death than picking out a color scheme.

Most good stories start with a fundamental list of

ingredients: the initial situation, conflict, complication,
climax, suspense, denouement, and conclusion. Great
writers sometimes shake up the recipe and add some
spice.
Initial Situation
All the Single Ladies Put Your Hands Up
The Bennets have five single daughters, one very pushy mother, no money, no marriage prospects. Then
a young, rich, single man moves into the neighborhood.
This is clearly an initial situation because there's way too much instability in this system. Anyone else
predict that the pushy mother is going to be pushing her daughters on the single man?

The Girl From the Wrong Side of Tracks

Bingley starts falling for Jane, but his sisters and friend don't approve. An obstacle in the path of true love
and familial happiness! To make matters worse, Darcy has developed a crush on Jane's sister Elizabeth,
and all the objections he has to Bingley marrying Jane (her lower class, crazy family) also apply to the
prospect of him marrying Elizabeth. It's cool, though: Lizzy hates Darcy so much that we're pretty sure
they're never going to get together. Not.

Complication
So Long, Farewell
Bingley's sisters and Darcy convince Bingley not to marry Jane, and Lizzy meets a cute, sexy guy named
Wickham who drips (figurative) poison about Darcy in her ear. This is definitely complicated.

Climax
Put a Ring On It
So many feels in this climax. Darcy finally proposes to Elizabeth, and Elizabeth essentially tells him that
she wouldn't marry him if he was the last man on earth.
But! That's not the end of the climax! Darcy gives Elizabeth a letter that exonerates him from all the
charges she leveled against him. Both of our heroes start to question themselves: can Elizabeth really be
such a good judge of character if she was fooled by Darcy and Wickham's exterior masks? This is the
climax of the novel because the greatest attitude shifts come here. It's smoother (not quite smooth) sailing
from here on out for our two main characters.

Suspense
What Happens in Vegas
Lydia runs off with Wickham, which potentially destroys any chance at happiness for Elizabeth and Jane.
No respectable man will marry a woman whose sister lived in sin with some guy she never even ended
up marrying. Don't know about you, but we're biting our nails.

Denouement
First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage
Mr. Darcy uses money to force Wickham to marry Lydia. The Bennet family's reputation is saved, which
means Bingley and Darcy can propose to their ladies. Whew! Here's the ending we've been waiting for.

Conclusion
Hollywood Ending
Our two favorite married couples are happy and rich, but Lydia and Wickham's marriage unravels and
they become broke. The two unmarried Bennet sisters are doing well, and Jane moves to an estate
practically next door to Pemberley. Perfect.


ShmoopTube

ride and Prejudice

Analysis
Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis

SHMOOP PREMIUMSummary

INTRO
SUMMARY
THEMES
QUOTES
CHARACTERS
ANALYSIS
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
Narrator Point of View
Genre
Tone
Writing Style
Whats Up With the Title?
What's Up With the Ending?
Tough-o-Meter
Plot Analysis
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ANALYSIS: BOOKER'S SEVEN BASIC

PLOTS ANALYSIS
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Christopher Booker is a scholar who wrote that every story falls into one of
seven basic plot structures: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, the
Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. Shmoop explores
which of these structures fits this story like Cinderellas slipper.
Plot Type : Comedy
Characters are Trapped in a Dark State
When the novel begins, things seem all right for our characters. Mr. Bingley and Jane appear to be falling
in love, with all going well (except for a few minor embarrassing blips whenever Mrs. Bennet shows up),
and Elizabeth knows her own mind well enough to save herself from the horrible mistake of marrying Mr.
Collins. She enjoys putting Mr. Darcy in his place when she has a chance, and, except for Jane's sake,
she doesn't care that the Bingleys and Darcy see themselves as superior to her family.
But the situation quickly goes sour for all involved. First, Mr. Wickham shows up and talks trash about
Darcy. Elizabeth is only too ready to believe whatever Wickham says. Then when it seems like Bingley is
ready to pop the question, he goes to Londonand doesn't return. Things are looking bleak.

Characters Are Revealed for Who They Really Are

After Darcy declares his undying love for Elizabeth, she lets him have it and tells him exactly what she
thinks of him. The next day, Darcy hands her a letter that answers the two accusations she flung at him
the day before. In the first part of the letter, he explains that he really believed that Jane didn't care for Mr.
Bingley, and he sought to save his friend from making a drastic mistake. In the second part of his letter,
he makes it clear that Mr. Wickham is the bad guy. Elizabeth ponders the letter for a whole chapter, and
realizes how blind she has been.

Each Lover is Reunited with His/Her Other Half

It seems like Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth may reconcile and unite after all when Elizabeth accompanies her
aunt and uncle to the countryside near his estate. But then Elizabeth gets word that her silly little sister
Lydia has done something awfulshe's run away with Wickham, which could be social ruin for the entire
family.
All is solved when Lydia and Wickham are married, through Mr. Darcy's heroic efforts. Bingley and Jane
are reunited. Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Darcy muddle through a few more obstacles but finally get
engaged, to the shock of, well, everybody.

ANALYSIS: THREE ACT PLOT

ANALYSIS
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For a three-act plot analysis, put on your screenwriters

hat. Moviemakers know the formula well: at the end of Act
One, the main character is drawn in completely to a
conflict. During Act Two, she is farthest away from her
goals. At the end of Act Three, the story is resolved.

Act I
Meet Cute
The five Bennet sisters are trucking along being poor and single when three strangers start stirring up
feelings: Mr. Bingley, who Jane falls in love with; Mr. Darcy, who Elizabeth falls in hate with; and Mr.
Wickham, who is T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

Act II
Proposal, Round One
Mr. Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth despite her embarrassing family and despite that fact that he totally
broke up Mr. Bingley and Jane. After Elizabeth forcefully rejects him, he writes her a letter explaining that
she's basically 100% wrong about him. Just when things look like they might be picking up, Lydia's
ridiculous elopement puts everyone's reputation in danger.

Act III
Proposal, Round Two
Darcy fixes things between Lydia and Wickham so he and Bingley can finally propose to the older Bennet
sisters. Sweet! It's all good from here on out.

ANALYSIS: TRIVIA
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Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge

The popular 1996 novel Bridget Jones's Diary is loosely based on Pride and Prejudice (source).
Austen was child number seven in a family of eight, which suddenly makes the Bennet family's
reproductive tendencies look modest. She also never married (source).
Austen's father was a rector (a member of the clergy), but not the basis of Mr. Collins' character. (source)
Austen began writing at a very early age, and it helped that her entire family loved to actshe could see
her work actually being performed (source).
GameZebo created a casual game based on Pride and Prejudice called Matches & Matrimony.
Apparently it's kind of like a Choose Your Own Adventure book. Learn more about it here.
Austen in love? There's been a lot of recent speculation about the actual mystery man that stole Jane
Austen's heart (and we're not talking about James McAvoy in Becoming Jane). Read all about it here.
Many of the locations Austen mentions in Pride and Prejudice are invented, but Derbyshire is real. It's
been the setting for two adaptations of the novel, and Jane Austen allegedly based Pemberley on a real-
life Derbyshire estate: Chatsworth (source).
One of the reasons we love Pride and Prejudice so much is that it shows that women could be, well,
different from each other. Crazy! Okay, it doesn't seem like much of a brain snack: but consider these
lines from Alexander Pope's "Epistle to a Lady," written in 1743: "Most women have no characters at all/
Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear/ And best distinguished by black, brown, or fair" (source).
Translation? Women are too dumb to have personalities, and the only way to tell them apart is by their
hair color. We can almost hear Austen rolling her eyes.

When Charles Bingley, a rich single man, moves to the Netherfield estate, the neighborhood residents are
thrilled, especially Mrs. Bennet, who hopes to marry one of her five daughters to him. When the Bennet
daughters meet him at a local ball, they are impressed by his outgoing personality and friendly
disposition. They are less impressed, however, by Bingley's friend Fitzwilliam Darcy, a landowning
aristocrat who is too proud to speak to any of the locals and whom Elizabeth Bennet overhears refusing to
dance with her.

Bingley and the oldest Bennet daughter, Jane, soon form an attachment. Any serious relationship
between the two, however, is opposed by Bingley's sisters (who do not approve of Jane as a wife for
Bingley because of her mother's lower status) and by Darcy (who believes that Jane is indifferent to
Bingley). Meanwhile, Darcy finds himself attracted to Elizabeth despite his objections to her family. He is
drawn to her spirited wit and expressive eyes, and Caroline Bingley's jealous criticisms of Elizabeth can
do nothing to lessen Darcy's admiration.

As Darcy grows more interested in Elizabeth, Elizabeth continues to despise him and is instead attracted
to George Wickham, a handsome and personable militia officer. Wickham tells Elizabeth that his father
worked for Darcy's father and that he and Darcy grew up together. Stating that he was favored by Darcy's
father, Wickham claims that Darcy disobeyed his father's bequest of a clergyman's revenue to Wickham
out of selfish resentment. Wickham's tale makes Darcy appear not only proud but cruel, and Elizabeth
accepts Wickham's account without question, disliking Darcy even more because of it.

In the midst of Jane and Elizabeth's developing relationships, the Bennet family is visited by Mr. Bennet's
cousin, William Collins, a clergyman who will inherit Mr. Bennet's estate when he dies because of a legal
stricture known as an entail. Full of apologies for the entail and praises for his patroness, Lady Catherine
De Bourgh, Mr. Collins informs the Mrs. Bennet that Lady Catherine has instructed him to marry and that
he plans to choose a wife from the Bennet daughters. He settles on Elizabeth, but is stunned and
offended when she refuses him. He quickly turns his attention to Elizabeth's friend, Charlotte Lucas, who
wants to marry for security rather than love, and the two are soon engaged and married.

At the same time, Jane is dismayed to find out that Bingley and the entire Netherfield party have
unexpectedly left for London. Caroline Bingley writes to Jane that they do not intend to return, and she
predicts a match between Bingley and Darcy's sister, Georgiana, who is also in London. Although Jane
quietly resigns herself to a life without Bingley, Elizabeth is angry for her sister and suspects that
Bingley's sisters and Darcy are trying to keep him from Jane.

Elizabeth visits Charlotte at her new home in Hunsford, Kent, and meets Mr. Collins' patroness and
Darcy's aunt, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, an overbearing woman who thrives on meddling in other
people's lives. Soon after Elizabeth's arrival in Kent, Darcy visits his aunt with his cousin, Colonel
Fitzwilliam. Darcy puzzles Elizabeth with his behavior; he seems to seek out her company, but he never
says much. One day, he surprises Elizabeth by proposing to her. Still repelled by his pride and believing
Darcy is responsible for Bingley's separation from Jane and for Wickham's misfortune, Elizabeth refuses
him. The next day, Darcy gives her a letter explaining his role in influencing Bingley away from Jane and
details the facts of Wickham's situation. A careful examination of the facts reveals that Darcy, while proud,
is innocent of wrongdoing, leaving Elizabeth mortified at her discovery of how her own pride prejudiced
her against Darcy.

After returning home for a month, Elizabeth goes on a trip with her aunt and uncle Gardiner to Derbyshire
county, where they visit Darcy's estate of Pemberley. There they meet Darcy unexpectedly and are all
surprised at how graciously he treats them. He calls on Elizabeth at her inn, introduces her to his sister,
and invites her to Pemberley for dinner. Darcy is still in love with Elizabeth, and Elizabeth begins to have
similar feelings for him.

In the midst of this promising situation, Elizabeth receives two letters from Jane telling her that Lydia has
eloped with Wickham, causing Elizabeth and the Gardiners to leave for home immediately. Elizabeth
fears that Lydia and the Bennet family are permanently disgraced and that her newly-discovered love for
Darcy is hopeless. When Lydia is found, however, she and Wickham marry. After the wedding, Elizabeth
discovers that Darcy was instrumental in orchestrating the marriage, thereby saving the reputation and
marriageability of the other Bennet daughters.

Bingley returns to Netherfield and soon asks Jane to marry him. Jane, of course, accepts, and Mrs.
Bennet's exultation is only lessened by her irritation at Darcy's occasional presence. Meanwhile,
Elizabeth's happiness for her sister is interrupted by a visit from Lady Catherine De Bourgh, who has
heard a rumor that Darcy and Elizabeth are engaged, which they are not. She lectures Elizabeth on the
imprudence of such a match, and then demands that Elizabeth promise not to accept any proposal from
Darcy. Elizabeth refuses, causing Lady Catherine to tell Darcy about Elizabeth's impertinence and to
scold him about the folly of an engagement between them. Lady Catherine's description of Elizabeth's
response to her demands gives Darcy hope that Elizabeth has had a change of heart. He proposes again
and Elizabeth happily accepts.

Publication History and Critical Reception

Pride and Prejudice, probably the most popular of Austen's finished novels, was also, in a sense, the first
to be composed. The original version, First Impressions, was completed by 1797, but was rejected for
publication no copy of the original has survived. The work was rewritten around 1812 and published in
1813 as Pride and Prejudice. The final form must have been a thorough rewriting of the original effort, for
it is representative of the mature Austen. Moreover, the story clearly takes place in the early nineteenth
century rather than in the late eighteenth century.
Austen's works, including Pride and Prejudice, were barely noticed by critics during her lifetime. Pride and
Prejudice sold fairly well the first edition sold out at about 1,500 copies. Critics who eventually
reviewed it in the early part of the nineteenth century praised Austen's characterizations and portrayal of
everyday life. After Austen's death in 1817, the book continued to be published and read with little
attention from critics for the next fifty years. The few critical comments made during that time continued to
focus on her skill at creating characters, as well as on her technical mastery. In 1870, probably the most
significant nineteenth-century critical article on Austen was published by Richard Simpson; in the article,
Simpson discussed the complexity of Austen's work, including her use of irony.

Modern Austen scholarship began in 1939 with the publication of Jane Austen and Her Art, by Mary
Lascelle. The scope and vision of that book prompted other scholars to take a closer look at Austen's
works. Pride and Prejudice began getting serious attention in the 1940s and has continued to be studied
heavily since that time. Modern critics take a variety of approaches to the novel, including historical,
economical, feminist, and linguistic.

Various critics have consistently noted that the plot development of Pride and Prejudice is determined by
character coincidence exerts a major influence, but turns of action are precipitated by character.
Although human weakness is a prominent element, ranging from Miss Bingley's jealousy to Elizabeth's
blind prejudices, outright evil is little in evidence. Austen maintains an attitude of good-humored irony
toward her characters.

Historical Context of Pride and Prejudice

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

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

Additionally, the advancement of technology had not yet disrupted the stately eighteenth-century patterns
of rural life. The effects of the industrial revolution, with its economic and social repercussions, were still
most sharply felt by the underprivileged laboring classes. Unrest was widespread, but the great reforms
that would launch a new era of English political life did not come until later. Consequently, newer
technology that existed in England at the time of Pride and Prejudice's publication does not appear in the
work.

General Critique of Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice continues to be popular today not only because of its memorable characters and the
general appeal of the story, but also because of the skill with which it is told. In Pride and Prejudice,
Austen displays a masterful use of irony, dialogue, and realism that support the character development
and heighten the experience of reading the novel.
Jane Austen's irony is devastating in its exposure of foolishness and hypocrisy. Self-delusion or the
attempt to fool other people is almost always the object of her wit; note how she has Elizabeth say that
she hopes she will never laugh at what is wise or good.

The reader finds various forms of exquisite irony in Pride and Prejudice: Sometimes the characters are
unconsciously ironic, as when Mrs. Bennet seriously asserts that she would never accept any entailed
property, though Mr. Collins is willing to; other times, Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth serve to directly express
the author's ironic opinion. When Mary Bennet is the only daughter at home and doesn't have to be
compared to her prettier sisters, the author observes that "it was suspected by her father that she
submitted to the change without much reluctance." Mr. Bennet turns his wit on himself during the crisis
with Wickham and Lydia "let me once in my life feel how much I have been to blame. I am not afraid of
being overpowered by the impression. It will pass away soon enough."

Elizabeth's irony is lighthearted when Jane asks when she began to love Mr. Darcy. "It has been coming
on so gradually that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his
beautiful grounds at Pemberley." She can be bitterly cutting, however, in her remark on Darcy's role in
separating Bingley and Jane. "Mr. Darcy is uncommonly kind to Mr. Bingley, and takes a prodigious deal
of care of him."

The author, independent of any character, uses irony in the narrative parts for some of her sharpest
but often unnoticed judgments. The Meryton community is glad that Lydia is marrying such a worthless
man as Wickham: "and the good-natured wishes for her well-doing, which had proceeded before from all
the spiteful old ladies in Meryton, lost but little of their spirit in this change of circumstances, because with
such a husband, her misery was certain."

Austen uses irony to both provoke whimsical laughter and to make veiled, bitter observations. In her
hands and few others are more capable and discriminating irony is an extremely effective device for
moral evaluation.

Dialogue also plays an important role in Pride and Prejudice. The novel opens with a talk between Mrs.
Bennet and her husband: "'My dear Mr. Bennet,' said his lady to him one day, 'have you heard that
Netherfield is let at last?'" In the conversation that follows, we learn a great deal about Mrs. Bennet's
preoccupation with marrying off her daughters, Mr. Bennet's ironic and sarcastic attitude toward his wife,
and her self-pitying nature. The stage is effortlessly set for the family's introduction to the Bingley group,
and the dialogue has given us information on both incidents of plot and the attitudes which drive the
characters.

The pieces of dialogue are consistently the most vivid and important parts of the novel. This is natural
because novels were mostly read aloud in Austen's time, so good dialogue was extremely important. We
learn of the major turning points through the dialogue, and even intense inner change like Elizabeth's
famous self-recognition scene ("How despicably have I acted!") is related as a person talking to herself.

Each character's speeches are individually appropriate and the most telling way of revealing what each is
like. Elizabeth's talk is forthright and sparkling, her father's is sarcastic, Mr. Collin's speeches are tedious
and silly, and Lydia's fountain of words is all frivolity and no substance.

The things that happen in Pride and Prejudice happen to nearly all readers embarrassment at the
foolishness of relatives, the unsteady feelings of falling in love, and the chagrin of suddenly realizing a big
mistake. The psychological realism of the novel is revealed in the quick recognition we have of how the
key characters feel.

It is very natural for Elizabeth and Darcy to be angry at each other after she first turns him down, and it is
very natural for them to feel twinges of regret, and then have a complete change of mind with the
passage of time. Every step in their progress toward each other is described with a sensitivity to how
people feel and act. In the subtle and beautiful description of Elizabeth's self-realization is a convincing
view of how an intelligent, feeling person changes.

When considering Austen's realism, however, readers should recognize that her major weakness as a
writer is related to her greatest strength. She writes about what she knows and this means that great
areas of human experience are never touched on. We never see that much of the male characters, and
they are rough sketches compared with her heroines. Extreme passions are usually avoided in her
writing, and this becomes noticeable when, for example, she moves to a very impersonal, abstract voice
when Elizabeth accepts Darcy: Elizabeth "immediately, though not very fluently, gave him to understand
that her sentiments had undergone so material a change . . . as to make her receive with gratitude and
pleasure his present assurances." People who dislike Austen's works often cite this lack of extreme
emotions as their main reason. Even so, no one can deny her ability to create unforgettable characters,
build well-structured plots, or deliver assessments of society with a razor-sharp wit. Austen's works
possess a timeless quality, which makes her stories and themes as relevant today as they were two
hundred years ago.

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
LOVE

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

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

The theme of class is related to reputation, in that both reflect the strictly regimented nature
of life for the middle and upper classes in Regency England. The lines of class are strictly
drawn. While the Bennets, who are middle class, may socialize with the upper-class
Bingleys and Darcys, they are clearly their social inferiors and are treated as such. Austen
satirizes this kind of class-consciousness, particularly in the character of Mr. Collins, who
spends most of his time toadying to his upper-class patron, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
Though Mr. Collins offers an extreme example, he is not the only one to hold such views.
His conception of the importance of class is shared, among others, by Mr. Darcy, who
believes in the dignity of his lineage; Miss Bingley, who dislikes anyone not as socially
accepted as she is; and Wickham, who will do anything he can to get enough money to
raise himself into a higher station. Mr. Collinss views are merely the most extreme and
obvious. The satire directed at Mr. Collins is therefore also more subtly directed at the entire
social hierarchy and the conception of all those within it at its correctness, in complete
disregard of other, more worthy virtues. Through the Darcy-Elizabeth and Bingley-Jane
marriages, Austen shows the power of love and happiness to overcome class boundaries
and prejudices, thereby implying that such prejudices are hollow, unfeeling, and
unproductive. Of course, this whole discussion of class must be made with the
understanding that Austen herself is often criticized as being a classist: she doesnt really
represent anyone from the lower classes; those servants she does portray are generally
happy with their lot. Austen does criticize class structure but only a limited slice of that
structure.

Motifs
Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and
inform the texts major themes.
COURTSHIP

In a sense, Pride and Prejudice is the story of two courtshipsthose between Darcy and
Elizabeth and between Bingley and Jane. Within this broad structure appear other, smaller
courtships: Mr. Collinss aborted wooing of Elizabeth, followed by his successful wooing of
Charlotte Lucas; Miss Bingleys unsuccessful attempt to attract Darcy; Wickhams pursuit
first of Elizabeth, then of the never-seen Miss King, and finally of Lydia. Courtship therefore
takes on a profound, if often unspoken, importance in the novel. Marriage is the ultimate
goal, courtship constitutes the real working-out of love. Courtship becomes a sort of forge of
a persons personality, and each courtship becomes a microcosm for different sorts of love
(or different ways to abuse love as a means to social advancement).
JOURNEYS

Nearly every scene in Pride and Prejudice takes place indoors, and the action centers
around the Bennet home in the small village of Longbourn. Nevertheless, journeyseven
short onesfunction repeatedly as catalysts for change in the novel. Elizabeths first
journey, by which she intends simply to visit Charlotte and Mr. Collins, brings her into
contact with Mr. Darcy, and leads to his first proposal. Her second journey takes her to
Derby and Pemberley, where she fans the growing flame of her affection for Darcy. The
third journey, meanwhile, sends various people in pursuit of Wickham and Lydia, and the
journey ends with Darcy tracking them down and saving the Bennet family honor, in the
process demonstrating his continued devotion to Elizabeth.
Symbols
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or
concepts.
PEMBERLEY

Pride and Prejudice is remarkably free of explicit symbolism, which perhaps has something
to do with the novels reliance on dialogue over description. Nevertheless, Pemberley,
Darcys estate, sits at the center of the novel, literally and figuratively, as a geographic
symbol of the man who owns it. Elizabeth visits it at a time when her feelings toward Darcy
are beginning to warm; she is enchanted by its beauty and charm, and by the picturesque
countryside, just as she will be charmed, increasingly, by the gifts of its owner. Austen
makes the connection explicit when she describes the stream that flows beside the
mansion. In front, she writes, a stream of some natural importance was swelled into
greater, but without any artificial appearance. Darcy possesses a natural importance that
is swelled by his arrogance, but which coexists with a genuine honesty and lack of
artificial appearance. Like the stream, he is neither formal, nor falsely adorned.
Pemberley even offers a symbol-within-a-symbol for their budding romance: when Elizabeth
encounters Darcy on the estate, she is crossing a small bridge, suggesting the broad gulf of
misunderstanding and class prejudice that lies between themand the bridge that their love
will build across it.