I.

SUMMARY
Set in the early 1800s, in the fictional town of Merton, live the Bennett family, who are
comfortably well off with a family of five daughters. Mrs Bennett, their silly empty-headed
mother, is obsessed with marrying them off, especially as the modest family estate is to be
inherited by William Collins when Mr. Bennet dies. At a ball, the newly arrived Charles
Bingley takes an immediate interest in the beautiful and shy Jane. The encounter between
his friend Darcy and Elizabeth is less friendly. Although Austen shows them intrigued by
each other, she reverses the convention of first impressions: pride of rank and fortune and
prejudice against the social inferiority of Elizabeth’s family hold Darcy aloof, while
Elizabeth is equally fired both by the pride of self-respect and by prejudice against Darcy’s
arrogance.
Collins subsequently arrives, hoping to marry one of the Bennet sisters. Elizabeth, however,
refuses his offer of marriage, and he instead becomes engaged to her friend Charlotte Lucas.
During this time, Elizabeth encounters George Wickham. There is a mutual attraction
between the two, and he informs her that Darcy has denied him his inheritance.
After Bingley abruptly departs for London, Elizabeth’s dislike of Darcy increases as she
becomes convinced that he is discouraging Bingley’s relationship with Jane. Darcy,
however, has grown increasingly fond of Elizabeth, admiring her intelligence and vitality.
While visiting the now-married Charlotte, Elizabeth sees Darcy, who professes his love for
her and proposes. A surprised Elizabeth refuses his offer, and, when Darcy demands an
explanation, she accuses him of breaking up Jane and Bingley. Darcy subsequently writes
Elizabeth a letter in which he explains that he separated the couple largely because he did
not believe Jane returned Bingley’s affection. He also discloses that Wickham, after
squandering his inheritance, tried to marry Darcy’s then 15-year-old sister in an attempt to
gain possession of her fortune. With these revelations, Elizabeth begins to see Darcy in a
new light.
Shortly thereafter, the youngest Bennet sister, Lydia, elopes with Wickham. The news is
met with great alarm by Elizabeth, since the scandalous affair—which is unlikely to end in
marriage—could ruin the reputation of the other Bennet sisters. When she tells Darcy, he
persuades Wickham to marry Lydia, offering him money. Despite Darcy’s attempt to keep
his intervention a secret, Elizabeth learns of his actions. At the encouragement of Darcy,
Bingley subsequently returns, and he and Jane become engaged. Finally, Darcy proposes
again to Elizabeth, who this time accepts.

II. MAIN PARAGRAPHS

1. 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.

The introduction of the Lucases allows Austen to comment on the pretensions that
accompany social rank. Sir William remains a sympathetic figure despite his snobbery, but
the same cannot be said of Bingley’s sister, whose class-consciousness becomes
increasingly evident. Awareness of class difference is a crucial reality in Pride and
Prejudice. This awareness colors the attitudes that characters of different social status feel
toward one another. This awareness cuts both ways: as Darcy and Elizabeth demonstrate,
the well-born and the socially inferior prove equally likely to harbor prejudices that blind
them to others’ true natures.
 2. “Oh! certainly,” cried his faithful assistant, “no one can be really esteemed accomplished who
does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of
music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides
all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her
voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half-deserved.” “All this she must
possess,” added Darcy, “and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the
improvement of her mind by extensive reading.” “I am no longer surprised at your knowing only
six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any.” “Are you so severe upon
your own sex as to doubt the possibility of all this?” “I never saw such a woman. I never saw such
capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance, as you describe united.”

Language proves of central importance to relationships in Pride and Prejudice, as Austen

uses conversation to reveal character. The interactions between Darcy and Elizabeth
primarily take the forms of joke and argument, and Elizabeth’s words provide Darcy access
to a deeper aspect of her character, one that appeals to him and allows him to begin to move
past his initial prejudice. While their disagreement over the possibility of a “perfect”
woman reinforces his apparent egoism, it also gives Elizabeth a chance to shine in debate.
Whereas she does not live up to Darcy’s physical and social requirements for a perfect
woman, she exceeds those concerning the “liveliness” of the perfect woman’s mind.

3. “She did, indeed, Louisa. I could hardly keep my countenance. Very nonsensical to come at all!
Why must she be scampering about the country, because her sister had a cold? Her hair, so untidy,
so blowsy!” “Yes, and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud, I am
absolutely certain; and the gown which had been let down to hide it not doing its office.”“Your
picture may be very exact, Louisa,” said Bingley; “but this was all lost upon me. I thought Miss
Elizabeth Bennet looked remarkably well when she came into the room this morning. Her dirty
petticoat quite escaped my notice.”“You observed it, Mr. Darcy, I am sure,” said Miss Bingley;
“and I am inclined to think that you would not wish to see your sister make such an
exhibition.”“Certainly not.” “To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is,
above her ankles in dirt, and alone, quite alone! What could she mean by it? It seems to me to
show an abominable sort of conceited independence, a most country-town indifference to
decorum.” “It shows an affection for her sister that is very pleasing,” said Bingley.“I am afraid,
Mr. Darcy,” observed Miss Bingley in a half whisper,“that this adventure has rather affected your
admiration of her fine eyes.”“Not at all,” he replied; “they were brightened by the exercise.”

In these chapters, the narrator portrays Miss Bingley as Elizabeth’s opposite—foolish

where the heroine is ingenious, desperate for Darcy’s attention while Elizabeth disdains
him. Bingley’s sister spends her energy attempting to conform to what she perceives to be
Darcy’s idea of a perfect woman. Her embarrassingly obvious flirtation makes her a figure
of a parody of the upper-class woman. By toadying up to Darcy, she ends up losing him to
Elizabeth, despite the fact that Elizabeth does not make any attempt to appeal to him. By
showing Miss Bingley as a scheming rival for Darcy’s love whose tactics are uninspired,
the novel highlights Elizabeth’s originality and independence of spirit, and suggests that
these, not the laundry list of accomplishments that Darcy gives, are the qualities that Darcy
truly desires in a woman. His rejection of Miss Bingley’s advances, then, serves to improve
the reader’s opinion of Darcy, as his ability to admire a social inferior separates him from
ultra-elitist snobs such as Miss Bingley.

III. CRITICAL APPRECIATION

From the opening lines of “any man in possession of a large fortune must be in want of a
wife” comes one of the most memorable of novels in the history of the world. I think the
plot is very witty and amusing, and it is an interesting insight into what women’s life was
like at the time. Equally, I love the wonderful and spirited Lizzie Bennett, with her wit and
humor. Also, I like the way the Bennett’s are portrayed, and the way Mrs Bennett is
obsessed with marrying the daughters off, and how Mr Bennett and the daughters put up
with it. I also like the way Jane Austen makes fun of people. She pokes fun at Lady
Catherine, who is Mr Darcy’s aunt, and she ridicules the upper class all the time.