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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice is the most famous of Jane Austen's novels, and its opening is one of the most famous lines in English literature. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." The novel was written between 1796 and 1797, and was initially called First Impressions. Revised in 1811, it was published two years later in 1813 by the same Mr. Egerton of the Military Library, Whitehall, who had brought out Sense and Sensibility. Like both its predecessor and Northanger Abbey, it was written at Steventon Rectory. Marriage plays a large role in Pride and Prejudice. Some characters marry for security, some marry for wealth and some marry for love. The idea of marriage is very important throughout the novel, primarily because it was the only way for a woman of the period to secure her freedom and assert her personality, and also of securing her social status and living standard. Social classes are also taken into account and play a major role as a theme in Pride and Prejudice. People of higher class are very proud of themselves and do not like to socialise with those of lower class. A pure example is Darcy when we first meet him. Also, the Bingley sisters often talk together about the way people of lower classes act and look bitterly upon them. It is also seen as bad for people of higher classes to mingle with lower classes, but Bingley puts this idea away and proves to be a very social character. Jane Austen ridicules almost all of her upperclass characters, and her heroes tend to be upper-middle or middle-class. Lizzie Bennet insists that she is of the same class as Mr. Darcy, and snobbery is one of the characterisics of a villain in Jane Austen's novels. An important theme of all of Jane Austen's novels is how you correctly assess the characters of the people you meet. Because Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters need to marry, and need to marry well, it is vital that they are able to "read" the men in their social circleÑor they might end up married to an unprincipled, immoral man like Wickham. The "pride" of the book's title not only refers to Mr. Darcy's pride, but also to Lizzie's pride in her ability to read characters, which turns out to be faulty. A large part of this character reading turns on money. Pride and Prejudice is perhaps the most materialistic of Jane Austen's novels - Lizzie quite literally marries one of the richest men in the country. Jane Austen was in no way shallowÑbut she was quite clearsighted, and always in her novels insisted that a marriage must be based on love, respect and at least £500 a year. Principal Characters Mr. Bennet - An English gentleman with an estate in Herefordshire. He is married with five daughters, a circumstance which is relevant to his legacy. The terms of Mr. Bennet's inheritance require a male heir. Because he has no son, upon his death, his property is to be inherited by his closest male relative, Mr. Collins, a clergyman with whom he has had a poor relationship. Mr. Bennet, a gentle and caring man, is very close to his two elder daughters, Jane and Elizabeth. However, he has a poor opinion of the intelligence and sensibility of his wife and his three younger daughters, frequently declaring them "silly" and visiting them with insulting remarks as well as gentle teasing. Mrs. Bennet - wife of Mr. Bennet. Her main concern in life is the prospective loss of her property and home to Mr. Collins upon her husband's death. This anxiety has spurred her to take a keen interest in seeing her daughters married well, and she has set her eyes on her new neighbour, Mr. Bingley, as a match for one of them. She also hopes for a match for one of the girls with Mr. Collins himself. Jane Bennet - the eldest of the Bennets' five daughters and the one considered the most beautiful. She has a reserved personality and tends to hide her feelings. However, she is incapable of suspecting the worst of people, preferring to see only the good. Elizabeth Bennet - the second sister, 20 years old, and the protagonist of the story. Mary Bennet - the third sister, bookish and shy. She disdains the frivolous interests of her sisters and seeks to impress others with her musical abilities. Catherine "Kitty" Bennet - the fourth sister, 17 years old, generally follows the lead of her younger sister, Lydia. Lydia Bennett - the youngest of the five sisters, 15 years old. She is naive and reckless. William Collins - a clergyman and cousin to Mr. Bennet. Because of the nature of Mr. Bennet's inheritance, Mr. Collins, being his closest male relative, stands to inherit his estate. Collins is devoted to his patroness, the noblewoman Lady Catherine. Charlotte Lucas - close friend of Elizabeth and daughter of a neighbouring landowner. Charles Bingley - a wealthy young man who leases property near to the Bennets' estate. Louisa Hurst and Caroline Bingley - Mr. Bingley's sisters, who look down upon the Bennets and their society. Fitzwilliam Darcy - Mr. Bingley's close friend, a reserved and proud man, who is wary of his friend's getting entangled romantically with unsuitable women. Lady Catherine de Bourgh - aunt to Mr. Darcy and patroness of Mr. Collins. A proud and domineering woman, she has hoped for the marriage of Mr. Darcy and her daughter since they were infants. Georgiana Darcy - sister to Mr. Darcy. Anne de Bourgh - daughter to Lady Catherine and presumed betrothed of her cousin Mr. Darcy, suffers from some infirmity. George Wickham - an attractive young soldier who wins the friendship of Elizabeth Bennet. There is enmity between him and Mr. Darcy. Colonel Fitzwilliam - nephew of Lady Catherine and friend and cousin of Mr. Darcy. Mrs. Philips - sister to Mrs. Bennet Edward Gardiner - brother to Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Philips. Film and Television Adaptations Pride and Prejudice has been the subject of many film and television adaptations.
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