Captivating Review of Pride and Prejudice Why Jane Austen’s Masterpiece Still Matters

Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” is a timeless classic that delves into the complexities of love, class, and societal expectations in 19th-century England. If you haven’t read “Pride and Prejudice” yet, it’s time to immerse yourself in the world of Jane Austen’s memorable characters and thought-provoking themes. This classic novel offers a rewarding reading experience that will leave you pondering the intricacies of human relationships long after you’ve turned the final page.

“Pride and Prejudice, a timeless classic by Jane Austen, captivates readers with its witty social critique and enduring charm. This insightful review explores why this beloved novel remains relevant and cherished by readers today. Dive into the captivating world of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, and discover the profound themes and character dynamics that make Pride and Prejudice an unparalleled literary gem.”

“Continue reading to uncover the intricate layers of Pride and Prejudice and understand why Jane Austen’s masterpiece continues to resonate with readers across generations.”

Genres

Sex, Relationships, History, Society, Culture, Classic, Romance, Satire, Comedy of Manners, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Social Commentary, Drama, Bildungsroman, Women’s Literature

Pride and Prejudice follows Elizabeth Bennet, a sharp-witted and independent young woman, as she navigates the complexities of love, family, and social standing in early 19th-century England. The story begins with the arrival of the wealthy and eligible Mr. Charles Bingley and his aloof friend, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, in the rural town of Meryton. Elizabeth’s initial dislike of Darcy, fueled by his apparent arrogance and a damaging rumor, contrasts with her sister Jane’s blossoming romance with Bingley.

As the narrative unfolds, Elizabeth’s prejudices against Darcy are challenged, and she learns of his true character, marked by integrity and kindness. Darcy, in turn, overcomes his pride and acknowledges his deep love for Elizabeth. Through misunderstandings, societal pressures, and personal growth, the novel concludes with the marriages of Jane to Bingley and Elizabeth to Darcy, illustrating themes of love, respect, and personal development.

Review

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is an exceptional work that brilliantly critiques the social norms and class structures of its time. Austen’s clever use of irony and wit highlights the absurdities of societal expectations and the complexities of human relationships. Elizabeth Bennet emerges as a strong and relatable protagonist, whose journey of self-discovery and resilience continues to inspire readers.

Darcy’s character development is equally compelling, transforming from a figure of perceived arrogance to one of genuine humility and affection. The dynamic between Elizabeth and Darcy serves as a powerful narrative device that explores themes of pride, prejudice, and redemption.

Austen’s vivid portrayal of 19th-century England, combined with her nuanced characterizations and engaging plot, makes Pride and Prejudice a timeless classic. Its exploration of themes such as marriage, morality, and societal norms remains relevant, offering profound insights into human behavior and social dynamics. This novel is not only a delightful read but also a critical reflection on the interplay of character and circumstance, solidifying its place as a cornerstone of English literature.

The Romantic Comedy Model

Jane Austen’s popular novel Pride and Prejudice is an inversion of the classic love-at-first-sight cliche: Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet meet at a ball. Darcy isn’t amused; Elizabeth detests him immediately. Only after a slew of misunderstandings and a triumphant victory over pride and prejudices, do the two of them finally fall in love.

Austen paints a detailed portrait of society in her place and time. She brings into sharp focus the limited world of the English landed gentry and merchant class in the Georgian period at the start of the 19th century – targeting the hypocrisy and narrow-mindedness of her contemporaries with wit and irony. Yet, she also shows a great deal of empathy for the desperate situation of women whose only chance in life was to marry well.

Austin, a clergyman’s daughter, faced this dilemma herself. She never married. Jane, her widowed mother and her sister lived in strained circumstances. Finally, she found security in her brother’s home, where she could write, though she was not known as an author until after her death. Her charming works have provided the blueprint for many of today’s romantic comedies, rivaled only by Shakespeare’s plays as a source of popular entertainment. This unique achievement is testimony to how well she mastered superbly entertaining her readers.

Take-Aways

• Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, first published in 1813, is the prototype of the romantic comedy.
• The Bennets have five daughters, but they lack sufficient means to arrange good marriages for them. The second oldest, Elizabeth, attracts the interest of the noble, fabulously wealthy Mr. Darcy with her wit and spirits, yet the pair becomes entangled in a web of class conceits, lies and misunderstandings. It is only when Elizabeth’s sister elopes with a wicked impostor that Darcy can save the day, restore her family’s honor and marry his beloved.
• The novel displays the limited options for women at the time it was written; they could either marry or resign themselves to somber spinsterhood.
• In Jane Austin’s world, a happy marriage requires two things: romantic love and material wealth. On their own, neither is enough.
• She wrote the first version of Pride and Prejudice when she was just 22, but the publisher rejected it outright.
• She rewrote the novel several times and published it anonymously 16 years later.
• Austin’s style of writing about normal people in ordinary circumstances makes her one of the founders of the modern novel.
• Her view was limited to the world she knew, that of the landed gentry, clergy and merchant class.
• Some criticized her as a reactionary for this. Others interpret her book’s perspective as a subtle satire on a society petrified by traditions and illusions.
• “In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” (Darcy to Elizabeth)

Introduction: Discover an iconic Regency-era romance

Pride and Prejudice (1813) is the classic story of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, a couple who must overcome all manner of social and financial obstacles – including their own initial dislike of each other – to find lasting love.

If you’ve ever drooled over a meme of Colin Firth emerging – handsomely sodden – from a lake, laughed through Bridget Jones’s Diary, or enjoyed a rom-com featuring the time-worn enemies-to-lovers trope, then it’s safe to say you’ll be a fan of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The novel is a classic for a reason, combining a timeless love story with sharp social commentary that still feels fresh and funny today.

In this summary to Pride and Prejudice, you’ll meet the memorable Bennet sisters, follow the turbulent courtship between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, and gain some critical historical context to deepen your understanding of the story while you’re at it. So strap on your bonnets, and let’s get started!

Prejudice, meet Pride

Moby Dick has “Call me Ishmael.” Anna Karenina has “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” And, like those other two classics, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice opens with a similarly iconic first sentence: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man, in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

What exactly is the appeal of this opening? Well, to start, it’s firmly tongue in cheek. In the Regency era – a period that characterized early nineteenth-century England – wealthy men had a pretty good time, whether they were single or married. For women, it was a different story. There was huge societal pressure to marry, and the laws of inheritance at the time meant that even if a woman came from a wealthy background, her financial stability was often only secured through marriage.

So while single men in possession of good fortunes weren’t desperately in search of wives, their prospective wives were certainly in want of well-off husbands. With this satirical opening, Austen wittily establishes the tone for her novel, in which she pokes fun at the era’s high-stakes approach to matchmaking yet stays keenly attuned to the serious consequences that marriage had for women of the time.

One person who is convinced that single, wealthy men must be in want of wives? The high-strung and overexcitable Mrs. Bennet. She lives at the family home of Longbourn with her husband, the sarcastic Mr. Bennet, and her five daughters ranging in age from 15 to 22 – every one of whom she wants to marry off. They are the beautiful and sweet-tempered Jane, witty and headstrong Elizabeth, bookish Mary, and silly younger sisters Kitty and Lydia. And while Mrs. Bennet is presented as shallow and meddling, there is some urgency to her desire to see her daughters married off, and it has to do with the legal concept of entailment.

Entailment was a common practice among landowning, upper-class British families whereby an estate would remain in the family lineage – the male lineage, that is. Since Mr. Bennet doesn’t have any sons, Longbourn has been entailed to his nearest male relative, Mr. Collins, who will inherit the property upon Bennet’s death. And if that happens, Bennet’s wife and daughters will need to depend on Collins’s goodwill for their livelihood – legally, it’s possible for them to be thrown out with no inheritance or home. No wonder there’s pressure for the Bennet daughters to marry well!

Luckily, a fresh marriageable prospect has just arrived on the horizon. News has spread through the countryside just outside the town of Meryton, where the Bennets live, that a wealthy bachelor named Mr. Bingley has just rented the nearby estate of Netherfield Park. Mrs. Bennet fixates on him as a potential suitor for one of the girls. She soon starts scheming. Which of her daughters should Bingley fall in love with? And how? The first question is answered with relative ease – Bingley pays a visit to the Bennets, and it’s immediately clear that he’s taken with the demure and graceful eldest sister, Jane. As for how the pair will begin their courtship, an opportunity soon arises: a ball is being held in a week’s time, and Mr. Bingley is planning to attend.

The night of the ball arrives, and Bingley is accompanied by an entourage from London. Among them are his two sisters, Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley, and his friend, one Fitzwilliam Darcy. Word quickly spreads that Darcy has a fortune of ten thousand pounds a year – twice that of Bingley’s!

Soon, Darcy is deemed the evening’s most eligible bachelor. Austen writes, “The ladies declared that he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley and he was looked at with great admiration.” It soon becomes apparent, though, that unlike the amiable Bingley, Darcy considers this rural ball beneath him. He is arrogant, dismissive, and declines to dance with anyone other than Bingley’s sisters. At this point, the tide of opinion turns, says Austen, and “not all his large estate in Derbyshire could save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance.”

He is particularly dismissive of one person: Elizabeth Bennet. Lizzy happens to overhear a conversation between the two men in which Bingley urges Darcy to dance with one of the local girls, and suggests that Elizabeth would make a “very agreeable” partner. Darcy is withering: “She is tolerable,” he says, “but not handsome enough to tempt me.” Darcy has already cemented his reputation for being disagreeably proud. Now, Elizabeth’s prejudice against him is formed.

While Elizabeth wants nothing to do with Darcy, Jane is smitten by Bingley and accepts an invitation to stay at Netherfield Park. While there, she falls ill – and is obliged to stay longer to recover. Elizabeth visits to nurse her sister back to health and, during her stay, notices how Caroline Bingley flirts with Darcy. Although he doesn’t reciprocate, Lizzy’s dislike of Darcy intensifies; at the same time, he finds himself growing intrigued by her fine eyes and spirited wit. Bingley’s affections for Jane are blossoming, too, but his sisters disapprove of the potential match given the Bennet family’s comparatively lower social status.

Meanwhile, the local militia regiment arrives in town. Bookish Mary is unmoved by the arrival of the soldiers, but Kitty and Lydia are delighted – and are especially taken with handsome officer George Wickham. When Elizabeth encounters Wickham, he volunteers the tale of how the cruel Darcy had denied him a parish living promised by Darcy’s late father. Elizabeth, predisposed against Darcy, is hardly surprised to hear this, and her dislike of Darcy grows into something akin to disgust.

ANALYSIS

The “marriage plot” is a literary term for a category of novels that revolve around the machinations of marriage – and in the time that Jane Austen was writing, as we’ve discussed, marriage was serious business. Whether Jane and Bingley or Lizzy and Darcy end up together at the end of the novel has implications way beyond “happily ever after” for the Bennet women.

Like many of her contemporary novelists, Austen centered her romantic tales around a female protagonist navigating respectable options for financial security and social validity. Marriage served as practically the only available path beyond staying at the parental home for genteel women. Interestingly, in her life Austen subverted the conventions of the marriage plots she so skillfully penned – she never married and, highly unusually for a woman of that time, supported herself through her work.

From romance to rejection

Jane and Elizabeth Bennet return to Longbourn just in time to receive an unwelcome guest – Mr. Bennet’s cousin, Mr. Collins, a man who is as odious as he is dull. Austen describes him as “not a sensible man” and adds that his “deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society.” But while Elizabeth detests Collins, her manipulative mother pays little attention to his personality flaws. She is focused, instead, on the fact that Mr. Bennet’s estate will be entailed to Mr. Collins upon Mr. Bennet’s death.

When Collins broadly hints that he’s interested in marrying one of the Bennet daughters, Mrs. Bennet sees a pathway to securing her family’s financial future. Surely, Jane will soon be matched with Bingley – so Mrs. Bennet throws Lizzy in Mr. Collins’s path. When Collins does propose, though, Lizzy firmly rebuffs him; she says that, in every respect, her feelings forbid her from accepting him. Mrs. Bennet is furious, and Mr. Collins is embarrassed – though not so embarrassed that he doesn’t shortly afterward secure the hand of Lizzy’s far more pragmatic friend and neighbor, Charlotte Lucas, in marriage.

To make matters worse for Mrs. Bennet, Jane’s romantic prospects, too, suddenly seem far less secure. Mr. Bingley, his sisters, and Darcy abruptly depart Netherfield for London, giving Jane no explanation for their hurried exit. Jane is heartbroken – she thought Bingley loved her, and now believes she was mistaken. But Lizzy is suspicious. She feels certain Bingley is still deeply in love with Jane, but that Darcy and Bingley’s sisters don’t approve of the match – and are doing all they can to prevent it. Jane’s Aunt and Uncle Gardiner invite her to visit them in London, where she hopes she might reconnect with Bingley. But her hopes are in vain.

In Meryton, the pleasant militia officers are becoming a town fixture, and Lizzy finds herself increasingly attracted to the good-natured Wickham. Their bond is strengthened by the fact that they share a common enemy in Darcy. Lizzy is sorry to leave Meryton – and Wickham – when she has to pay a visit to Mr. Collins and his new wife, Charlotte Lucas, at Rosings Park estate. As Charlotte is Lizzy’s close friend, Lizzy is hoping to provide her company and comfort in her new home. Yet upon her arrival, Lizzy clashes on multiple occasions with Mr. Collins’s patroness, the overbearing and snobbish Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Lizzy is further exasperated when Mr. Darcy, Lady Catherine’s nephew, arrives at Rosings along with his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam.

Lizzy and Darcy have passionate conversations on all manner of topics. But while Lizzy believes their heated conversations spring from a mutual dislike, Darcy’s feelings for Lizzy have turned unequivocally romantic.

One afternoon, Darcy bursts in on her and bluntly proposes. “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you,” he says. Lizzy is shocked and rejects him harshly, telling him, “I have never desired your good opinion and you have certainly bestowed it most unwillingly.” She explains that, thanks to his ill-treatment of both Wickham and Jane, she can never feel affection toward him. Mortified by her criticisms, Darcy writes her a long letter, denying Wickham’s allegations and defending his protection of his friend, saying he was sure that Jane didn’t reciprocate Bingley’s feelings.

Lizzy is unmoved by Darcy’s explanations. She returns home to Longbourn – and to catastrophe. Her headstrong sister Lydia has secretly run away with Wickham. The scandal seems certain to destroy the Bennet’s social standing and financial prospects; no one will want to marry a Bennet girl if this news gets out.

ANALYSIS

Why is Wickham and Lydia’s reckless affair so catastrophic? In the genteel nineteenth-century society depicted in Pride and Prejudice, a woman’s reputation is paramount for securing social standing and moral respectability. Up until this point in the novel, Austen has gently poked fun at respectability politics – for example, in contrasting the vulgar antics of Mrs. Bennet with the rigid decorum of the status-conscious Bingley sisters. Here, however, Austen shows just how much depends on reputation and respectability, as Lydia’s elopement with Wickham threatens to ruin her entire family.

Austen illuminates the precarious position of women in the Regency era, in which a lady’s fate and fortune can rest on her perceived respectability. Simply through their association with their wayward sister Lydia, the other Bennet girls might lose their social standing – and without that, they’re left with nothing.

A second look at love

In the shocking aftermath of Lydia’s elopement with Wickham, the Bennets are in crisis mode, panicking over their potential disgrace.

Still reeling from the drama, Lizzy makes a tour of Derbyshire with her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner. Derbyshire happens to be Darcy’s home county. During a tour of Darcy’s Pemberley estate, she is stunned to encounter none other than Darcy himself. Lizzy is mortified – and sure that after their last encounter, where she so roundly rejected him, Darcy will want nothing to do with her. To her surprise, Darcy greets the Gardiners cordially and invites them all to dine at Pemberley, signaling his continued admiration of Lizzy.

Back at Longbourn, a letter arrives with welcome news. Lydia and Wickham have been located and swiftly married. While Mrs. Bennet is relieved, Lizzy and her father are suspicious; neither believe Wickham truly intended to marry Lydia, and they are certain someone else must have had a hand in containing the scandal.

Bingley, along with Darcy and his sisters, returns to Netherfield. He is delighted to see Jane again, and full of apologies – he was wrong to ever doubt her affections, or let his opinions be swayed by others. Darcy, too, is far more gentlemanly than he was on his last visit. Soon, both Jane and Elizabeth are regular visitors at Netherfield. While it seems certain that Bingley will soon propose to Jane, Lizzy finds herself increasingly attached to Darcy. She reflects ironically that he is “exactly the man, who, in disposition and talents, would most suit her” – if only she hadn’t already turned his proposal down! Bingley does propose to Jane. And, of course, she says yes.

The next morning, Lady Catherine de Bourgh makes an unannounced visit to Longbourn. She’s fuming over some gossip that Darcy and Elizabeth might be engaged. She wants Lizzy to promise never to enter into such an engagement. Knowing full well she is not engaged to Darcy, Lizzy still refuses to comply.

Darcy then makes a visit to Elizabeth to apologize for interfering between Jane and Mr. Bingley. He shares how he quietly played a pivotal part in securing the marriage between Lydia and Wickham, in order to salvage the Bennets’ reputation, by personally settling Wickham’s gambling debts. Elizabeth is touched by his generosity. When Darcy admits that his “affections and wishes” for Lizzy “are unchanged,” his proposal is met with a far more enthusiastic response than the previous time. The novel ends with Elizabeth and Darcy, as well as Jane and Bingley, happily wed.

ANALYSIS

For all its satire, Pride and Prejudice remains a sincere romance – and the love story between Lizzy and Darcy, in all its fraught complexity, remains one of the most adored in literature. Beyond this central pairing, Austen takes love, and the possibility of finding love within the social constraints of the Regency period, as her theme.

Charlotte Lucas’s pragmatic marriage to Mr. Collins, for example, and the subsequent lack of romantic fulfillment, indicates Austen’s awareness that fiscal and social motives often dictate marital outcomes more than emotional bonds. Yet Darcy and Elizabeth’s eventual triumph over misunderstandings, difference in status, and their own initial dislike of each other suggests that Austen believes real affection can flourish, as long as pride and – yes – prejudice can be overcome.

Summary

First Impressions

Mrs. Bennet has a problem: She has five daughters of marriageable age, but no dowry for any of them. Therefore, she’s glad to hear that a nearby property, Netherfield, has, at last, been rented. The new tenant is a young unmarried gentleman, Charles Bingley, who turns out to be a great catch. He is attractive, polite, open-minded and wealthy. At a ball, the local ladies jealously stand by as he lavishes attention on Jane, the oldest and most beautiful of the five Bennet sisters. His friend Fitzwilliam Darcy arouses mixed emotions: admiration at first, followed by aversion, since the tall, dark-haired man offends the locals with his arrogant, mocking ways. He dances only with Bingley’s female relations and disparages Elizabeth, the second oldest Bennet sister, speaking so loudly that she inevitably overhears him.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

Mrs. Bennet tries everything to match her eldest with Mr. Bingley. When his sisters invite Jane for dinner, the mother arranges for her daughter to go from their home in Longbourn to Netherfield on horseback, instead of lending her their carriage. She hopes for rain to give Jane a pretext to stay overnight at her host’s home. The plan works: Jane catches a severe cold and is confined to bed. The next morning Elizabeth make the three-mile journey on foot to keep her beloved sister company. She arrives at Netherfield with a dirty petticoat and cheeks glowing from the exercise. The arrogant Bingley sisters treat her with contempt, but Darcy is increasingly impressed by her lively wit and bright, intelligent eyes. He is torn between admiration for Elizabeth and disdain for her relatives. Mrs. Bennet is of simple attorney’s stock, unbearably loud, with embarrassingly coarse manners. Among the three younger sisters the bookish Mary excels in precocious comments and has an appalling singing voice, while Kitty and Lydia flirt shamelessly with the young officers.

Unexpected Visit

Meanwhile Mr. Collins, a clergyman and distant relative of Mr. Bennet, announces he’s coming to visit Longbourn. Since Mr. Bennet has only daughters, Mr. Collins will inherit his estate, which is entailed and can go only to a male heir. This is an utter nightmare for Mrs. Bennet. The pompous Mr. Collins, to everyone’s surprise, ends up proposing to a dismayed Elizabeth. He’s convinced that she will accept his exceedingly generous offer to keep the Bennets on the estate after they marry. Even when Elizabeth refuses, he considers it merely a bashful affectation and smugly holds out the prospect of a second proposal.

“An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.” (Mr. Bennet)

Mrs. Bennet’s hurried assurance that she’ll stop Elizabeth from being a “headstrong, foolish girl” and bring her to reason makes him hesitate: As a minister he cannot afford to have a headstrong, foolish wife, and he is determined to present his revered patroness Lady Catherine de Bourgh with an acceptable wife upon his return. Hence, he proposes to Elizabeth’s friend Charlotte the very next day, and she accepts. What else could she possibly do, she explains to a baffled Elizabeth, at her advanced age of 27, being only of moderate looks and means?

“I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins’ character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state.” (Charlotte)

Elizabeth, on the other hand, believes in true love. She feels attracted to a dashing, charming officer, George Wickham, who gives her more reasons to distrust Darcy. Wickham tells her that the haughty Darcy has disgracefully defrauded him of his inheritance. Wickham’s father was once the overseer on the Darcy family estate, and the head of the family had bequeathed Wickham a comfortable position as a clergyman to provide amply for him as his beloved godchild and the caretaker’s son. Yet the young Darcy, Wickham continues, disregarded the will and gave the post to someone else. Elizabeth is filled with indignation and dismisses her elder sister Jane’s careful reminder that, given the gravity of the accusations, she should hear Mr. Darcy’s version of the story before drawing conclusions.

Dashed Hopes

Meanwhile, Jane hides her own great disappointment: While her mother is boasting of the imminent marriage between her and Mr. Bingley, he’s left for London without a word of farewell. In her letters, Bingley’s sister Caroline doesn’t entertain the idea that he might return. Instead she drops hints that her brother has fallen in love with the lovely Goorgina Darcy, Mr. Darcy’s sister. Jane, who is inherently selfless, gentle and kind-hearted, accepts this new turn. Elizabeth, however, is convinced that Mr. Darcy and the Bingley sisters have conspired to tear the two lovers apart.

“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.” (Elisabeth)

A visit from Mrs. Bennet’s brother Mr. Gardiner and his wife brings a welcome change. The two of them suggest taking Jane to London for a few months to cheer her up and take her mind off her troubles. Before their departure, Mrs. Gardiner cautions Elizabeth against falling seriously in love with Wickham. She thinks that his lack of wealth makes him a very unfavorable match. Elizabeth, while acknowledging the argument against him, hesitates to rule out taking imprudent actions for the sake of love. Shortly thereafter Wickham resolves the dilemma by abandoning Elizabeth for a bland but wealthy young lady.

Marriage Proposal, Take Two

After the desertion, Elizabeth visits her friend Charlotte in Hunsford and spends a great deal of time on the palatial country estate of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, the patron of Mr. Collins. In his turgid speeches, Mr. Collins elevated Lady Catherine to the level of a living saint, but she turns out to be an imperious, patronizing, know-it-all. This is why Elizabeth is almost relieved when Mr. Darcy and his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam come to visit Lady Catherine, who is also their aunt. She is intent on attaching Darcy to her sickly daughter. But the two gentlemen routinely and conspicuously visit the Parsonage where Elizabeth is staying. To her great astonishment, Elizabeth often bumps into Darcy when she goes walking in the park. One day Darcy finds her alone in the Parsonage and reveals his passionate love for her. Conscious of her inferior social status, he goes on to say that he has fought his feelings for too long, all in vain.

“In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” (Darcy)

Caught in his passionate speech, Darcy doesn’t even realize the extent to which such explanations infuriate Elizabeth. Moreover, just before this proposal, Colonel Fitzwilliam told her that Darcy did indeed actively scheme against Bingley’s relationship with Jane. To Darcy’s great surprise and resentment, she refuses his proposal, since his expression of loving her against his will and contrary to all reason is cruel and unflattering. She accuses him of depriving Bingley and Jane of their happiness and Wickham of his heritage. Darcy storms out of the house.

Clarifying Words

The next day, Darcy waits for Elizabeth in the park and hands her a long letter. In it he presents his point of view on several matters. Without expressing any grudges, he exposes Wickham as a liar and fraud: In truth, the man never intended to become a clergyman, so Darcy gave him a tidy sum in lieu of the post’s income, so that he could study law. After Wickham squandered it all, he asked for the position anyway, but Darcy refused. In the end, Wickham tried to elope with Darcy’s 15-year-old sister, in an attempt to get his hands on her fortune. Darcy’s letter continues to say that in his opinion, Jane never appeared to reciprocate Bingley’s feelings, given her cheerful and serene, but rather restrained and indifferent countenance. In this, he admits in the letter, he may have been mistaken. Nonetheless, Mrs. Bennet’s and her three younger daughters’ tactless and embarrassing conduct had convinced him of the necessity of preventing the connection between Jane and his friend. The letter gives Elizabeth cause to ponder. Darcy’s opinions of her family mortify her, but secretly she concedes they aren’t completely unjust. Upon her return to Longbourn, Kitty and Lydia welcome her with silly chatter about men and fashions. They are inconsolable that the regiment is about to relocate to Brighton. When a friend invites Lydia to spend the summer with her family in Brighton, Elizabeth tries to persuade her father to prevent the visit due to Lydia’s impulsive passions, but to no avail.

Reunion in Pemberley

Elizabeth forgets her worries about Lydia’s loose morals when she accompanied the Gardiners on a summer trip to Derbyshire, where Mrs. Gardiner spent part of her youth. This is also the location of Mr. Darcy’s country castle, Pemberley. After making sure Darcy is absent, Elizabeth visits the castle. She is pleasantly surprised by the large forest and the manor’s tasteful harmony with the enchanting landscape. To Elizabeth’s great astonishment, the housekeeper tells her that Mr. Darcy is the most generous and sweet-tempered man in the world – you couldn’t find a single servant or tenant who would find fault with their master.

“She had never seen a place for which nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste. They were all of them warm in their admiration; and at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something!” (about Elisabeth)

As fate would have it, Elizabeth bumps into him as he unexpectedly arrives at his estate. She’s so embarrassed that she’s speechless, while Darcy seems transformed. He treats her and her relatives with great respect. He is talkative and polite – showing no trace of his previous pride and snobbery. In the following days, he introduces them to his sister and seeks their company whenever possible. On one such occasion, he is present when an ominous letter arrives from Jane: Lydia has eloped with Wickham. At first, they were said to have gone off to Scotland, in order to get married there. But, as it turns out, the officer didn’t intend to marry her at all, but rather, he’s hiding with her in London. Darcy doesn’t say a word when he hears the bad news. Elizabeth’s hitherto unspoken hope for a new start with Darcy seems doomed. She believes that such deep disgrace and ugly stain on her family’s honor are insupportable.

Searching for Lydia

The Gardiners and Elizabeth leave for Longbourn at once. Before heading for London, Mrs. Bennet tells her brother Mr. Gardiner that, if he finds Lydia, he must make her marry Wickham, but she should absolutely consult with her mother before buying a dress! A wedding actually seems like a fantasy. Wickham is up to his neck in debt. What could induce him to marry the almost penniless Lydia? Finally, a letter arrives from Mr. Gardiner. He reports that Lydia and her lover are well. Wickham wants to marry Lydia solely on the condition that he will receive 100£ a year and Lydia’s share of the meager bequest. Gritting his teeth, Mr. Bennet agrees. Given this relatively modest request, he assumes that Mr. Gardiner has bribed the indebted officer with a tidy sum.

“She has no money, no connections, nothing that can tempt him to – she is lost for ever.” (Elisabeth about Lydia)

Lydia and Wickham know neither shame nor remorse when they visit the family shortly thereafter. The new bride mocks Jane as an old maid and brags about her wedding ring throughout the village. In passing she mentions that Darcy was present at the wedding. Finally, Elizabeth learns from Mrs. Gardiner what really happened in London. It was Darcy, not Mr. Gardiner, who located the two of them in their hiding place, discharged Wickham’s debts and gave him additional money so that he would marry Lydia. Still, he didn’t want anyone in the Bennet family to find out about it.

Twin Blessing

Even before the local gossipmongers have fully exhausted the scandalous wedding, the rumor mill is replenished: Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy have returned to Netherfield. It soon becomes obvious that Bingley is still in love with Jane. This time around, Elizabeth knows his friend approves of the match. One night Mrs. Bennet shoos all the younger sisters out of the drawing room, so that Bingley finds himself alone with Jane – successfully paving the way for his marriage proposal. Darcy, on the other hand, is reserved and taciturn. To Elizabeth’s great disappointment, he leaves for London alone. Then Lady Catherine de Bourgh makes a surprise visit to Longbourne. She immediately demands to speak with Elizabeth in private: It has come to her attention, she bursts out, that Darcy is going to propose to Elizabeth, an idea she considers preposterous and impossible, since she has already reserved him for her own daughter.

“Three daughters married! Ten thousand a year! Oh, Lord! What will become of me. I shall go distracted.” (Mrs. Bennet)

She appeals to Elizabeth’s sense of duty and honor and tries to force her to promise to give up Darcy. She appeals in vain. Snorting with rage she leaves Longbourn, announcing that she will personally change her nephew’s mind. Her efforts achieves the exact opposite effect: Encouraged by his aunt’s tirade, and convinced that Elizabeth does love him after all, Darcy rushes to her from London and proposes for a second time. Overjoyed, she accepts.

Conclusion

You’ve followed the love story of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, from initial dislike to misunderstandings and social obstacles to its ultimate happy ending. Along the way, you’ve learned just how pivotal a role marriage played for women in Regency-era England.

About the Author

Jane Austen was born in Seventon, Hampshire, on December 16, 1775. She was the seventh child of rector George Austen and his wife Cassandra. Jane and her elder sister Cassandra, with whom she had a close relationship, received a basic education for five years and then continued to educate themselves through ample reading in their father’s extensive library, as well as learning painting and piano. Jane began to write at the youthful age of 12. In this period, she developed numerous early works. Between 1795 and 1799, she began the initial versions of her novels which were published more than a decade later after a number of revisions. Her contemporaries described the young Jane as an avid dancer and theater lover. While having a few suitors, she didn’t seem to be particularly interested in marriage, remaining single like Cassandra. When their father died in 1805, the sisters and their mother became financially dependent on Jane’s brothers. They moved repeatedly between Bath, London, Clifton, Warwickshire and Southampton, and briefly stayed with various relatives. In 1809, the three women finally settled in Chawton village, Hampshire, where they lived in a large cottage. Stability reawakened Jane’s creative forces. She prepared Sense and Sensibility (1811) as well as Pride and Prejudice (1813) for publication. In 1814, she released Mansfield Park, followed by Emma in 1816. At this point, Austen was a widely-read, albeit anonymous, author. She died at 41 on July 18, 1817, possibly of Addison’s disease, the cause of which is unknown and which was untreatable at the time. Her novels Persuasion and Northanger Abbey were published posthumously in 1818. Only then did Jane’s brother Henry make the authorship of all six works publicly known.