Overview of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

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“Pride and Prejudice” is a novel written by Jane Austen. Jane Austen is an 18th &19th century English novelist. The novel was published in 1813. Millions of copies of the novel have been sold over the years. The novel has many adaptations including the popular 1995 BBC television version starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. This 1995 version stays true to the original story.

The conflict facing the main character was a common one in the 19th century; women who lacked a fortune needed to marry well (in other words marry a rich gentleman regardless of love). This is exactly the position in which the novel’s protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, finds herself. Elizabeth is the second oldest out of the five Bennet sisters: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia.

The story begins with Mr. and Mrs. Bennet at their home, Longbourn Estate. Mrs. Bennet is going on and on about a very wealthy man who just moved into town. This man is Mr. Bingley. Naturally Mrs. Bennet instantly wanted Bingley to meet all her daughters in the hopes of him marrying one of them. Bingley eventually meets them at a ball. Bingley rapidly becomes very interested in Jane the eldest daughter. That evening Bingley brought guests with him to the dance because they were staying with him. His guests included: his two sisters, Louisa and Caroline, and his friend Mr. Darcy. Darcy is even wealthier than Bingley which makes him an even better eligible bachelor; however there is a problem Darcy appears to be a very proud and haughty. Bingley suggests that Darcy ask to dance with Elizabeth to which Darcy replies, “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me.” Elizabeth overhears this conversation and obviously is hurt by it; hence she believes him to be a very pr...

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...n proud and selfish. Elizabeth admits that she had judged him hastily. The novel ends with Elizabeth and Darcy, and Jane and Bingley getting married; and everyone lives happily ever after.

I loved reading this book and I have probably read it cover-to-cover at least twice! The vocabulary is rich and Austen uses many descriptive adjectives to convey her story. I am a hopeless romantic and enjoy reading a great romance novel. This novel is at the top of my list. Also I love this book because of it’s diverse story lines. Pride and Prejudice has many subplots intertwined with the overall plot which keeps the book entertaining and enrapturing. Austen does a fantastic job at keeping you in suspense until the very end when she reveals whether Elizabeth and Darcy will end up together.

Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Scholastic Inc, 2007. Print

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