Pride and Prejudice

1. Author

1.1. Jane Austen

1.2. Birth: December 16, 1776 Death: July 18, 1817

1.3. English

1.4. Jane Austen wrote six books in her lifetime, but only four of them were published before she died. Her novels include "Northanger Abbey", "Pride and Prejudice", "Sense and Sensibility", "Mansfield Park", "Persuasion", and "Emma".

2. General Info

2.1. January 28, 1813

2.2. Novel

2.3. English

2.4. Hertfordshire (England) in the 1800s

3. Plot

3.1. Mr. Bingley moves into Netherfield, so Mrs. Bennet wants one of her daughters to marry him, and Jane falls in love with him. They also meet his friend, Mr. Darcy.

3.2. Caroline Bingley does not like the Bennets and does not want Jane to marry Mr. Bingley, also, Caroline falls in love with Mr. Darcy, who loves Elizabeth, and Caroline hates Elizabeth.

3.3. The Bingleys and Mr. Darcy leave to stay in London for half a year, so Caroline claims that Mr. Bingley will marry Mr. Darcy's sister because Caroline wants to make Jane jealous.

3.4. Elizabeth and Darcy are visiting, and they learn that Mr. Wickham, a man deep in gambling debts, has eloped with Lydia, Elizabeth's sister, but they don't think he actually wants to marry her.

3.5. They find Mr. Wickham and Lydia, who are married, and Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley continue to visit the girls at the house.

3.6. Mr. Bingley marries Jane and Mr. Darcy marries Elizabeth, so everyone is happy.

4. Themes, Allusions & Symbols

4.1. The theme of Pride and Prejudice is "always follow your heart, no matter what lies between you and your goal" because the girls end up marrying the men they wanted to since they didn't give up.

4.2. The outdoors symbolizes Elizabeth's freedom throughout the book because she prefers being alone outside and enjoys leaving others behind when on a walk.

4.3. Jane Austen alludes to Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" in Mr. Darcy's statement about poetry being the food of love.

5. Characters

5.1. Elizabeth Bennet- The protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, is very headstrong and stubborn, but also very supportive to her sisters, especially Jane.

5.2. Jane Bennet- Jane Bennet, one of Elizabeth's sisters, is the sidekick because she always helps Elizabeth and talks with her about everything, and for most of the book, she is deeply in love with Mr. Bingley.

5.3. Mrs. Bennet- Elizabeth's mother, Mrs. Bennet, is the antagonist because she is always trying to get the girls to marry wealthy men, even if they do not like them, and will do anything to get her way.

6. Vocabulary

6.1. Section 1

6.1.1. Circumspection: "I honour your circumspection." Definition: observing or acting cautiously

6.1.2. Ostentation: "But to be candid without ostentation or design- to take the good of everybody's character and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad- belongs to you alone." Definition: displaying something intended to impress others

6.2. Section 2

6.2.1. Whist: "Mr. Wickham did not play at whist, and with ready delight was he received at the other table between Elizabeth and Lydia." Definition: a card game like bridge without bidding

6.2.2. Complaisance: "By many significant looks and silent entreaties did she endeavour to prevent such a proof of complaisance- but in vain; Mary would not understand them; such and opportunity of exhibiting was delightful to her, and she began her song." Definition: being agreeable and gracious

6.3. Section 3

6.3.1. Parsonage: "Within doors there was Lady Catherine, books, and a billiard table, but gentlemen cannot be always within doors; and in the nearness of the parsonage, or the pleasantness of the walk to it, or of the people who lived in it, the two cousins found a temptation from this period of walking thither almost everyday." Definition: the residence of a member of the clergy

6.3.2. Propriety: "It could not be for society, as he frequently sat there ten minutes together without opening his lips; and when he did speak, it seemed the effect of necessity rather than of choice- a sacrifice to propriety, not a pleasure to himself." Definition: following good manners and behavior

6.4. Section 4

6.4.1. Dilatory: "His family knew him to be on all common occasions a most negligent and dilatory correspondent, but at such a time, they had hoped for exertion." Definition: being slow or procrastinating

6.4.2. Licentiousness: "And it is the more to be lamented because there is reason to suppose, as my dear Charlotte informs me, that this licentiousness of behaviour in your daughter has proceeded from a faulty degree of indulgence, though at the same time, for the consolation of yourself and Mrs. Bennet, I am inclined to think that her own disposition must be naturally bad, or she could not be guilty of such an enormity at so early an age. Definition: unrestrained; disregarding rules

7. Summary

7.1. Ch.1-15 Mrs. Bennet, has just been informed that Mr. Bingley, a wealthy young man, will be moving into Netherfield Park. She wants one of her daughters to marry him, so she asks her husband to go talk to Bingley, and he does. Mr. Bingley brought his two sisters, his brother-in-law, and his friend Mr. Darcy to a ball and proceeded to dance with Jane twice. Mr. Darcy, however, was very rude throughout the ball and refused to dance with Elizabeth. Jane confesses how much she likes Mr. Bingley to Elizabeth, and they talk about the events of the ball, but at another party, Elizabeth is forced to play her instrument, then Sir William tries to convince Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy to dance together, but they refuse. Mr. Darcy then confesses his thoughts about Elizabeth to Miss Bingley. Jane was invited to a dinner with the Bingleys and officers, but while there, she fell ill, and had to stay at their house, so Elizabeth walked all the way there to check on Jane and stayed for the night. Whenever Elizabeth left a room, the Bingley sisters immediately started gossiping about the state of her clothes, then continued with their rants when she chose to read instead of play cards. Mrs. Bennet came to Netherfield to check on Jane, but pronounced her unable to move because she was so ill. Caroline Bingley flirts with Mr. Darcy, but her foolish flirtation attempts to not win him over. Later, the Bingley sisters play piano and sing, and Mr. Darcy asks Elizabeth to dance, but she thinks he is being sarcastic and responds with a refusal. After the dinner, Jane feels well enough, so she joins the others in the drawing, where she gets much attention from Mr. Bingley. Caroline continues to try to flirt with Darcy, but doesn’t get his attention until she walks with Elizabeth. Jane recovers, but Mrs. Bennet won’t send a carriage because she wants her daughters to stay longer at Netherfield. The girls ask to borrow Mr. Bingley’s carriage instead, and he allows them to use it. Mr. Collins, a distant cousin who is the heir of Longbourn, sends a detailed letter letting his relatives know that he will be arriving at Longbourn. He arrives on time, then after dinner, Mr. Collins describes his patroness, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, with great praise. After tea, Mr. Bennet asks Mr. Collins to read aloud to the girls, so he reads from a book of sermons, but is interrupted by Lydia and takes the hint to stop reading. Collins is attracted to Jane at first, but soon learns of Mr. Bingley, and shifts his attention to Elizabeth. They go on a walk and meet a new officer named Mr. Wickham, then Bingley and Darcy come to greet them. When the party arrives at the Phillip’s house, Mrs. Phillips invites the whole household to dinner the next night and also invites Mr. Wickham.

7.2. Ch.16-30 At the dinner, Elizabeth converses with Mr. Wickham throughout the evening, and soon learns that Wickham is the son of a servant at the Darcy family’s estate. Mr. Wickham told Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy’s father bequeathed Wickham an ample living in his will, but Darcy gave the inheritance to someone else after his father died. Wickham also informs Elizabeth that Lady Catherine De Bourgh is Mr. Darcy’s aunt and that Darcy is expected to marry Miss De Bourgh. At a ball, Elizabeth is sad that Mr. Wickham is not there, but is shocked into agreement when Mr. Darcy asks her to dance. Caroline Bingley warns Elizabeth not to trust Wickham and even says that it was Wickham who mistreated Darcy, but Elizabeth refuses to believe that and instead focuses her attention on how happy her sister, Jane, is. Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth, but she rejects his proposal; he does not believe her and blames it on female coquetry, so she stalks out of the room. Mr. Collins treats Elizabeth very coldly for the rest of the day, giving Charlotte Lucas the attention he first gave Elizabeth, then Jane receives a letter from Caroline saying that the entire Bingley family will be gone for six months and that Mr. Bingley will marry Miss Darcy. Mr. Collins proposes to Charlotte and she accepts, but Elizabeth is unhappy that Charlotte accepted because she did not think they were a suitable match. Jane is very upset when Miss Bingley’s letter arrives and informs them of the details between Miss Darcy and Mr. Bingley, but Elizabeth is confident that Mr. Bingley still loves Jane. Mrs. Bennet’s brother and his wife come to visit, and after hearing about Jane’s heartbreak, Mrs. Gardiner offers to bring Jane to London to cheer her up. After the Gardiners and Jane go to London, Mr. Collins and Charlotte are married and Elizabeth receives word that Miss Bingley was rude to Jane in London. When Elizabeth, Sir William Lucas, and Charlotte’s sister arrive at Mr. and Mrs. Collins’ house, they notice that Miss De Bourgh is sitting outside the house, and they are informed that they have been invited to have dinner at the De Bourgh estate for the following evening. The party arrives at Rosings (the De Bourgh estate) and meets Lady Catherine and Mrs. Jenkinson, but Lady Catherine makes everyone feel very inferior through her manner and her opinions. Elizabeth remains with the Collins and soon Mr. Darcy comes with his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam to visit the family.

7.3. Ch.31-45 Darcy visits Elizabeth when she is home alone, and they talk about many different things; after he leaves, Charlotte suggests that Mr. Darcy is in love with Elizabeth. Occasionally, Elizabeth meets Darcy during her walks in the park, but one day when she runs into Colonel Fitzwilliam, he tells her some things that lead her to believe that he is sorry for not proposing to her. Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, but she refuses because of his arrogant manner and the way he treats people. Elizabeth receives a letter from Mr. Darcy explaining his reasons behind many of the things she had accused him of, and it also explained the true account of what happened between his family and Mr. Wickham. When ELizabeth realizes that Mr. Darcy told the truth, she goes to the park to look for him, then learns the Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam had stopped by the house to say goodbye and she had missed them. Elizabeth stops in London to visit the Gardiners, then Jane returns home with her, but Elizabeth keeps the secret about Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth tells Jane about the proposal and the truth about Mr. Wickham. Jane is shocked, and Elizabeth realizes that her sister is very unhappy without Mr. Bingley. The Gardiner’s pick up Elizabeth for the trip, and they pass by Pemberley (the Darcy estate) but the Darcy family is not home. Then, Mr. Darcy shows up while Elizabeth and the Gardiners are at Pemberley, but he is very polite and talks with Elizabeth. At the inn where Elizabeth is staying, Darcy brings his sister to meet Elizabeth, and Mr. Bingley arrives. Mr. Bingley inquires about Jane because he has not seen her in a long time, and Darcy invites Elizabeth and the Gardiners to dine at his estate.

7.4. Ch.45-61 The group arrives at Pemberley and eat, but after they leave, Caroline Bingley criticizes Elizabeth. Elizabeth receives a letter from Jane informing her that Lydia has eloped with Mr. Wickham, but that they fear his real intention is not to marry her. Elizabeth immediately leaves with her uncle to try and find Lydia. Mr. Bennet is searching for Lydia in London, Mrs. Bennet is will not leave her room, Mr. Gardiner promises to help Mr. Bennet find Lydia, and Elizabeth and Jane do not know what they should do. People are searching for Lydia all over London, and they soon realize that Wickham owes gambling debts, which is why he is hiding. Mr. Bennet returns home, leaving Mr. Gardiner in London, and Elizabeth realizes that she will likely never be able to marry Darcy after this. The Bennets receive a letter from Mr. Gardiner saying that he has found Wickham. Mr. Wickham has agreed to marry Lydia if she receives her equal share of the family wealth after Mr. Bennet’s death, plus some extra. Mrs. Bennet is very excited about the wedding, but Elizabeth believes that Darcy would never marry her if Wickham was in the family. When Lydia returns home, she shows them that she is very happy with her husband, and also mentions that Mr. Darcy attended the wedding. Elizabeth learns that Mr. Darcy actually found Mr. Wickham and offered him money to secure their marriage, so Mr. Gardiner is convinced that Mr. Darcy acted out of love for Elizabeth. Once Lydia and Wickham leave to go to their new house, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy come to the Bennets’ house and are invited for dinner. Bingley proposes to Jane and she accepts, making the whole family extremely happy. Lady Catherine visits Longbourn (the Bennet estate) and talks with Elizabeth alone, forbidding her to marry Darcy which makes Elizabeth very unhappy. Darcy and Elizabeth end up walking alone, so he proposes to her a second time, and she accepts. Elizabeth tells her family about the proposal, and everyone is shocked because they think she still hates Mr. Darcy, but she convinces them of her true feelings. Since Lady Catherine is so upset about the marriage, Mr. Collins and Charlotte stay with her to keep her happy, and Mrs. Bennet ends up being happy about both her daughters’ marriages. After the marriages, Bingley and Jane move to Derbyshire and Darcy and Elizabeth stay at Pemberley, where Georgiana (Darcy’s sister) and Elizabeth become friends.