Pride and Prejudice summary

Pride and Prejudice:

Author: Jane Austen

Major Characters:

Elizabeth Bennet: The second eldest Bennet and the main character of the novel. She is initially blinded by prejudice about Darcy, but later marries him. She is the most independent of the daughters, not believing in marrying for anything but love. This independence reflects Austen’s view of how a woman should be and results in her ending the novel as the most well off.

Jane Bennet: The oldest and most beautiful of the Darcy sisters, she is independent but not as much as elizabeth. She marries for love but refuses to go so strongly against her parents and society. She becomes the second most well off.

Darcy: A wealthy gentleman who is good friends with Bingley. He is very smart and always speaks his mind. He is prideful to a fault and looks down on those from the lower classes, this pride ameliorates over the novel.

Bingley: He is kind, generous, and in love with Jane. He purchases and estate near the Bennet’s, starting the novel. He does not care about class differences.

Mr. Bennet: He is cynically humorous and enjoys tormenting his wife. Though he loves his daughters he is often and irresponsible father and the task often falls to Mr. Gardiner to be the girl’s father figure.

Mrs. Bennet: She is the stereotypical woman of the time, obsessed with marriage for her daughters. She is oblivious to how others view her, often resulting in a negative  view of the family by members of the upper class,

Charlotte Lucas: Elizabeth’s best friend. She marries Mr. collins, an action only done to secure her financial and social stability. 

George Wickham: He is handsome and witty, initially attracting the attentions of Elizabeth. He is a gold-digger, only looking for a woman who can provide a large some of money. He eventually marries Lydia after Darcy pays him a large chunk of change.

Setting: Early 19th century England, mainly in Loungbourn and varies Estates.

Plot: Mr. Bingley purchases and estate near Longbourn England, this causes a stir in the Bennet household. They are invited to go to the ball, where Jane meets Bingley, and Elizabeth meets Darcy. Elizabeth is initially repulsed with Darcy and the feeling is mutual, but over more and more interaction Darcy begins to fall for elizabeth. Since Mr. Bennet has no male air, his home falls to a man named Mr. Collins when he dies, Mr collins come to Longbourn eventually proposing to ELizabeth. She says no, and Mr collins, promptly marries Charlotte Lucas. When Elizabeth goes to visit Charlotte she runs into Darcy and he eventually proposes, she rejects his proposal citing a information gleamed from Wickham and town gossip. Darcy leaves her a letter explaining himself and his relationship with Wickham, cause Elizabeth to realize she has feelings for Darcy. Soon after Elizabeth hears that her sister has run off with Wickham she rushes home. A search results in neither of them being found, but eventually word arrives that Wickham has agreed to marry Lydia, it is later revealed he did so after being paid a large sum of money from Darcy. Soon after Bingley proposes to Jane, and Darcy proposes to Elizabeth and they are both married.

The style of this is a 3rd person narrative from the perspective of Elizabeth Bennet. The narrator knows everything in the scope of the story. It is told in past tense with very short chapters splitting up the novel. The novel is not serious at all mostly poking fun at the characters pre-conceived notions. 

Quotes: 

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” This opens the novel and sets the tone for the entire book, it also implies that a woman will be in want of husband.

“She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me” This, states by Darcy to Bingley at the ball shows his initial prejudice towards Elizabeth, viewing her as just another commoner.

The theme of pride and prejudice is that socially held norms and views hold back those in society, and those who go against them for pure reasons will be the most successful.