Pride and Prejudice

This article is about the novel. For film adaptations, see Pride and Prejudice (disambiguation).

Pride and Prejudice

Author	Jane Austen
Language	English
Genre	Novel of manners
Publisher	T. Egerton, Whitehall
Publication date	28 January, 1813
Publication place	United Kingdom
Media type	Print (Hardback, 3 volumes)
ISBN	NA

Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen. First published on 28 January 1813, it is her second published novel. Its manuscript was initially written between 1796 and 1797 in Steventon, Hampshire, where Austen lived in the rectory. Called First Impressions, it was never published under that title, and in following revisions it was retitled Pride and Prejudice.

Background

The novel was originally titled First Impressions by Jane Austen, and was written between October 1796 and August 1797. Austen's father wrote to London bookseller Thomas Cadell on November 1, 1797, offering it for publication, but it was rejected unseen by return of post. The unpublished manuscript remained with Austen, and it was not until 1811 that the first of her novels would be published, Sense and Sensibility.

Austen revised the manuscript for First Impressions, with significant revisions between 1811–12. She renamed the story Pride and Prejudice, an "apparent cliché"^{Citation needed} of the times. In renaming the novel, Austen probably had in mind the "sufferings and oppositions" summarized in the final chapter of Fanny Burney's Cecilia, called "Pride and Prejudice", where the phrase appears three times in block capitals. It is possible that the novel's original title was altered to avoid confusion with other works. In the years between the completion of First Impressions and its revision into Pride and Prejudice, two other works had been published under that name: a novel by Margaret Holford and a comedy by Horace Smith.

Austen sold the copyright for the novel to Thomas Egerton of Whitehall in exchange for £110 (Austen had asked for £150). This proved a costly decision. Austen had published Sense and Sensibility on a commission basis, whereby she indemnified the publisher against any losses and received any profits, less costs and the publisher's commission. Unaware that Sense and Sensibility would sell out its edition, making her £140, she passed the copyright to Egerton for a one-off payment, meaning that all the risk (and all the profits) would be his. Jan Fergus has calculated that Egerton subsequently made around £450 from just the first two editions of the book.

Plot summary

The news that a vacant manor, Netherfield Park, has been "taken by a young man of large fortune" causes a stir in the nearby village of Longbourn, especially in the Bennet household. And soon is learned the young man's critical status: single; and his name: Mr. Charles Bingley. (The Bennets have five unmarried daughters: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia —oldest to youngest— and Mrs. Bennet is desperate to see them all married.) Mr. Bennet pays the necessary social call on Mr. Bingley; who reciprocates by calling upon the Bennets; then all the Bennets attend a village ball to which Mr. Bingley has agreed to appear. He appears, is very taken with Jane, and dances with her twice. Obvious to all, he enjoys himself and his new company, and proves a most popular young man at the ball. Contrarily, Bingley's two sisters and his close friend Mr. Darcy are obviously bored with the ball, which causes the local populace to view them as arrogant; Mr. Darcy makes an especially obnoxious impression by openly refusing to dance with Elizabeth.

At social functions over subsequent weeks, Mr. Darcy finds himself unwillingly attracted to Elizabeth's charm and intelligence, but still considers her socially beneath him. Jane's friendship with Mr. Bingley and his sisters continues to develop, and Jane pays a visit to the Bingley mansion. On her way there she is caught in a downpour and catches cold, forcing her to stay at Netherfield for several days. In order to tend to Jane, Elizabeth hikes across the muddy fields and arrives with a spattered dress, much to the disdain of Bingley's sisters. Miss Bingley's spite only increases when she notices that Darcy, whom she is pursuing, is interested in Elizabeth.

Shortly after Elizabeth and Jane return home, a Mr. Collins pays a visit to their household. He is a young clergyman who stands to inherit Mr. Bennet's property, which has been “entailed,” meaning that it can only be passed down to male heirs. Mrs. Bennet in particular resents him as the estate's future owner, but she changes her mind after he hints that he hopes to smooth over the issue of the entail by marrying one of the Bennet girls. A few days after his arrival, he proposes to Elizabeth, who turns him down because she finds him a pompous fool. Her father supports her but her mother is furious. Meanwhile, the Bennet girls have become friendly with militia officers stationed in the nearby town of Meryton. Among them is Wickham, a handsome young soldier who is friendly toward Elizabeth and tells her how Darcy cruelly cheated him out of an inheritance.

At the beginning of winter, the Bingleys and Darcy suddenly leave Netherfield for London, much to Jane's dismay. A further shock arrives with the news that Mr. Collins has become engaged to Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth's best friend. Charlotte explains to Elizabeth that she is getting older and needs to marry for financial reasons. After the wedding, Elizabeth promises to visit them at their new home. As winter progresses, Jane goes to London as well to visit their aunt and uncle, the Gardiners. Miss Bingley visits her late and behaves coldly, while Mr. Bingley fails to visit her at all. The marriage prospects for the Bennet girls appear bleak.

That spring, Elizabeth visits Charlotte, who now lives near the home of Mr. Collins's patron, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who is also Darcy's aunt. Darcy comes to visit Lady Catherine and encounters Elizabeth, and they meet frequently over the following weeks. Just before he is due to leave, he makes an unexpected proposal of marriage, in which he calls the connection 'inferior' and claims to be moved by passion against his better judgment. Elizabeth curtly refuses, adding that she considers him arrogant and unpleasant, and accusing him of breaking up Bingley and Jane and disinheriting Wickham. Darcy, shocked by both her refusal and her accusations, delivers her a letter the next day in which he attempts to justify himself. Elizabeth learns that he did not realize that Jane was really in love with Bingley, and thought the match was being promoted mainly by Mrs. Bennet; but that he had gone so far as to conceal Jane's being in London from Bingley. As for Wickham, Elizabeth learns that the young man has been lying to her; that Darcy did fulfill his obligations regarding Wickham's inheritance, but Wickham continued to try to get money from him, most recently attempting to elope with his younger sister Georgiana.

This letter causes Elizabeth to reevaluate her opinion of both Darcy and Wickham. She returns home and acts coldly toward Wickham, who in any case has begun pursuing another, richer girl. The militia is preparing to leave town, which makes the younger Bennet girls distraught. Lydia manages to obtain permission from her father to spend the summer in Brighton with the regiment, staying with a colonel whose wife is a friend of hers. Lydia leaves and, in June, Elizabeth goes on another journey, this time with the Gardiners. The trip takes her to the North and eventually to the neighborhood of Pemberley, Darcy's estate, which the Gardiners want to visit. After making sure that Darcy is away, Elizabeth agrees to come, and she delights in the building and grounds, while hearing from Darcy's servants that he is a beloved and generous master. Darcy arrives home suddenly. Elizabeth expected him to be angry and resentful, but he behaves cordially and seems to be trying to make a good impression, entertaining the Gardiners and introducing Elizabeth to his sister.

Just then two letters arrive from home, telling Elizabeth that Lydia has eloped with Wickham, that the couple are nowhere to be found, and that they may not even be married. Dreading her family's disgrace, Elizabeth hastens home, but not before revealing the news to Mr. Darcy. Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Bennet go to London to search for Lydia, but Mr. Bennet eventually returns home empty-handed. Just when all hope seems lost, a letter comes from Mr. Gardiner saying that the couple has been found and Wickham has agreed to marry Lydia in exchange for a small annual income. Mr. Bennet is convinced that Mr. Gardiner has paid Wickham off, and wonders how he will pay his brother-in-law back. After their wedding, Wickham and Lydia return to Longbourn briefly, where Mr. Bennet treats them coldly. Before they depart for Wickham's new assignment in the North of England, Lydia drops a hint leading Elizabeth to discover that it was actually Darcy who found Lydia, paid off Wickham, and made the marriage possible. Elizabeth's opinion of Mr. Darcy has now changed completely, but she hardly expects a second proposal.

Shortly after, Bingley returns to Netherfield with Darcy and, after the latter has checked out the situation and given his permission, resumes his courtship of Jane. Darcy leaves, saying he will be back in a few weeks, and Bingley proposes to Jane. While the family celebrates, a rumor goes round about Darcy and Elizabeth, causing Lady Catherine de Bourgh to pay a visit to Longbourn. She corners Elizabeth, outlines the family objections to the match, and demands that she promise not to marry Darcy. Elizabeth spiritedly refuses to make any such promise, telling Lady Catherine that it is none of her business. After she leaves, Elizabeth worries that she will convince Darcy with her arguments about family pride. On the contrary, Lady Catherine's account of Elizabeth's behaviour gives Darcy hope that she might accept him. He comes back to Bingley's a few days later as planned, and as soon as they are alone together he renews his proposals and she accepts. Elizabeth's family and friends, still under the impression that she hated Mr. Darcy, are surprised, but eventually won over. Both Jane and Elizabeth are soon married.

Main characters

Character genealogy

Mr. Hurst Mrs. Hurst Mr. Philips Caroline Bingley Mrs. Philips Mr. Charles Bingley Mrs. Gardiner Jane Bennet Mr. Gardiner Elizabeth Bennet Mrs. Bennet {{{}}}} Mary Bennet Mr. Bennet Catherine "Kitty" Bennet Mr. William Collins Lydia Bennet Charlotte Lucas Mr. George Wickham (Old) Mr. Darcy Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy {{{}}}} Lady Anne Darcy Georgiana Darcy Lady Catherine De Bourgh Anne De Bourgh Earl of Matlock Colonel Fitzwilliam

• Elizabeth Bennet - main female protagonist. The reader sees the unfolding plot and the other characters mostly from her viewpoint. The second of the Bennet daughters at twenty years old, she is portrayed as intelligent, lively, (somewhat) attractive and witty, with her faults being a tendency to judge on first impressions and perhaps being a little selective of the evidence she uses to base her judgments upon. As the plot begins, her closest relationships are with her father, her sister Jane, her aunt Mrs. Gardiner and her neighbour Charlotte Lucas. Because of his ingratiating manner, Elizabeth believes the words of Mr. Wickham over the terse but honorable Mr. Darcy.

• Fitzwilliam Darcy - main male protagonist. At twenty-eight years old and unmarried, 'Mr. Darcy' is the wealthy owner of the famously superior estate Pemberley in Derbyshire. Portrayed as handsome and intelligent, but not convivial, his concern with decorum and moral rectitude is seen by many as an excessive concern with social status. He makes a poor impression on strangers, such as the people of Meryton, but is valued by those who know him well. His close relationships include his friend Charles Bingley, who has rented an estate in Hertfordshire, near Meryton.

• Mr. Bennet - Has a wife and five daughters. Portrayed as a bookish and intelligent man somewhat withdrawn from society and one who dislikes the frivolity of his wife and three younger daughters, he offers nothing but mockery by way of correction. He is closest to his older daughters, especially Elizabeth.

• Mrs. Bennet - Wife of Mr. Bennet and mother of Elizabeth and her sisters. Her main objective in life is to find (wealthy) husbands for her five daughters, but she lacks the subtlety to execute her goals. She is portrayed as frivolous, excitable and narrow-minded. She is susceptible to attacks of tremors and palpitations, and her public manners are embarrassing to her eldest daughters. Her favourite daughter is the youngest, Lydia. Elizabeth is her least favourite daughter, being described as "the least dearest to her of her daughters."

• Jane Bennet - The eldest Bennet sister. Twenty-two years old when the novel begins, she is considered the most beautiful young lady in the neighbourhood. Her character is contrasted with Elizabeth's as sweeter, shyer and equally sensible but not as clever; her most notable trait is a desire to see only good in others. Jane is closest to Elizabeth.

• Mary Bennet - The middle Bennet sister, aged around eighteen. The only plain one of the five, she strives to be the most accomplished. She spends most of her time reading and studying, but without understanding. Of the sisters, she thought most highly of Mr. Collins.

• Catherine (Kitty) Bennet - The fourth Bennet sister, aged seventeen. Portrayed as a less headstrong but equally frivolous shadow of Lydia.

• Lydia Bennet - The youngest Bennet sister, aged fifteen. She is repeatedly described as frivolous and headstrong. Her main activity in life is socializing, especially flirting with the military officers stationed in the nearby town of Meryton. She dominates her older sister Kitty and is supported in the family by her mother.

• Mr. Gardiner - Mrs. Bennet's brother and the husband of Mrs. Gardiner. He is a sensible and gentlemanlike London businessman who earns the respect of Mr. Darcy in spite of his low status. He tries to help Lydia when she elopes with Wickham.

• Mrs. Gardiner - Mr. Gardiner's wife and a favourite of Elizabeth and Jane. She acts as a kind and understanding balance to the bustly nature of Mrs. Bennet. Jane stays with the Gardiners in London for a while, and Elizabeth travels with them to Derbyshire, where she again meets Darcy.

• Charles Bingley - Has just rented the Netherfield estate near Longbourn when the novel opens. Twenty-two years old at the start of the novel, handsome, good-natured and wealthy, he is contrasted with his friend Mr. Darcy as being less intelligent but kinder and more charming (and hence more popular in Meryton). He lacks resolve and is easily influenced by others.

• Caroline Bingley - Unmarried sister of Charles Bingley, who accompanies him to Netherfield to keep house for him. Accustomed to fashionable society in London and looks down on Meryton people. She is jealous of Darcy's regard for Elizabeth. Closely associated with Darcy, her sister, Mrs. Hurst, and her brother, Charles.

• George Wickham - A militia regiment lieutenant touring Meryton early in the novel. He was also the son of Darcy's father's steward. Charming and handsome, he makes a good impression in Meryton society, and his reports that Darcy has cheated him out of a rightful inheritance serve to damage Darcy's reputation there. He is later revealed to be financially irresponsible and morally bankrupt with a tendency to believe the stories he spins.

• William Collins - A cousin of Mr. Bennet, and the entailed heir of Longbourn. At twenty-five years old, has recently obtained a clerical living on the estate of Lady Catherine De Bourgh in Kent. Travels to Hertfordshire intending to look for a wife among his cousin's daughters. They find him pompous, dull and sycophantic.

• Charlotte Lucas - The clever and astute daughter of the Bennets' neighbours, Sir William and Lady Lucas. Still unmarried at the age of twenty-seven, she engineers her marriage to Mr. Collins. She is Elizabeth's best friend until Elizabeth loses respect for her when she accepts Mr. Collins' offer of marriage.

• Lady Catherine De Bourgh - Darcy's widowed aunt, mistress of Rosings Park in Kent and Mr. Collins' patroness. She is arrogant about her social rank, but takes a controlling interest in the personal affairs of those beneath her, particularly the Collinses. She intends Darcy to marry her daughter, Anne.

• Anne De Bourgh - Daughter of Lady Catherine De Bourgh; Anne is portrayed as fragile and poor in health. Lady Catherine expects to combine the wealths of the family estates Pemberly and Rosings upon an 'arranged' marriage of Anne to her cousin Fitzwilliam Darcy. All does not go to Lady Catherine's plans.

• Georgiana Darcy - Darcy's younger sister and only sibling, age sixteen; she is also the ward (jointly held) of Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam, her cousin. She is very accomplished, especially at the piano. Wickham faults her as being very proud, but her later appearance in the story discloses she is sweet-tempered and shy.

• Colonel Fitzwilliam - Another of Lady Catherine's nephews. He and Darcy are joint guardians of Georgiana. He befriends Elizabeth while she is in Kent. A charming and kind young man, he is the younger son of an Earl; he circumspectly tells Elizabeth that he must marry prudently.

Interrelationships

A comprehensive web showing the relationships between the main characters in Pride and Prejudice

Major themes

Many critics take the novel's title as a starting point when analysing the major themes of Pride and Prejudice; however, Robert Fox cautions against reading too much into the title since commercial factors may have played a role in its selection. "After the success of Sense and Sensibility, nothing would have seemed more natural than to bring out another novel of the same author using again the formula of antithesis and alliteration for the title. It should be pointed out that the qualities of the title are not exclusively assigned to one or the other of the protagonists; both Elizabeth and Darcy display pride and prejudice."

A major theme in much of Austen's work is the importance of environment and upbringing on the development of young people's character and morality. Social standing and wealth are not necessarily advantages. In Pride and Prejudice, the failure of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet (particularly the latter) as parents is blamed for Lydia's lack of moral judgment; Darcy, on the other hand, has been taught to be principled and scrupulously honourable, but also proud and overbearing. Kitty, rescued from Lydia's bad influence and spending more time with her older sisters after they marry, is said to improve greatly in their superior society. This article explains the significance that eavesdropping has: https://authornet.cambridge.org/information/productionguide/stm/XML_tsv_002.pdf

Style

Pride and Prejudice, like most of Jane Austen's works, employs the narrative technique of free indirect speech. This has been defined as "the free representation of a character's speech, by which one means, not words actually spoken by a character, but the words that typify the character's thoughts, or the way the character would think or speak, if she thought or spoke". By using narrative which adopts the tone and vocabulary of a particular character (in this case, that of Elizabeth), Austen invites the reader to follow events from Elizabeth's viewpoint, sharing her prejudices and misapprehensions and being surprised along with her when events prove these to be mistaken. "The learning curve, while undergone by both protagonists, is disclosed to us solely through Elizabeth's point of view and her free indirect speech is essential... for it is through it that we remain caught, if not stuck, within Elizabeth's misprisions."

Publication history

After the publication of her first novel, Austen sold the copyright for Pride and Prejudice to Thomas Egerton for £110. Egerton published the first edition of Pride and Prejudice in three hardcover volumes in January 1813, priced at 18s. Favourable reviews saw this edition sold out, with a second edition published in November that year. A third edition was published in 1817.

Foreign language translations first appeared in 1813 in French; subsequent translations were published in German, Danish and Swedish. Pride and Prejudice was first published in the United States in August 1832 as Elizabeth Bennet or, Pride and Prejudice. The novel was also included in Richard Bentley's Standard Novel series in 1833. R. W. Chapman's scholarly edition of Pride and Prejudice, first published in 1923, has become the standard edition from which many modern publications of the novel (usually annotated) are based.

Reception

The novel was well received, with three favourable reviews in the first few months following publication. Jan Fergus calls it "her most popular novel, both with the public and with her family and friends", and quotes David Gilson's A Bibliography of Jane Austen (Clarendon, 1982), where it is stated that Pride and Prejudice was referred to as "the fashionable novel" by Anne Isabella Milbanke, later to be the wife of Lord Byron.

The novel was reviewed favourably in British Critic and Critical Review in early 1813. In 1819 Henry Crabb Robinson called it: "...one of the most excellent of the works of our female novelists", and Sir Walter Scott, in his journal, described it as: "...Miss Austen’s very finely written novel... That young lady had a talent for describing the involvement and feelings and characters of ordinary life which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with." However, others did not agree. Charlotte Brontë wrote to noted critic and reviewer George Henry Lewes after reading a review of his published in Fraser's Magazine in 1847. He had praised Jane Austen's work and declared that he "...would rather have written Pride and Prejudice, or Tom Jones, than any of the Waverley Novels". Miss Brontë, though, found Pride and Prejudice a disappointment: "...a carefully fenced, highly cultivated garden, with neat borders and delicate flowers; but... no open country, no fresh air, no blue hill, no bonny beck."

Modern popularity

• In 2003 the BBC conducted the largest ever poll for the "UK's Best-Loved Book" in which Pride and Prejudice came second, behind The Lord of the Rings.
• In a 2008 survey of more than 15,000 Australian readers, Pride and Prejudice came first in a list of the 101 best books ever written.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

Main article: List of artistic depictions of and related to Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice has engendered numerous adaptations. Some of the notable film versions include that of 1940 starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier, that of 2003 starring Kam Heskin and Orlando Seale, and that of 2005 starring Keira Knightley (in an Oscar-nominated performance) and Matthew Macfadyen. Notable television versions include two by the BBC: 1995 version starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, and a 1980 version starring Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul. A 1936 stage version by Helen Jerome played at the St. James's Theatre in London, starring Celia Johnson and Hugh Williams. First Impressions was a 1959 Broadway musical version starring Polly Bergen, Farley Granger and Hermione Gingold. In 1995, a musical concept album was written by Bernard J. Taylor, with Peter Karrie in the role of Mr. Darcy and Claire Moore in the role of Elizabeth Bennet. A new stage show, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, The New Musical, is expected to open on Broadway in November 2009 with Colin Donnell as Darcy.

Related works

The novel has inspired a number of other works that are not direct adaptations. Books inspired by Pride and Prejudice include: Mr. Darcy's Daughters and The Exploits and Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy by Elizabeth Aston; Pemberley: Or Pride and Prejudice Continued and An Unequal Marriage: Or Pride and Prejudice Twenty Years Later by Emma Tennant; The Book of Ruth by Helen Baker; Pemberley Remembered by Mary Simonsen and Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll. In Gwyn Cready's comedic romance novel, Seducing Mr. Darcy, the heroine lands in Pride and Prejudice by way of magic massage, has a fling with Darcy and unknowingly changes the rest of the story. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding, which started as a newspaper column before becoming a novel, was inspired by the then-current BBC adaptation; both works share a Mr. Darcy of serious disposition (both played by Colin Firth), a foolish match-making mother, and a detached affectionate father. The self-referential in-jokes continue with the sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Bride and Prejudice, starring Aishwarya Rai, is a Bollywood adaptation of the novel, while Pride & Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy (2003) places the novel in contemporary times. The central premise of the television miniseries Lost in Austen is a modern woman suddenly swapping lives with that of Elizabeth Bennet. The off-Broadway musical I Love You Because reverses the gender of the main roles, set in modern day New York City. The Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango by Yoko Kamio, in which the wealthy, arrogant and proud protagonist, Doumyouji Tsukasa, falls in love with a poor, lower-class girl named Makino Tsukushi, is loosely based on Pride and Prejudice. A 2008 Israeli television six-part miniseries set the story in the Galilee with Mr. Darcy a well-paid worker in the high-tech industry. In 2009, a graphic rendition of the work with some plot adjustments, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, was released.

External links

• Pride and Prejudice at Project Gutenberg
• Pride and Prejudice, page-by-page text.
• Pride and Prejudice free downloads in PDF, PDB and LIT formats
• Free audiobook from LibriVox
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Free ebook
• Pride and Prejudice, full text with audio.
• Original line by line commentary of Pride and Prejudice
• A new approach to literary criticism from Humanscience wikia
• Pride and Prejudice study guide, themes, quotes, teachers' guide
• Pride and Prejudice: Insight Edition fun, annotated edition of the classic for Austen fans
• Why Pride and Prejudice? Thinking twice about reading it? This will convince you. A fun summery of Pride and Prejudice.