Pride and Prejudice

Society is divided into classes, which leads some people to believe that they are more "classy" when they merely are just arrogant. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a novel about the social classes, their manners, and what becomes of .the social classes when they are mixed li!abeth "ennet is the second daughter of five. She is intelligent, witty, lovely, clever, and honest. She is the protagonist of the novel. #ot belonging to the "upper" class, li!abeth is judgmental of people in the higher classes. $er male counterpart is %it!william &arcy. $e is the wealthy "high class" friend of "ingley, who feels the lower class people of 'eryton are his inferiors. &arcy is rude to those not of his social standing. (n the beginning the two characters show .opposing personalities. She is )ind and lovely and he is conceited and proud &espite their class different and personalities, li!abeth and &arcy*s similarities begins with their introduction. "oth are judgmental of each other due to their .social classes li!abeth views &arcy as an "uppity" snobbish man who feels he has social superiority, and he loo)s down on her because they are not of e+ual social standings. li!abeth*s disli)e of &arcy begins when he refuses to dance with her and anyone else who is not rich and well bred. She is lead to believe that he is too proud to be li)ed. $e comments about her loo)s, "she is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me," -./ reinforcing his arrogance and ego. $is effort to maintain his social standing and image leads to a mutual disli)e. $er contempt is only strengthened when she is informed that he is the one who persuaded "ingley to move away from Jane. 0he irony in the story is that &arcy becomes attracted to li!abeth because of her sharp tongue and intelligence. $e -"had never been as bewitched by any women as he was by her." -12 0heir arguments, such as over the ideal women, provided &arcy access to a deeper aspect of her character, which eventually allows him to move past his initial prejudices. 0o li!abeth, his arrogance in these arguments and in earlier conversations continues to remain unpleasant to her. &espite his growing feelings for li!abeth he still feels that due to their lac) of wealth and family she .is a poor marriage prospect

3ver time &arcy*s feelings continue to grow and he eventually proposes to li!abeth. $e expresses how his feelings had grown beyond his first impression, focusing mainly on her lower ran) and unsuitability for marriage rather than his love for her. She refuses, viewing him as the same self4involved, snobbish man she first met, focused on social standings rather than on feelings, this .conversation reaffirms her judgements of him As time goes on, and li!abeth ta)es a tour of Pemberley, &arcy*s estate, and spea)s with his servants who tell her how wonderful he is to wor) for, she thin)s her judgements were wrong. 5hen &arcy helps 6ydia when she elopes with 5hic)man, li!abeth completely changes her opinions of &arcy. $e proposes again and she accepts because she reali!ed he is devoted to her regardless of her .social standing li!abeth and &arcy share a prejudice view of individuals based on their social class. "oth were able to set aside their biases in order to recogni!e their potential .for love

S 00(#7
0he novel is set in 89th century -82::*s/ ngland, principally in 6ongbourn, the $ertfordshire country town that is a mile from 'eryton and twenty4four miles from 6ondon. (t is a well4ordered, provincial town, filled with landed gentry and oblivious to the sweeping changes occurring outside the fringes of its narrow, circumscribed vision.

6(S0 3% ;$A<A;0 <S

Major Characters

'rs. "ennet
0he match4ma)ing mother of five daughters. 0he wife of 'r. "ennet and "a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper," who embarrasses her older daughters with her lac) of class and entertains her husband with her ignorance.

'r. "ennet
A country gentleman, who is the sometimes irresponsible father of five daughters and the husband of 'rs. "ennet. $e is fond of boo)s and can be witty and amusing.

Jane "ennet
0he eldest daughter of the "ennets who is pretty, shy, calm, gentle and good4natured, she falls in love with and marries 'r. "ingley.

li!abeth "ennet -6i!!y/

0he second daughter of the "ennets who is lively, intelligent, witty and sensible, she at first strongly disli)es 'r. &arcy and then falls in love with him.

'arry "ennet
0he third daughter, who is pedantic, tasteless, plain, vain, silly, and affected.

;atherine "ennet -=itty/

0he fourth daughter, who is almost a non4entity in the novel except for chasing soldiers.

6ydia "ennet
0he youngest daughter who is silly, thoughtless, stupid, unprincipled, flirtatious, loud4mouthed and scatter brained, not surprisingly, she is 'rs. "ennet>s favorite daughter. She elopes with

7eorge 5ic)ham
A handsome, militia officer

<ev. 'r. ;ollins

'r. "ennet>s cousin who is to inherit 'r. "ennet>s property. $e is a pompous, undignified mixture of servility and self4 importance.

;harles "ingley
A wealthy country gentleman who is )ind and charming. $e falls in love with and marries Jane "ennett and is &arcy>s best friend.

%it!william &arcy
0he wealthy, best friend of ;harles "ingley who at first is proud, rude, and unpleasant, after falling in love with li!abeth, he is shown to be discreet, shrewd, generous, and magnanimous, in the end, he wins li!abeth>s love.

Minor Characters

7eorgiana &arcy
0he younger sister of %it!william &arcy who is shy, reserved, and warm4 hearted.

'rs. <eynolds
0he trusted house)eeper of 'r. &arcy.

;olonel %it!william
0he cousin of 'r. &arcy who is handsome and well4mannered.

6ady ;atherine de "ourgh

'r. &arcy>s aunt who is arrogant, over4bearing, domineering, interfering, vulgar and affected, she cannot tolerate any opposition.

Ann de "ourgh
6ady ;atherine>s daughter who is sic)ly and coddled by her mother and who has no mind of her own.

'rs. Jen)inson
Ann de "ourgh>s teacher.

;aroline "ingley
'r. "ingley>s unmarried sister, who is snobbish, conceited, scheming and jealous.

'rs. $urst
"ingley>s married sister who lives a la!y, purposeless life.

'r. $urst

"ingley>s brother4in4law, who is la!y and purposeless, li)e his wife.

7eorge 5ic)ham
A seemingly charming man with attractive manners, who is really selfish, unprincipled, extravagant and prone to gambling, he is the villain of the novel, who elopes with 6ydia "ennet

Sir 5illiam and 6ady 6ucas

#eighbors and friends of the "ennet family and parents of ;harlotte.

;harlotte 6ucas
0he eldest daughter in the 6ucas family who is plain, practical, intelligent and absolutely unromantic, she is a very close friend of li!abeth.

'r. and 'rs. 7ardiner

'rs. "ennet>s brother and his wife who are sensible and refined, 'rs. 7ardiner is a confidante of Jane and li!abeth "ennet.

'rs. Philips
'rs. "ennet>s sister, who is as vulgar and ridiculous as her sister, her husband is an attorney.

'ary =ing
An ac+uaintance of the "ennet family.

;3#%6(;0
There are two major conflicts in the novel which develop the plot. 0he first plot centers around 'rs. "ennet>s desperate attempts to find suitable husbands for her marriageable daughters.

Protagonist
0he Protagonist is 'rs. "ennet, whose ?business of life> is to get her daughters married. 0o this end, she is assiduously devoted throughout the novel. She presses her husband to develop an ac+uaintance with 'r. "ingley -a promising catch/, she encourages the sic) Jane to prolong her stay at #etherfield, she is anxious that li!abeth should consent to 'r. ;ollins> proposal and is crestfallen when she does not, she promotes the flippancy of 6ydia and =itty and their red4coat chasing. %it!william &arcy, a handsome and proud aristocrat, falls in love with li!abeth. $e is attracted by her fine eyes, elegant figure, buoyancy of spirit, +uic) wit, and intelligence.

Antagonist
'rs. "ennet>s antagonist is the problem she encounters in getting her daughters married, especially the eldest two. "ingley>s abrupt departure from #etherfield interrupts her plans. 0his and li!abeth>s denial to marry the odious 'r. ;ollins seems to thwart her matrimonial scheme of things. 6ydia>s elopement and the conse+uent stigma also stri)es at the heart of her scheme, ironically, she does not comprehend its fatality. &arcy>s antagonist is the various ?obstacles> he has to overcome in order to win the love of li!abeth, including her vulgar and indiscreet mother, 5ic)ham>s false accounts of him, and li!abeth>s own prejudice against him. li!abeth finds him exceedingly proud and at first strongly disli)es him.

;limax
0he climax of this plot is the engagement of li!abeth to &arcy. 6ydia has already eloped with 5ic)ham, and Jane has accepted "ingley>s proposal. All three of her eldest daughters are to be married. A high point in the rising action is 6ydia>s elopement, for it threatens to thwart the relationship between &arcy and li!abeth, but, on the contrary, it gives &arcy an opportunity to prove his love for li!abeth by using his influence to get 5ic)ham to marry 6ydia. (n turn, li!abeth reali!es the true worth of &arcy. 5hen &arcy proposes to her a second time, he has lost his pride and she has given up her prejudice. 0he climax occurs when she eagerly accepts his proposal.

3utcome
0he outcome of the conflict is a happy one. 'rs. "ennet>s match4ma)ing problems are solved, for her eligible daughters are either engaged or married at the point of climax. 0he second plot revolves around &arcy trying to win li!abeth>s love. 0his plot ends in comedy for &arcy accomplishes his goal, winning the love of li!abeth and her hand in marriage.

S$3<0 P630 S@''A<A -Synopsis/

Pride and Prejudice is the story of 'r. and 'rs. "ennet and their five unmarried daughters. 0hey live in the estate of 6ongbourn in $ertfordshire, a rural district about thirty miles from 6ondon. 0he family is not rich. 0heir property is ?entailed> to pass to the nearest male heir in the family, in this case to 'r. ;ollins. 0he main concern of 'rs. "ennet>s life is to see that all her daughters are married, preferably to men with large fortunes. She sees an opportunity for her eldest daughter Jane when 'r. ;harles "ingley, a wealthy gentlemen from the city, occupies the nearby estate of #etherfield Par). (n her excitement, she urges her husband to visit 'r. "ingley on the very first day of his arrival, before any of the other neighbors. 'r. "ennet complies to his wife>s re+uest and visits 'r. "ingley, but withholds information about his visit from the family. At the next social gathering in 'eryton, "ingley brings along his two sisters, ;aroline "ingley and 6ouisa $urst. "ut more importantly, he brings his closest friend, 'r. %it!william &arcy. "ingley, who is charming and social, is immediately attracted to the modest and gentle Jane "ennet. &arcy, in contrast to "ingley, is proud, rude, and disagreeable. 5hen "ingley suggests that &arcy dance with li!abeth "ennet, he refuses and negatively comments on her loo)s. li!abeth overhears the comment and develops a strong prejudice against &arcy. At the next ball in #etherfield, &arcy feels an attraction for li!abeth and as)s her for a dance. She refuses to dance with him, thereby avenging the earlier insults. Jane and "ingley continue to be attracted to one another. ;aroline "ingley invites Jane to #etherfield for a visit. 5hile at #etherfield, Jane falls ill and li!abeth comes to loo) after her sister. 5hile at #etherfield, li!abeth is forced to confront &arcy. She approaches him with wit and sarcasm. Since &arcy has )nown only flattery from others, he is charmed by li!abeth>s fran)ness. &uring her short stay at #etherfield, li!abeth reali!es ;aroline is very contemptuous of her family, its social status, and 'rs. "ennet>s vulgarity. li!abeth concludes that ;aroline>s friendship and cordiality towards Jane is only a pretense.

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0he male relative to whom the 6ongbourn estate is ?entailed> is <ev. 5illiam ;ollins of $unsfort. 'r. ;ollins pays a visit to 6ongbourn with the intention of proposing marriage to one of the "ennet daughters. $is pompous manners and his bloated rhetoric disgust everyone, except 'rs. "ennet, who loo)s upon him as a prospective son4in4law. ;ollins is attracted to Jane, but 'rs. "ennet informs him that she is about to be engaged. $e then turns his attention to li!abeth and ma)es a ridiculous proposal of marriage to her. 5hen li!abeth rejects him, he proposes to her friend ;harlotte 6ucas, who, to everyone>s shoc), accepts him. 'rs. "ennet is distressed by li!abeth>s rejection of 'r. ;ollins because it is the one opportunity she has of )eeping the 6ongbourn estate in the family. "ingley and his companions soon depart for 6ondon. "oth "ingley and ;aroline write to Jane to say that they have closed #etherfield and have no plans of returning to it in the near future. Jane is very disappointed. As Jane feels frustration over "ingley, li!abeth finds a new attraction. She meets 'r. 5ic)ham and is foolishly and magnetically drawn to him. 0hey have a friendly conversation in which she reveals her disli)e of &arcy. 0a)ing advantage of this information, 5ic)ham concocts a story and tells li!abeth that he has been cheated by &arcy. li!abeth ta)es pity on him and almost falls in love. 'rs. 7ardiner, however, warns li!abeth about 5ic)ham, who soon marries 'iss =ing. At the invitation of the 7ardiners, Jane goes to 6ondon for some rest and change of air. She hopes that she sees "ingley, even accidentally. Jane ma)es many attempts to get in touch with him, but ;aroline does not even inform her brother about Jane>s presence in 6ondon. Jane is heart bro)en, but grows to accept her rejection.

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S$3<0 P630 S@''A<A -Synopsis/ -continued/

li!abeth goes to $unsford to visit 'r. ;ollins and his new wife ;harlotte, who is li!abeth>s dear friend. &uring li!abeth>s stay in $unsford, &arcy happens to visit his aunt, who also lives there, and attempts to build a relationship with li!abeth. 0o her surprise, &arcy proposes marriage to her in a language so arrogant that li!abeth turns him down indignantly. She as)s him how he dares to propose to her after separating Jane and "ingley, who were in love with each other, and after victimi!ing 5ic)ham. She ends her tirade by saying that she would not marry him even if he were the last man on the earth. &arcy is upset and leaves in a huff. 0he next morning he meets li!abeth when she goes out for a wal) and hands her a long letter that answers all her accusations. $e explains to her that he did not believe that Jane was really in love with "ingley. $e also tells her the truth about 5ic)ham. li!abeth is shoc)ed by his answers. 0here is also another shoc) awaiting her. $er youngest sister 6ydia has been invited to "righton by a young officer>s wife. 6ydia is very excited about the trip, but li!abeth )nows how stupid, scatter brained, and flirtatious 6ydia is. She tries to persuade her father not to allow 6ydia to go to "righton. $er father, however, dismisses li!abeth>s fears. 'r. and 'rs. 7ardiner plan a tour of the 6a)e &istrict and ta)e li!abeth with them. At the last minute, however, the tour is cut short and the 7ardiners decide to restrict their trip to &erbyshire, where &arcy has his vast estate in Pemberley. li!abeth ma)es sure that &arcy is away on business and then agrees to visit Pemberley, out of sheer curiosity. Pemberley is one of the most beautiful places she has ever visited, and &arcy>s elegant tastes are evident everywhere. 0o top it all, 's. <eynolds, the house)eeper who has )nown &arcy since his childhood, spea)s very highly of him, saying he is just and fair. li!abeth cannot believe that she has made such a mista)e in judging his character. As li!abeth is loo)ing over Pemberley>s lovely grounds, &arcy himself appears, returning a day before he is expected. $e loo)s surprised to see li!abeth, and she is intensely embarrassed. $e is polite to her and the 7ardiners, and li!abeth notices that there is no trace of pride in him.
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0he following day, "ingley calls on li!abeth, and his anxious in+uiries about Jane indicate that he is still in love with her. &arcy and his beautiful sister, 7eorgiana, also call on li!abeth at the inn to invite her and the 7ardiners to dinner. li!abeth accepts the dinner invitation. &uring the dinner, ;aroline tries her best to destroy the friendly relationship between &arcy and li!abeth by running down li!abeth>s family, but she does not succeed. &arcy is fond of li!abeth. #ews comes that 6ydia has eloped with 5ic)ham, so li!abeth leaves &erbyshire with the 7ardiners to return home. All attempts at tracing the runaway couple have failed. &arcy, touched by li!abeth>s distress over 6ydia, see)s to find her and catches up with the couple in 6ondon. &arcy convinces 5ic)ham to marry 6ydia, gives him ten thousand pounds, pays up his debts, and persuades him to settle in the #orth of 6ondon. &arcy then re+uests that the 7ardiners not reveal his help to the "ennet family. li!abeth, however, finds out the truth about &arcy>s assistance. She is impressed with his )indness. "ingley ma)es an unannounced reappearance at #etherfield Par), and renews his courtship of Jane. 0hey are soon engaged. 6ady ;atherine also arrives unannounced and acts very haughty towards the "ennet family. She threatens li!abeth with dire conse+uences if she marries &arcy, but li!abeth refuses to promise that she will not accept a proposal from &arcy. A few days later, &arcy comes to visit and ma)es a second proposal of marriage to li!abeth. 0his time she accepts wholeheartedly. $e than)s li!abeth for teaching him the lesson of humility. 0he two couples, Jane and "ingley and li!abeth and &arcy, are married on the same morning. 'rs. "ennet is overjoyed at having three of her daughters married, two of them to very rich young men. After a year>s stay at #etherfield Par), "ingley purchases an estate in &erbyshire. $is mother4in4law>s tiresome company and her vulgar behavior are too much even for his calm temperament. 0he novel finally ends on a note of reconciliation with all of the characters trying to forgive and forget past insults.

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0$ ' S
'ajor 0hemes

0he pivotal theme is that marriage is important to individuals and society. 0hroughout the novel, the author describes the various types of marriages and reasons behind them. 'arriage out of economic compulsions can be seen in ;harlotte>s marriage to ;ollins. 'arriage due to sensual pleasure can be seen in 6ydia>s marriage. 0he marriage of Jane and li!abeth are the outcome of true love between well4matched persons. Another major theme is that pride and prejudice both stand in the way of relationships, as embodied in the persons of &arcy and li!abeth respectively. Pride narrows the vision of a person and causes one to underestimate other mortals. Prejudice blinds the vision and leads to false perceptions about others. &arcy>s pride and li!abeth>s prejudice come in the way of understanding each other and )eep them apart. 3nly when &arcy becomes more humble and li!abeth becomes more accepting can they relate to one another and find happiness together.

'inor 0hemes
A minor theme found in the novel is appearance versus reality, with Austen stressing that a person cannot be judged by hisBher outer being. &uring the course of the boo), several characters are not properly judged, for good conduct does not necessarily mean good character, just as a pretty face does not indicate a pure soul. Another theme stressed by the author is that in order to display good sense, a vitally important characteristic, a person must possess intelligence, sensitivity, and responsibility. ach of the major characters in the novel is judged against these three important criteria.

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'33&
0he mood throughout the novel is formal and realistic to its nineteenth century setting. ven though it is a novel about love and marriage, it is not romantic and emotional, but realistic and practical.

"A;=7<3@#& (#%3<'A0(3# C "(37<AP$A

JA# A@S0 # Jane Austen was born in 8..D at Steventon, $ampshire in southern ngland, where her father was a minister. She was the sixth child in a family of seven children. 0he family was very close, and Jane had a particular closeness to her sister ;assandra. Although she attended boarding school for a short while, she was mostly educated at home. "oth she and ;assandra were attractive and attended country parties, neither of them married, although Jane had several proposals. 'uch of Jane>s life is captured in the letters that she wrote to her sister, but ;assandra cut out any references there might have been about Jane>s intimate, private life and her innermost thoughts. (n spite of the missing information, the letters retain flashes of sharp wit and occasional coarseness

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Jane began to write at a young age. Pride and Prejudice, her most popular novel, was the first to be written, although not the first published. She wrote on it for several years and finally completed it as First Impressions in 8.9.. (t, however, was not accepted for publication until 8281, when it appeared with its current version with its new title. As a result, Sense and Sensibility was published first, in 8288. $er other four novels, Mansfield Park !mma "orthan#er $bbey and Persuasion were all published between 828E and 8282. She also wrote six minor wor)s and one unfinished novel. "ecause she wanted to avoid attention, most of her wor) was not published under her name. 5hen 'r. Austen retired in 82:8, the family moved to "ath, where they lived until 'r. Austen>s death. 0he family then moved to Southampton in 82:F, to ;hawton in 82:9, and then again to $ampshire. A few days before her sudden death in 828., she lodged in 5inchester.

0$ S3;(A6 "A;=7<3@#&

A general )nowledge of the social and cultural setting in which a novel is written is important, for most novels mirror the customs and values of a particular society, often critici!ing it. 0he $ertfordshire country town where the greater part of the novel is set is 6ongbourn, only a mile from the mar)et town of 'eryton and GE miles from 6ondon. 0he neighborhood around the "ennets is large, for they dine with twenty4four different families, only three of which are named. 0he "ennet>s society is drawn largely from 'eryton -which is the mother>s bac)ground/ rather than from the country -which is the father>s/, for she is more sociable than her husband. 'rs. "ennet, however, is without social ambition except for her desire to have her daughters marry rich men.

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Pride and Prejudice is, thus, set among the rural middle and upper classes who are landowners. #one of the major characters wor)s, for these moneyed classes live entirely on their income from rents and inheritances. 0here are, however, petty distinctions among the landed classes, determined by the amount of wealth possessed by the members. %or instance, 'iss "engali and her sister loo) down on the "ennets because they are not as wealthy. ;lass distinctions in Jane Austen>s time were in fact very rigid. 0he land4owning aristocracy belonged to the highest rung of the social ladder, and all power was in their hands. #ext in ran) came the gentry. 0he new, prosperous industrialists and traders -li)e 'r. 7ardiner/ were gradually rising as a class, but had still not won the right to vote. 0he lowest in nglish society were the wor)ers and laborers. %or the women of the time, life was largely restricted to the home and the family. %or the poor and the lower4class women, there was ample wor) in the home and in the fields to )eep them busy. "ut for the ladies of the landed upper4classes, life was one big round of dances, dinners, cards, and visits to friends and relatives. 0hey were not re+uired to do any household wor). "6adies," thus, lived a life of ease and leisure, mainly concerned with society, children, and marriage. "y the nineteenth century, the upper classes no longer arranged marriages. (nstead, a girl was introduced to society -and eligible bachelors/ at a reception hosted by a married woman who had herself been presented. 7enerally, a girl "came out" only after her elder sister was married. -#o wonder 6ady ;atherine is shoc)ed when she hears that all of li!abeth>s sisters have started dating before she is wed./ 5omen>s education in the nineteenth century was restricted to the daughters of a few families of the upper classes. (n most cases, it was thought to be a waste of time to educate girls. <ich and noble families -li)e that of 6ady ;atherine de "ourgh/ engaged governesses for educating their daughters or sent them away to boarding school, but most women were self4educated at home. 0raveling in Jane Austen>s time was accomplished in horse4 drawn carriages, and a family>s social status was determined by its )ind of carriage. "ecause carriages were slow, travel was limited. ;ommunication of mail and news was also slow, and there were no daily newspapers. As a result, the outside world does not play a part in Austen>s novels. (nstead,

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she turns her attention in entirety to the things she )newH family and values.

0$ 6(0 <A<A "A;=7<3@#&

Jane Austen>s Pride and Prejudice appeared on the nglish literary scene in 8281. 0he author had wor)ed on its realistic style and content for more than fifteen years, for she was a perfectionist in her approach to writing. $er first novel was unli)e any of the hundreds of others written at the time, which were mainly <omantic -filled with emotion and passionate/ or 7othic -filled with horror/. Austen was the first novelist to portray realistic characters by using the direct method of telling a story in which dialogue and comment ta)e an important place. She used the method to dissect the hypocrisy of individuals and the society in which they played their games of love and courtship. %rom the beginning, Austen>s literature centered on character studies, where a person>s common sense -or lac) of it/ was developed in detail. 0he chosen setting was always limited to a small social group of the upper classes and composed of a few families. %amily life was always central to her wor)s. $er novels also portrayed traditional values and a belief in rationality, responsibility, and restraint. "ut she often viewed the human condition, with its many wea)nesses, through humor, irony, and sarcasm, with her undesirable characters portrayed as ignorant, proud, or silly human beings, not evil villains.

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<eputation
Pride and Prejudice depicts a society in which a woman>s reputation is of the utmost importance. A woman is expected to behave in certain ways. Stepping outside the social norms ma)es her vulnerable to ostracism. 0his theme appears in the novel, when li!abeth wal)s to #etherfield and arrives with muddy s)irts, to the shoc) of the reputation4conscious 'iss "ingley and her friends. At other points, the ill4mannered, ridiculous behavior of 'rs. "ennet gives her a bad reputation with the more refined -and snobbish/ &arcys and "ingleys. Austen po)es gentle fun at the snobs in these examples, but later in the novel, when 6ydia elopes with 5ic)ham and lives with him out of wedloc), the author treats reputation as a very serious matter. "y becoming 5ic)ham>s lover without benefit of marriage, 6ydia clearly places herself outside the social pale, and her disgrace threatens the entire "ennet family. 0he fact that 6ydia>s judgment, however terrible, would li)ely have condemned the other "ennet sisters to marriageless lives seems grossly unfair. 5hy should li!abeth>s reputation suffer along with 6ydia>sI &arcy>s intervention on the "ennets> behalf thus becomes all the more generous, but some readers might resent that such an intervention was necessary at all. (f &arcy>s money had failed to convince 5ic)ham to marry 6ydia, would &arcy have still married li!abethI &oes his transcendence of prejudice extend that farI 0he happy ending of Pride and Prejudice is certainly emotionally satisfying, but in many ways it leaves the theme of reputation, and the importance placed on reputation, unexplored. 3ne can as) of Pride and Prejudice, to what extent does it criti+ue social structures, and to what extent does it simply accept their inevitabilityI

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;lass
0he theme of class is related to reputation, in that both reflect the strictly regimented nature of life for the middle and upper classes in <egency ngland. 0he lines of class are strictly drawn. 5hile the "ennets, who are middle class, may sociali!e with the upper4class "ingleys and &arcys, they are clearly their social inferiors and are treated as such. Austen satiri!es this )ind of class4consciousness, particularly in the character of 'r. ;ollins, who spends most of his time toadying to his upper4class patron, 6ady ;atherine de "ourgh. 0hough 'r. ;ollins offers an extreme example, he is not the only one to hold such views. $is conception of the importance of class is shared, among others, by 'r. &arcy, who believes in the dignity of his lineage, 'iss "ingley, who disli)es anyone not as socially accepted as she is, and 5ic)ham, who will do anything he can to get enough money to raise himself into a higher station. 'r. ;ollins>s views are merely the most extreme and obvious. 0he satire directed at 'r. ;ollins is therefore also more subtly directed at the entire social hierarchy and the conception of all those within it at its correctness, in complete disregard of other, more worthy virtues. 0hrough the &arcy4 li!abeth and "ingley4Jane marriages, Austen shows the power of love and happiness to overcome class boundaries and prejudices, thereby implying that such prejudices are hollow, unfeeling, and unproductive. 3f course, this whole discussion of class must be made with the understanding that Austen herself is often critici!ed as being a classistH she doesn>t really represent anyone from the lower classes, those servants she does portray are generally happy with their lot. Austen does critici!e class structure but only a limited slice of that structure.

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'otifs
'otifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text>s

major themes
;ourtship
(n a sense, Pride and Prejudice is the story of two courtshipsJthose between &arcy and li!abeth and between "ingley and Jane. 5ithin this broad structure appear other, smaller courtshipsH 'r. ;ollins>s aborted wooing of li!abeth, followed by his successful wooing of ;harlotte 6ucas, 'iss "ingley>s unsuccessful attempt to attract &arcy, 5ic)ham>s pursuit first of li!abeth, then of the never4seen 'iss =ing, and finally of 6ydia. ;ourtship therefore ta)es on a profound, if often unspo)en, importance in the novel. 'arriage is the ultimate goal, courtship constitutes the real wor)ing4out of love. ;ourtship becomes a sort of forge of a person>s personality, and each courtship becomes a microcosm for different sorts of love -or different ways to abuse love as a means to social advancement/.

Journeys
#early every scene in Pride and Prejudice ta)es place indoors, and the action centers around the "ennet home in the small village of 6ongbourn. #evertheless, journeysJeven short onesJfunction repeatedly as catalysts for change in the novel. li!abeth>s first journey, by which she intends simply to visit ;harlotte and 'r. ;ollins, brings her into contact with 'r. &arcy, and leads to his first proposal. $er second journey ta)es her to &erby and Pemberley, where she fans the growing flame of her affection for &arcy. 0he third journey, meanwhile, sends various people in pursuit of 5ic)ham and 6ydia, and the journey ends with &arcy trac)ing them down and saving the "ennet family honor, in the process demonstrating his continued devotion to li!abeth.

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Symbols
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. Pemberley Pride and Prejudice is remar)ably free of explicit symbolism, which perhaps has something to do with the novel>s reliance on dialogue over deKKKKKKion. #evertheless, Pemberley, &arcy>s estate, sits at the center of the novel, literally and figuratively, as a geographic symbol of the man who owns it. li!abeth visits it at a time when her feelings toward &arcy are beginning to warm, she is enchanted by its beauty and charm, and by the pictures+ue countryside, just as she will be charmed, increasingly, by the gifts of its owner. Austen ma)es the connection explicit when she describes the stream that flows beside the mansion. L(n front,M she writes, La stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance.M &arcy possesses a Lnatural importanceM that is LswelledM by his arrogance, but which coexists with a genuine honesty and lac) of Lartificial appearance.M 6i)e the stream, he is neither Lformal, nor falsely adorned.M Pemberley even offers a symbol4within4a4symbol for their budding romanceH when li!abeth encounters &arcy on the estate, she is crossing a small bridge, suggesting the broad gulf of misunderstanding and class prejudice that lies between themJand the bridge that their love will build across it.

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S0@&A N@ S0(3#S
8. &iscuss the social bac)ground of Pride and Prejudice. xplain how this bac)ground is important to the novel. G. 5ho is the main protagonist of Pride and Prejudice and whatBwho is the antagonist. $ow is the conflict between them resolvedI 1. ;omment on the opening statement of the novel and elucidate on how it reveals the theme of the boo). E. Analy!e the plot for its structure. D. xplain how the title relates to the boo). F. ;ompare and contrast Jane and li!abeth. .. ;ompare and contrast "ingley and &arcy. 2. $ow does Austen develop the misunderstanding between &arcy and li!abeth and how is it resolvedI 9. &iscuss Pride and Prejudice as an exposition of the life and manners of a microcosm of nineteenth 4century nglish society. 8:. Several characters in the plot are responsible for the li!abeth4&arcy union. 5ho are they and what have they done, intentionally or unintentionally, to bring the couple together. 88. xplain all the different )inds of marriages that are seen in the novel. 5hich marriage does Austen seem to consider the most effective and whyI

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