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'''Pride and Prejudice''' is a novel of manners by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of the British Regency. Elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a country gentleman, Mr. Bennet living in Longbourn.

Set in England in the early 19th century, Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Mr and Mrs Bennet's five unmarried daughters after the rich and eligible Mr Bingley and his status-conscious friend, Mr Darcy, have moved into their neighbourhood. While Bingley takes an immediate liking to the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane, Darcy has difficulty adapting to local society and repeatedly clashes with the second-eldest Bennet daughter, Elizabeth. 

Pride and Prejudice retains a fascination for modern readers, continuing near the top of lists of "most loved books." It has become one of the most popular novels in English literature, selling over 20 million copies, and receives considerable attention from literary scholars. Modern interest in the book has resulted in a number of dramatic adaptations and an abundance of novels and stories imitating Austen's memorable characters or themes. 

==Main characters==
===Elizabeth Bennet===
The reader sees the unfolding plot and the other characters mostly from Elizabeth Bennet's viewpoint. The second of the Bennet daughters, she is 20 years old and is intelligent, lively, playful, attractive, and witty—but with a tendency to judge on first impression (the "prejudice" of the title) and perhaps to be a little selective of the evidence on which she bases her judgments. As the plot begins, her closest relationships are with her father, her sister Jane, her aunt (Mrs Gardiner), and her best friend Charlotte Lucas. As the story progresses, so does her relationship with Mr Darcy. The course of Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship is ultimately decided when Darcy overcomes his pride, and Elizabeth overcomes her prejudice, leading them both to surrender to their love for each other.

===Mr. Darcy===
Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy is the male protagonist of the novel and is 28 years old. He is the wealthy owner of the renowned family estate of Pemberley in Derbyshire, and is rumoured to be worth at least £10,000 a year. This is equivalent to anywhere from around £200,000 a year to around £10 million a year in 2014, depending on the method of calculation,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2014/08/31/using-mr-darcys-income-to-disprove-thomas-piketty/|title=Using Mr Darcy's Income To Disprove Thomas Piketty|author=Tim Worstall|date=31 August 2014|work=Forbes}}</ref> but such an income would have put him among the 400 wealthiest families in the country at the time.<ref>Austen, Jane (1996). ''Pride and Prejudice'', [[Penguin Classics]], note 2 to Chapter 3</ref> ⏎
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==Plot summary==
The novel centres on Elizabeth Bennet, the 2nd of the 5 daughters of a landed country gentleman. Elizabeth's father, Mr Bennet, is a bookish man and somewhat neglectful of his responsibilities. In contrast Elizabeth's mother, Mrs Bennet, a woman who lacks social graces, is primarily concerned with finding suitable husbands for her 5 daughters. Jane Bennet, the eldest daughter, is distinguished by her kindness and beauty; Elizabeth Bennet shares her father's keen wit and occas(contracted; show full)ocal interest in Jane for Bingley and had assumed that she was not in love with him. In addition to this, he cites the "want of propriety" in the behaviour of Mr and Mrs Bennet and her three younger daughters. Elizabeth, who had previously despaired over this very behavior, is forced to admit the truth of Mr Darcy's observations, and begins to see that she has misjudged him. She, quite rightly, attributes her prejudice to his coldness towards herself at the beginning of their acquaintance.


==Main characters==
===Elizabeth Bennet===
The reader sees the unfolding plot and the other characters mostly from Elizabeth Bennet's viewpoint. The second of the Bennet daughters, she is 20 years old and is intelligent, lively, playful, attractive, and witty—but with a tendency to judge on first impression (the "prejudice" of the title) and perhaps to be a little selective of the evidence on which she bases her judgments. As the plot begins, her closest relationships are with her father, her sister Jane, her aunt (Mrs Gardiner), and her best friend Charlotte Lucas. As the story progresses, so does her relationship with Mr Darcy. The course of Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship is ultimately decided when Darcy overcomes his pride, and Elizabeth overcomes her prejudice, leading them both to surrender to their love for each other.

===Mr. Darcy===
Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy is the male protagonist of the novel and is 28 years old. He is the wealthy owner of the renowned family estate of Pemberley in Derbyshire, and is rumoured to be worth at least £10,000 a year. This is equivalent to anywhere from around £200,000 a year to around £10 million a year in 2014, depending on the method of calculation,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2014/08/31/using-mr-darcys-income-to-disprove-thomas-piketty/|title=Using Mr Darcy's Income To Disprove Thomas Piketty|author=Tim Worstall|date=31 August 2014|work=Forbes}}</ref> but such an income would have put him among the 400 wealthiest families in the country at the time.<ref>Austen, Jane (1996). ''Pride and Prejudice'', [[Penguin Classics]], note 2 to Chapter 3</ref> ⏎
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==References==