'''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.
==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 occasionally sarcastic outlook; Mary is not pretty but is studious, devout and musical albeit lacking in taste; Catherine, sometimes called Kitty, the fourth sister, follows where her younger sister leads while Lydia is flirtatious and lacks maturity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/reviews/article_1475660.php/Pride_and_Prejudice_%E2%80%93_Blu-ray_Review |title=Monstersandcritics.com |publisher=Monstersandcritics.com |date=7 May 2009 |accessdate=27 January 2012}}</ref>
The narrative opens with news in the Bennet family that Mr Bingley, a wealthy, charismatic and sociable young bachelor, is moving into Netherfield Park in the neighbourhood. By contrast, Darcy slights Elizabeth, who overhears and jokes about it despite feeling a budding resentment. Mr Bingley is soon well received while his friend Mr Darcy makes a less favourable impression by appearing proud and condescending at a ball that they attend (he detests dancing and is not one for light conversation). Mr Bingley singles out Jane for particular attention, and it soon becomes apparent that they have formed an attachment to each other. While Jane does not alter her conduct for him, she confesses her great happiness only to Lizzie.
On paying a visit to Mr Bingley's sister, Caroline, Jane is caught in a heavy downpour, catching cold, and is forced to stay at Netherfield for several days. Elizabeth arrives to nurse her sister and is thrown into frequent company with Mr Darcy, who begins to act less coldly towards her.
Mr Collins, a clergyman and heir to Longbourn, the Bennet estate, pays a visit to the Bennets. Mr Bennet and Elizabeth are much amused by his obsequious veneration of his employer, the noble Lady Catherine de Bourgh, as well as by his self-important and pedantic nature. After refusing his advances, much to the consternation of her mother, Elizabeth instead forms an acquaintance with Mr Wickham, a militia officer who relates having been very seriously mistreated by Mr Darcy despite having been a godson and favourite of Darcy's father. The accusation and her attraction to Mr Wickham both increase Elizabeth's dislike of Mr Darcy.
At a ball given by Mr Bingley at Netherfield, Mr Darcy becomes aware of a general expectation that Mr Bingley and Jane will marry, and the Bennet family, with the exception of Jane and Elizabeth, make a public display of poor manners and decorum. It soon becomes apparent that Mr Collins has come to Longbourn to choose a wife from among the Bennet sisters (his cousins), and Jane is initially singled out, but because of Jane's budding romance with Mr Bingley, Mrs Bennet directs him toward Elizabeth. The following morning, Mr Collins proposes marriage to Elizabeth, who refuses him, much to her mother's distress. Mr Collins recovers and promptly becomes engaged to Elizabeth's close friend Charlotte Lucas, a homely woman with few prospects. Mr Bingley abruptly quits Netherfield and returns to London, which devastates Jane, and Elizabeth becomes convinced that Mr Darcy and Caroline Bingley have conspired to separate him from Jane.
Jane is persuaded by letters from Caroline Bingley that Mr Bingley is not in love with her but goes on an extended visit to Aunt and Uncle Gardiner in London in the hope of maintaining her relationship with Caroline, if not with Charles Bingley. There, she visits Caroline and, eventually, her visit is returned. She does not see Mr Bingley and is forced to realise that Caroline does not care for her.
==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> Handsome, tall, and intelligent, Darcy lacks the social ease that comes so naturally to his friend Bingley. Others frequently mistake his aloof decorum and rectitude as further proof of excessive pride (he is the "pride" of the title). While he makes a poor impression on strangers, such as the landed gentry of Meryton, Darcy is greatly valued by those who know him well.
==References==
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