Chapter : 3
Jane Austen : Pride and Prejudice
Introduction to Jane Austen and the
social background of her novels
Jane Austen was born in Hampshire in 1775. Her father was a
clergyman and she was the last but one of a family of eight children.
Accompanied by Cassandra, her sister and life-long friend, she went
to school first at Oxford and then at Reading, but her education was
completed at home under the supervision of her father. She lived
quietly, a happy and uneventful life. She began writing at an early age,
but her first novel, Sense and Sensibility, was published in 1811,
followed by Pride and Prejudice in 1813, Mansfield Park in 1814,
Emma in 1815, and Northanger Abbey and Persuasion in 1817.She
fell ill and died in 1817.
England was undergoing a rapid change in Jane Austen's lifetime.
The economy was changing from an agricultural to an industrial one
and the aristocratic world of the 18th century was giving way to a new
one. Yet Jane Austen's novels hardly mirror all this. This was because
she lived a sheltered life in southern England, which remained
agricultural. The England of her novels was still that of 18th century
elegance and easy living. Thus Jane Austen's world was a closed
world in which a very small proportion of the total population
participated, and this is the world her novels reflect. Class distinctions
were very rigid and were divided thus: the land-owning aristocracy
and the settled gentry; the new prosperous industrialists; the workers
and the labourers. Pride and Prejudice is set exclusively in the context
of the upper classes (eg. The Bingleys, the Darcys, Lady Catherine de
Bourgh). None of the major characters works, for these moneyed
classes lived entirely on their on their income from rents and
inheritances, and they looked down on traders like Mr. Gardiner, who
earn their money in business. Within the upper classes, there were
further petty distinctions arising from the amount of wealth possessed
by its members, e.g. The Bingley sisters look down upon the Bennets,
Jane Austen : Pride and Prejudice / 33
,because they are not as wealthy as they are, while they have enormous
respect for Mr. Darcy because of his income of ten thousand pounds
per annum. The occupations of this class were largely social: dinner-
parties, balls, and a daily round of trivialities - visits to friends, a few
household tasks which were considered good enough for them, etc.
One should note that Jane Austen had very little material to work
from. That she should have been able to construct a worth-while novel
from such trivia is in itself no mean achievement.
Summary of Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is a social comedy set in the
provincial society of Hertfordshire, England, around the 18th century.
Austen begins with the maxim that "a single man in possession of a
good fortune must be in want of a wife". Marriage is a constant
pursuit in Austen's comic world. Local balls are a source of
continuous gossip and speculation. The key stumbling block to
marriage, as the title suggests, is a disparity in social class. When the
novel opens, Mrs. Bennet is excited by the news that a rich, eligible
young bachelor is moving into the neighbourhood. With five
unmarried daughters, her mind is preoccupied with finding husbands
for them, and Mr. Bingley would clearly be an excellent catch. The
Bennets discuss the expected arrival of Mr. Bingley and Mrs. Bennet
wants her husband to make his acquaintance before her neighbours.
Mr. Bennet is ironic and pretends not to understand. He does visit Mr.
Bingley but does not tell his wife, and later, matter-of-factly reveals the
news of his visit. Mr. Bingley repays Mr. Bennet's call and then goes
to fetch a group for the ball. Mr. Bingley arrives with a party from
London, which consist of two sisters, a brother-in-law, and his friend
Mr. Darcy. Bingley is immediately said to be good looking and
gentlemanlike, while Darcy, who dances only with the Bingley sisters
and remains aloof, is regarded as a most disagreeable man. Elizabeth
feels insulted when she overhears Bingley trying to persuade Darcy to
dance with her. He refuses and says that she is only tolerable. The next
morning the two eldest sisters discuss the ball. Jane admits that she
admires Bingley, who has paid particular attention to her. Bingley and
Darcy also do the same, but while Bingley is generous with his praise,
Darcy finds little to applaud. The excitement also necessitates visits
around town, where Mrs. Bennet triumphs over Jane's success. As
English Fiction / 34
, their socializing continues, Darcy finds himself increasingly
impressed with Elizabeth's wit and beauty. At a dinner party, a
pompous Sir Lucas tries to persuade him to dance with Elizabeth, but
while he is willing, she refuses. Mr. Bennet's property is entailed and
will not be inherited by any of his daughters. He and his wife disagree
over the intelligence of Lydia and Kitty, who are always running after
the officers in the militia. They take after their mother who once liked
soldiers herself and encourages her daughters in their behaviour.
Miss Bingley invites Jane to dinner in her brother's absence; and Mrs.
Bennet sends her on horseback, thinking it will rain so that Jane must
then stay overnight. News comes next morning that Jane has caught
cold. Elizabeth anxiously walks the three miles to Netherfield, causing
great surprise when she arrives at breakfast time.
Elizabeth sees how hypocritical the regard of the Bingley sisters
for Jane is. They soon forget her illness despite their assurances of
sympathy. Mr. Hurst lives only lives to eat and play cards. Miss
Bingley criticises Elizabeth severely when she is out of the room.
Bingley defends Jane and Elizabeth against her criticism of their
relatives. Although Darcy is further attracted to Elizabeth by her walk,
he accepts that the inferiority of their relatives in social standing will
hinder Jane and Elizabeth making good marriages.
The next morning Jane is no worse, but Elizabeth sends a note to
her mother asking her come to Netherfield. Mrs. Bennet and her two
youngest arrive soon after breatfast and she and the doctor decide that
Jane cannot return home. Mrs. Bennet thank Mr. Bingley and his
sisters for their kindness to Jane, and in doing so makes an utter fool
of herself. They return home and Elizabeth goes back to Jane. Jane is
a little by evening and, after dinner, Elizabeth joins the party in the
drawing-room. Darcy is writing a letter but Miss Bingley is sitting
nearby trying to distract his attention. Darcy finishes his letter and
asks Miss Bingley for some music. Darcy's eyes are frequently fixed on
her, but Elizabeth thinks it is only because he disapproves of her
appearance - she has no idea that he now admires her. Jane comes
down to the drawing-room after dinner. Mr. Bingley is delighted to see
her and sits down by her side, hardly talking to anyone else. Next
morning Elizabeth writes to her mother to ask for the carriage to come
and fetch them home. The match-making Mrs. Bennet, however, is
anxious that the visit should be for the prolonged and sends a message
Jane Austen : Pride and Prejudice / 35
Jane Austen : Pride and Prejudice
Introduction to Jane Austen and the
social background of her novels
Jane Austen was born in Hampshire in 1775. Her father was a
clergyman and she was the last but one of a family of eight children.
Accompanied by Cassandra, her sister and life-long friend, she went
to school first at Oxford and then at Reading, but her education was
completed at home under the supervision of her father. She lived
quietly, a happy and uneventful life. She began writing at an early age,
but her first novel, Sense and Sensibility, was published in 1811,
followed by Pride and Prejudice in 1813, Mansfield Park in 1814,
Emma in 1815, and Northanger Abbey and Persuasion in 1817.She
fell ill and died in 1817.
England was undergoing a rapid change in Jane Austen's lifetime.
The economy was changing from an agricultural to an industrial one
and the aristocratic world of the 18th century was giving way to a new
one. Yet Jane Austen's novels hardly mirror all this. This was because
she lived a sheltered life in southern England, which remained
agricultural. The England of her novels was still that of 18th century
elegance and easy living. Thus Jane Austen's world was a closed
world in which a very small proportion of the total population
participated, and this is the world her novels reflect. Class distinctions
were very rigid and were divided thus: the land-owning aristocracy
and the settled gentry; the new prosperous industrialists; the workers
and the labourers. Pride and Prejudice is set exclusively in the context
of the upper classes (eg. The Bingleys, the Darcys, Lady Catherine de
Bourgh). None of the major characters works, for these moneyed
classes lived entirely on their on their income from rents and
inheritances, and they looked down on traders like Mr. Gardiner, who
earn their money in business. Within the upper classes, there were
further petty distinctions arising from the amount of wealth possessed
by its members, e.g. The Bingley sisters look down upon the Bennets,
Jane Austen : Pride and Prejudice / 33
,because they are not as wealthy as they are, while they have enormous
respect for Mr. Darcy because of his income of ten thousand pounds
per annum. The occupations of this class were largely social: dinner-
parties, balls, and a daily round of trivialities - visits to friends, a few
household tasks which were considered good enough for them, etc.
One should note that Jane Austen had very little material to work
from. That she should have been able to construct a worth-while novel
from such trivia is in itself no mean achievement.
Summary of Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is a social comedy set in the
provincial society of Hertfordshire, England, around the 18th century.
Austen begins with the maxim that "a single man in possession of a
good fortune must be in want of a wife". Marriage is a constant
pursuit in Austen's comic world. Local balls are a source of
continuous gossip and speculation. The key stumbling block to
marriage, as the title suggests, is a disparity in social class. When the
novel opens, Mrs. Bennet is excited by the news that a rich, eligible
young bachelor is moving into the neighbourhood. With five
unmarried daughters, her mind is preoccupied with finding husbands
for them, and Mr. Bingley would clearly be an excellent catch. The
Bennets discuss the expected arrival of Mr. Bingley and Mrs. Bennet
wants her husband to make his acquaintance before her neighbours.
Mr. Bennet is ironic and pretends not to understand. He does visit Mr.
Bingley but does not tell his wife, and later, matter-of-factly reveals the
news of his visit. Mr. Bingley repays Mr. Bennet's call and then goes
to fetch a group for the ball. Mr. Bingley arrives with a party from
London, which consist of two sisters, a brother-in-law, and his friend
Mr. Darcy. Bingley is immediately said to be good looking and
gentlemanlike, while Darcy, who dances only with the Bingley sisters
and remains aloof, is regarded as a most disagreeable man. Elizabeth
feels insulted when she overhears Bingley trying to persuade Darcy to
dance with her. He refuses and says that she is only tolerable. The next
morning the two eldest sisters discuss the ball. Jane admits that she
admires Bingley, who has paid particular attention to her. Bingley and
Darcy also do the same, but while Bingley is generous with his praise,
Darcy finds little to applaud. The excitement also necessitates visits
around town, where Mrs. Bennet triumphs over Jane's success. As
English Fiction / 34
, their socializing continues, Darcy finds himself increasingly
impressed with Elizabeth's wit and beauty. At a dinner party, a
pompous Sir Lucas tries to persuade him to dance with Elizabeth, but
while he is willing, she refuses. Mr. Bennet's property is entailed and
will not be inherited by any of his daughters. He and his wife disagree
over the intelligence of Lydia and Kitty, who are always running after
the officers in the militia. They take after their mother who once liked
soldiers herself and encourages her daughters in their behaviour.
Miss Bingley invites Jane to dinner in her brother's absence; and Mrs.
Bennet sends her on horseback, thinking it will rain so that Jane must
then stay overnight. News comes next morning that Jane has caught
cold. Elizabeth anxiously walks the three miles to Netherfield, causing
great surprise when she arrives at breakfast time.
Elizabeth sees how hypocritical the regard of the Bingley sisters
for Jane is. They soon forget her illness despite their assurances of
sympathy. Mr. Hurst lives only lives to eat and play cards. Miss
Bingley criticises Elizabeth severely when she is out of the room.
Bingley defends Jane and Elizabeth against her criticism of their
relatives. Although Darcy is further attracted to Elizabeth by her walk,
he accepts that the inferiority of their relatives in social standing will
hinder Jane and Elizabeth making good marriages.
The next morning Jane is no worse, but Elizabeth sends a note to
her mother asking her come to Netherfield. Mrs. Bennet and her two
youngest arrive soon after breatfast and she and the doctor decide that
Jane cannot return home. Mrs. Bennet thank Mr. Bingley and his
sisters for their kindness to Jane, and in doing so makes an utter fool
of herself. They return home and Elizabeth goes back to Jane. Jane is
a little by evening and, after dinner, Elizabeth joins the party in the
drawing-room. Darcy is writing a letter but Miss Bingley is sitting
nearby trying to distract his attention. Darcy finishes his letter and
asks Miss Bingley for some music. Darcy's eyes are frequently fixed on
her, but Elizabeth thinks it is only because he disapproves of her
appearance - she has no idea that he now admires her. Jane comes
down to the drawing-room after dinner. Mr. Bingley is delighted to see
her and sits down by her side, hardly talking to anyone else. Next
morning Elizabeth writes to her mother to ask for the carriage to come
and fetch them home. The match-making Mrs. Bennet, however, is
anxious that the visit should be for the prolonged and sends a message
Jane Austen : Pride and Prejudice / 35
