Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen's Social Comedy of Manners

Pride and Prejudice (1813) follows Elizabeth Bennet and her family as they navigate courtship, inheritance, and social expectations. Misunderstandings about pride and character - especially between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy - resolve through revelations and personal growth. The novel remains widely read and frequently adapted.

Overview

Pride and Prejudice is a romantic comedy of manners by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. It opens with one of the most famous lines in English literature: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." The novel was originally titled First Impressions before Austen revised and published it under its current name.

The author and context

Jane Austen (1775-1817) spent most of her life in Hampshire, England. She wrote much of her mature work while living in the village of Chawton; her house there is now preserved as the Jane Austen's House Museum and welcomes visitors. Austen drew on the manners and expectations of the rural gentry she knew to shape her tightly observed social comedies.

Setting and central conflict

The story follows the Bennet family, minor landed gentry with five unmarried daughters. Under the laws of inheritance at the time, the Bennet estate is entailed and will pass to a male heir, the cousin Mr. Collins, unless the family secures other arrangements. Mrs. Bennet's primary concern is to see her daughters married well so they will be financially secure.

When the wealthy and affable Charles Bingley moves into a nearby estate, he attracts local attention. He brings with him his friend Fitzwilliam Darcy, a reserved and wealthy gentleman whose pride and social reserve create a poor first impression. Darcy's initial dismissal of Elizabeth Bennet - calling her "not handsome enough to tempt me" - sets up the novel's central tension between pride and prejudice.

Plot in brief

Bingley quickly shows an interest in Jane Bennet, while Elizabeth sparks a complicated rivalry with Darcy. The charming but unreliable George Wickham tells Elizabeth a damaging story about Darcy, which hardens her prejudice. Mr. Collins, the Bennets' obsequious cousin and heir presumptive, seeks a wife and ultimately marries Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth's pragmatic friend.

Elizabeth's visits to Charlotte and to Rosings Park (the estate of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy's aristocratic aunt) force repeated encounters with Darcy. His first clumsy proposal surprises and offends Elizabeth, who rejects him. Subsequent revelations about Wickham and Darcy's true character prompt Elizabeth to revise her judgment. Darcy's second proposal is accepted, and both characters acknowledge their earlier mistakes.

Legacy and adaptations

Pride and Prejudice remains one of Austen's best-known novels and a staple of English literature. It has inspired numerous stage, film and television adaptations, including the 1995 BBC miniseries (Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle) and the 2005 feature film (Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen), among many others. Its blend of social observation, wit, and emotional growth continues to attract readers and adaptations today.