Pride and Prejudice — Key Facts
General
- Author★
- Jane Austen
- Famous opening line★
- "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
- Entail and inheritance law
- Bennet estate entails to nearest male heir (Mr. Collins); daughters cannot inherit.
- Cultural and literary significance
- BBC Big Read #2 (2003); 1995 BBC adaptation; 20M+ copies sold.
Dates
- Year published★
- 1813 (T. Egerton, London).
- Year first drafted
- Drafted c. 1796-97 as "First Impressions".
- Time setting
- Regency England, c. 1811-12 (~1 year span).
Locations
- Primary setting
- Longbourn (Hertfordshire); Netherfield, Rosings, Pemberley (Derbyshire).
People
- Protagonist★
- Elizabeth Bennet — witty, independent second daughter.
- Male lead★
- Fitzwilliam Darcy — owner of Pemberley, £10,000/year.
- Supporting characters
- Jane (eldest); Lydia (elopes); Bingley (suitor); Collins (heir); Charlotte (pragmatist); Lady Catherine (aunt).
- Antagonist
- Mr. Wickham (deceiver); Lady Catherine (class antagonist).
Structure
- Narrator and point of view★
- Third-person limited, anchored on Elizabeth; free indirect discourse.
- Tone
- Comic-ironic, satirical.
- Genre and form★
- Novel of manners; three volumes.
- Major conflict★
- Elizabeth's prejudice vs Darcy's pride; the entail threatens the family.
- Climax★
- Darcy's letter at Hunsford (Vol. II, Ch. 12).
Themes
- Pride and self-deception★
- Both leads must shed pride. "Vanity and pride are different things." (Mary, Vol. I, Ch. 5)
- Marriage and economic security★
- Marriage = survival for women. "I am not romantic; I ask only a comfortable home." (Charlotte, Vol. I, Ch. 22)
- Class and social mobility
- Virtue and wit, not rank, define worth.
- First impressions versus true character
- Surface judgement vs revealed truth.