Synopsis
Pride and Prejudice is essentially the story of how Elizabeth Bennet (and her true love, Darcy) overcome all obstacles—including their own personal failings—to find romantic happiness.
The five Bennet sisters – Elizabeth, Jane, Lydia, Mary and Kitty – have been raised well aware of their meddlesome mother’s schemes to get them married to secure their family's fate at all costs. The spirited and intelligent Elizabeth, however, strives to live her life with a broader perspective, as encouraged by her doting father.
When wealthy bachelor Mr. Bingley takes up residence in a nearby mansion, the Bennets are abuzz. Amongst the man's sophisticated circle of London friends and the influx of young militia officers, surely there will be no shortage of suitors for the Bennet sisters.
Eldest daughter Jane seems poised to win Mr. Bingley's heart, and for her part, Elizabeth meets with the handsome and – it would seem – snobbish Mr. Darcy.
As she gradually comes to recognise the nobility of Darcy’s character, she realises the error of her initial prejudice against him. But can a girl who refuses to abandon her independent and scrutinising ways find true love and a faithful heart? With unexpected twists and shocking revelations awaiting our heroine, she finds herself having to choose between the dashing Mr. Wickham and proud, aloof Mr. Darcy.
Book in Detail
Characters To Personalise
Elizabeth Bennet - Elizabeth is the lead female character in the story. The second daughter in the Bennet family, and the most intelligent and quick-witted, Elizabeth is the protagonist of Pride and Prejudice and one of the most well-known female characters in English literature. She is thoughtful and caring, strong-willed and full of life, and she is the favourite daughter of Mr Bennet. She appears regularly throughout the novel. She falls in love with Mr Darcy and accepts his proposal of marriage at the end.
Mr Darcy - Fitzwilliam Darcy is the main male character. The son of a wealthy, well-established family and the master of the great estate of Pemberley, Darcy is Elizabeth’s male counterpart. Shy and aloof, he makes a poor impression on strangers but those who get to know him value him highly. The narrator relates Elizabeth’s point of view of events more often than Darcy’s, so Elizabeth often seems a more sympathetic figure. The reader eventually realises, however, that Darcy is her ideal match. Darcy is introduced in Chapter 3 and as a main character he features often. He marries Elizabeth.
Jane Bennet and Charles Bingley - Elizabeth’s beautiful elder sister and Darcy’s wealthy best friend, Jane and Bingley engage in a courtship that occupies a central place in the novel. They are spoken of as a potential couple throughout the book, long before anyone imagines that Darcy and Elizabeth might marry. Their principal characteristics are goodwill and compatibility. Jane and Bingley exhibit to the reader true love unhampered by either pride or prejudice, though in their simple goodness, they also demonstrate that such a love is mildly dull. They marry on the same day that Elizabeth and Darcy marry.
George Wickham - Wickham is an old acquaintance of Darcy’s but they do not get on. On the outside, Wickham is a very pleasant young man, but it masks his fortune-hunting, immoral and deceptive ways. His lovely manners and easy-going nature, however, fool Elizabeth (and everyone else in town) into believing that he's a good man whom Mr Darcy has cheated out of wealth and a career. He is introduced towards the middle of the story and then features often.
Lydia Bennet - Lydia is the youngest Bennet sister, 15 years old when the story begins. Petty, small-minded, selfish, and completely lacking an understanding of social propriety, she is truly her mother’s daughter. Her main activity in the book is socialising and flirting. Later in the novel she marries Wickham. She is introduced early on and then appears frequently in the second half of the book.
About The Book:
The book is narrated in free indirect text following the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with matters of upbringing, marriage, moral rightness and education in her aristocratic society. The book is set in the turn of the 19th century.