Writer’s intro:
Jane Austen (December 16, 1775 – July 18, 1817) was an English novelist best known for her six major novels, which interpreted, critiqued, and commented on the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Pride and Prejudice (1813) is one of his famous novels and we have written the Pride and Prejudice summary.
Pride and Prejudice (1813) (Original Title- First Impression)
Location: Longbourn, England
Genre: Comedy of Manners
antagonist: snobbish class consciousness by Lady Catherine and Miss Bingley.
Climax: Darcy’s proposal to Elizabeth is the climax of the novel.
Theme: Marriage and Courtship | Divided into 61 chapters
Main Plot: The misunderstanding, estrangement, and union in the lives of two persons—Elizabeth and Darcy.
Character List
Elizabeth Bennet is an intelligent and spirited young woman who possesses a keen wit and enjoys studying people’s characters. Although she initially dislikes Darcy, circumstances cause her to reassess her negative impression of him, and she eventually falls in love with him.
Fitzwilliam Darcy is A wealthy, proud man who falls in love with Elizabeth and reveals a generous, thoughtful nature beneath his somewhat stiff demeanor.
Mr. Bennet is Elizabeth’s ironic and often apathetic father. Unhappily married, he has failed to provide a secure financial future for his wife and daughters.
Mrs. Bennet is Elizabeth’s foolish and unrestrained mother who is obsessed with finding husbands for her daughters.
Jane Bennet is A gentle and kind-hearted young woman who is Elizabeth’s confidant and the oldest of the Bennet daughters. She falls in love with Bingley but is cautious about revealing the depth of her feelings for him.
Mary Bennet The pretentious third Bennet daughter, prefers reading over socializing.
Catherine (Kitty) Bennet The Bennet’s peevish fourth daughter, joins her sister Lydia in flirting with soldiers.
Lydia Bennet The Bennet’s immature and irresponsible youngest daughter. Mrs. Bennet’s favorite, she shocks the family by running away with Wickham.
Charles Bingley
Charles Bingley is A good-natured and wealthy man who falls in love with Jane. He is easily influenced by others, especially by his close friend Darcy.
Caroline Bingley Bingley’s shallow and haughty sister befriends Jane and later snubs her. She attempts to attract Darcy’s attention and is jealous when Darcy is instead drawn to Elizabeth.
Mr. and Mrs. Hurst Bingley’s snobbish sister and brother-in-law. Mrs. Hurst spends most of her time gossiping with Caroline, while Mr. Hurst does little more than play cards and sleep.
George Wickham is A handsome and personable fortune hunter to whom Elizabeth is initially attracted. He eventually runs off and is forced to marry Lydia.
Lady Catherine De Bourgh Darcy’s arrogant aunt dominates Mr. Collins and entertains hopes that her daughter will marry Darcy.
Miss De Bourgh Lady Catherine’s sickly, bland daughter.
Colonel Fitzwilliam Darcy’s well-mannered and pleasant cousin is interested in Elizabeth but needs to marry someone with money.
Georgiana Darcy Darcy’s shy but warmhearted sister.
Mr. Collins Mr. Bennet’s ridiculous cousin will inherit Longbourn after Mr. Bennet’s death. Upon Lady Catherine De Bourgh’s recommendation, he seeks a bride, first proposing to Elizabeth and then to Charlotte Lucas.
Charlotte Lucas Elizabeth’s sensible and intelligent friend disappoints Elizabeth by marrying Mr. Collins for money and security.
Sir William and Lady Lucas are Charlotte’s parents and the Bennets’ neighbors.
Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner Mrs. Bennet’s intelligent and cultivated brother and sister-in-law.
Mr. and Mrs. Phillips A country attorney and his vulgar wife, who is Mrs. Bennet’s sister.
Pride and Prejudice Summary
The news that a wealthy young man called Charles Bingley has rented Netherfield Park sparks a lot of interest in the adjacent community of Longbourn, especially in the Bennet family. The Bennets have five unmarried daughters. They are Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia, in order from oldest to youngest. All of them should get married as quickly as possible, according to Mrs. Bennet.
The Bennets attend a ball where Mr. Bingley is also present after Mr. Bennet and Mr. Bingley have social interaction. He spends most of the night dancing with Jane since he is in love with her. Mr. Darcy, his best friend, is not as pleased with the evening. Everyone thinks he’s harsh and cruel because he proudly declines to dance with Elizabeth.
However, Mr. Darcy finds himself becoming more drawn to Elizabeth’s charm and intelligence during social gatherings over the next weeks. Additionally, Jane pays a visit to the Bingley house as her connection with Mr. Bingley grows. She gets sick while traveling home because she is trapped in a downpour and has to spend many days at Netherfield.
To the disapproval of the aristocratic (moody) Miss Bingley, Charles Bingley’s sister, Elizabeth treks (a long trip) over muddy fields to attend to (Care) for Jane. She comes with spattered (wet) clothing. When Miss Bingley sees that Elizabeth receives a lot of attention from Darcy, whom she is courting, her cruelty further intensifies.
Mr. Collins is there when Jane and Elizabeth return to their home. Young minister Mr. Collins is a potential successor to Mr. Bennet’s estate, which has been “entailed,” which restricts its transfer to male heirs exclusively. The Bennet sisters truly pique Mr. Collins’ interest despite the conceited idiot he is. He approaches Elizabeth and proposes marriage not long after arriving.
The second part of Pride and Prejudice Summary
His ego is wounded when she responds “no.” The militia officers stationed in a neighboring town have meantime become friends with the Bennet girls. One of these individuals is Wickham, a charming young soldier who adores Elizabeth and reveals to her how Darcy defrauded him of an inheritance.
Jane is disappointed to learn that the Bingleys and Darcy depart Netherfield and return to London at the start of the winter. The information that Mr. Collins is now engaged to Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth’s close friend and the underprivileged daughter of a local knight, is another surprise. Elizabeth is informed by Charlotte that she is aging and requires marriage for financial reasons.
Elizabeth makes a vow to visit Charlotte and Mr. Collins when they move into their new house after their marriage. Winter continues, and Jane visits friends in the city (hoping also that she might see Mr. Bingley). While Mr. Bingley doesn’t visit her at all, Miss Bingley does and behaves impolitely. The Bennet sisters’ chances of getting married don’t seem promising.
In the spring, Elizabeth visits Charlotte, who has moved near the home of Darcy’s aunt Lady Catherine de Bourgh and is a supporter of Mr. Collins. While visiting Lady Catherine, Darcy runs into Elizabeth. Darcy visits Elizabeth at the Collins’ residence numerous times because she is staying there. He surprises Elizabeth by proposing to her one day.
The third part of Pride and Prejudice Summary
She immediately answers no. She informs Darcy that she finds him to be obnoxious and nasty before berating him for attempting to keep Bingley away from Jane and for failing to give Wickham his fair portion of the land. Darcy departs, but shortly after, he writes her a note. He acknowledges in this letter that he warned Bingley to keep away from Jane, but he justifies it by saying that he didn’t believe their connection was serious. The young officer is lying, according to Wickham, and the actual reason they got into a fight was that he attempted to flee with his younger sister, Georgiana Darcy.
Because of this letter, Elizabeth’s opinions on Darcy shift. She neglects Wickham when she returns home. The younger, more man-obsessed Bennet girls are sad that the army is leaving town (Extremely upset). In Brighton, where Wickham’s regiment will be stationed, Lydia can persuade her father to let her spend the summer with a retired colonel.
When June arrives, Elizabeth embarks on a new excursion, this time with the Bennet family’s kin, the Gardiners. She travels to the North before arriving in the Pemberley neighborhood near Darcy’s home. Elizabeth checks to make sure Darcy isn’t around before heading to Pemberley. She adores the home and surroundings, and she hears through Darcy’s staff that he is a lovely, compassionate master. She is greeted cordially when Darcy unexpectedly arrives. He throws a party for the Gardiners and asks Elizabeth to meet his sister, but he keeps quiet about his proposal.
Also in part three of Pride and Prejudice Summary
But shortly after that, Elizabeth receives a letter from her family informing her that Lydia has absconded with Wickham and that no one has been able to locate them. They could be cohabitating based on this, even if they haven’t been married. Elizabeth runs home out of concern that her entire family would be exposed as a result.
The fourth part of Pride and Prejudice Summary
Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Bennet search for Lydia, but Mr. Bennet returns home without her. In the midst of everything appearing hopeless, Mr. Gardiner writes in a letter that the pair has been located and that Wickham has consented to wed Lydia in exchange for an annual stipend. The Bennets believe that Mr. Gardiner settled Wickham’s debt, but Elizabeth learns that Darcy provided them with the money and assisted them in getting back on their feet.
When Wickham and Lydia come to visit Longbourn after being married, Mr. Bennet doesn’t seem to give a damn about them. They depart later for Wickham’s new position in the north of England. Bingley resumes his courtship of Jane shortly after by returning to Netherfield. Though he stays with him and visits the Bennets, Darcy makes no mention of his desire to wed Elizabeth.
Everyone is pleased, except Bingley’s proud sister, until Bingley, on the other hand, pushes his suit and asks Jane to marry him. While her family is enjoying themselves, Lady Catherine de Bourgh arrives in Longbourn. Elizabeth is approached by her and informed that her nephew Darcy intends to wed her.
Due to her opinion that a Bennet is not a good match for Darcy, Lady Catherine asks Elizabeth to swear to reject him. According to Elizabeth, she is not engaged to Darcy and won’t make any promises that might jeopardize her happiness. Later, while strolling together, Darcy confesses to Elizabeth that his affections haven’t altered since the spring. Jane and Elizabeth are married after she thoughtfully accepts his proposal.
This is the end of our content Pride and Prejudice summary. If you want to read more from 19th century Novel, please check the below:
