Pride and Prejudice Summary/Analysis

• Summary: Pride and Prejudice (P/P) begins with a marriage-obsessed Mrs. Bennet excited over the arrival of a rich new neighbor, Mr. Bingley. After Mr. Bennet intitiates contact with Mr. Bingley, the entire family attends a ball, and among those present is Mr. Bingley and his entourage. The oldest Ms. Bennet, Jane, becomes quite infatuated with Mr. Bingley, as he is with her. Mr. Darcy, however, is seen as proud and arrogant after refusing to dance with Elizabeth. Mr. Bingley and Jane become closer and closer, and when she goes to visit his mansion, she is caught in the rain and catches a cold, much to the pleasure of her mother. Jane remains at Netherfield for several days, and Elizabeth walks there to stay with her, much to the disdain of Miss Bingley. When the girls return home, they are suprised with the visit of Mr. Collins, the one who will inherit their house when Mr. Bennet passes. He clearly is there to find himself a wife among the Bennet sisters. Elizabeth flat out refuses Mr. Collins' proposal, which, while it disappoints her mother, elates her father. At a party, Elizabeth meets Mr. Whickham, who tells a story about his past with Darcy, and the content angers her. Elizabeth then recieves news that her friend Charlotte Lucas is to be married to Mr. Collins. Furthermore, any marriage hopes for Jane disappear when she visits London and is treated poorly by the Bingleys. In the spring, Elizabeth visits Charlotte at her new home, and calls on Mr. Collins' patron, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Here she encounters Darcy, and afterwards recieves several visits from him at the Collins' home. A marriage proposal follows, and Elizabeth refuses, on the grounds that he is proud and that he ruined Whickham's life (an opinion of which she gained from the story Whickham told her). After this incident, she recieves a letter that explains Darcy's past with Whickham. Elizabeth then returns home and later in the summer, goes on another trip, this time with the Gardiners. When visiting Pemberly, Darcy's estate, Elizabeth encounters Darcy, and before she can fulfill his cordial dinner invitation, a letter arrives from her family saying that Lydia eloped with Whickham. The disgrace that could potentially be brought upon her family is immense, and the family works to strike a deal with Whickham so that he will marry Lydia in exchange for a yearly allowance. He takes this deal, but it is later discovered that the money being given to Whickham comes from Darcy. The couple then disappears to the North of England. Bingley returns to Netherfield and proposes to Jane. Soon afterwards, Darcy proposes to Elizabeth and the two oldest Bennets are happily married.
• Basics:
• Author: Jane Austen
• Setting: England, mainly Longbourn, around 1800
• Significant Characters: Elizabeth (honest, strong-willed), Jane (innocent, kind), Mrs. Bennet (obsessed with getting her daughters suitable husbands), Mr. Bennet (apathetic, favors Elizabeth), Bingley (optimistic, wealthy), Darcy (closed off, often viewed as proud), Miss Bingley (very snobbish, upper class)
• Narrative voice:
• POV: P/P is written from a third person, omniscient POV. This allows for Austen to cover all characters and events in the book, rather than focusing on just one character's experiences.
• Tone: The tone of P/P is light and amused. Austen obviously had fun with writing satirical characters such as Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Collins, and Miss Bingley.
• Imagery: This book does not utilize imagery; most of the book takes place through social reactions. However, Austen uses nature to parallel Elizabeth's strong, free spirit, such as when she walked by herself to Netherfield, arriving at the mansion with muddy skirts that clearly bothered the snobby Miss Bingley. Elizabeth  feels most comfortable in the natural environment, where she doesn't have to fight societal conventions in order to act how she wants. It is significant that she speaks openly with Darcy on a long walk, and eventually recieves the proposal.
• Symbolism:
• Miss Bingley: represents the social elite. She is ruthless, while at the same time "polite", and never fails to turn her nose up at something she thinks is below her level.
• Pemberly: acts as a symbol of Darcy. Elizabeth is able to formulate new opinions of Darcy when she visits Pemberly. Even though mansions were not as personal as home are today, this house allows Elizabeth to see past the tough, arrogant outer shell of Darcy and reevaluate how she feels about him.
• The social ladder and love: the situations of the Bennet sisters at the end of the book can be represented on a continuum that takes into account both social status and romantic love. Jane, at the top, has true love for Mr. Bingley, as well as an immense fortune. She is followed by Elizabeth, who has a large fortune, but took more time to realize her love for Darcy. The list goes on and ends with Mary, fiercely concerned with her education, so much so that she does not even consider romance.
• Quotes:
• "Miss Bingley's attention was quite as much engaged in watching Mr. Darcy's progress through his book as in reading her own; and she was perpetually either making some inquiry, or looking at his page. She could not win him, however, to any conversation; he merely answered her question and read on." (51)
• This quote shows the comical social desparity of Miss Bingley. It illustrates the obsession women of this time had with marriage and other social relationships, and comments on the lack of investment women took in their education.
• " 'Do you not consider that a connection with you, must disgrace him in the eyes of everybody?'...'I am only resolved to act in that manner, which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness, without reference to you, or to any person so wholly unconnected with me.' " (318)
• Elizabeth's firery resolve is seen in this passage, as she has the courage to speak up to a woman as intimidating and rich as Lady Catherine. Her independence of thought is also seen, as she does not bend to the pressure of Lady Catherine. Her actions in this situation, can be compared to those of Darcy in that she exhibits a stubborness and lack of thought towards how people percieve her, even in the relationship-based era they live in.
• Theme: Austen uses P/P to comment on the frivolity of the social scene during this time period, and to attest to the benefit of a strong mind and truthful character. Elizabeth displays the characteristics that eventually "get her the guy" in the end: she speaks her mind, is not afraid to go against social conventions, and is truthful in her opinions. As a result, Austen rewards this character with a suitable husband. If we look at Miss Bingley, on the other hand, she binds herself to the strictest social conventions when it comes to interactions with someone she has the intention of marrying, and is a horrible person to everyone else. Austen, however, does not condone reckless independence, as seen in Lydia's case. A good balance of social conformity and goodness is seen in Jane, who appears as if she will be blissfully happy for the rest of her life. Jane is the one who finds true love, without really seeking it out in the first place. This is significant because the love that will be present in her marriage will make her life quite different than her parent's marriage. It is evident that Mr. and Mrs. Bennet once had some semblance of love for eachother, but Mrs. Bennet can be seen in the book remniscing about militia men from the days of her youth. This is Austen showing what people like Lydia could possibly be like in the future; not completely happy, living vicariously through her daughters, and obsessed with getting them married. The real winner, however, is Elizabeth, because she finds someone who can handle her strong will and opinions.

*This version has taken into account the peer comment.