Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen: Analysis and Summary of the Novel
Pride and prejudice is the masterpiece of the English writer Jane Austen, whose background is the life of the English bourgeoisie in the early nineteenth century.
The novel shows how relationships motivated by love and money can be promiscuous and petty, covered by the veil of bourgeois society.
This English classic has been adapted for film four times, the most established version premiered in 2005 under the direction of Joe Wright.
Summary of the novel
The plot of Pride and prejudice revolves around the Bennet family, made up of a married couple and their five daughters (Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia).
The story takes place in a rural area of England at the beginning of the 19th century.
Elizabeth Bennet, the second daughter, is the protagonist of the plot; a beautiful, proud young woman, with a strong and avant-garde personality for her time. Lizzie, as Elizabeth's loved ones call her, is disturbed by the social conventions of her time.
Her mother, observing the opinions and attitudes of her daughter, considers it a basket case with respect to her chances of getting a husband.
It is important to remember that in England, at that time in history, the only social role of women was mother and wife, and she had no possibility of professional ambitions.
With respect to society, women were of little value: when the patriarch passed away, the estate had to pass to the male children, and, if there were none, the fortune passed to the man closest to the family.
The plot of the novel begins with the arrival of two young, single and fortunate people in the region (Mr. Bingley and mr. Darcy). The girls' mother sees in this arrival an opportunity to solve the family's problems.
Mr. Bingley, a very sober and distinguished man, falls in love with Jane Bennet, the eldest daughter. Caroline Bingley, the boy's sister, is against the relationship because of the girl's social class.
Mr. Bingley approaches Jane, contradicting her sister's opinion. However, the young man suddenly disappears from the city, leaving Jane without any explanation.
His friend, mr. Darcy, in turn, falls prey to the charms of Jane's sister, Elizabeth, but initially refuses to accept her feelings since the young woman is of humble origin. Elizabeth, for her part, considers that mr. Darcy is an arrogant man and disowns him.
The relationship is therefore dominated by prejudice, attraction, passion and anger. A mixture of feelings that completely disagree.
Mr. Darcy, however, finally gains courage and asks for her hand. But Elizabeth remains firm in his ideals and rejects the proposal, since she considers him to be an arrogant and unscrupulous man.
But things change after receiving a letter in which mr. Darcy explains her attitudes to him. After reading, Elizabeth manages to see in him a good man. Happily mr. Darcy reiterates her marriage request and Elizabeth finally agrees. The couple is going to live in Pemberley.
The happy ending also happens for Jane, Elizabeth's sister. Mr. Bingley returns to town and explains what reasons she had for suddenly disappearing. The young man begs the forgiveness of his lover and asks for her hand, she accepts, and together they go to live in Netherfield.
Main characters
The characters of the novel Pride and prejudice they are mainly the components of the Bennet family: father and mother, Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters, as well as mr. Bingley and her sister Caroline, and Mr. Darcy. Next, we tell you more about each of them.
Mr and Mrs. Bennet
Concerned about the future of the family, the couple's main problem is to marry their five daughters well. Her mother focuses her energy on seeking (and presenting) good sons-in-law to her daughters. The same narrator confirms: “The only concern in her life was to marry her daughters. The consolation of her, to make visits and to know the news ”. The father, on the other hand, seems to be more relaxed and curious, has a sarcastic sense of humor, but is also very concerned about the financial future of the clan.
Elizabeth bennet
The protagonist, Lizzie, is described as a beautiful, cultured and intelligent young woman. She dissatisfied with the social order, she does not allow herself to be submitted and decides to marry only for love. One of the main characteristics of the character is the strong sense of independence that she possesses from her. Elizabeth is definitely a woman outside of her historical time. In a time when women were raised to be wives and mothers, Lizzie looks further: she is not content with continuing the status quo and perpetuate relationships for convenience.
Jane bennet
The eldest daughter of the Bennet family is considered a docile and dreamy girl. She is very close to her sister Elizabeth with whom she frequently exchanges confidences. The older sister of the Bennet clan is described as profoundly shy, demure, and extremely beautiful.
Mary Bennet
She is one of the Bennet sisters, who has become obsessed with books and cultivates her intellect more. She is considered by all to be a very wise girl and of great wisdom thanks to the infinite curiosity that she inherited from her father.
Kitty and Lydia Bennet
The younger sisters are little mentioned. The little that is known is that they are used to fixing problems. Lydia is known to have an extreme sense of humor, and she is the most outgoing sister in the group. Kitty, for her part, finds her best friend in Lydia, and both of them usually whisper in low voices, sharing their secrets.
Mr bingley
He is a very rich young man from a good family, who rents the Netherfield mansion and quickly falls in love with Jane Bennet. Mr. Bingley appears to be a good young man with strong values, but he ends up being swayed by he views others and shows a weak personality to be dominated mainly by his mother and his her sister. As soon as mr. Bingley appears in the plot, the parents of the Bennet sisters show interest in marrying him to one of his daughters.
Mr darcy
He is a great friend of mr. Bingley and described as reserved and distant. Initially he does not nurture any affection for the Bennet sisters, whom he considers to be of a lower stratum. At the beginning of the narration, mr. Darcy has an arrogant and superior air, as if he is cut off from the Bennet family universe. However, with the passage of time and after living with the sisters, he ends up falling in love with Elizabeth.
Caroline bingley
The sister of mr. Bingley roundly condemns the young man's relationship with Jane Bennet, considering that she belongs to a lower social class. Caroline is, in a way, arrogant, and she considers that her surname should not be mixed with that of inferior families.
Novel analysis
The novel Pride and prejudice is a work that addresses from a critical point of view the society of her time, questioning key aspects such as property law and the role of women. Next, we analyze the most relevant aspects of this work by Austen.
A portrait of the time
The plot is rich and shows a clear concern in portraying the details of 19th century English society, with its culture, habits and moral values. As it is quickly perceived, the duality between love and money is the cog that moves the narrative.
For example, through the text we observe the great importance given to money and to the prejudice of the characters regarding the origin of the individual's family.
It is true that Austen often creates her characters as caricatures of society, but to Through her behavior it is possible to find a kind of portrait of the English society of the epoch.
The story of Pride and prejudice it has been the most adapted to film, theater and television. Jane Austen is considered the most important English author in the country after Shakespeare.
Using the example of Meryton, the rural suburb imagined by Austen in the outskirts of London, part of the atmosphere of the English rural aristocracy during the 19th century can be reconstructed.
The novel as a critique of property law
The story created by Jane Austen recreates a strong critique of the society of her time, governed by economic ambitions and by relationships motivated by interest. It is no coincidence that the first sentence with which the plot begins is:
"It is a universally recognized truth that a single man in possession of a beautiful fortune needs a wife."
Marriages are seen as simple business arrangements and we see, through the pages, how pettiness and caring permeate human relationships.
Austen addresses and denounces the law of property, that is, the family organization based on the notion of a lineage. In this type of society, the properties were inalienable and indivisible, and were transmitted to a first-born male descendant.
In the case of the Bennet family, the protagonist of the novel, as it consisted of a marriage with five daughters, there was no male child who inherited the properties. That is, according to the rules of the time, despite having direct descendants, the assets had to pass to the closest male relative. In the Bennet family, the estate could not pass neither to the wife nor to the daughters, but to mr. Collins, a cousin. It is to this social organization that Austen directs the greatest criticism of her.
Elizabeth Bennet and proto-feminism
Critics often see Elizabeth Bennet as a proto-feminist because, unlike the women of her generation, he does not seek a promising marriage, nor does he assume that a man is the solution to his financial problems and social.
Elizabeth fights against a conservative and macho society:
"It's a good plan," answered Elizabeth, "when the desire to marry well is hardly at stake; And if I were determined to find a rich husband, or just any husband, this would be the plan I would adopt. But that's not how feelings are (...).
The character argues and rebels against his circumstances because he wishes to be independent, repudiating a marriage motivated by convenience. Not that the girl was properly against marriage, what was weaned were the values that motivated women to find a well-off husband.
Elizabeth's behavior is extremely peculiar for the time. From very early the girl rebelled against what ended up being called "the holy trinity", that is, the power of her father, tutor or husband. Women of the time were limited to the space of the house and to rule the family, while men dominated public spaces, property and finances.
Young Lizzie is admired in the extreme by her father, an incurable inquisitive, but she is deeply criticized for his mother, who fears for Elizabeth's future because of her ideas that were considered revolutionary for the epoch.
Publication history
Jane Austen's masterpiece originally had another title: First Impressions (in Spanish First impressions) and changed to Pride and Prejudice.
Written between 1796 and 1797, the novel that the author called "my dear daughter" was not printed until January 1813.
Despite being written so many years ago, until today Pride and prejudice continues to occupy the first places of the most read books. Each year 50,000 copies are sold in the United Kingdom alone.
A curiosity about the classic: a copy of the first edition was found and auctioned in London in 2003. The work was auctioned close to 58 thousand euros.
In 2009, a horror parody of the book was published that was immensely successful. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (in Spanish Pride and Prejudice and the Zombies) was adapted into a movie in 2016 under the direction of Burr Steers (see trailer below).
Movie Pride and prejudice
In 2005 the most famous film adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel appeared.
Before, the masterpiece had been seen in the cinema twice (made in the 1940s and 2003).
The 2005 production was directed by Joe Wright and the screenplay adaptation was made by Deborah Moggach.
The feature film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress (Keira Knightley), Best Costume, Best Soundtrack and Best Art Direction. The film was also nominated for a Golden Globe in the categories of Best Picture and Best Actress.
Finally, Pride and prejudice it won the Bafta for Best New Film thanks to the work of Joe Wright.
Who was Jane Austen?
Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, in the middle of the Georgian era, in Hampshire, England. She was the daughter of a reputable marriage between Cassandra and George Austen. The father, an intellectual, always stimulated the creative side of his children and spared no effort to frequent his extensive personal library.
Enchanted with the world of books, from adolescence Jane began to write small novels in spiral notebooks. Other important passions in the author's life were music (especially the piano) and dance.
In 1801, Jane moved her family to Bath. Four years later her father passed away. As a result, her family was faced with financial difficulties that forced her to move repeatedly.
At age 30, Jane Austen began publishing her writings anonymously. The author did not receive the recognition she deserved during her lifetime; she gained popularity from it starting in 1869.
Jane died young, at age 41, on July 18, 1817, in Hampshire.
(Text translated and adapted by Claudia Gomez Molina).
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