P1.B.PP*Pride and Prejudice* (Austen) — marriage, class, prejudice, irony; the Bennet sisters; Mr Darcy and the rejected proposal

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813) began life as First Impressions (1797) and was revised over sixteen years. A novel of manners and social comedy, it satirises the marriage market of Regency England while also endorsing the ideal of a union based on mutual respect and genuine affection. For AQA Paper 1 Section B you will have an extract and a question on character or theme.

Plot in brief

The Bennet family has five daughters and an entailed estate. The arrival of wealthy Mr Bingley and his proud friend Mr Darcy at nearby Netherfield sets the plot in motion. Elizabeth Bennet, the spirited second daughter, initially dislikes and misjudges Darcy. Bingley falls for eldest sister Jane; Darcy is attracted to Elizabeth but shocked by the family's social inferiority. Clergyman Mr Collins proposes to Elizabeth (refused), then marries her friend Charlotte Lucas. The charming rogue Mr Wickham circulates false stories about Darcy. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth (refused); his subsequent letter reveals Wickham's villainy and his own good character. Youngest sister Lydia elopes with Wickham; Darcy secretly saves the family's honour. Bingley and Jane become engaged; Darcy proposes again and Elizabeth accepts.

Key themes

Marriage and economics — Mrs Bennet's obsessive goal is to marry her daughters well. This is not mere silliness: the entail means Longbourn passes to Mr Collins on Mr Bennet's death; the daughters will be penniless. Marriage is an economic necessity as much as a romantic ideal. Austen presents three models: Collins-Charlotte (practical/mercenary), Wickham-Lydia (passion without judgement), and Darcy-Elizabeth (the ideal — mutual respect and love).

Pride and prejudice — both protagonists display the named faults. Darcy is proud of his social position; Elizabeth prejudges him from first impressions. The novel tracks their mutual correction. "How despicably have I acted!" (Elizabeth's recognition scene, Ch 36) and Darcy's letter are the turning points. Both must acknowledge their errors.

Class and social hierarchy — Darcy's aunt Lady Catherine de Bourgh embodies rigid class hierarchy. Darcy himself must overcome his class prejudice. The novel is not anti-class but argues for merit over birth.

Female agency — Elizabeth refuses Collins and Darcy's first proposal — remarkable assertions of female will in a society where women had limited alternatives. But Austen is not naively feminist: Charlotte's mercenary choice is presented with understanding, not contempt.

Wit and irony — the narrative voice is quietly satirical ("It is a truth universally acknowledged…" — the opening immediately ironises the assumption). Free indirect discourse allows us to share Elizabeth's perceptions while Austen quietly signals their limitations.

Key characters

• Elizabeth Bennet — witty, intelligent, prejudiced; the novel's moral intelligence. Her error about Darcy is genuine.
• Mr Darcy — proud, reserved, but fundamentally honourable; his pride conceals integrity.
• Jane Bennet — goodness without Elizabeth's sharpness; her goodwill sometimes makes her naive.
• Mr Bennet — ironic, emotionally detached; his indulgence of Lydia is a genuine moral failure.
• Mrs Bennet — comic; but her anxiety about her daughters' futures is legitimate.
• Mr Collins — pompous clergyman; satirised but his worldly logic is not entirely ridiculous.
• Mr Wickham — charming liar; his charm is the novel's lesson in surfaces vs. substance.
• Charlotte Lucas — makes a rational economic choice; Austen presents this with sympathy.

Context (AO3)

• Regency England — Austen wrote in a society where women could not inherit entailed property, had no political rights, and whose economic security depended on marriage.
• The marriage market — Almack's, assembly rooms, country visiting — all arenas for courtship/display.
• Austen's own situation — she remained unmarried; turned down one proposal (1802); her novels are shaped by her observation of the marriage market from the outside.
• The entail — a legal mechanism that prevented daughters inheriting; the Bennet girls face real destitution.

Form and structure

• Free indirect discourse — Austen's signature technique; allows ironic distance from Elizabeth's perspective.
• The letter (Ch 35) — Darcy's letter is the novel's structural pivot; it forces Elizabeth to revise her prejudice.
• Three volumes — Austen follows the three-volume Regency novel convention; each volume marks a stage in Elizabeth's education.