Pride and Prejudice

Title: Pride and Prejudice (Adult Cross-Over)

Author: Jane Austen

ISBN: 9781494404772

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Copyright: 2013 (1813)

Genre: Romance

Age Range: 15+

Reader’s Annotation: Elizabeth is the second daughter of the Bennet family who tries to navigate the torrid social tides of 1800s England in pursuit of a husband.

Plot Summary: The novel focuses on Elizabeth Bennet. Mr. Bennet is a bookish, country gentleman who neglects his duties for a good book. Mrs. Bennet is obsessed with finding her five daughters husbands. Jane, the oldest, is kind and beautiful. Elizabeth, the second, is witty and sarcastic. Mary, the third, is smart and studious but very plain. Kitty, the fourth, follows the fifth sister Lydia being flirtatious and stupid. When Mr. Bingley moves into Netherfield Park, he is a highly sought young bachelor. His friend, Mr. Darcy, has left a less favorable impression being seen as prideful. Mr. Bingley pursues Jane, and they begin a relationship. Elizabeth is slighted by Mr. Darcy. On a visit to Netherfield, Jane is caught in a downpour and gets sick. Elizabeth comes to nurse her to health and ends up spending lots of time with Mr. Darcy who starts warming up.

            Mr. Collins the clergyman and heir to the Bennet estate comes for a visit. Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth are amused by the odd glorification of the noble Lady Catherine de Bourgh. It becomes obvious that Mr. Collins is there to choose a Bennet for his wife. The militia arrives and Elizabeth meets Mr. Wickham. He is an officer that had been mistreated by Mr. Darcy making him more attractive to Elizabeth. Mr. Bingley throws a ball, and it seems that he and Jane will be married soon. The rest of the Benner family shows poor manners prompting Mr. Darcy to intervene. The next day Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth, but she refuses. Mr. Collins proposes next to Elizabeth’s friend Charlotte Lucas.

            Mr. Bingley leaves to London. Jane is devastated. Elizabeth believes this was Mr. Darcy’s doing. Jane receives letters from Mr. Bingley’s sister stating that he never loved her. She leaves on an extended stay with their aunt and uncle in London to maintain the friendship with the Bingleys to no avail. Elizabeth visits Mr. Collins and Charlotte. They are frequent guests of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. On one visit, Mr. Darcy is coincidentally visiting Lady Catherine as well. She is his aunt. In a conversation with Colonel Fitzwilliam she finds out that Mr. Darcy stopped the marriage of Jane and Mr. Bingley. Mr. Darcy visits the Collins home and proposes marriage to Elizabeth. She rejects him for his past actions against Jane, mistreating Mr. Wickham, and being arrogant. Shocked, he responds with a letter later explaining how Mr. Wickham cashed out his legacies and gambled it away and even tried to elope with Darcy's young sister Georgiana. He also includes his observations about the other Bennets besides Jane making Elizabeth wonder if he was so wrong.

            Months later, Elizabeth visits the London aunt and uncle, the Gardiners,  and tour Mr. Darcy’s estate. Believed to be gone, Mr. Darcy returns ad has the best manners about him. Darcy introduces Elizabeth to his sister. Elizabeth starts to become attracted to him. The visit ends quickly when the news that Lydia has eloped with Mr. Wickham finds them. They return to the Bennet estate. Lydia and Mr. Wickham are found out. Mr. Wickham is persuaded to marry her enabling the Bennet family to preserve some appearance of decorum. Jane, Elizabeth and Mr Bennet believe that their Uncle Gardiner must have bribed Mr. Wickham to marry Lydia. Lydia and Mr. Wickham visit the Bennets, and Lydia lets it slip that it was Mr. Darcy that paid Mr. Wickham off. Elizabeth confirms this with a letter to her uncle. Mr. Bingley returns to the Bennet home and proposes to Jane. In the middle of the night, Lady Catherine de Bourgh demands to talk to Elizabeth. Lady Catherine demands that Elizabeth to refuse any proposals from Mr. Darcy. If Lady Catherine has come, does that mean Mr. Darcy is going to propose to Elizabeth? What else has Mr. Darcy been doing?

Critical Evaluation: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a classic romance novel. Girls and women of all ages enjoy this classic love story about the Bennet girls, especially Elizabeth. It is an important book to have in a collection because it exposes the reader to British literature. British literature will be a constant theme in education and it makes a stronger reader for having experienced the style and format of the book. Austen is one of the few female authors that have been widely accepted from the 1800s. The story teaches that one cannot judge a person by the way they look and actions can be different than what we think them to be. Some people are too proud. Others are too prejudice.

Author Information: Jane Austen is a world renowned English author and, despite her having lived centuries ago, she commands a legion of fans around the world numbering in the millions today. Her timeless works - numbering just six completed novels - have been turned into a plethora of motion pictures, television shows and modern adaptations at a regular pace in addition to being translated into multiple languages that help her stories surpass cultural boundaries. These six works have gone on to become the model formula for the romance stories of today.

Jane Austen remains as popular as ever and is revered as much as any literary figure in the history of the English language. This site is a testament to her works, her life and her particular viewpoint concerning love, loyalty and relationships during the time she lived. Source - http://www.janeausten.org/

Curriculum Ties: English

Challenge Issues: None

Booktalk Ideas: Boy Meets Girl – One could talk about hate at first sight. The story could transition to the relationship that started off cold for Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.