Pride & Prejudice Essay, Research Paper

Summary:

Pride and Prejudice, a gentle but witty satire of courtship and marriage, tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet, one of five daughters of a country gentleman and his matchmaking wife. At a ball given by the rich young Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth meets Mr. Darcy. Darcy is rude and arrogant, and he and Elizabeth are immediately at odds with each other. As they are thrown together in social situations, they continue to spar. Darcy, however, begins to fall in love with Elizabeth, despite the fact that he considers her well below his social station and has even advised Bingley not to marry Elizabeth’s sister Jane. Eventually he proposes but with great condescension, and Elizabeth angrily refuses him. Her view of him begins to change, however, when she realizes from a letter he writes to her that she has badly misinterpreted some of his behavior. Her feelings change even more when she discovers he has played a major role in settling the affairs of her runaway sister, Lydia, and helped avert disgrace for her family. When Darcy proposes again, Elizabeth accepts.