Study notes: Pride and Prejudice
Mrs. Bennet wants her five daughters married because the family house cannot pass to them. Elizabeth Bennet dislikes the proud Mr. Darcy, and she is not entirely wrong. She is also wrong about a charming officer. Austen’s sentences are funny and exact. The plot is dances, letters, and proposals, and underneath it is a map of who has money and who gets to say no. It is not a children’s adventure. It is a classic novel that older students can read for the argument, not only for the wedding.
Themes
First judgments stick too easily. Money and marriage were the same subject. Wit is a pleasure and a weapon.
People to follow
Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy, Jane, Mr. Bennet, and Mr. Wickham.
Talk about
- Where is Elizabeth’s pride, not only Darcy’s?
- What choices do the sisters actually have?
- Which sentence makes a character ridiculous without shouting?
Public-domain text.