Pride and Prejudice

Author: JANEAUSTEN
Publisher: WORDSWORTH
Publication Date: 1999-10-01
Features: First published in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has consistently been Jane Austen's most popular novel. It portrays life in the genteel rural society of the day, and tells of the initial misunderstandings and later mutual enlightenment between Elizabeth Bennet (whose liveliness and quick wit have often attracted readers) and the haughty Darcy. The title Pride and Prejudice refers (among other things) to the ways in which Elizabeth and Darcy first view each other. The original version of the novel was written in 1796-1797 under the title First Impressions, and was probably in the form of an exchange of letters. Pride and Prejudice, which opens with one of the most famous sentences in English Literature, is an ironic novel of manners. In the garrulous and empty-headed Mrs. Bennet is only one aim—that of finding a good match for each of her five daughters. In this she is mocked by her cynical and indolent husband. With its wit, its social precision and, above all, its irresistible heroine, Pride and Prejudice has proved one of the most enduringly popular novels in the English language.