Characters
This eldest Bennet daughter is renowned for her gentle disposition and beauty, and falls in love with Mr. Bingley.
Who is Jane Bennet?
Austen's famous opening line — 'It is a truth universally acknowledged...' — immediately introduces this social pressure placed on young men and women in Regency England.
What is the pressure to marry?
The novel is primarily told in this narrative perspective, filtering events through Elizabeth's viewpoint while maintaining a degree of authorial distance.
What is third-person limited omniscient?
The novel's central conflict is ignited at this social event, where Darcy refuses to dance and famously insults Elizabeth.
What is the Meryton ball?
'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.' The literary device used here is called what?
What is irony?
Charming at first, this militia officer is eventually exposed as dishonest, reckless, and deeply in debt.
Who is Mr. Wickham?
Both Darcy's condescension and Elizabeth's hasty dislike of him embody these twin flaws named in the novel's title.
What is pride and prejudice?
Mr. Collins and Mr. Darcy are placed side by side as this literary device — two characters whose contrasting qualities illuminate each other.
What is a foil?
This document, sent after Darcy's rejected first proposal, serves as the novel's pivotal turning point — forcing Elizabeth to question her own judgment.
What is Darcy's letter?
'I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.' This early quote reveals that this character shares Darcy's most prominent flaw.
Who is Elizabeth Bennet?
This Bennet family friend accepts Mr. Collins's proposal for financial security rather than love, serving as a foil to Elizabeth.
Who is Charlotte Lucas?
The contrast between the wealthy Bingleys and the financially precarious Bennet family highlights this pervasive theme.
What is social class (or class distinction)?
Austen's reliance on dialogue and action — rather than direct authorial description — to reveal character is an example of this narrative technique.
What is indirect characterization (or showing vs. telling)?
The entailment of Longbourn means the estate must pass to this pompous clergyman, adding urgency to the Bennet daughters' need to marry.
Who is Mr. Collins?
'You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.' Darcy's first proposal is undermined by his condescending remarks about what?
What is Elizabeth's social inferiority (or her family's impropriety)?
Haughty and obsessed with rank, this aristocratic widow travels to Longbourn to prevent Darcy from proposing to Elizabeth.
Who is Lady Catherine de Bourgh?
The contrast between the wealthy Bingleys and the financially precarious Bennet family highlights this pervasive theme.
What is social class (or class distinction)?
Saying the opposite of what is meant — the defining feature of Austen's famous opening line and her narrative voice throughout — is called this.
What is irony (or verbal irony)?
Lydia's elopement with Wickham threatens the family with ruin. Darcy secretly resolves the crisis by doing this.
What is paying Wickham's debts and securing the marriage?
'In vain I have struggled. It will not do.' Darcy's confession reveals a conflict between personal desire and this opposing force.
What is social duty (or class expectations)?
'There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others.' This spirited quote belongs to the novel's protagonist.
Who is Elizabeth Bennet?
Austen's gentle but pointed exposure of Regency society's hypocrisies and vanities places the novel firmly in this literary genre.
What is social satire (or comedy of manners)?
Austen's satirical lens targets this social group — wealthy, idle, and preoccupied with rank — embodied by the Bingley sisters and Lady Catherine.
What is the landed gentry (or British upper class)?
The novel resolves with two marriages that complete its plot. Name both couples.
Who are Elizabeth & Darcy, and Jane & Bingley?
'Till this moment I never knew myself.' Elizabeth's self-revelation after reading Darcy's letter is an example of this literary term for a sudden moment of transformative self-awareness.
What is an epiphany (or anagnorisis)?