Pride And Prejudice: Summary
...relates the
events surrounding the relations, lives, and loves of a middle-upper class
English family in the late nineteenth century. Because of the detailed
descriptions of the events surrounding the life of the main character of the
story, Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice is a very involving novel whose
title is very indicative of the themes contained therein.
The first volume opens in the Bennet household at Longbourn in England.
As there are five unmarried daughters living in the home at the time, the matron
of the family, Mrs. Bennet, is quite interested when news of a wealthy man
moving to Netherfield, a place in the near vicinity. Mrs. Bennet, in the best
interest of her daughters, soon after begins urging her husband to meet with the
newly arrived neighbor, a Mr. Bingley, but he is quite reluctant to do so. Soon
after, Mr.Bennet surprises his daughters and his wife by announcing that he had
visited Netherfield and found Bingley to be "quite agreeable." The interest of
the Bennet daughters arises when they learn that certain members of the Bingley
party will be in attendance at an upcoming ball in Meryton. At the ball,
acquaintances between the families are made, and all find both Mr.Bingley and
his cousin Fitzwilliam Darcy to be exceedingly handsome, however Darcy's pride
is so irritating and repulsive, it makes his character almost totally
disagreeable. It is at this ball, however, that the oldest Bennet daughter,
Jane, becomes involved with Mr.Bennet; her younger sister Elizabeth, however,
falls victim to Mr. Darcy's pride and is shunned by him during the entire ball.
Beginning with this event, Elizabeth forms a prejudice towards Mr. Darcy that
will prevent her future involvement with him. It is here then that the two main
themes of he work, pride and prejudice, are first presented. Soon after the
ball, it becomes obvious that Mr. Bingley's...
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