Mr and Mrs Bennet lived in Longbourn and they were parents of 5 daughters: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Lydia, and Kitty. One day, Mr. Bennet discovered that a rich, unmarried man who belonged to the aristocracy, Mr. Bingley, had bought the Netherfield estate in front of their house and she was anxious to introduce her daughters to him in order to become Mrs. Bingley.
They attended the Netherfield Park ball: Jane fell in love with Bingley and Elizabeth exchanged some gazes and talked a little bit to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the aristocratic Mr. Bingley's friend. There was also Mr. Bingley's sister. Elizabeth thought that Darcy was too proud of his social position and Darcy had prejudice about Lizzy because of her family's vulgar behaviour. Mr. Bingley went to London and Jane had no more news about him. In these days Mr. Collins arrived. He was a clergyman who would inherit the Bennet's house at Mr. Bennet's death. He came to Longbourn to marry one of the 5 Bennet sisters: Jane was his first choice but since she wasn't available, he proposed to Lizzy, who refused. So, he proposed to Lizzy's best friend, Charlotte Lucas, who saw in this marriage a chance of stability and wealth.
Then Mr. Darcy declared his love to Elizabeth, but mentioned her inferiority in the social class, so she rejected him. In the meanwhile, an army came to the Country and an officer, Mr. Wickham, found interest in Lydia. While Elizabeth and her uncles Gardiners were at the Pemberley house (Mr. Darcy's estate), Lizzy received a letter where there was written that Lydia had gone to London with Wickham, who was full of debts. Darcy, seeing Lizzy so desperate, went to London, Wickham and Lydia came back as husband and wife and Mr. Gardiner told that he had paid everything. In the meanwhile, Bingley came back and proposed to Jane, who agreed. While Lydia was drunk, she told Kitty that Mr. Darcy had paid everything. She understood that she had been blind and that she was in love with him, so the two got married despite Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy's aunt who wanted him married to her daughter.
Life
Jane Austen was born in 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire, in a family of 7 sisters. Her favorite sister was Cassandra and she had an amazing sistership. Their father was the rector of the local church, which allowed Austen to read books at home. They belonged to the country gentry and her life had no significant events. At first, her works were published anonymously, but later her brother published them with her name. She died in 1817 in Winchester.
Her Poetry
Austen was known for her novels of manners and she wrote about what she knew, which was the conventional situation of country gentry taking place only in the English country. Her style included an omniscient narrator, moral propriety influenced by Henry Fielding, dialogue, irony, and always a happy ending.
Themes and Style
Austen's work focused on the psychology of the characters, the journey towards personal feelings, love, propriety, and marriage in the country gentry situations of the Regency period. Her typical events depicted love and sexual attraction controlled by private reflection and social obligation, leading to marriage of the hero and heroine. She used bright dialogues, a third-person omniscient narrator, and her characters' psychology was well-developed with a touch of irony to criticize society.
In conclusion, Jane Austen's life and works, particularly "Pride and Prejudice," reflect her deep understanding of the social dynamics and the psychology of characters in the English country gentry during the Regency period. Her themes of love, marriage, and propriety continue to resonate with readers today, making her novels similar to "Pride and Prejudice" timeless classics in the literary world.
