Part one - The exposition

The exposition

The novel Pride and Prejudice begins with getting the reader acquaintance with the main characters, the Bennet family. Mrs Bennet had just heard that the Netherfield Park had been rented out and the renter was a handsome, rich, single man named Charles Bingley. This meant for Mrs Bennet that one of her daughters had to be his future wife. Therefore she asked or more forced her husband Mr Bennet to go and talk to the new neighbour. So, Mr Bennet did what his wife had asked him to do. The meeting resulted in an invitation from Mr Bingley to the Bennet family for the ball that was expected to take place the few next days. At the ball the family and especially the Bennet daughters was presented to Mr Bingley and his company. The company consisted Mr Bingley's two sisters, his brother-in-law Mr Hurst and his friend Mr Darcy. Mr Bingley was soon to be in love with the oldest Bennet daughters, Jane Bennet. Of course this made Mrs Bennet extremely happy and expected a wedding to take place any time soon. The next oldest Bennet daughter was Elizabeth Bennet who had believed that Mr Darcy was a supercilious person. In fact not only did she, but also all the guests. However the reader gets to know Mr Darcy as one restrained person who tries his hardest to not falling in love with Elizabeth Bennet. Hence he calls Elizabeth as not beautiful enough to deserve his interest or his time. This statement broke Elizabeth's heart but despite those hurtful words she continued to have a good time at the ball with her family and friends.

A few days later Mr Bingley and his sisters, who had been fond of Jane Bennet, invited her to their home Netherfield Park. Jane wanted to borrow the carriage due to the fact that it seemed to be going to rain. Nonetheless Mrs Bennet was unwilling to let her daughter take the carriage when she could horseback riding to Netherfield Park. With some luck she would get sick, which would result in the Bingley family forced to keep her at their home until she got better. And so did that happen. After a visit to the Netherfield Park the younger Bingley daughters insisted in Mr Bingley having another ball to meet all his new neighbours and make some new acquaintance. They also insisted in Mr Bingley inviting the military men who had arrived at Herfordshire. One of these men, Mr Wickham was a former friend of Mr Darcy though he had unfortunately lost his friendship with him. Mr Wickham had told Elizabeth that Mr Darcy was jealous of him because his father was fonder of Wickham than Darcy. Elizabeth is now also fond of Mr Wickham however he does not attend Mr Bingley's ball due to not wanting it getting intense between him and his former friend.

The next day a family member Mr Collins, a clergyman, arrived at the Bennet house. His visit had the intend of finding a suited wife. He therefore had arrived at Longbourn to express his interest in choosing one of his cousins to be his future wife. Once again Mrs Bennet was delighted of the news and soon Elizabeth was his chosen one. Although Elizabeth could not return same feelings, which made her mother extremely, mad. Mr Collins was therefore forced to forget his intend in marrying his cousin and asked instead for her best friend Charlotte Lucas hand.

As it turns out, the novel is mainly about love, pride, prejudice and finding a wife/husband. Women had not equally rights as men at 18th century in England. Therefore young ladies were compelled to find a husband who could provide for them. However Elizabeth refused to see marriage as an affair and was therefore persistent in not marrying a man who she did not think could make her happy and neither would she make him.

The characters 

Elizabeth Bennet is the next oldest daughter. She is not her mother’s favourite contrary to her father who believes she is the most rational and smartest of his daughters. She is portrayed as intelligent, lively, playful, and attractive and has the tendency to judge on first impression. For example she judges Mr Darcy for being arrogant and to high-minded which would make him the last man on earth to marry. Miss Bennet is described as a woman ahead of her time that refuses to marry a man who she does not love.

Mr Darcy is from a rich and respectable family. He has a younger sister who he is very protective of. At his first visit to Herfordshire no one liked him especially Elizabeth Bennet. The reader gets to know that Mr Darcy is restrained and when you lose his friendship there is no turning back on receiving it again. He is portrayed as being handsome, tall, intelligent and asocial.

The first three lines 

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters. ` My dear Mr Bennet,´ said his lady to him one day, `have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?´

The first three lines describe what the novel is going to be about. Mrs Bennet as all the other ladies in Herfordshire is excited that a handsome, rich man is staying at the Netherfield Park. That would imply that one of their daughters had to be his future wife. During this century in England rich men was obligated to marry to provide young women due to the fact that women had no rights and could not inherit money or house from their parents to support themselves.

These three lines describe perfectly what the story is going to be about. However they do not catch my interest. I would like to read more to understand the main characters and their part in the story. Who does Mr Bingley choose? Does all the mothers or daughters share the same opinion that a good fortune man needs to find a wife to provide for? And does all the citizens share the same opinion on the status of women? To be able to receive an answer on these questions, I need to continue reading.  

The title

The title Pride and Prejudice implies that the theme of the novel is pride and prejudice. At the same time the theme love is woven in the storyline. Mr Darcy is to pride and arrogant to even consider talking or marrying a woman in a submissive position. Elizabeth Bennet is to prejudice of Mr Darcy. She thinks that he is too self-important to even want to dance with anybody than his company. Yet the reader gets to know Mr Darcy as an asocial and restrained man. This quality of him and his fortune has made him seen as an arrogant person. Nevertheless the reader sense love between the two characters. They may not like each other or at least Elizabeth does not, yet the feeling is there.