PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Pride and Prejudice, a novel written by Jane Austen, one of her most famous novels, was first published on January 28, 1813 as an anonymous work.

Narrated mainly in the third person from Elizabeth's perspective, it is considered one of the first romantic comedies in history, a classic that continues to be read.

Pride and Prejudice is the story of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, it begins by telling us the story of Mr and Mrs Bennet and their five marriageable daughters between the ages of fifteen and twenty-three, Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine and Lydia who live in Longbourn's Hertfordshire residence. Mrs. Bennet is constantly worried about the marriage of her daughters, she sees marriage as a salvation for her daughters, since her estate will pass by law after the death of her husband, to her closest blood relative of male lineage, her cousin, Guillermo Collins, an indiscreet and pompous man, so the girls will be left to their own devices, they will lose most of the fortune and the right to inhabit the property when Collins inherits everything.

The story acquires emotion when Mr. Charles Bingley, owner of a great fortune, arrives and settles in the Netherfield estate with his sisters, his brother-in-law, and his friend Fitzwilliam Darcy, who, as Elizabeth describes him, at the public dance they do in the town of When Meryton hears him say that he is not going to ask her to dance because he does not consider her beautiful enough, he is attractive, arrogant, vain and selfish.

Bingley becomes a bachelor coveted by all the mothers of a young woman of marriageable age, but Bingley is interested in Jane, the oldest and most beautiful of the Bennet sisters, so in this way Bingley represents a great hope to solve the problems. Bennet family troubles.

The comment that Darcy makes about Elizabeth's physique at the ball hurts his pride, throughout the novel we can see how Elizabeth shows some irony every time she starts a conversation with him and Darcy admires her more and more as the he meets, finding himself increasingly impressed by her witty demeanor and intelligent eyes, but is torn between his admiration for Elizabeth and his contempt for her family.

When Mr. Collins arrives to visit Longbourn, and to everyone's surprise, he makes a marriage proposal to Elizabeth, convinced that she will accept since this means that they do not lose their property, but Elizabeth rejects him, even so he does not He gives up and plans a second attempt, however in the end he seems to doubt because he says he does not need a capricious wife, but she decided to present him with a wife when he returned to Lady Catherine de Bourgt, so he asks Elizabeth's friend to marry him. , Charlotte and she accepts telling Elizabeth that what else could she do at her advanced age of 27 years and with a mediocre appearance and fortune, Elizabeth on the contrary believes in true love.

Elizabeth travels to London with Mrs. Bennet's brother Mr. Gardiner, there she visits her friend Charlotte and spends much time at Lady Catherine de Bourgt's estate, where Mr. Darcy and his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam also visit her as they is her aunt, Lady Catherine is determined to commit her ailing daughter to Darcy, despite the fact that he shows no interest.

To Elizabeth's surprise, whenever she goes for a walk, she meets Mr. Darcy, one day he goes to visit her and reveals his love for her, telling her that he fought against this feeling for a long time but to no avail, but when he reveals this he does not realize that his way of expressing it makes Elizabeth angry with him and rejects his proposal, since she finds it offensive to be appreciated against her will and reason, she also accuses him of having taken away her sister Jane and Bingley's happiness.

Once she returns to Longbourn she is invited to accompany the Gardiners on a summer trip to Derbyshire, there is also Pemberley, Mr. Darcy's country castle, Elizabeth makes sure that Darcy is not there and visits the castle, to his surprise she finds out from the housekeeper that Darcy is the kindest and gentlest gentleman in the world, on her way back, she bumps into him, who arrived at Pemberley a day ahead of schedule, Darcy is unrecognizable and treats her and her friends. relatives with respect and kindness without a trace of pride or classism.

The Gardiners and Elizabeth travel immediately to Longbourn after receiving a letter from Jane informing them that Lydia had eloped with Wickham, Elizabeth sees all hope of rekindling love vanish as the dishonor to her family is too great, Mrs. Bennet tells her brother that he must get Lydia married at once if he finds her, which is how Wickham agrees to marry but on the condition of receiving a hundred pounds a year and Lydia's meager inheritance, little later Elizabeth learns that it was Darcy who found them and gave Wickham money to agree to marry Lydia.

Days later the rumors reach him that Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy are back in Netherfield and that Bingley is still in love with Jane, one night Bingley is alone with Jane and proposes to her and she delightedly says yes.

To Elizabeth's disappointment, Darcy seems very reserved and soon returns to London alone, but then Darcy's aunt, Lady Catherine, angrily says she has found out that Darcy is proposing to Elizabeth and she has him destined for her daughter. , trying to make Elizabeth give up on Darcy but to no avail since what he achieves is exactly the opposite because Darcy with reinforced hopes that Elizabeth feels something for him quickly returns from London making a second marriage proposal and this time she accepts with a great joy.

Pride and Prejudice is a social criticism of the world in which Jane Austen lived, the class difference in Victorian England, the dependence of women on men as well as the lack of female independence, the prison of marriage that was lived in those times and all the social and economic difficulties they faced.

We can also see how sometimes first impressions are wrong, how useless pride can be, and the misunderstandings that prejudices generate.

More about the author

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