SPOILER ALERT:

The Following Page Contains Details of the Plot of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Leader Schedule

Lizzie Greene: 1-10

Lizzy Kribbs: 11-20

Laura Cohen: 21-30

Tina Boyd: 31-40

Lizzie Greene: 41-50

Lizzy Kribbs: 51-61

Day 1 Conclusions (1-10):

• First 10 chapters are the first hour of movie…what will happen next?
• Ms Bingley is a gossip queen and Mrs. Bennett is full of herself
• Mr. Darcy doesn’t like Elizabeth at the beginning and then he begins to fall for her. 
• Elizabeth thinks poetry destroys life.
• Charlotte is a pessimist
• Mr. Darcy has “standards” for a women, which Elizabeth disagrees with
• Mrs. Bennett sending Jane to the Bingley’s is weird.
• Everyone over looks Mary because she Is not the prettiest , enjoy Elizabeth because she is better looking
• Mr. Darcy sets up a wall that Elizabeth broke through.  He seems like the stereotypical male who thinks he is the best thing and then meets a girl when he completely falls for and must work hard to get her back.

 Day 2 Conclusions (11-20):

• Miss Bingley is REALLY annoying.  I love reading…I’m bored… let me bug you while you’re trying to get something done
• Once you’re out of Darcy’s good favor, you’re out of it forever. Little extreme but all part of his character
• Collins is obnoxious, apoligizes too much, precotious, jerk
• Mrs. Bennet is always trying to impress people   
• She tries a little too hard
• Elizabeth is the consolation prize
• Mr. Wickhim.. something is off but it’s not far fetched that Darcy would be capable of the stuff he’s accused of
• People aren’t always what them seem in this
• We think he’s pride and she’s prejudice – but they are both both

Day 3 Conclusions (21-30):

• “What are men to rocks and mountains”
• Mr. Collins proposes to Charlotte Lucas—she is content to have found a husband of such stature and her mother brags to Mrs. Bennet.
• Elizabeth meets with Mr. Wickham who informs her that he is to be engaged to a woman of high status (though she is not very pretty)
• Miss. Bingly sends a letter to Jane stating that they will be relocating to London for the winter. She implies that Mr. Bingly is to be enganged to Darcy’s sister Georgiana.
• Mr. Gardiner (Mrs. Bennet’s brother) offers to take Jane to London and she hopes to see Miss. Bingly. However, she wishes to avoid Mr. Bingly. In the process she finds out that Miss. Bingly is not as nice as she seems.
• Elizabeth goes to London as well to visit Charlotte before she marries Mr. Collins.
• Elizabeth dines with Lady Catherine de Bourgh and the Lady criticizes her upbringing.
• Elizabeth finds out that Darcy is nephew to  Lady Catherine and is intended for her daughter Anne.
• Lady Catherine is arrogant and prideful.
• Elizabeth doubts that Bingly has lost his affection for Jane and believes that Caroline is sneaky and manipulative (and also clueless about love).
• Relationships and who is married/engaged to each other is getting CRAZY!

Day 4 Conclusions (31-40):

• Catherine DB was being rude to Charlotte, Darcy was disgusted 
• Darcy kept trying to fight his love for Elizabeth but he cant fight it anymore 
• Was Mr Collins rubbing his relationship in Elizabeth’s face or was he being sincere about wanting the best for her? 
• The letter that Darcy wrote to Elizabeth- detailed explanation of why he broke Jane and Bingley up. He was honest with Elizabeth and didn’t try to lie to her. He says he doesn’t feel guilty about ruining the relationship. 
• Elizabeth feels guilty about turning him down but then she doesn’t anymore after reading the parts of the letter where he insults her. 
• Pride and Prejudice is a DRAMA FEST! 
• Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam are cousins. Colonel F takes a special interest in Elizabeth

Day 5 Conclusions (41-50):

• Elizabeth goes to see Darcy’s house (Preamberley) under the conditions that he will not be there
• The housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds, describes Darcy as extremely generous and nice
• Darcy is there with his sister
• Elizabeth meets Georgiana
• Bingley joins Darcy and Georgiana  to visit Elizabeth at the inn
• Lydia comes back with Wickham
• People are cordial to Wickham but suspicious of his and Lydia's circumstances 
• Lydia is a brat, she rubs her marriage in her sisters' faces  

Day 6 Conclusions (52-60):

• Lydia can't keep a secret 
• Elizabeth gets a letter from Mrs. Gardiner detailing Wickham's and Lydia's marriage
• Darcy tries to convince Lydia to come home
• When she won't he bribes Wickham to marry her  
• Mrs. Bennet is rude toward Darcy when she should be asking like Mr. Collins 
• Mr. Bingley calls on Jane and returns to Netherfield
• Mr. Bingley asks Jane to marry him
• Lady Catherine comes and yells at Elizabeth and accuses her of being engaged to Mr. Darcy 
• Mr. Darcy asks Elizabeth to marry him again
• Elizabeth says yes 
• Mr. Bennet doesn’t believe the Elizabeth really loves Mr. Darcy
• The Darcy's live at Pemberly and the Bingleys live 30 miles away 
• Lydia and Wickham are miserable 
• They all live happily ever after

THEMES

SOCIAL STANDING IN VICTORIAN BRITAIN

• Social class in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a main vehicle in the character’s relationships. It is the difference in social standing between Bingley and Darcy and the Bennett family that circulates as a theme in the novel. The Bennett family strives to move upward in society because a family’s social status defines who they are in Victorian culture. Also, Bingley and Darcy, as wealthy and well known individuals, struggle with the idea that it is improper to marry below them. In the novel, however, it is adamantly evident that something like love can transcend all boundaries, including class distinctions.

LOVE

• The affection between Darcy and Elizabeth is the main example of love in Pride and Prejudice.  The mutual love that they share shows that Austen sees love as an idependent feeling not influenced by social forces.  She also shows love as a force that can only truly be seen when an individual is able to escape the turmoil that surronds them.  Even though she shows the messgae that “love conquers all,” she also shows a somewhat pessimistic view by using the character CharlotteLucas.  Charlotte marries Mr. Collins, not based on love, but for his money; showing that the heart doesn’t always dictate marriage. 

Elizabeth's Independence

• At the time of the novel, if a women was proposed to, she accepted the marriage.  Many marriages were also based on social and economic standings.  Elizabeth’s character is a prime example of the “not-so-typical” girl.  She models the theme of independence in the novel.  Elizabeth shows that she does not need a man to accomplish what she wants in life.  An example of this is when she goes on a trip with her Aunt and Uncle, not worried about having or needing a man in her life.  Even though she falls for Darcy at the end, she still keeps her independence by choosing to marry him.   



QUOTE ANALYSIS 

“What are men to rocks and mountains”

      This quote relates to the theme of Independence, particularly relating to Elizabeth. Throughout the novel she expresses her capability and need for independence. Twice she turns down proposals, and not because of her pride, at least in Mr. Darcy’s case but because she is not in love. She knows what she wants and she wants love in her life. She has grown up watching the dysfunctional relationship between her mother and father and she knows that she wants love. This quote summarizes her independence and the relationship that she feels she is entitled to. She puts the beauty of rocks and mountains above the “necessity” of the presence and incorporation of men; thereby flaunting her independent tendencies.

"Which do you mean?” and turning round, he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said, “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me.”

     This is a quote from the beginning of the novel where Mr. Darcy is forced to go to a ball in Meryton with Mr. Bingley. Unknown to the two of them, Elizabeth Bennet is sitting nearby and can hear every word exchanged between the two. This relates to Mr. Darcy’s pride and his prejudice. He looks at Elizabeth as someone who is beneath him and he is too proud to stoop that low as to acknowledge her good looks. He is also prejudiced against her, at this point in time against all the women in the room because he sees them as relations of Elizabeth’s mother; a woman he finds immature and too eccentric for his taste. This quote ties into some of the larger ironies listed below.

DANCING AND ESTATES AS METAPHORS

     Dancing and Estates are two major metaphors in Pride and Prejudice. The estates that the main characters own are metaphors for the social values and the social position of whoever owns it. Pemberley, Darcy’s estates, shows his wealth, his power and clearly defines his social status.

     Dancing is a key metaphor in Pride and Prejudice. Dancing in this novel runs parallel with marriage. When one of the women in the novel evaluates their dance partner, they are not only judging their dancing and their appearance; they’re also judging their compatibility and the possibility of marriage. The women in the novel have to be careful when making a decision to accept or refuse a dance offer. The first time Darcy asks Elizabeth to dance she rejects his offer, she also rejects his first proposal of marriage. But, the second time Darcy asks Elizabeth to dance she accepts the offer and accepts his next proposal for marriage.

IRONIES

     The main irony shown in Pride and Prejudice is the fact that Darcy and Elizabeth end up together.  Throughout the novel Darcy and Elizabeth cannot stand each other for most of the novel.  Darcy first sees Elizabeth to be an unattractive woman that he completely detests, but through the story he begins to see her beauty, intelligence and fall in love with her.  Just as Darcy’s views of Elizabeth, Elizabeth’s views of him change.  At first Elizabeth feels that Darcy has standards that no woman could fulfill and finds him to be rude, but yet she falls for him by the end of the novel.  Another example of irony in the novel is the fact that Charlotte is the first Bennett to be married.  In the novel Mrs. Bennett constantly says how ugly Charlotte is and Mr. Bennett finds her annoying and ships her off for his own benefit.  Ironically, Charlotte elopes with Mr. Collins.    

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

Elizabeth Bennet: As the main character of the novel, she is the object of Darcy’s affection and defines herself by her clever wit and her brilliance. At first she is annoyed by Darcy and thinks he is rude and obsessed with himself and his wealth but, by the end of the novel, she is completely in love with him. Her stubborness and her judgemental attitude towards Darcy leads her to reject his proposal for marriage at first but she eventually overcomes those thoughts and finds that he is her one true love.

Fitzwilliam Darcy: The wealthy and self-obsessed main character in the novel. Disgusted by Elizabeth at first, he wants nothing to do with her. But he soon finds that she is his perfect match. To his shock, Elizabeth rejects him and his proposal for marriage giving him more inspiration to eventually make her his. Throughout the novel he goes through ups and downs overcoming obstacles not only with others but with himself as well. Darcy realizes that social status and wealth shouldn’t make the boundaries of love and proposes to Elizabeth once again and this time, she accepts.

Protagonist/Antagonist: Elizabeth serves as the novels protagonist. The reader feels the most sorry for her and hopes that everythings works out in her favor. She is the main character and the majority of the events in the novel are centered around her. Darcy, completely opposite of Elizabeth, is the novel’s antagonist and gets the least amount of sympathy from the reader. He is against everything Elizabeth says and does and is the “villain” of the novel. The reader is usually against what he does and how he acts.