Pride and Prejudice is a
novelA novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by
Jane AustenJane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character
Elizabeth BennetElizabeth Bennet, later Elizabeth Darcy, is the protagonist in the 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. She is often referred to as Eliza or Lizzy by her friends and family...
as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the society of the
landed gentryLanded gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....
of early 19th-century England. Elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a country gentleman, living near the fictional town of Meryton in
HertfordshireHertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, near
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Though the story is set at the turn of the 19th century, it retains a fascination for modern readers, continuing near the top of lists of 'most loved books' such as The Big Read. It has become one of the most popular novels in English literature, and receives considerable attention from literary scholars. Modern interest in the book has resulted in a number of dramatic adaptations and an abundance of novels and stories imitating Austen's memorable characters or themes. To date, the book has sold some 20 million copies worldwide.
Plot summary
The narrative opens with Mr Bingley, a wealthy young bachelor, moving into Netherfield Park in the neighbourhood of the Bennet family (who live at Longbourne). Mr Bingley is soon well-received, while his friend
Mr DarcyFitzwilliam Darcy, generally referred to as Mr Darcy, is one of the two central characters in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. He is an archetype of the aloof romantic hero, and a romantic interest of Elizabeth Bennet, the novel's protagonist...
makes a less favourable first impression by appearing proud and condescending. When Elizabeth Bennet overhears herself slighted by Mr Darcy, she forms a prejudice against him. Mr Bingley singles out Elizabeth's elder sister, Jane, for particular attention and it soon becomes apparent that they have formed an attachment to one another.
On paying a visit to Mr Bingley's sister, Jane is caught in a heavy downpour, catches cold and is forced to stay at Netherfield for several days. Elizabeth arrives to nurse her sister and is thrown into frequent company with Mr Darcy who begins to perceive his attachment to her.
The Bennets' cousin (and heir to Mr Bennet as daughters could not inherit) Mr Collins, a clergyman, pays a visit to the Bennets. Everyone is much amused by his obsequious veneration of his employer, the noble Lady Catherine de Bourgh, as well as by his self-important and pedantic nature (with Mr Bennet and Elizabeth being rather repulsed by it). It soon becomes apparent that Mr Collins has come to Longbourne to choose a wife from among the Bennet sisters and Elizabeth has been singled out. At the same time, Elizabeth forms an acquaintance with Mr Wickham, a militia officer stationed in the village who claims to have been very seriously mistreated by Mr Darcy, despite having been a ward of Mr Darcy's father. This tale, and Elizabeth's attraction to Mr Wickham, adds fuel to her dislike of Mr Darcy.
At a ball given by Mr Bingley at Netherfield, Mr Darcy becomes aware of a general expectation that Mr Bingley and Jane will marry. Meanwhile, the Bennet family, with the exception of Jane and Elizabeth, make a public display of poor manners and decorum, much to Elizabeth's embarrassment and Darcy's disgust. The following morning, Mr Collins proposes marriage to Elizabeth, who refuses him, much to her mother's distress as the five daughters are facing a future as impoverished spinsters upon their father's death. Mr Collins recovers and promptly becomes engaged to Elizabeth's close friend, Charlotte, who justifies her decision to an outraged Elizabeth by pointing out that Mr Collins is a good, respectful, well-employed man and she doesn't want to become the ridiculed spinster-figure Elizabeth's mother fears. Mr Bingley abruptly quits Netherfield and returns to London, and Elizabeth is convinced that Mr Darcy and Miss Bingley have conspired to separate him from Jane.
In the spring, Elizabeth visits Charlotte and Mr Collins. Elizabeth and her hosts are frequently invited to Rosings Park, home of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who also happens to be Mr Darcy's aunt, and soon Mr Darcy and his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam arrive to visit. Mr Darcy finds himself, again, attracted to Elizabeth and proposes to her, albeit while belittling and insulting her family. Elizabeth, however, has recently learned from Colonel Fitzwilliam of Mr Darcy's role in separating Mr Bingley and Jane and she angrily rebukes him. During a heated discussion, Elizabeth charges him with pride, with destroying her sister's happiness, with his disgraceful treatment of Mr Wickham, and with having conducted himself in an ungentlemanly manner. Mr Darcy responds with a letter clearing himself and showing that the blame lies with Mr Wickham, proving Wickham to be a liar and philanderer who tried to seduce Mr Darcy's younger sister (Georgiana) to profit from her dowry after he wasted his own inheritance. Regarding Mr Bingley and Jane, Mr Darcy claims that he had observed in Jane no reciprocal interest in Mr Bingley. Upon reading the letter, Elizabeth comes to acknowledge the truth of Mr Darcy's assertions.
Some months later, while on a holiday, Elizabeth and her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner visit
PemberleyPemberley is the fictional country estate owned by Fitzwilliam Darcy, the male protagonist in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. It is located near the fictional town of Lambton, and believed by some to be based on Chatsworth House, near Bakewell in Derbyshire.In describing the estate, Austen...
, Mr Darcy's estate, believing him absent, when he returns unexpectedly. Although surprised to find her there, Mr Darcy appears gracious and welcoming, and treats the Gardiners with great civility. Mr Darcy introduces Elizabeth to his sister and Elizabeth begins to realise her attraction to Mr Darcy. Their renewed acquaintance, however, is cut short by news that Lydia, Elizabeth's youngest sister, has run away with Mr Wickham. Elizabeth and the Gardiners return to Longbourne, where Elizabeth grieves that her acquaintance with Mr Darcy will end because of her sister's disgrace.
Lydia and Mr Wickham are soon found by Uncle Gardiner, upon which Wickham is forced to marry Lydia (much to Lydia's delight) to try to stem the tide of disgrace. Upon visiting her family, a gleeful Lydia discloses, while boasting to her sisters, that Mr Darcy was present at her wedding. Elizabeth finds that Mr Darcy was responsible for finding the couple and arranging their marriage, at great expense to himself. Soon after, Mr Bingley, encouraged by Mr. Darcy, returns to Longbourne and proposes marriage to Jane, who immediately accepts.
Lady Catherine de Bourgh then makes an unexpected visit to warn Elizabeth against marrying Mr Darcy, believing her to be too low born for her nephew, that the Bennet family is forever disgraced by the behaviour of Lydia, and that Darcy should marry her own daughter (who is sickly, dull and boring). While confused at the source of Lady Catherine's suspicions, Elizabeth refuses to comply. Mr Darcy, upon hearing this, realises that Elizabeth's opinion of him may have changed and again proposes. Elizabeth accepts, and both of the elder Bennet sisters are married.
Main characters
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Elizabeth Bennet
Elizabeth BennetElizabeth Bennet, later Elizabeth Darcy, is the protagonist in the 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. She is often referred to as Eliza or Lizzy by her friends and family...
is the protagonist of the novel and the reader sees the unfolding plot and the other characters mostly from her viewpoint. The second of the Bennet daughters at 20 years old, she is intelligent, lively, attractive, and witty, but with a tendency to judge on
first impressionsIn psychology, a first impression is the event when one person first encounters another person and forms a mental image of that person. It can sometimes form an accurate representation of the person, depending on the observer and the person being observed....
and perhaps to be a little
selective of the evidenceConfirmation bias is a tendency for people to favor information that confirms their preconceptions or hypotheses regardless of whether the information is true.David Perkins, a geneticist, coined the term "myside bias" referring to a preference for "my" side of an issue...
upon which she bases her judgments. As the plot begins, her closest relationships are with her father, her sister Jane, her aunt Mrs Gardiner, and her best friend Charlotte Lucas. As the story progresses, a relationship is formed with Fitzwilliam Darcy, who belongs to a higher class. Elizabeth and Darcy's course relationship ultimately leads to a surrender of love of both parties.
Mr Darcy
Mr Fitzwilliam DarcyFitzwilliam Darcy, generally referred to as Mr Darcy, is one of the two central characters in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. He is an archetype of the aloof romantic hero, and a romantic interest of Elizabeth Bennet, the novel's protagonist...
is the main male character. Twenty-seven years old and unmarried, Mr Darcy is the wealthy owner of the famous family estate of
PemberleyPemberley is the fictional country estate owned by Fitzwilliam Darcy, the male protagonist in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. It is located near the fictional town of Lambton, and believed by some to be based on Chatsworth House, near Bakewell in Derbyshire.In describing the estate, Austen...
in Derbyshire and is rumoured to be worth at least ten thousand pounds a year. Handsome, tall, and intelligent, but not sociable, his aloof decorum and rectitude are seen by many as an excessive pride and concern for social status. He makes a poor impression on strangers, such as the
landed gentryLanded gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....
of Meryton, but is valued by those who know him well.
Mr Bennet
Mr Bennet- General Biographical Overview :Mr Bennet is the father of Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist of the novel Pride and Prejudice, a work of Jane Austen. He is married to Mrs Bennet, the daughter of a Meryton attorney. Together the couple has five daughters: Jane Bennet, Elizabeth Bennet, Lydia...
, a bookish and intelligent gentleman with a wife and five daughters. He is amused by the indecorous manners and nonsense of his wife and three younger daughters, and offers little beyond mockery by way of correcting them. He relates very well with his two eldest daughters, particularly Elizabeth, showing them much more respect than his wife and younger daughters.
Mrs Bennet
Mrs Bennet is the wife of her social superior Mr Bennet, and mother of Elizabeth and her sisters. She is frivolous, excitable, and narrow-minded, and is imagines herself susceptible to attacks of tremors and palpitations. Her public manners and social climbing are embarrassing to Jane and Elizabeth. Her favourite daughter is the youngest, Lydia. Her main ambition in life is to marry her daughters off well.
Jane Bennet
Jane Bennet is the eldest Bennet sister. Twenty-two years old when the novel begins, she is considered the most beautiful young lady in the neighbourhood. Her character is contrasted with Elizabeth's as sweeter, shyer, and equally sensible, but not as clever; her most notable trait is a desire to see only the good in others. Jane is closest to Elizabeth, and her character is often contrasted with that of Elizabeth. She is favoured by her mother because of her beauty.
Mary Bennet
Mary Bennet is the only plain Bennet sister, and rather than join in some of the family activities, she reads, although she is often impatient for display. She works hard for knowledge and accomplishment, but has neither genius nor taste. She is as silly as her two younger sisters, Kitty and Lydia, though she thinks she is very wise. She is included very little in the book by the author.
Catherine Bennet
Catherine "Kitty" Bennet is the fourth Bennet sister, aged 17. She is portrayed as a less headstrong but equally silly shadow of Lydia.
Lydia Bennet
Lydia Bennet is the youngest Bennet sister, aged 15 when the novel begins. She is frivolous and headstrong. Her main activity in life is socialising, especially flirting with the officers of the militia. She dominates her older sister Kitty and is supported in the family by her mother. Lydia shows no regard for the moral code of her society and is remorseless for the disgrace she causes her family.
Charles Bingley
Charles Bingley is a handsome, good-natured, and wealthy young gentleman of 22, who rents Netherfield Park near Longbourn. He is contrasted with his friend Mr Darcy as being, kinder, more charming and having more generally pleasing manners, although not being quite so clever. He lacks resolve and is easily influenced by others.
Caroline Bingley
Caroline Bingley is the snobbish sister of Charles Bingley with a dowry of twenty thousand pounds. Miss Bingley harbours romantic intentions on Mr Darcy, is jealous of his growing attachment to Elizabeth, and is disdainful and rude to her.
George Wickham
George Wickham has been acquainted with Mr Darcy since childhood, having been under the guardianship of Mr Darcy's father. An officer in the militia, he is superficially charming and rapidly forms an attachment with Elizabeth Bennet. He spreads tales about the wrongs Mr Darcy has done him, adding to the local society's prejudice, but eventually is found to have been the wrongdoer himself. He runs off with Lydia, and is paid to marry her.
William Collins
William CollinsMr. William Collins is a character in the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. He is the cousin of Mr. Bennet, and is the clergyman at the Hunsford parsonage near Rosing’s Park, the estate of his patroness Lady Catherine De Bourgh. Since Mr. and Mrs. Bennett have no sons, Mr. Collins is the...
, aged 25, is Mr Bennet's clergyman cousin and heir to his estate. He is "not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society." Mr Collins is obsequious, pompous and lacking in common sense. Elizabeth's rejection of Collins' marriage proposal is welcomed by her father, regardless of the financial benefit to the family of such a match. Mr Collins then marries Elizabeth's friend, Charlotte Lucas.
Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who possesses wealth and
social standingThe aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
, is haughty, domineering and condescending. Mr Collins, among others, enables these characteristics by deferring to her opinions and desires. Elizabeth, by contrast, is duly respectful but not intimidated. Lady Catherine's nephew, Mr Darcy, is offended by her lack of manners, especially towards Elizabeth, and later, courts her disapproval by marrying Elizabeth in spite of her objections.
Aunt and Uncle Gardiner
Aunt and Uncle Gardiner: Edward Gardiner is Mrs Bennet's brother and a successful businessman of sensible and gentlemanly character. Aunt Gardiner is close to her nieces Elizabeth and Jane. Jane stays with the Gardiners in London for a period, and Elizabeth travels with them to Derbyshire, where she again meets Mr Darcy. The Gardiners are quick in their perception of an attachment between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy, and judge him without prejudice. They are both actively involved in helping Mr Darcy arrange the marriage between Lydia and Mr Wickham.
Georgiana Darcy
Georgiana Darcy is Mr Darcy's quiet, amiable and shy younger sister, aged 16 when the story begins. When 15, Miss Darcy almost elopes with Mr Wickham, who seeks her thirty thousand pound dowry. Miss Darcy is introduced to Elizabeth at Pemberley and is later delighted at the prospect of becoming her sister-in-law.
Charlotte Lucas
Charlotte Lucas is Elizabeth's friend who, at 27 years old, fears becoming a burden to her family and therefore agrees to marry Mr Collins in order to gain financial security.
Interrelationships
Major themes
Many critics take the novel's title as a starting point when analysing the major themes of
Pride and Prejudice; however, Robert Fox cautions against reading too much into the title since commercial factors may have played a role in its selection. "After the success of
Sense and SensibilitySense and Sensibility, published in 1811, is a British romance novel by Jane Austen, her first published work under the pseudonym, "A Lady." Jane Austen is considered a pioneer of the romance genre of novels, and for the realism portrayed in her novels, is one the most widely read writers in...
, nothing would have seemed more natural than to bring out another novel of the same author using again the formula of antithesis and alliteration for the title. It should be pointed out that the qualities of the title are not exclusively assigned to one or the other of the protagonists; both Elizabeth and Darcy display pride and prejudice."
A major theme in much of Austen's work is the importance of environment and upbringing on the development of young people's character and morality. Social standing and wealth are not necessarily advantages in her world, and a further theme common to Jane Austen's work is ineffectual parents. In
Pride and Prejudice, the failure of Mr and Mrs Bennet (particularly the latter) as parents is blamed for Lydia's lack of moral judgment; Darcy, on the other hand, has been taught to be principled and scrupulously honourable, but is also proud and overbearing. Kitty, rescued from Lydia's bad influence and spending more time with her older sisters after they marry, is said to improve greatly in their superior society.
Style
Pride and Prejudice, like most of Jane Austen's works, employs the narrative technique of
free indirect speechFree indirect speech is a style of third-person narration which uses some of the characteristics of third-person along with the essence of first-person direct speech...
. This has been defined as "the free representation of a character's speech, by which one means, not words actually spoken by a character, but the words that typify the character's thoughts, or the way the character would think or speak, if she thought or spoke". By using narrative which adopts the tone and vocabulary of a particular character (in this case, that of Elizabeth), Austen invites the reader to follow events from Elizabeth's viewpoint, sharing her prejudices and misapprehensions. "The learning curve, while undergone by both protagonists, is disclosed to us solely through Elizabeth's point of view and her free indirect speech is essential ... for it is through it that we remain caught, if not stuck, within Elizabeth's misprisions.".
Publication history
Austen began writing the novel after staying at
Goodnestone ParkGoodnestone Park is a stately home and gardens near the Canterbury–Sandwich village, in the southern part of the village of Goodnestone, Dover, Kent. It is approximately from Canterbury. The palladian house was built in 1704 by Brook Bridges, 1st Baronet. His grandson, Brook Bridges' daughter,...
in Kent with her brother Edward and his wife in 1796. The novel was originally titled
First Impressions by Jane Austen, and was written between October 1796 and August 1797. On 1 November 1797 Austen's father sent a letter to London bookseller Thomas Cadell to ask if he had any interest in seeing the manuscript, but the offer was declined by return of post.
Austen made significant revisions to the manuscript for
First Impressions between 1811 and 1812. She later renamed the story
Pride and Prejudice. In renaming the novel, Austen probably had in mind the "sufferings and oppositions" summarized in the final chapter of
Fanny BurneyFrances Burney , also known as Fanny Burney and, after her marriage, as Madame d’Arblay, was an English novelist, diarist and playwright. She was born in Lynn Regis, now King’s Lynn, England, on 13 June 1752, to musical historian Dr Charles Burney and Mrs Esther Sleepe Burney...
's
CeciliaCecilia, subtitled Memoirs of an Heiress, is a novel by Frances Burney, set in 1779 and published in 1782.-Background:Cecilia, or Memoirs of an Heiress was published in July 1782...
, called "Pride and Prejudice", where the phrase appears three times in block capitals. It is possible that the novel's original title was altered to avoid confusion with other works. In the years between the completion of
First Impressions and its revision into
Pride and Prejudice, two other works had been published under that name: a novel by Margaret Holford and a comedy by Horace Smith.
Austen sold the copyright for the novel to Thomas Egerton of Whitehall in exchange for £110 (Austen had asked for £150). This proved a costly decision. Austen had published
Sense and SensibilitySense and Sensibility, published in 1811, is a British romance novel by Jane Austen, her first published work under the pseudonym, "A Lady." Jane Austen is considered a pioneer of the romance genre of novels, and for the realism portrayed in her novels, is one the most widely read writers in...
on a
commissionIn art, a commission is the hiring and payment for the creation of a piece, often on behalf of another.In classical music, ensembles often commission pieces from composers, where the ensemble secures the composer's payment from private or public organizations or donors.- Commissions for public art...
basis, whereby she
indemnifiedAn indemnity is a sum paid by A to B by way of compensation for a particular loss suffered by B. The indemnitor may or may not be responsible for the loss suffered by the indemnitee...
the publisher against any losses and received any profits, less costs and the publisher's commission. Unaware that
Sense and Sensibility would sell out its edition, making her £140, she passed the copyright to Egerton for a one-off payment, meaning that all the risk (and all the profits) would be his. Jan Fergus has calculated that Egerton subsequently made around £450 from just the first two editions of the book.
Egerton published the first edition of
Pride and Prejudice in three hardcover volumes in January 1813, priced at 18s. Favourable reviews saw this edition sold out, with a second edition published in November that year. A third edition was published in 1817.
Foreign language translations first appeared in 1813 in French; subsequent translations were published in German, Danish and Swedish.
Pride and Prejudice was first published in the United States in August 1832 as
Elizabeth Bennet or, Pride and Prejudice. The novel was also included in
Richard BentleyRichard Bentley was a 19th century English publisher. From a family of publishers, Bentley started a firm with his brother in 1819. Ten years later, he went into partnership with the publisher Henry Colburn...
's Standard Novel series in 1833. R. W. Chapman's scholarly edition of
Pride and Prejudice, first published in 1923, has become the standard edition from which many modern publications of the novel are based.
Reception
The novel was well received, with three favourable reviews in the first months following publication. Jan Fergus calls it "her most popular novel, both with the public and with her family and friends", and quotes David Gilson's
A Bibliography of Jane Austen (Clarendon, 1982), where it is stated that
Pride and Prejudice was referred to as "the fashionable novel" by Anne Isabella Milbanke, later to be the wife of Lord Byron. However, others did not agree.
Charlotte BrontëCharlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood, whose novels are English literature standards...
wrote to noted critic and reviewer
George Henry LewesGeorge Henry Lewes was an English philosopher and critic of literature and theatre. He became part of the mid-Victorian ferment of ideas which encouraged discussion of Darwinism, positivism, and religious scepticism...
after reading a review of his published in
Fraser's MagazineFraser's Magazine for Town and Country was a general and literary journal published in London from 1830 to 1882, which initially took a strong Tory line in politics. It was founded by Hugh Fraser and William Maginn in 1830 and loosely directed by Maginn under the name Oliver Yorke until about 1840...
in 1847. He had praised Jane Austen's work and declared that he, "... would rather have written Pride and Prejudice, or Tom Jones, than any of the Waverley Novels". Miss Brontë, though, found
Pride and Prejudice a disappointment, "... a carefully fenced, highly cultivated garden, with neat borders and delicate flowers; but ... no open country, no fresh air, no blue hill, no bonny beck."
Modern popularity
- In 2003 the BBC conducted the largest ever poll for the "UK's Best-Loved Book
The Big Read was a survey on books carried out by the BBC in the United Kingdom in 2003, where over three quarters of a million votes were received from the British public to find the nation's best-loved novel of all time...
" in which Pride and Prejudice came second, behind The Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
.
- In a 2008 survey of more than 15,000 Australian readers, Pride and Prejudice came first in a list of the 101 best books ever written.
Film, television, and theatre
Pride and Prejudice has engendered numerous adaptations. Some of the notable film versions include
that of 1940Pride and Prejudice is a 1940 film adaptation of Jane Austen's novel of the same name. Robert Z. Leonard directed, and Aldous Huxley served as one of the screenwriters of the film. It is adapted specifically from the stage adaptation by Helen Jerome in addition to Jane Austen's novel...
starring
Greer GarsonGreer Garson, CBE was a British-born actress who was very popular during World War II, being listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America's top ten box office draws in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1946. As one of MGM's major stars of the 1940s, Garson received seven Academy Award...
and
Laurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
, (based in part on Helen Jerome's 1936 stage adaptation) and
that of 2005Pride & Prejudice is a 2005 British romance film directed by Joe Wright. It is a film adaptation of the 1813 novel of the same name by Jane Austen and the second adaption produced by Working Title Films. It was released on September 16, 2005, in the UK and on November 11, 2005, in the...
starring
Keira KnightleyKeira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
(in an Oscar-nominated performance) and
Matthew MacfadyenDavid Matthew Macfadyen is an English actor, known for his role as MI5 intelligence officer Tom Quinn in the BBC television drama series Spooks and for starring as Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.In June, 2010 Macfadyen won a British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting...
. Notable television versions include two by the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
: the popular 1995 version starring
Jennifer EhleJennifer Ehle is an American actress of stage and screen. She is known for her BAFTA winning role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 mini-series Pride and Prejudice.-Early life:...
and
Colin FirthSirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
, and a 1980 version starring
Elizabeth GarvieElizabeth Garvie is an English actress best known for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1980 BBC dramatisation of Pride and Prejudice....
and
David RintoulDavid Rintoul is a stage and television actor.Rintoul was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. He studied at Edinburgh University and won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London....
. A 1936 stage version was created by Helen Jerome played at the St. James's Theatre in London, starring
Celia JohnsonDame Celia Elizabeth Johnson DBE was an English actress.She began her stage acting career in 1928, and subsequently achieved success in West End and Broadway productions. She also appeared in several films, including the romantic drama Brief Encounter , for which she received a nomination for the...
and
Hugh WilliamsHugh Williams was an English actor and dramatist of Welsh descent.-Personal life:...
.
First Impressions was a 1959
BroadwayBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical version starring
Polly BergenPolly Bergen is an American actress, singer, and entrepreneur.-Career:Bergen appeared in many film roles, most notably in the original Cape Fear opposite Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum...
,
Farley GrangerFarley Earle Granger was an American actor. In a career spanning several decades, he was perhaps best known for his two collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, Rope in 1948 and Strangers on a Train in 1951.-Early life:...
, and
Hermione GingoldHermione Gingold was an English actress known for her sharp-tongued, eccentric persona, an image enhanced by her sharp nose and chin, as well as her deepening voice, a result of vocal nodes which her mother reportedly encouraged her not to remove. She starred on stage, on radio, in films, on...
. In 1995, a musical concept album was written by
Bernard J. TaylorBernard J. Taylor is the writer and composer of ten stage musicals and two stage plays. His musicals have been produced around the world and translated into German, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian, Spanish and Italian. He is also the writer of 14 novels and three non-fiction books.Taylor was born and...
, with
Peter KarriePeter Karrie , is a Welsh singer, best known for his portrayal of the lead role in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, The Phantom of the Opera. He played the part in London, Toronto, Vancouver, Singapore, Hong Kong and on the UK Tour in Bradford, and Manchester...
in the role of Mr Darcy and Claire Moore in the role of Elizabeth Bennet. A new stage production,
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, The New Musical, was presented in concert on 21 October 2008 in Rochester, New York with Colin Donnell as Darcy.
Bride and PrejudiceBride and Prejudice is a 2004 romantic musical film directed by Gurinder Chadha. The screenplay by Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges is a Bollywood-style adaptation of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It was filmed primarily in English, with some Hindi and Punjabi dialogue. The film released in...
, a movie by
Gurinder ChadhaGurinder Chadha , OBE, is a British film director of Indian origin. Most of her films explore the lives of Indians living in the United Kingdom. She is best known for the hit films Bhaji on the Beach , Bend It Like Beckham , Bride and Prejudice and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging...
, starring
Aishwarya RaiAishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994...
, is a
BollywoodBollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
adaptation of the novel; while
Pride & Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy (2003), starring
Kam HeskinKam Heskin is an American actress best known for her roles as the second Caitlin Richards Deschanel on NBC's soap opera Sunset Beach and as her role as Paige Morgan in the The Prince and Me sequels.-Private life:Heskin was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota...
and Orlando Seale, places the novel at a Mormon university in modern times. The
Off-BroadwayOff-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
musical
I Love You BecauseI Love You Because is a musical set in modern day New York, inspired by the Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice. It features lyrics by Ryan Cunningham, set to music by Joshua Salzman.-Production history:...
reverses the gender of the main roles, set in modern day New York City. The
Japanese comicManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
Hana Yori Dango by Yoko Kamio, in which the wealthy, arrogant and proud protagonist, Doumyouji Tsukasa, falls in love with a poor, lower-class girl named Makino Tsukushi, is loosely based on
Pride and Prejudice. A 2008 Israeli television six-part miniseries set the story in the Galilee with Mr Darcy a well-paid worker in the high-tech industry.
Pride and Prejudice has also crossed into the science fiction and horror genres. In the 1997 episode of science fiction comedy
Red DwarfRed Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
entitled "
Beyond a Joke"Beyond a Joke" is the sixth episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series VII and the 42nd in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 21 February 1997...
", the crew of the space ship relax in a virtual reality rendition of "Pride and Prejudice Land" in "Jane Austen World". The central premise of the television miniseries
Lost in AustenLost in Austen is a four-part 2008 British television series for the ITV network, written by Guy Andrews as a fantasy adaptation of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen...
is a modern woman suddenly swapping lives with that of Elizabeth Bennet. In February 2009, it was announced that
Elton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's Rocket Pictures production company was making a film,
Pride and Predator, based on the story, but with the added twist of
an alienThe Predator is a fictional extraterrestrial species featured in the Predator science-fiction franchise, characterised by its trophy hunting of other dangerous species for sport, including humans and its fictional counterparts, Aliens....
landing in Longbourne.
Literature
The novel has inspired a number of other works that are not direct adaptations. Books inspired by
Pride and Prejudice include:
Mr. Darcy's DaughtersMr. Darcy's Daughters is a 2003 novel by Elizabeth Aston. The novel is a pastiche based on Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. Aston focuses on the marriage prospects of the five daughters of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, including prim and proper Letitia, witty Camilla, frivolous...
and
The Exploits and Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy by Elizabeth Aston;
Darcy's StoryDarcy's Story by Janet Aylmer was one of the first novels published after the success of the BBC One serial of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice in 1995....
(a best seller) and
Dialogue with Darcy by Janet Aylmer;
Pemberley: Or Pride and Prejudice Continued and
An Unequal Marriage: Or Pride and Prejudice Twenty Years Later by
Emma TennantEmma Christina Tennant FRSL is a British novelist and editor. She is known for a postmodern approach to her fiction, which is often imbued with fantasy or magic. Several of her novels give a feminist or dreamlike twist to classic stories, such as Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr....
;
The Book of Ruth (
ASINAsín is a municipality located in the Cinco Villas comarca of the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, located a few kilometers west of Orés. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 106 inhabitants....
B00262ZRBM) by
Helen BakerHelen Baker was a female tennis player. In 1920 she was a runner up in the women's doubles at the US Open losing 6-3 6-1 against Marion Zinderstein and Eleanor Goss paired with Eleanor Tennant....
;
Jane Austen Ruined My Life and
Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo;
Precipitation - A Continuation of Miss Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice by
Helen BakerHelen Baker was a female tennis player. In 1920 she was a runner up in the women's doubles at the US Open losing 6-3 6-1 against Marion Zinderstein and Eleanor Goss paired with Eleanor Tennant....
;
Searching for Pemberley by Mary Simonsen and
Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife and its sequel
Darcy & Elizabeth: Nights and Days at Pemberly by Linda Berdoll.
In
Gwyn Cready-Personal life:Cready was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She attended Mt. Lebanon High School , graduating in 1979...
's comedic romance novel,
Seducing Mr. Darcy, the heroine lands in
Pride and Prejudice by way of magic massage, has a fling with Darcy and unknowingly changes the rest of the story.
In March 2009,
Quirk BooksQuirk Books is an independent book publisher based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.The company was founded by David Borgenicht, co-author of The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, which has spawned sequels, as well as a TBS television series and a board game. Quirk develops "Coffee...
released
Pride and Prejudice and ZombiesPride and Prejudice and Zombies is a 2009 parody novel by Seth Grahame-Smith. It is a mashup combining Jane Austen's classic 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice with elements of modern zombie fiction, crediting Austen as co-author...
, which takes Austen's actual, original work, and
mashesA mashup novel, or mashup book , is a work of fiction which combines a pre-existing text, often a classic work of fiction, with a certain popular genre such as vampire or zombie narratives...
it up with zombie hordes,
cannibalismCannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
,
ninjaA or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
s, and ultra-violent mayhem. In March 2010, Quirk Books published a
prequelA prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
which deals with Elizabeth Bennet's early days as a zombie hunter, entitled
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the DreadfulsPride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls is a parody novel by Steve Hockensmith. It is a prequel to Seth Grahame-Smith's 2009 novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, focusing on "the early life and training of Elizabeth Bennet, heroine of the earlier Pride and Prejudice and Zombies as...
.
Marvel has also published their take on this classic, releasing a short comic series of five issues that stays true to the original storyline. The first issue was published on 1 April 2009 and was written by Nancy Hajeski.
Pamela AidanPamela Aidan is an American author. She has a Master's degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and has been a librarian for over 30 years...
is the author of a trilogy of books telling the story of Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy's point of view entitled
Fitzwilliam Darcy, GentlemanFitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman is the collective name given to a trilogy of historical romance novels written by Pamela Aidan. As the title suggests, they are based heavily on Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice, and feature many events of the novel as seen from the perspective of Mr...
. The books are
An Assembly Such as This,
Duty and Desire and
These Three Remain.
The six-part BBC comedy series
Blackadder the ThirdBlackadder the Third is the third series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 17 September to 22 October 1987....
(1987), set vaguely in the late 18th to early 19th centuries, parodies the double titles
Sense and SensibilitySense and Sensibility, published in 1811, is a British romance novel by Jane Austen, her first published work under the pseudonym, "A Lady." Jane Austen is considered a pioneer of the romance genre of novels, and for the realism portrayed in her novels, is one the most widely read writers in...
and Pride and Prejudice in the titles of its episodes: "Dish and Dishonesty," "Ink and Incapability," "Nob and Nobility," "Sense and Senility," "Amy and Amiability," and "Duel and Duality."
A graphic novel sequel entitled
Mary King was written by Sophie St. Clair and released in 2011.
In 2009 MJF Books released
Darcy's Passions, A Novel written by Regina Jeffers. It tells the story of Pride and Prejudice retold through Darcy's Eyes based on a Darcy's threefold passions: his sister, Pemberley and his love for Elizabeth Bennett spanning from when he meets Elizabeth to the beginning of their married life.
"
Pride and Prejudice: The Jewess and the Gentile" written by Lev Raphael (2011) reimagines the novel with the Bennets as an Anglo-Jewish family.
In September 2011, Proxima Books, an imprint of
Salt PublishingSalt Publishing is an independent publisher whose origins date back to 1990 when poet John Kinsella launched Salt Magazine in Western Australia. The journal rapidly developed an international reputation as a leading publisher of new poetry and poetics...
, released
Mrs Darcy versus the Aliens, a humorous sequel to
Miss Austen's original book in which
Elizabeth Darcy is forced to team up with her old adversary
George Wickham in order to defeat the tentacled alien hordes threatening Regency England.
External links