Source: Amazon
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."
Pride and Prejudice begins with one of the most famous opening lines in English literature. With this opening sentence, Austen sets up the entire plot of the novel. Following chronological order, the main plot involves Elizabeth and Darcy. The subplot involving Jane and Bingley lies in the intricacies of man-woman relationships.
Austen’s craftsmanship has given life to all the characters in the novel. Even the comic characters portrayed in the novel are realistically conceived and credible. These characters are Mrs. Bennet, Lydia, Mr. Collins, Wickham, Charlotte, and Lady Catherine.
Mrs. Bennet
In the first two chapters, we meet the Bennet family. Mrs. Bennet, the mother, is more of a caricature than a rounded character. Her obsession is marrying off her daughters, and her attitude and freely-given opinions relate to this. When she hears about Mr. Bingley's moving to Netherfield Park, she begs Mr. Bennet to get acquainted with him. At first, Mr. Bennet refuses to play any part in matchmaking, yet later he calls on Bingley himself. He takes ironic pleasure in surprising his wife.
Elizabeth overhears Darcy’s comment about her being "tolerable" and "not handsome enough" to tempt him. She feels insulted and declares him a prideful person. Jane and Bingley’s relationship continues to deepen as they develop a mutual liking for each other.
William Collins
William Collins, a clergyman and a flatterer at Rosings, visits Longbourn. He shows an interest in Jane, but when Mrs. Bingley deflects his attention from her, Collins switches his ardour to Elizabeth. When Elizabeth offends his pride by rejecting him, he proposes to Charlotte Lucas within a day or two. He appears to be a highly desirable 'catch,' and his proposal is full of comedy and satire.
Charlotte
Elizabeth is outraged when she learns that Charlotte has accepted the proposal. She believes that her friend is clever, perceptive, and capable of moral discrimination. Charlotte must not choose a future in which she will suppress all the qualities that constitute her identity.
Charlotte, on the other hand, is an "intricate" character, not a caricature. She sees marriage as "the only honourable provision" as she believes happiness in marriage is "entirely a matter of chance".
Wickham
During Mr. Collins' visit, Lydia and Kitty meet an officer newly stationed in Meryton. Wickham becomes a favourite among the ladies, including Elizabeth. He claims to have grown up with Darcy, who has cheated him on his inheritance, thus forcing him into military service. Already inclined to believe the worst of Darcy, Elizabeth ponders having proof of his poor character.
The Bingleys hold a ball, after which they leave Netherfield to live in London. Jane receives a letter that Bingley might become engaged to Darcy’s sister. Thinking that a change in scenery would improve Jane’s condition, Mrs. Gardiner suggests that she spend part of the winter in London.
Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Meanwhile, Elizabeth visits Charlotte and Mr. Collins in Kent. She gets invited to Rosings, where she meets Lady Catherine de Bourgh. She is a caricature of everything bad about rank and privilege. Elizabeth stands up to her because she finds Lady Catherine to be ill-mannered. Lady Catherine constantly thrusts her opinions on others, expecting them to follow her without question.
The Rejection
Darcy, who had been falling in love with Elizabeth all along, unexpectedly proposes marriage to her. Elizabeth, of course, rejects him. This is the highest point in the novel, as Elizabeth accuses Darcy of destroying her sister’s happiness and wrongly treating Mr. Wickham. Darcy storms away, but the next day he presents her with a letter answering her charges. Elizabeth acknowledges the truth in the letter, which leads to her prejudice against Darcy weakening.
The truth
Elizabeth leaves to travel with the gardeners on a tour through the country. They visit Pemberley, Darcy’s home, where they spend some time. We get to see the real nature of Darcy as he is a gentleman towards everyone. It is here that Elizabeth gets the news about Lydia’s elopement with Wickham.
Lydia
Lydia is more like the daughter of her mother. She is ill-educated, ignorant, pushy, vulgar, amiable, and sexually precocious. Convention and propriety mean nothing to her. She brings her whole family into disgrace after the elopement, along with the letter in which she states: "I can hardly write for laughing". Wickham, with an "appearance greatly in his favour,"uses his handsome looks, good physique, and conversational charm to manipulate everyone in the novel.
The Second Proposal
This moves the plot towards its end. Lydia’s elopement brings forth Darcy’s character. Bingley and Darcy return to Netherfield, where Bingley proposes to Jane, who accepts it. An unexpected visit from Lady Catherine acts as a catalyst. She tells Elizabeth about the rumour of her and Darcy being engaged. She even demands Elizabeth never enter into such an engagement, which Elizabeth rejects. Darcy realises that there might still be a little hope. He visits Elizabeth, where he again proposes to her. This time, she joyfully accepts it.
Bottom Line
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice acts as a mirror of contemporary manners. It shows how intricate human relationships are. She uses comedy to portray her view on society and to make the novel light-hearted, whilst making us laugh at the ‘follies’ of human nature. Darcy’s pride and Elizabeth’s prejudice created a lot of misunderstandings in the novel.
The comic characters played a major role in the development of the plot line. The comic characters expose the foolishness of society. These comic characters help in portraying the main themes of the novel: love and marriage, reputation, and social class. With these best comic characters, Austen demonstrates everyday events and struggles in a realistic way. Austen has used contrasting characters with different interests and natures to bring Pride and Prejudice to life.
You can read the book here
Written by Garima Jain
0 Comments