Pride and Prejudice

Austen's comedy of manners: Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy, five sisters, and the marriage market of rural gentry England.

Specifications & Metrics

author

Jane Austen

type

Novel of manners

era

Regency England (1813)

language

English

setting

Hertfordshire and Derbyshire, England

parts

3 volumes

Relative Scale in Novels

Core Principles & Analysis

• First drafted in 1796–97 as 'First Impressions' and published revised in 1813.
• Its free indirect discourse carries Elizabeth's judgment — and her errors — to the reader.
• The opening sentence on rich bachelors is among the most quoted lines in English fiction.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Pride and Prejudice