1. Analyze the principal characters from the Bennet family. Concentrate especially on Elizabeth, Jane, and Lydia, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, their parents. Consider the nature, attitudes, beliefs, and behavior patters of all these characters, and consider also the dynamics of the family relations that characterize life in the Bennet family. Give proportionally the most time and consideration to Elizabeth, but remember that she is the product of life in a very particular family and an equally particular set of social and economic circumstances.

2. Analyze the chief male characters in the novel. Concentrate especially on Darcy, Bingley, and Wickham, but give some serious thought also to Mr. Bennet and Collins. What are the values, attitudes, and "characters" of these men, and what does their relationship with one another and with the women with whom they interact tell us about them? About Collins: why is he in the novel? What do you suppose Austen intended for us to get from studying him in action in the tale? Again, in all these cases, think about the effects on the men of the social and economic circumstances Austen relates.

3. Charlotte Brontë did not much care forPride and Prejudice. She felt that Jane Austen didn't write about her characters' hearts. Do you think Brontë's criticism is accurate? Is Austen's treatment of her characters' feelings superficial? Do they feel and/or express deep emotion?

4. The relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy can be viewed in terms of an ancient and venerable tradition in imaginative literature, the "battle of the sexes." Indeed, there are many precedents in literature for the situation Austen sets up, precedents with which Austen would certainly have been familiar (What are some of them, by the way?), just as the theme of gender relations has remained prominent in literature and art since 1813 (the year of the publication of Pride and Prejudice). Examine the relationship that Austen depicts between Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. What are the dynamics of the relationship? What do the two principals believe about themselves, about one another, and about their relationship. Consider also the function of setting in the development of their relations: that is, are there particular real, imagistic, or symbolic reasons for Austen to locate particular scenes in the settings in which they occur?

5. What "happens" in this novel? That is, what is the action that moves the plot forward? How much of the action is external, and how much of it is internal? And, indeed, what is the difference between these two kinds of action? Find examples of each to support your case.

6. Austen originally considered calling this novel First Impressions, but later changed the title to Pride and Prejudice. Discuss the two titles and decide whether you think Pride and Prejudice is a better and more effective title than First Imprerssions. What role do "first impressions" play in the novel, anyway?

7. For most of the book, pride prevents Darcy from having what he most desires. Why is he so proud? How is his pride displayed? Is Elizabeth proud? Which characters are not proud? Are they better off?

8. In what ways is Pride and Prejudice related to the tradition of the "comedy of manners"? What elements of that tradition appear in the novel? What elements appear, but in an altered form? What elements appear to be eliminated, either entirely or mostly so? Does thinking about the novel in terms of the comedy of manners alter the ways in which we evaluate it? If so, in what ways? If not, why not?

9. More than many novels, this one depends upon "talk"--upon dialogue. Especially in the first half of the novel, most of the text consists of dialogue rather than summarized narrative. Later, though, Austen turns more to the summarized dialogue, though she does not abandon the verbatim quotation of dialogue, especially for the main characters. Do you see any reasons for this treatment of dialogue? Is Austen being inconsistent? Lazy? Or is there some artistic (i.e. aesthetic) justification for the apparent change in treatment of dialogue.

10. Both Elizabeth and Darcy undergo transformations over the course of the book. How does each change and how is the transformation brought about? Could Elizabeth's transformation have happened without Darcy's? Or vice versa?

11. Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Collins, and Lady Catherine de Bourgh are famously comic characters. What makes them so funny? How does Elizabeth's perception of them affect your trust in Elizabeth's views of other people in the book, particularly of Wickham and Darcy?

Contemporary engraved portrait of Jane Austen

Jane Austen's House, Chawton, Hampshire (modern view)

Jane Austen's House, Chawton, Hampshire, as it was in 1809              

Some Internet Resources

The Jane Austen Information Page. This is a gateway portal that has many, many links. You will find electronic texts, background information on Austen, discussion of her life and works, and numerous materials on her times and culture. There are also links to inmteresting and useful visual materials. This is the starting place for any Internet exploration of Jane Austen.

The home page of the Jane Austen Society of Australia contains some information on film adaptations of Pride and Prejudice and Emma, as well as some information about music and dancing during Austen's time.

Electronic text of Pride and Prejudice, with annotations, illustrations, and other supporting materials.

A useful site for the larger historical and cultural era of the Regency (1810-1820) can be found here. Among the categories of material for which there are good links directly from this page are the following: Politics and World Events, Religion and Faith, Science and Technology, The Arts, Regency Fashions, Regency Hairstyles, Cooking and Dining in the Regency Era, Recipes From the Regency Era, Movies Set During the Regency Era, Romantic Quotations from the Regency Era, Special Events for the Regency Enthusiast, Jane Austen's Evening Prayer, and Janespeak: A Dictionary for Regency Enthusiasts.

Stephen C. Behrendt, 7/25/11