Jane Austen: 1775-1817, English novelist, feminist, wrote several novels.
Setting:
In Hertfordshire, Meryton, Longbourne, and London, England in the 1800's.
Summary:
This novel is about the 5 Bennet sisters and their trials and tribulations in and out of love. All of the sisters are to be married off in order to save themselves from destitution. At the first ball of the book, the 5 sisters meet Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. The eldest daughter, Jane, and Mr. Bingley hit it off where as Mr. Darcy takes an interest in Elizabeth, but doesn't show it. The relationship between Mr. Bingley and Jane continues to grow, and Elizabeth and Darcy struggle to see eye to eye. Throughout the novel, we see the relationship of Elizabeth and Darcy to grow and the rest of the sisters form relationships of their own. Ultimately in the end Elizabeth and Darcy look past their pride and end up together.
Plot
1. Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy meet the Bennet sisters. Jane becomes infatuated with each other and their relationship grows, Darcy and Elizabeth however do not get along.
2. Jane stays at the estate of Mr. Bingley and falls ill. Elizabeth rushes to her side and spends some more time with Mr. Darcy while there.
3. Mr. Bennet's cousin Mr. Collins arrives in hopes of marrying one of the Bennet sisters. He pursues Elizabeth because Jane is technically spoken for.
4. Elizabeth forms a realtionship with Wickham causing her disdain for Mr. Darcy to grow.
5. Mr Collins proposes to Elizabeth, she says no. Mr. Collins then asks the Bennet's family friend, Charlotte, to marry him - she accepts. Mr. Bingley leaves with his sister and Mr. Darcy leaving Jane devastated.
6. Elizabeth visits Charlotte and Mr. Collins and meets up with Mr. Darcy again and learns that he broke up Jane and Mr. Bingley and learns the truth of Mr. Wickham.
7. Elizabeth and her Aunt and Uncle visit the home of Mr. Darcy and recieve news that the youngest Bennet sister, Lydia, has run off with Mr. Wickham.
8. Darcy smooths over the situation with Lydia and Mr. Wickham and the two are wed.
9. Darcy's Aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, confronts Elizabeth of the attraction between her and Mr. Darcy and claims for them not to be wed.
10. All is resolved. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth wed, and Jane and Mr. Bingley wed as well.
Significant Characters:
Elizabeth Bennet: She is the second oldest Bennet sister and her father's favorite. She is very prideful and believes in living her life in her own way. She isn't fond of Darcy upon their first meeting, she then develops an attraction to Mr. Wickham, and is proposed to by Mr. Collins. She learns the truth of both Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy and feels herself being attracted to Mr. Darcy. In the end, she marries Mr. Darcy and ends up the wealthiest of all of the sisters.
Jane Bennet: The oldest of the Bennet sisters. She is very shy and modest and does not show affection as easily as most. She is closest to Elizabeth. She ends up marrying Mr. Bingley.
Mary Bennet: Mary is the middle Bennet sister and doesnt have any inclination to marry. She is an outcast from her two younger sisters because she thinks their antics are silly and childish. Mary is very intellectual and is seldom seem interacting in the book unless at home.
Catherine Bennet: SHe is the second youngest Bennet daughter. She hangs out with Lydia mostly and dreams about settling down with a rich man.
Lydia Bennet: She is the youngest of the Bennet sisters and the first to be married. She is naive and only wants to settle down with a rich man. She ends up running away with Mr. Wickham and is eventually married to him.
Mr. Bennet: Mr. Bennet is surrounded by women: his five daughters and his naggy wife. Mr. Bennet puts up with his wife's antics because she means well and because he has no energy to try and stop her. Mr. Bennet favors Jane because she is the most intellectual and has the ability to think for herself.
Mrs. Bennet: Mrs. Bennet is a meddlesome mother who dreams of having her daughters all married and financially stable. She enjoys gossiping and is very over dramatic. She wants her daughters to have the same views as she does which is why she is overjoyed and not upset when Lydia comes back married.
Mr. Darcy: Mr. Darcy is an awkward man and very close friend to Mr. Bingley. He has an attraction to Elizabeth but pushes it away because he is too prredjudiced against a woman of her class. He is also very prideful and has a hard time admiting his mistakes to Elizabeth and Mr. Bingley.
Mr. Bingley: He is a close friend to Mr. Darcy and listens to everything Mr. Darcy says. Mr. Bingley is very timid and has an immediate attraction to Jane. Darcy convinces him that the marriage is based off of money alone, and Mr. Bingley backs out. Mr Bingley eventually marries Jane after hearing of Mr. Darcy's mistake.
Mr. Wickham: He once was a family friend of the Darcy family. He is very greedy and is always looking for money. He tried to elope with Mr. Darcy's younger sister, had an attraction to Elizabeth, and ends up running away with Lydia and marrying her in return for a hefty sum from Mr. Darcy.
Mr. Collins: Mr. Collins is Mr. Bennets cousin. He visits in hope of marrying one of the Bennet sisters. He originally wants Jane, but is then directed to Elizabeth. After he proposes to her and she rejects him, he ends up marrying Charlotte.
Charlotte Lucas: Close family friends to the Bennet family. Closest to Elizabeth and Jane. Ends up marrying Mr. Collins in fear of never having another opportunity.
Jane Bennet: The oldest of the Bennet sisters. She is very shy and modest and does not show affection as easily as most. She is closest to Elizabeth. She ends up marrying Mr. Bingley.
Mary Bennet: Mary is the middle Bennet sister and doesnt have any inclination to marry. She is an outcast from her two younger sisters because she thinks their antics are silly and childish. Mary is very intellectual and is seldom seem interacting in the book unless at home.
Catherine Bennet: SHe is the second youngest Bennet daughter. She hangs out with Lydia mostly and dreams about settling down with a rich man.
Lydia Bennet: She is the youngest of the Bennet sisters and the first to be married. She is naive and only wants to settle down with a rich man. She ends up running away with Mr. Wickham and is eventually married to him.
Mr. Bennet: Mr. Bennet is surrounded by women: his five daughters and his naggy wife. Mr. Bennet puts up with his wife's antics because she means well and because he has no energy to try and stop her. Mr. Bennet favors Jane because she is the most intellectual and has the ability to think for herself.
Mrs. Bennet: Mrs. Bennet is a meddlesome mother who dreams of having her daughters all married and financially stable. She enjoys gossiping and is very over dramatic. She wants her daughters to have the same views as she does which is why she is overjoyed and not upset when Lydia comes back married.
Mr. Darcy: Mr. Darcy is an awkward man and very close friend to Mr. Bingley. He has an attraction to Elizabeth but pushes it away because he is too prredjudiced against a woman of her class. He is also very prideful and has a hard time admiting his mistakes to Elizabeth and Mr. Bingley.
Mr. Bingley: He is a close friend to Mr. Darcy and listens to everything Mr. Darcy says. Mr. Bingley is very timid and has an immediate attraction to Jane. Darcy convinces him that the marriage is based off of money alone, and Mr. Bingley backs out. Mr Bingley eventually marries Jane after hearing of Mr. Darcy's mistake.
Mr. Wickham: He once was a family friend of the Darcy family. He is very greedy and is always looking for money. He tried to elope with Mr. Darcy's younger sister, had an attraction to Elizabeth, and ends up running away with Lydia and marrying her in return for a hefty sum from Mr. Darcy.
Mr. Collins: Mr. Collins is Mr. Bennets cousin. He visits in hope of marrying one of the Bennet sisters. He originally wants Jane, but is then directed to Elizabeth. After he proposes to her and she rejects him, he ends up marrying Charlotte.
Charlotte Lucas: Close family friends to the Bennet family. Closest to Elizabeth and Jane. Ends up marrying Mr. Collins in fear of never having another opportunity.
Narative voice/style/point of view/tone/imagery/symbolism:
tone: light, descriptive - remains constant throughout the novel
point of view: Limited Omniscient: told by Elizabeth
Imagery: describes the actions of people and the levels of class
Symbols: eyes = a sign of interest, emotion, constantly used in moments between Darcy/Elizabeth
Quotes:
- "Its a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife" (page 1)
This sets the mood of the entire work. This shows how society and especially the women in it react to wealth and the different levels of classes. This sets up the precedent that the more money you are the more well liked you will be and explains the action of many female characters in this book.
-"With a strong prejudice against every thing he might say, she began with his account of what had happened at Netherfield." (page 138)
This quote shows how Elizabeth starts to question her judgings of Mr. Darcy and begins to question her prejudice against him.
Theme & Support:
People's opinions of people can easily be changed whether it be changed by one's actions or a reflection of one's pride and actions.Claim 1: Elizabeth's actions throughout the novel change when she reviews her own actions and overlooks the true nature of Mr. Darcy.
Claim 2: Many relationships/marriages may stay constant or change for better or worse.
Did you like this book? It really seems like you did, great writing! I really like both the quotes you picked and i agree with your theme statement. One thing i am unsure about is tone; does it stay constant all the way through the book? In your summary you have great vocabulary and interesting points. Great job!
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