Pride and Prejudice

During 1796–7 young Jane Austen (1775–1817) wrote First Impressions. Her early effort was rejected, but a revised and renamed version was published as Pride and Prejudice in 1813. The title of this comedy of manners highlights personality traits present in both protagonists: impetuous Elizabeth Bennet and aloof Mr Darcy. Issues of class, money and marriage are central in Austen’s novels: contemporary women had limited choices in life and generally needed to make practical, decorous decisions about their futures. The author’s style is deliciously ironic, and her skillful use of free indirect speech subtly draws the reader into sharing the characters’ perspectives.

Creator:: Jane Austen
Published:: 1813

Forms:: Prose
Genre:: Romantic literature
Literary period:: Romantic

This work is featured in:

Discovering Literature: Romantics & Victorians

Jane Austen: social realism and the novel

Article by:: Kathryn Sutherland
Theme:: The novel 1780–1832

Jane Austen fills her novels with ordinary people, places and events, in stark contrast to other novels of the time. Professor Kathryn Sutherland considers the function of social realism in Austen’s work.

Costumes of the Navy, Army and other occupations

Status, rank and class in Jane Austen's novels

Article by:: John Mullan
Theme:: The novel 1780–1832

Questions of status and class are a major preoccupation of Jane Austen’s characters, and of the novels themselves. Professor John Mullan considers both the importance of social status and its satirical potential.