PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

PRIDE → Pride because both Elisabeth and Darcy are proud of their own position.

PREJUDICE → Prejudice because Darcy considers Elisabeth and especially her relatives as inferior. Also Elisabeth is prejudiced towards Darcy, because she thinks ill of him on false bases (Mr Wickam spoke to her of Darcy's supposed bad behaviour).

MR AND MRS BENNET

I think Mr and Mrs Bennet don't provide an example of a well matched couple: Mrs Bennet is a woman of mean understanding, little information and uncertain temper, instead, Mr Bennet is reserve and he has sarcastic humour. Mrs Bennet is an example of flat character, she doesn't develop throughout the story. Maybe they got married for money, not for love. Mr Bennet often mocks his wife and she doesn't understand his joke. Their marriage is based on routine, love for their daughters, reciprocal knowledge and conversation.

Mrs Bennet wants that Mr Bennet visit Mr Bingley as soon as he comes, but Mr Bennet says that he see no occasion for that. Mrs Bennet wants to get married to one her daughters and she is worry because also Sir William and Lady Lucas are determined to go to visit Mr Bingley, merely on that account. Mr and Mrs Bennet have five daughters: Jane, Elisabeth, Mary, Lydia and Kitty. Elisabeth is favourite one of Mr Bennet, because she has something more of quickness than her silly and ignorant sisters.

ELIZABETH BENNET

Elisabeth Bennet is one of the daughters and she is favourite one of his father, because she has something more of quickness than her silly and ignorant sisters. Elisabeth receives from Darcy the proposal to become his wife. She doesn't accept it, because she is proud and doesn't admit that Darcy considers her inferior in front of him. Elisabeth was not very rich so it was very courageous of her to refuse Mr Darcy. It was a risky behaviour to refuse such a rich man, because it was unlikely that another man would like to marry her without her. She proves to be a very independent girl. Elisabeth Bennet is an example of round character, whose personality is modified by experience. Then she realises she has been prejudiced and partial towards Mr Darcy, so she is not the same girl of first chapters of the novel, she is a new woman. Now she is capable of self-analysis and even self-accusation. She concludes saying: "Till this moment, I never knew myself!".

THE NARRATOR

The narrator is omniscient: he know everything about the characters, reports of actions and he uses inverted commas, reporting sentence and free direct speech. When the narrator uses the free direct speech, there is a close relationship between narrator and characters.

THE NOVEL OF MANNERS

Pride and Prejudice is a novel of manners, it explores the class distinctions and their effect on character and behaviour, the role of money and property in the way people treat each other and the complications of love within this elaborate social world. For example the reason behind the Darcy's struggle is his sense of Elizabeth's social inferiority, that was against his pride.