Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen 1813
This novel follows Elizabeth Bennet through courtship and family troubles in the English countryside. Mr. Darcy's first marriage proposal brings an unexpected reply from the woman he hopes to marry.
458 pages 8h 53m reading time
- One of the most loved novels in English, and a founding work of the modern romantic comedy.
- Shows how first impressions, pride, and snap judgments can mislead people, and how two people grow by admitting they were wrong about each other.
- Looks with sharp humor at a society where women had few ways to secure their future except marriage, and money shaped who married whom.
- Its story of two sharp-tongued people who dislike each other before falling in love became a model for countless later romance novels and films.
- It inspired many retellings and adaptations, including the 1995 BBC television series, the 2005 film, and the novel "Bridget Jones's Diary."
First title was rejected
Austen first wrote it as "First Impressions," and a publisher refused to even read it in 1797.
Sold for a small fee
Austen sold the rights to her publisher for 110 pounds and earned nothing from later sales.
Published without her name
The title page said only "By the Author of Sense and Sensibility," so most readers never knew her name.
Rewritten over many years
She wrote the first version in her early twenties and reworked it heavily before it finally appeared.
