By Keith Nelson

Freshman year of college, I had a 50$ Barnes and Noble gift card that sat in my room unused. One day, seeing it lie feebly on my table amongst the pile of paper and assignments, I remembered how much I used to love reading when I was a child, and figured I should give it another go. One typically needs a book in order to start reading, so I loaded up with some friends and headed down the Atlanta Highway towards the golden mecca of intelligence.

I strolled around the store looking for familiar titles and spotted a copy of Pride and Prejudice on a high shelf. I had seen the movie (Keira Knightley 2005 version) and thought highly of it. The book and movie are widely renowned, though it’s said to be more of a ‘girl’ book. I picked it up, became bogged down in the language, and set it back down. I didn’t touch it again till this winter, a year later.

Plot

In the beginning, we are introduced to the Bennett family, with an assortment of ‘Mr.’, ‘Mrs.’ and ‘Miss’ that took some getting used to. Mr. Bennett, the father of 5 daughters, is an intelligent and witty man who enjoys reading alone in his library to escape his nagging wife, Mrs. Bennett. Mrs. Bennett has heard news of a single man of substantial wealth by the name of Mr. Bingley moving into their town. She is constantly involved in everyone’s business and presses her husband about the matter, so that he may invite the young man over to display their daughters and get one married. Marriage is the main driver of nearly all of Mrs. Bennet’s actions, and she is constantly obsessed with her daughters’ relationships.

There is a ball in town, and the Bennetts all attend to see the new man who has arrived. Bingley is a jolly fellow and takes an immediate liking to the eldest daughter, Jane, who is the fairest and most palatable of all the daughters. Her best friend and closest sister, Elizabeth Bennett, notices a friend of Mr. Bingley, a reserved and proud man named Mr. Darcy. Darcy despises parties, and his appearance is one of disgust at everything. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are the main focus of the story, and I will be highlighting their development over time, discarding the many subplots that add to their story, for the sake of time and interest.

Darcy chooses not to dance with Elizabeth at this first party, which is extremely disrespectful. To have women sit through dances when there is a lack of partners in the room is seen as very rude and prideful behavior. Fast forwarding, Jane, the eldest, is invited by Mr. Bingley’s sisters to dine at their estate, where she contracts a sickness of some kind. Elizabeth walks all the way over to Bingley to visit her sister and ensure her health. At Bingley’s estate, a sort of ‘relationship’ forms between Elizabeth and Darcy, with her quick wit shining through the man’s dull and reserved talk. She means only to tease him and sees no attraction to him whatsoever. Darcy slowly starts to recognize this wit of Elizabeth, and he unwillingly finds it attractive.

A series of misunderstandings happens between them, and Elizabeth thinks extremely ill of Darcy- that he stopped the Bingley-Jane relationship and was rude to an old friend of his who needed a promised occupation. Darcy does not know of this information and proposes to Elizabeth. He states his proposition in a rude way, saying how he loves her against all logic and societal boundaries. Elizabeth rejects him and wants nothing to do with him.

While going on a walk to clear her head, Elizabeth encounters Mr. Darcy, who hands her a letter. Inside, it contains a full explanation of his actions, clearing him completely from the prejudice and anger Elizabeth has against him. This is a major turning point in the story, as she now starts to think of him as a reasonable and kind man, and wonders what it would have been like to be Mrs. Darcy.

Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle take her to visit Darcy’s estate, for it is one of grand spectacles, and he is not home. While visiting, the housekeeper has nothing but the utmost praise for Mr. Darcy, and the house is very pleasant. From here, a spiral of feeling develops within Elizabeth, from dread of seeing Darcy to wanting to see him more than ever. Darcy does one final act of paying a large debt from an embarrassing situation for the Bennet family, without any recognition, which Elizabeth soon learns about.

Back at the Bennetts’ home, Darcy and Bingley come to visit. Darcy and Elizabeth go on a walk, and Elizabeth explains her change in feelings. They are enjoyed in each other’s company and confidence and become engaged. Along with this, Jane and Bingley picked up where they had left off and are to be married as well. Everyone is happy, especially Mrs. Bennett, now that her daughters will marry two wealthy men.

Diction

The way Austen writes is so unique that just reading a sentence by itself requires an extra bit of attention. The book was written and set in the early 1800’s, and the way of speaking back then is nothing like it is now. Considered to be ‘Early Modern English,’ the words are full of nuances and analogies, along with great wit. Reading this language can prove a difficult task, as it seems you need “rapid smarts” to quickly pick up what one is trying to convey.

For example, “Not all that Mrs. Bennet, however, with the assistance of her five daughters, could ask on the subject, was sufficient to draw from her husband any satisfactory description of Mr. Bingley” (Austen, Ch.1 P&P). If spoken today, it might be condensed to something like, “Mrs. Bennett, with help from her five daughters, couldn’t get enough information about Mr. Bingley from Mr. Bennett, despite all their questions.” It takes a little while to get used to, but I really learned a lot about speaking formally as well as gathering a feel and tone for the time in which it was written. The formality is comes from the formalness of their lives. They were governed by class and conduct everywhere, and the language helps portray this. It felt like a breath of fresh air whenever someone spoke casually, just as it could have in those times.

Ideas

–Misunderstanding: The main conflict in the book centers around a series of misunderstandings. All sorts of gossip spreads, and people’s names are constantly tainted without any statement of their own view or explanation of their actions. Something that quickly came to mind was the Fundamental Attribution Error.

The “Fundamental Attribution Error” is defined as “a mistake that people make when they think that the way another person behaves is a result of their character rather than the result of the situation that they are in” (Cambridge Dictionary). This idea is everywhere that Darcy touches. He looks to be extremely prideful and above everyone, whereas he really was just raised to be quieter and not enjoy the company of many people. Imagine you go to a party as a rich single man, where everyone knows your wealth, and tries to introduce you to their daughters. If you are not a big socialite or extrovert (like Bingley), this would make anyone awkward and nervous.

–Logos vs. Pathos: Darcy is torn between the logical decision of marrying someone wealthy with status and connections, and his love for Elizabeth, someone without fame or fortune, who is looked down upon by his relatives. The whole point of Darcy’s awkward manner is that to others, it would seem logical that he is above the enchantments of such an ‘uninteresting’ girl, whereas he is really in love with her, “ardently”(Austen).

–Attraction: As a man myself, I can speak on how it feels to be attracted to women who have zero interest in you. To have one’s own ducks in a row, without the need of a partner, and be fully confident in oneself, is one of the most attractive qualities. I don’t claim to be a relationship expert or anything like that, but people typically like people who aren’t obsessed with them and have their own things going on, hence the ‘Good morning beautiful!’ too soon being so despised.

Elizabeth is exactly the opposite. She cares nothing for Darcy, despite his wealth and her lack, and makes conversation with him an opportunity to mock his rigidity or make him look ridiculous. Darcy sees this as extremely witty and attractive- that a woman doesn’t care for his status or worship his wealth, just as others do in the story. It makes perfect sense that Darcy would fall in love with Elizabeth, as not only is she attractive, she is also off limits according to his surroundings, making her more of a ‘forbidden fruit’ than all the women that through themselves at him. Everyone loves a bit of yearning.

Should you read it?

Yes!

The “romance”, if you would call it that, is mature, and there is nothing lewd or anything like that. I can see how some could view it as more ‘female’ literature, as it’s not exactly a thriller. However, this book keeps you guessing and on your toes, pacing-wise. Austen wastes no time with descriptions of locations and focuses more on the interactions between characters. The characters are so tangible and real that you seem to understand how they tick, making them extremely lovable and relatable. I can certainly relate to Darcy in being uncomfortable at large parties of people I don’t know, or coming off as rude or prideful because of my own insecurity.

Not only was it enjoyable, but I also found it very educational. I had no touchstone for how people used to live back in that era (early 1800s), and it provides perspective on the way we view relationships today. Back then, it didn’t really matter if you didn’t like your husband; you were marrying, so you didn’t end up poor or a maid (as is the case with Elizabeth’s friend Charlotte). Elizabeth’s story is an exception, which is what made it so joyful that the two end up together.

If you want a classic to read with lovable characters, realistic relationships, and awesome wit, go to your local bookstore and buy it (they have it, no doubt). It will expand your use of English, make you feel smarter, read better, and who knows, maybe it will help you in relationships. I can’t promise advertising that you’ve read this book will help you win any girls… actually, I would probably avoid telling them at all. Say you only read The WSJ and Rich Dad Poor Dad.

Works Cited:

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Penguin Books, 2019.

“Fundamental Attribution Error.” Cambridge Dictionary, dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/fundamental-attribution-error. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.