Pride and warning summary. "Pride and Prejudice

“Remember, if our sorrows come from Pride and Prejudice, then we also owe deliverance from them to Pride and Prejudice, for good and evil are so wonderfully balanced in the world.”

These words really fully reveal the intention of Jane Austen's novel.

A provincial family, as they say, of a “middle hand”: the father of the family, Mr. Bennet, is quite noble blood, phlegmatic, prone to a stoically doomed perception of both life around him and himself; he treats his own wife with particular irony: Mrs. Bennet really cannot boast of either origin, intelligence or upbringing. She is frankly stupid, blatantly tactless, extremely limited and, accordingly, has a very high opinion of her own person. The Bennets have five daughters: the eldest, Jane and Elizabeth, will become the central characters of the novel.

The action takes place in a typical English province. In the small town of Meriton, in the county of Hertfordshire, sensational news comes: one of the richest estates in the district of Netherfield Park will no longer be empty: it was rented by a rich young man, a “metropolitan thing” and an aristocrat, Mr. Bingley. To all the above-mentioned virtues, there was added one more, the most essential, truly priceless: Mr. Bingley was a bachelor. And the minds of the surrounding mothers were darkened and confused by this news for a long time; mind (more precisely, instinct!) Mrs. Bennet in particular. It's a joke to say - five daughters! However, Mr. Bingley does not arrive alone, he is accompanied by his sisters, as well as his inseparable friend Mr. Darcy. Bingley is simple-hearted, trusting, naive, open to communication, devoid of any snobbery and ready to love everyone and everyone. Darcy is the complete opposite of him: proud, arrogant, withdrawn, full of consciousness of his own exclusivity, belonging to a chosen circle.

The relationship that develops between Bingley - Jane and Darcy - Elizabeth is quite consistent with their characters. In the former, they are imbued with clarity and spontaneity, both are simple-hearted and trusting (which at first will become the soil on which mutual feelings will arise, then the cause of their separation, then bring them together again). With Elizabeth and Darcy, everything will turn out to be completely different: attraction-repulsion, mutual sympathy and equally obvious mutual hostility; in a word, the very “pride and prejudice” (both!) that will bring them a lot of suffering and mental anguish, through which they will be painfully, while never “departing from the face” (that is, from themselves), to break through to each other . Their first meeting will immediately indicate mutual interest, more precisely, mutual curiosity. Both are equally outstanding: just as Elizabeth differs sharply from the local young ladies in her sharpness of mind, independence of judgments and assessments, so Darcy - in her upbringing, manners, restrained arrogance, stands out among the crowd of officers of the regiment stationed in Meryton, the very ones that brought her uniforms and epaulettes together crazy little Miss Bennet, Lydia and Kitty. However, at first, it is Darcy’s arrogance, his emphasized snobbery, when with all his behavior, in which cold courtesy for a sensitive ear can, not without reason, sound almost insulting, it is precisely these qualities of his that cause Elizabeth both dislike, and even indignation. For if the pride inherent in both of them immediately (inwardly) brings them together, then Darcy's prejudices, his class arrogance can only repel Elizabeth. Their dialogues - in rare and random meetings at balls and in drawing rooms - are always a verbal duel. A duel of equal opponents - invariably courteous, never going beyond the limits of decency and secular conventions.

Mr. Bingley's sisters, quickly seeing the mutual feeling that has arisen between their brother and Jane Bennet, do everything to alienate them from each other. When the danger begins to seem quite inevitable to them, they simply “take away” him to London. Subsequently, we learn that Darcy played a very significant role in this unexpected flight.

As it should be in a "classic" novel, the main storyline is overgrown with numerous branches. So, at some point in the house of Mr. Bennet, his cousin Mr. Collins appears, who, according to the English laws on majorate, after the death of Mr. Bennet, who has no male heirs, must enter into the possession of their Longbourn estate, as a result of which Mrs. Bennet and her daughters may end up without a roof over their heads. The letter received from Collins, and then his own appearance, testify to how limited, stupid and self-confident this gentleman is - precisely because of these virtues, as well as another very important one: the ability to flatter and please - who managed to get a parish on the estate of a noble Ladies Lady de Boer, Later it turns out that she is Darcy's own aunt - only in her arrogance, unlike her nephew, there will not be a glimpse of a living human feeling, not the slightest ability for a spiritual impulse. Mr. Collins comes to Longbourn not by chance: having decided, as required by his dignity (and Lady de Boer too), to enter into a legal marriage, he opted for the family of his cousin Bennett, confident that he would not meet with refusal: after all, his marriage to one of Miss Bennet will automatically make the happy chosen one the rightful mistress of Longbourn. His choice falls, of course, on Elizabeth. Her refusal plunges him into the deepest amazement: after all, not to mention his personal virtues, with this marriage he was going to benefit the whole family. However, Mr. Collins consoled himself very soon: Elizabeth's closest friend, Charlotte Lucas, turns out to be more practical in all respects and, having judged all the advantages of this marriage, gives Mr. Collins her consent. Meanwhile, another man appears in Meryton, a young officer of the Wickham regiment stationed in the city. Appearing at one of the balls, he makes a rather strong impression on Elizabeth: charming, helpful, at the same time not stupid, able to please even such an outstanding young lady as Miss Bennet. Elizabeth develops a special trust in him after she realizes that he is familiar with Darcy - the arrogant, unbearable Darcy! - and not just a sign, but, according to the stories of Wickham himself, is a victim of his dishonesty. The halo of a martyr who suffered through the fault of a person who causes such hostility in her makes Wickham even more attractive in her eyes.

Some time after the sudden departure of Mr. Bingley with his sisters and Darcy, the older Miss Bennet themselves end up in London - to stay at the house of their uncle Mr. Gardiner and his wife, a lady to whom both nieces have sincere emotional affection. And from London, Elizabeth, already without a sister, goes to her friend Charlotte, the very one that became the wife of Mr. Collins. At Lady de Boer's house, Elizabeth again encounters Darcy. Their conversations at the table, in public, again resemble a verbal duel - and again, Elizabeth turns out to be a worthy opponent. And given that the action still takes place at the turn of the 18th - 19th centuries, then such audacity from the lips of a young lady - on the one hand a lady, on the other - a dowry may seem like real freethinking: “You wanted to embarrass me, Mr. Darcy ... but I I'm not at all afraid of you ... Stubbornness does not allow me to show cowardice when others want it. When you try to intimidate me, I become even more impudent. But one fine day, when Elizabeth is sitting alone in the living room, Darcy suddenly appears on the threshold; “All my struggle was in vain! Nothing comes out. I can't handle my feeling. Know that I am infinitely fascinated by you and that I love you!” But Elizabeth rejects his love with the same determination with which she once rejected the claims of Mr. Collins. At Darcy's request to explain both her refusal and the hostility towards him, so undisguised by her, Elizabeth speaks of Jane's happiness destroyed because of him, of Wickham insulted by him. Again - a duel, again - a scythe on a stone. For, even when proposing, Darcy cannot (and does not want to!) hide the fact that, while making it, he still always remembers that, having married Elizabeth, he thereby inevitably “will enter into kinship with those who are so below him on the social ladder." And it is these words (although Elizabeth understands no less than him how limited her mother is, how ignorant her younger sisters are, and much more than he suffers from this) that hurt her unbearably painfully. In the scene of their explanation, equal temperaments, equal "pride and prejudice" clash. The next day, Darcy hands Elizabeth a voluminous letter - a letter in which he explains to her his behavior towards Bingley (desire to save a friend from the very misalliance that he is ready for now!), - explains, without looking for excuses for himself, without hiding his an active role in this matter; but the second is the details of the "Wickham case", which put both of its participants (Darcy and Wickham) in a completely different light. In Darcy's story, it is Wickham who turns out to be both a deceiver and a low, licentious, dishonorable person. Darcy's letter stuns Elizabeth - not only by the truth revealed in it, but, no less, by her awareness of her own blindness, experienced by shame for the involuntary insult that she inflicted on Darcy: “How shameful I have acted! .. I, who was so proud of my insight and relying so much on her own common sense!” With these thoughts, Elizabeth returns home to Longbourn. And from there, together with Aunt Gardiner and her husband, he goes on a short trip around Derbyshire. Among the sights that lie in their path is Pemberley; beautiful old estate owned by... Darcy. And although Elizabeth knows for sure that these days the house should be empty, just at the moment when the housekeeper Darcy proudly shows them the interior, Darcy reappears on the threshold. For several days that they constantly meet - either in Pemberley, or in the house where Elizabeth and her companions are staying - he invariably amazes everyone with his courtesy, and friendliness, and ease of handling. Is this the same proud Darcy? However, the attitude of Elizabeth herself towards him also changed, and where previously she was ready to see only flaws, now she is quite inclined to find many advantages. But then an event occurs: from a letter received from Jane, Elizabeth learns that their younger sister, the unlucky and frivolous Lydia, ran away with a young officer - none other than Wickham. Such - in tears, in confusion, in despair - finds her Darcy in the house, alone. Beside herself with grief, Elizabeth talks about the misfortune that has befallen their family (dishonor is worse than death!), And only then, when, having bowed dryly, he suddenly abruptly leaves, she realizes what happened. Not with Lydia, with herself. After all, now she will never be able to become Darcy's wife - she, whose own sister has forever disgraced herself, thereby imposing an indelible stigma on the whole family. In particular - on their unmarried sisters. She hurriedly returns home, where she finds everyone in despair and confusion. Uncle Gardiner hastily leaves for London in search of the fugitives, where he unexpectedly quickly finds them. Then, even more unexpectedly, he persuades Wickham to marry Lydia. And only later, from a casual conversation, Elizabeth learns that it was Darcy who found Wickham, it was he who forced him (with the help of a considerable amount of money) into marriage with the girl he had seduced. After this opening, the action is rapidly approaching a happy denouement. Bingley and his sisters and Darcy return to Netherfield Park. Bingley proposes to Jane. Another explanation takes place between Darcy and Elizabeth, this time the last one. Having become the wife of Darcy, our heroine also becomes the full mistress of Pemberley - the very one where they first understood each other. And Darcy's young sister Georgiana, with whom Elizabeth "established the intimacy that Darcy expected, learned from her experience that a woman can afford to treat her husband in a way that a younger sister cannot treat her brother."

For more than two centuries, reader interest in the novels of Jane Austen has not waned. The founder of realism in English literature, the founder of the "ladies' novel", even in the 21st century, cannot be called old-fashioned, because fashion passes, but Austen remains. Today you won’t surprise anyone with ladies’ novels, you won’t follow everyone, but for good literature in this genre, it’s better to turn to the original source. Walter Scott, the first connoisseur of the works of Jane Austen, admired her pictorial gift, subtle and deep understanding of human relations, brilliant ironic dialogues inheriting the drama. Jane Austen's family novels always have a happy ending, wedding bells and a wedding ... At the same time, there is no there are places for sweetness and illusions - the author is aware of the realities of life, makes excellent use of his natural gift of observation and a penchant for analysis, always keeps ironic means and a parodic layer in reserve. And most importantly: the heroes of Austen are not only people with their multifaceted characters, but also their key feelings, similar to communicating vessels.

Description added by user:

"Pride and Prejudice" - plot

The novel begins with Mr. and Mrs. Bennet talking about the arrival of a young gentleman, Mr. Bingley, in Netherfield Park. The wife persuades her husband to visit her neighbor and get to know him better. She believes that Mr. Bingley will certainly like one of their daughters, and he will propose to her. Mr. Bennet pays a visit to the young man, and after a while he answers him in kind.

The next meeting of Mr. Bingley with the Bennet family takes place at a ball, where the Netherfield gentleman arrives accompanied by his sisters (Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst), as well as Mr. Darcy and Mr. Hurst. At first, Mr. Darcy makes a favorable impression on those around him because of the rumor that his annual income exceeds 10 thousand pounds. However, later the society changes its point of view, deciding that he is too "important and inflated", because the young man does not want to meet anyone and dances at the ball with only two ladies he knows (the Bingley sisters). Bingley is a huge success. His special attention is drawn to the eldest daughter of the Bennets, Jane. The girl also falls in love with a young man. Mr. Bingley draws Darcy's attention to Elizabeth, however, he says that he is not interested in her. Elizabeth becomes a witness to this conversation. Although she doesn't show it, she begins to develop a strong dislike for Mr. Darcy.

Soon Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst invite Jane Bennet to dine with them. The mother sends her daughter on horseback in the pouring rain, as a result of which the girl catches a cold and cannot return home. Elizabeth walks to Bingley's house to visit her sick sister. Mr. Bingley leaves her to look after Jane. Elizabeth does not enjoy being around Netherfield society, as only Mr. Bingley shows genuine interest and concern for her sister. Miss Bingley is completely infatuated with Mr. Darcy and tries unsuccessfully to get his attention to her. Mrs. Hurst is in solidarity with her sister in everything, and Mr. Hurst is indifferent to everything except sleep, food and playing cards.

Mr Bingley falls in love with Jane Bennet and Mr Darcy takes a liking to Elizabeth. But Elizabeth is sure that he despises her. In addition, during the walk, the Bennet sisters meet Mr. Wickham. The young man makes a favorable impression on everyone. Somewhat later, Mr. Wickham tells Elizabeth the story of Mr. Darcy's misbehavior towards himself. Darcy allegedly did not fulfill the last will of his late father and refused Wickham the promised place of the priest. Elizabeth develops a bad opinion of Darcy (prejudice). And Darcy feels that the Bennets are “out of his circle” (pride), Elizabeth’s acquaintance and friendship with Wickham are also not approved by him.

At a ball at Netherfield, Mr. Darcy begins to realize the inevitability of Bingley and Jane's marriage. The Bennet family, with the exception of Elizabeth and Jane, show a complete lack of manners and etiquette. The next morning, Mr. Collins, a relative of the Bennets, proposes to Elizabeth, which she rejects, much to the chagrin of her mother, Mrs. Bennet. Mr. Collins recovers quickly and proposes to Charlotte Lucas, a close friend of Elizabeth. Mr. Bingley suddenly leaves Netherfield and returns to London with the whole company. Elizabeth begins to suspect that Mr. Darcy and the Bingley sisters have decided to separate him from Jane.

In the spring, Elizabeth visits Charlotte and Mr. Collins in Kent. They are often invited to Rosings Park by Mr Darcy's aunt, Lady Catherine de Boer. Soon Darcy comes to visit her aunt. Elizabeth meets Mr. Darcy's cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, who, in a conversation with her, mentions that Darcy takes credit for saving his friend from an unequal marriage. Elizabeth realizes that it is about Bingley and Jane, and her dislike for Darcy grows even more. Therefore, when Darcy unexpectedly comes to her, confesses his love and asks for a hand, she resolutely refuses him. Elizabeth blames Darcy for ruining her sister's happiness, for what he did meanly to Mr. Wickham, and for his arrogant behavior towards her. Darcy replies to her in a letter explaining that Wickham exchanged the inheritance for money he spent on entertainment, and then made an attempt to run away with Darcy's sister Georgiana. As for Jane and Mr. Bingley, Darcy decided that Jane "had no deep feeling for him [for Bingley]." In addition, Darcy speaks of the "total lack of tact" that Mrs. Bennet and her younger daughters constantly displayed. Elizabeth is forced to accept the truth of Mr. Darcy's observations.

A few months later, Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle the Gardiners are on a road trip. Among other attractions, they visit Pemberley, Mr. Darcy's estate, certain that the owner is not at home. Suddenly, Mr. Darcy returns. He is very polite and hospitable to Elizabeth and the Gardiners. Elizabeth begins to realize that she likes Darcy. Their renewed acquaintance, however, is interrupted by the news that Lydia, Elizabeth's youngest sister, has run off with Mr. Wickham. Elizabeth and the Gardiners return to Longbourn. Elizabeth worries that her relationship with Darcy has ended because of her younger sister's shameful flight.

Lydia and Wickham, already as husband and wife, visit Longbourn, where Mrs. Wickham casually lets slip that Mr. Darcy was at the wedding ceremony. Elizabeth learns that it was Darcy who found the fugitives and arranged the wedding. The girl is very surprised, but at this time Bingley proposes to Jane, and she forgets about it.

Lady Catherine de Boer arrives unexpectedly in Longbourn to dispel rumors of Elizabeth and Darcy's marriage. Elizabeth rejects all of her demands. Lady Catherine leaves and promises to tell her nephew about Elizabeth's behavior. However, this gives Darcy hope that Elizabeth has changed her mind. He travels to Longbourn and proposes again, and this time, his pride and her prejudice are overcome by Elizabeth agreeing to the marriage.

Story

Jane Austen began work on the novel when she was barely 21 years old. The publishers rejected the manuscript, and it lay under the cloth for more than fifteen years. It was only after the success of Sense and Sensibility, published in 1811, that Jane Austen was finally able to publish her first brainchild. Before publication, she subjected it to careful revision and achieved an extraordinary combination: cheerfulness, spontaneity, epigrammaticity, maturity of thought and skill.

Reviews

Pride and Prejudice Book Reviews

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Anna Aleksandrovna

world of feeling

How many of those who have read, how few of those who have understood.

This book is one of my favourites. I have read it 5 times and still find it interesting every time. Our world is full of love, and this book provides a simple example of that love that we are all looking for. When I close the binding and I know for sure that there is love, it has not died and that you need to continue to believe in it.

Let's move on to the character, which for me is the apogee of the book. For every girl, girl, woman, Mr. Darcy will always be perfect. His attractiveness and intelligence will conquer any heart that is sensual. Everything he does, he does like a gentleman. His life is the path of a hermit, a man who is strong and self-confident, but longs for love in the depths of his soul. It was the thirst for sincere love that opened the way for him to the heart of Elizabeth.

Eltzabeth. Which of us hasn't compared ourselves to her? Simplicity and intelligence, love of books and an accurate idea of the male gender, will and honesty with oneself. And most importantly, what the author gave her, like all her main characters, is a sense of humor. Undoubtedly, this is what attracts us to Elizabeth.

The whole book is a path that is worth going with the characters and more than once. After passing it, you will believe in love.

Useful review?

4 / 0

Araika

Peerless classic

Classic at its best. Most of all I am captivated by her humor and wit in her works.

I believe that it is precisely such good works that make a Human out of us, prompting us to the sublime.

It is thanks to such books that perhaps you realize why you need to read.

Because after that you will never be the same again.

Useful review?

1 / 0

Dasha Mochalova

I would forgive him his pride if he didn't hurt mine!

The novel "Pride and Prejudice" was and remains a classic for all time. A good combination of humor and romance leaves a lasting impression, so that for the third and fourth time you admire not only the beautifully written characters, but also the lively language of the story. The very idea of the novel - about falling in love, which is not afraid of any obstacles - makes it popular for all ages and generations, and a beautiful ending gives faith in beauty.

Useful review?

“Remember, if our sorrows come from Pride and Prejudice, then we also owe deliverance from them to Pride and Prejudice, for good and evil are so wonderfully balanced in the world.” These words really fully reveal the intention of Jane Austen's novel. A provincial family, as they say, of a “middle hand”: the father of the family, Mr. Bennet, is quite noble blood, phlegmatic, prone to a stoically doomed perception of both life around him and himself; he treats his own wife with particular irony: Mrs. Bennet really cannot boast of either origin, intelligence or upbringing. She is frankly stupid, blatantly tactless, extremely limited and, accordingly, has a very high opinion of her own person. The Bennets have five daughters: the eldest, Jane and Elizabeth, will become the central characters of the novel. The action takes place in a typical English province. In the small town of Meriton, in the county of Hertfordshire, sensational news comes: one of the richest estates in the district of Netherfield Park will no longer be empty: it was rented by a rich young man, a “metropolitan thing” and an aristocrat, Mr. Bingley. To all the above-mentioned virtues, there was added one more, the most essential, truly priceless: Mr. Bingley was a bachelor. And the minds of the surrounding mothers were darkened and confused by this news for a long time; mind (more precisely, instinct!) Mrs. Bennet in particular. It's a joke to say - five daughters! However, Mr. Bingley does not arrive alone, he is accompanied by his sisters, as well as his inseparable friend Mr. Darcy. Bingley is simple-hearted, trusting, naive, open to communication, devoid of any snobbery and ready to love everyone and everyone. Darcy is the complete opposite of him: proud, arrogant, withdrawn, full of consciousness of his own exclusivity, belonging to a chosen circle. The relationship that develops between Bingley - Jane and Darcy - Elizabeth is quite consistent with their characters. In the former, they are imbued with clarity and spontaneity, both are simple-hearted and trusting (which at first will become the soil on which mutual feelings will arise, then the cause of their separation, then bring them together again). With Elizabeth and Darcy, everything will turn out to be completely different: attraction-repulsion, mutual sympathy and equally obvious mutual hostility; in a word, the very “pride and prejudice” (both!) that will bring them a lot of suffering and mental anguish, through which they will be painfully, while never “departing from the face” (that is, from themselves), to break through to each other . Their first meeting will immediately indicate mutual interest, more precisely, mutual curiosity. Both are equally outstanding: just as Elizabeth differs sharply from the local young ladies in her sharpness of mind, independence of judgments and assessments, so Darcy - in her upbringing, manners, restrained arrogance, stands out among the crowd of officers of the regiment stationed in Meryton, the very ones that brought her uniforms and epaulettes together crazy little Miss Bennet, Lydia and Kitty. However, at first, it is Darcy’s arrogance, his emphasized snobbery, when with all his behavior, in which cold courtesy for a sensitive ear can, not without reason, sound almost insulting, it is precisely these qualities of his that cause Elizabeth both dislike, and even indignation. For if the pride inherent in both of them immediately (inwardly) brings them together, then Darcy's prejudices, his class arrogance can only repel Elizabeth. Their dialogues - in rare and random meetings at balls and in drawing rooms - are always a verbal duel. A duel of equal opponents - invariably courteous, never going beyond the limits of decency and secular conventions. Mr. Bingley's sisters, quickly seeing the mutual feeling that has arisen between their brother and Jane Bennet, do everything to alienate them from each other. When the danger begins to seem quite inevitable to them, they simply “take away” him to London. Subsequently, we learn that Darcy played a very significant role in this unexpected flight. As it should be in a "classic" novel, the main storyline is overgrown with numerous branches. So, at some point in the house of Mr. Bennet, his cousin Mr. Collins appears, who, according to the English laws on majorate, after the death of Mr. Bennet, who has no male heirs, must enter into the possession of their Longbourn estate, as a result of which Mrs. Bennet and her daughters may end up without a roof over their heads. The letter received from Collins, and then his own appearance, testify to how limited, stupid and self-confident this gentleman is - precisely because of these virtues, as well as another very important one: the ability to flatter and please - who managed to get a parish on the estate of a noble Ladies Lady de Boer, Later it turns out that she is Darcy's own aunt - only in her arrogance, unlike her nephew, there will not be a glimpse of a living human feeling, not the slightest ability for a spiritual impulse. Mr. Collins comes to Longbourn not by chance: having decided, as required by his dignity (and Lady de Boer too), to enter into a legal marriage, he opted for the family of his cousin Bennett, confident that he would not meet with refusal: after all, his marriage to one of Miss Bennet will automatically make the happy chosen one the rightful mistress of Longbourn. His choice falls, of course, on Elizabeth. Her refusal plunges him into the deepest amazement: after all, not to mention his personal virtues, with this marriage he was going to benefit the whole family. However, Mr. Collins consoled himself very soon: Elizabeth's closest friend, Charlotte Lucas, turns out to be more practical in all respects and, having judged all the advantages of this marriage, gives Mr. Collins her consent. Meanwhile, another man appears in Meryton, a young officer of the Wickham regiment stationed in the city. Appearing at one of the balls, he makes a rather strong impression on Elizabeth: charming, helpful, at the same time not stupid, able to please even such an outstanding young lady as Miss Bennet. Elizabeth develops a special trust in him after she realizes that he is familiar with Darcy - the arrogant, unbearable Darcy! - and not just a sign, but, according to the stories of Wickham himself, is a victim of his dishonesty. The halo of a martyr who suffered through the fault of a person who causes such hostility in her makes Wickham even more attractive in her eyes. Some time after the sudden departure of Mr. Bingley with his sisters and Darcy, the older Miss Bennet themselves end up in London - to stay at the house of their uncle Mr. Gardiner and his wife, a lady to whom both nieces have sincere emotional affection. And from London, Elizabeth, already without a sister, goes to her friend Charlotte, the very one that became the wife of Mr. Collins. At Lady de Boer's house, Elizabeth again encounters Darcy. Their conversations at the table, in public, again resemble a verbal duel - and again, Elizabeth turns out to be a worthy opponent. And given that the action still takes place at the turn of the 18th - 19th centuries, then such audacity from the lips of a young lady - on the one hand a lady, on the other - a dowry may seem like real freethinking: “You wanted to embarrass me, Mr. Darcy ... but I I'm not at all afraid of you ... Stubbornness does not allow me to show cowardice when others want it. When you try to intimidate me, I become even more impudent. But one fine day, when Elizabeth is sitting alone in the living room, Darcy suddenly appears on the threshold; “All my struggle was in vain! Nothing comes out. I can't handle my feeling. Know that I am infinitely fascinated by you and that I love you!” But Elizabeth rejects his love with the same determination with which she once rejected the claims of Mr. Collins. At Darcy's request to explain both her refusal and the hostility towards him, so undisguised by her, Elizabeth speaks of Jane's happiness destroyed because of him, of Wickham insulted by him. Again - a duel, again - a scythe on a stone. For, even when proposing, Darcy cannot (and does not want to!) hide the fact that, while making it, he still always remembers that, having married Elizabeth, he thereby inevitably “will enter into kinship with those who are so below him on the social ladder." And it is these words (although Elizabeth understands no less than him how limited her mother is, how ignorant her younger sisters are, and much more than he suffers from this) that hurt her unbearably painfully. In the scene of their explanation, equal temperaments, equal "pride and prejudice" clash. The next day, Darcy hands Elizabeth a voluminous letter - a letter in which he explains to her his behavior towards Bingley (desire to save a friend from the very misalliance that he is ready for now!), - explains, without looking for excuses for himself, without hiding his an active role in this matter; but the second is the details of the "Wickham case", which put both of its participants (Darcy and Wickham) in a completely different light. In Darcy's story, it is Wickham who turns out to be both a deceiver and a low, licentious, dishonorable person. Darcy's letter stuns Elizabeth - not only by the truth revealed in it, but, no less, by her awareness of her own blindness, experienced by shame for the involuntary insult that she inflicted on Darcy: “How shameful I have acted! .. I, who was so proud of my insight and relying so much on her own common sense!” With these thoughts, Elizabeth returns home to Longbourn. And from there, together with Aunt Gardiner and her husband, he goes on a short trip around Derbyshire. Among the sights that lie in their path is Pemberley; beautiful old estate owned by... Darcy. And although Elizabeth knows for sure that these days the house should be empty, just at the moment when the housekeeper Darcy proudly shows them the interior, Darcy reappears on the threshold. For several days that they constantly meet - either in Pemberley, or in the house where Elizabeth and her companions are staying - he invariably amazes everyone with his courtesy, and friendliness, and ease of handling. Is this the same proud Darcy? However, the attitude of Elizabeth herself towards him has also changed, and where previously she was ready to see only flaws, now she is quite inclined to find many advantages. Is this the very proud Darcy? However, the attitude of Elizabeth herself towards him also changed, and where previously she was ready to see only flaws, now she is quite inclined to find many advantages. But then an event occurs: from a letter received from Jane, Elizabeth learns that their younger sister, the unlucky and frivolous Lydia, ran away with a young officer - none other than Wickham. Such - in tears, in confusion, in despair - finds her Darcy in the house, alone. Beside herself with grief, Elizabeth talks about the misfortune that has befallen their family (dishonor is worse than death!), And only then, when, having bowed dryly, he suddenly abruptly leaves, she realizes what happened. Not with Lydia, with herself. After all, now she will never be able to become Darcy's wife - she, whose own sister has forever disgraced herself, thereby imposing an indelible stigma on the whole family. In particular - on their unmarried sisters. She hurriedly returns home, where she finds everyone in despair and confusion. Uncle Gardiner hastily leaves for London in search of the fugitives, where he unexpectedly quickly finds them. Then, even more unexpectedly, he persuades Wickham to marry Lydia. And only later, from a casual conversation, Elizabeth learns that it was Darcy who found Wickham, it was he who forced him (with the help of a considerable amount of money) into marriage with the girl he had seduced. After this opening, the action is rapidly approaching a happy denouement. Bingley and his sisters and Darcy return to Netherfield Park. Bingley proposes to Jane. Another explanation takes place between Darcy and Elizabeth, this time the last one. Having become the wife of Darcy, our heroine also becomes the full mistress of Pemberley - the very one where they first understood each other. And Darcy's young sister Georgiana, with whom Elizabeth "established the intimacy that Darcy expected, learned from her experience that a woman can afford to treat her husband in a way that a younger sister cannot treat her brother." But then an event occurs: from a letter received from Jane, Elizabeth learns that their younger sister, the unlucky and frivolous Lydia, ran away with a young officer - none other than Wickham. Such - in tears, in confusion, in despair - finds her Darcy in the house, alone. Beside herself with grief, Elizabeth talks about the misfortune that has befallen their family (dishonor is worse than death!), And only then, when, having bowed dryly, he suddenly abruptly leaves, she realizes what happened. Not with Lydia, with herself. After all, now she will never be able to become Darcy's wife - she, whose own sister has forever disgraced herself, thereby imposing an indelible stigma on the whole family. In particular - on their unmarried sisters. She hurriedly returns home, where she finds everyone in despair and confusion. Uncle Gardiner hastily leaves for London in search of the fugitives, where he unexpectedly quickly finds them. Then, even more unexpectedly, he persuades Wickham to marry Lydia. And only later, from a casual conversation, Elizabeth learns that it was Darcy who found Wickham, it was he who forced him (with the help of a considerable amount of money) into marriage with the girl he had seduced. After this opening, the action is rapidly approaching a happy denouement. Bingley and his sisters and Darcy return to Netherfield Park. Bingley proposes to Jane. Another explanation takes place between Darcy and Elizabeth, this time the last one. Having become the wife of Darcy, our heroine also becomes the full mistress of Pemberley - the very one where they first understood each other. And Darcy's young sister Georgiana, with whom Elizabeth "established the intimacy that Darcy expected, learned from her experience that a woman can afford to treat her husband in a way that a younger sister cannot treat her brother."

“Remember always, if our troubles are the result of Pride and Prejudice, then we can get rid of them only with the help of Pride and Prejudice, thanks to the perfectly balanced good and evil in the world.” These words reveal the plot of this creation by Jane Austen.

The father of a provincial family with an average income, Mr. Bennet, a noble, phlegmatic man, prone to a doomed perception of the life around him, treats his wife, Mrs. Bennet, ironically. She does not have a certain origin, does not differ in either education or intelligence. This is a stupid, tactless, limited woman with a very high opinion of herself. The Bennets have five daughters, the eldest - Jane and Elizabeth are the main characters of the story.

The plot unfolds in the provincial town of Meryton, Hertfordshire, typical for England, where a sensation appears: the richest Netherfield Park estate is leased to a young man, an aristocrat, Mr. Bingleywho was single. The mothers of the neighborhood were embarrassed for a long time by such news, and Mrs. Bennet's interest was especially inflamed. However, Mr. Bingley arrives at Meryton not all alone, but accompanied by his sisters and Mr. Darcy's inseparable friend. Bingley is an ingenuous, trusting, naive, completely open to communication, devoid of snobbery man, ready to love everyone. Darcy's friend is the opposite of an aristocrat: a proud, arrogant, reserved person.

All the relations that develop between Jane and Bingley and Elizabeth and Darcy are in full accordance with their morals. The first couple has clarity and spontaneity open to people, they are both simple in soul and extremely trusting, which will entail reciprocity, separation, and again love. Elizabeth and Darcy live according to a different principle: first attraction, then repulsion, sympathy and hostility at the same time. This is a mutual "pride and prejudice" that will give them a lot of mental suffering, regardless of which, they will try to get through to each other. At the first meeting, they will feel mutual interest, or rather, curiosity. They are distinguished by their originality: Elizabeth is much higher than the local girls - intellect, independence, and Darcy - in manners, upbringing, restraint, stands out among the variety of officers whose regiment is stationed in Meryton. But Darcy's arrogance, snobbery, cold behavior, which can be called offensive, show dislike in Elizabeth along with indignation. Their joint dialogues at random meetings in drawing rooms and at balls are often a verbal duel of opponents that does not go beyond the limits of decency and secular manners.

The Bingley sisters quickly discern the feeling that has arisen between Jane and their brother, and begin to do everything for their separation. Seeing the inevitable danger, they "take" their brother to the capital. Soon the reader will learn about the significant role of Darcy in the plot of the work.

The main storyline implies numerous branches. One day, Mr. Collins, his cousin, appears in Mr. Bennet's home, who, according to English law, after Bennet's death, in the absence of male heirs, will become the owner of the Longbourn estate, as a result of which Mrs. Bennet and her children may be left homeless. The message from Collins, and soon his arrival testify to his stupidity, self-confidence. It was these virtues, as well as the ability to please and flatter, that became an excellent way to get a parish on the estate of Madame de Beer, a noble lady. In the future, her relationship to Darcy is revealed, but her arrogance completely sets her apart from Darcy's nephew. Collins appears in Longbourn not by chance: he decides to marry one of the Bennet daughters, not expecting to meet an accidental refusal, because marriage will turn the young chosen one into Longbourn's mistress. He chooses Elizabeth, but having received a refusal, he is extremely amazed. However, Mr. Collins very soon found himself another wife: she was Charlotte Lucas, a friend of Elizabeth, who, judging the advantages of this marriage, gave Collins consent. Another officer of Wickham's quartered regiment appears in Meryton. At the ball, he makes a great impression on Elizabeth with his charm, courtesy, ability to please such a person as Miss Benett. Elizabeth feels special trust, realizing that he is familiar with Darcy, as he is a victim of his dishonesty.

After Bingley's departure, with Darcy and the Miss Bennet sisters, they go to London to visit their uncle Mr. Gardiner and his wife, a lady to whom the girls feel sincere affection. From the capital, Elizabeth without a sister, goes to her friend Charlotte, the wife of Mr. Collins. At de Beer's lodgings, Elisabeth sees Darcy again and engages in a verbal duel again. It is worth noting that the actions are developing on the verge of the 18th - 19th centuries, when such audacity on the part of a young lady is free-thinking: "I'm absolutely not afraid of you, Mr. Darcy ...". One day, when Elizabeth is sitting alone in the living room, Darcy appears: “Everything is useless! Nothing works. I can't cope. I am endlessly fascinated by you and love you!” However, Elizabeth strongly rejects his words. Darcy asks to explain her refusal, the hostility so undisguised by her, to which Elizabeth speaks of Jane's happiness, which is destroyed because of him, of the offended Wickham. Even offering marriage, Darcy does not want to hide that he remembers the inevitability of kinship with persons who are much lower in rank than him. This is what hurts Elizabeth very much. The next day, Elizabeth receives a letter from Darcy explaining her behavior towards Bingley, where Darcy does not look for excuses, does not hide his own contribution to this scam. In the message, Darcy calls Wickham a deceiver, a low, dishonorable person. This message stuns the girl and misleads her. She is aware of the shame at the insult inflicted on Darcy: "What a shame!" With such thoughts, the girl leaves for Longbourn, home. From home, Elizabeth travels around Derbyshire with her aunt Gardiner and uncle. On the way they stop at Pemberley, Darcy's estate. The girl knows for sure that there should be no one in the house, but she meets Darcy again there. Is it really him, the same Darcy? But Elizabeth's attitude towards the guy has changed a lot, she already sees many virtues in him. Elizabeth receives a message from Jane, in which she learns about their younger sister, the unlucky and frivolous Lydia, who ran off with Wickham. Elizabeth tells Darcy about the dishonor that has fallen on their family, she understands the whole tragedy when he bows out and leaves. She is no longer destined to be Darcy's wife. Her sister brought disgrace to the entire family by putting a stigma on her, especially the unmarried sisters. Elizabeth is going home. Uncle Gardiner goes to look for the fugitives in the capital, where he soon finds them and forces Wickham to marry Lydia. Elizabeth learns about participation in the search for Darcy, who found and forced Wickham to marry Lydia (for a considerable amount of money). A happy ending is coming. Bingley arrives at Netherfield with his sisters and Darcy, where Bingley proposes to Jane. Elizabeth and Darcy have a final explanation, after which, having become his wife, Elizabeth becomes the owner of Pemberley. Darcy's young sister Georgiana realized that a girl could allow herself to be treated by her husband in a way that her younger sister could not treat her brother.

Please note that this is only a summary of the literary work Pride and Prejudice. This summary omits many important points and quotations.

“Remember, if our sorrows come from Pride and Prejudice, then we also owe deliverance from them to Pride and Prejudice, for good and evil are so wonderfully balanced in the world.”

These words really fully reveal the intention of Jane Austen's novel.

A provincial family, as they say, of a “middle hand”: the father of the family, Mr. Bennet, is quite noble blood, phlegmatic, prone to a stoic-doomed perception of both life around him and himself; he treats his own wife with particular irony: Mrs. Bennet really cannot boast of either origin, intelligence or upbringing. She is frankly stupid, blatantly tactless, extremely limited and, accordingly, has a very high opinion of her own person. The Bennets have five daughters: the eldest, Jane and Elizabeth, will become the central characters of the novel.

The relationship that develops between Bingley-Jane and Darcy-Elizabeth is quite consistent with their characters. In the former, they are imbued with clarity and spontaneity, both are simple-hearted and trusting (which at first will become the soil on which mutual feelings will arise, then the cause of their separation, then bring them together again). With Elizabeth and Darcy, everything will turn out to be completely different: attraction-repulsion, mutual sympathy and equally obvious mutual hostility; in a word, the very “pride and prejudice” (both!) that will bring them a lot of suffering and mental anguish, through which they will be painfully, while never “departing from the face” (that is, from themselves), to break through to each other . Their first meeting will immediately indicate mutual interest, more precisely, mutual curiosity. Both are equally outstanding: just as Elizabeth differs sharply from the local young ladies in her sharpness of mind, independence of judgments and assessments, so Darcy, in her upbringing, manners, and restrained arrogance, stands out among the crowd of officers of the regiment stationed in Meryton, the very ones that brought them together with their uniforms and epaulettes crazy little Miss Bennet, Lydia and Kitty. However, at first, it is Darcy's arrogance, his emphasized snobbery, when with all his behavior, in which cold courtesy for a sensitive ear can, not without reason, sound almost insulting, it is precisely these qualities of his that cause Elizabeth's dislike, and even indignation. For if the pride inherent in both of them immediately (inwardly) brings them together, then Darcy's prejudices, his class arrogance can only repel Elizabeth. Their dialogues - in rare and random meetings at balls and in drawing rooms - are always a verbal duel. The duel of equal opponents is invariably courteous, never going beyond the bounds of decency and secular conventions.

As it should be in a "classic" novel, the main storyline is overgrown with numerous branches. So, at some point in the house of Mr. Bennet, his cousin Mr. Collins appears, who, according to the English laws on majorate, after the death of Mr. Bennet, who has no male heirs, must enter into the possession of their Longbourn estate, as a result of which Mrs. Bennet and her daughters may end up without a roof over their heads. The letter received from Collins, and then his own appearance, testify to how limited, stupid and self-confident this gentleman is, precisely because of these virtues, as well as another very important one: the ability to flatter and please, who managed to get a parish on the estate of a noble ladies lady de Beer. Later it turns out that she is Darcy's own aunt - only in her arrogance, unlike her nephew, there will not be a glimpse of a living human feeling, not the slightest ability for a spiritual impulse. Mr. Collins comes to Longbourn not by chance: having decided, as required by his dignity (and Lady de Beer too), to enter into a legal marriage, he opted for the family of his cousin Bennett, confident that he would not meet with refusal: after all, his marriage to one of Miss Bennet will automatically make the happy chosen one the rightful mistress of Longbourn. His choice falls, of course, on Elizabeth. Her refusal plunges him into the deepest amazement: after all, not to mention his personal virtues, with this marriage he was going to benefit the whole family. However, Mr. Collins consoled himself very soon: Elizabeth's closest friend, Charlotte Lucas, turns out to be more practical in all respects and, having judged all the advantages of this marriage, gives Mr. Collins her consent. Meanwhile, another man appears in Meryton, a young officer of the Wickham regiment stationed in the city. Appearing at one of the balls, he makes a rather strong impression on Elizabeth: charming, helpful, at the same time not stupid, able to please even such an outstanding young lady as Miss Bennet. Elizabeth develops a special trust in him after she realizes that he is familiar with Darcy - the arrogant, unbearable Darcy! - and not just a sign, but, according to the stories of Wickham himself, is a victim of his dishonesty. The halo of a martyr who suffered through the fault of a person who arouses such dislike in her makes Wickham even more attractive in her eyes.

Some time after the sudden departure of Mr. Bingley with his sisters and Darcy, the older Miss Bennet themselves end up in London - to stay at the house of their uncle Mr. Gardiner and his wife, a lady to whom both nieces have sincere emotional affection. And from London, Elizabeth, already without a sister, goes to her friend Charlotte, the very one that became the wife of Mr. Collins. At Lady de Beer's house, Elizabeth again encounters Darcy. Their conversations at the table, in public, again resemble a verbal duel - and again, Elizabeth turns out to be a worthy opponent. And given that the action still takes place at the turn of the 18th - 19th centuries, then such impudence from the lips of a young lady - on the one hand a lady, on the other - a dowry may seem like real freethinking: “You wanted to embarrass me, Mr. Darcy ... but I I'm not at all afraid of you ... Stubbornness does not allow me to show cowardice when others want it. When you try to intimidate me, I become even more impudent. But one fine day, when Elizabeth is sitting alone in the living room, Darcy suddenly appears on the threshold; “All my struggle was in vain! Nothing comes out. I can't handle my feeling. Know that I am infinitely fascinated by you and that I love you!” But Elizabeth rejects his love with the same determination with which she once rejected the claims of Mr. Collins. At the request of Darcy to explain both her refusal and the hostility towards him, so undisguised by her, Elizabeth speaks of Jane's happiness destroyed because of him, of Wickham insulted by him. Again - a duel, again - a scythe on a stone. For, even when proposing, Darcy cannot (and does not want to!) hide the fact that, while making it, he still always remembers that, having married Elizabeth, he thereby inevitably “will enter into kinship with those who are so below him on the social ladder." And it is precisely these words (although Elizabeth understands no less than him how limited her mother is, how ignorant her younger sisters are, and much more than he suffers from this) that hurt her unbearably painfully. In the scene of their explanation, equal temperaments, equal "pride and prejudice" clash. The next day, Darcy hands Elizabeth a voluminous letter - a letter in which he explains to her his behavior towards Bingley (desire to save a friend from the very misalliance that he is ready for now!), - explains without looking for excuses, without hiding his an active role in this matter; but the second is the details of the "Wickham case", which present both of its participants (Darcy and Wickham) in a completely different light. In Darcy's story, it is Wickham who turns out to be both a deceiver and a low, licentious, dishonorable person. Darcy's letter stuns Elizabeth - not only by the truth revealed in it, but, no less, by her awareness of her own blindness, experienced by shame for the involuntary insult that she inflicted on Darcy: “How shameful I have acted! .. I, who was so proud of my insight and relying so much on her own common sense!” With these thoughts, Elizabeth returns home to Longbourn. And from there, together with Aunt Gardiner and her husband, he goes on a short trip around Derbyshire. Among the sights that lie in their path is Pemberley; beautiful old estate owned by... Darcy. And although Elizabeth knows for sure that these days the house should be empty, just at the moment when the housekeeper Darcy proudly shows them the interior, Darcy reappears on the threshold. During the few days that they constantly meet - sometimes in Pemberley, sometimes in the house where Elizabeth and her companions are staying - he invariably amazes everyone with his courtesy, and friendliness, and ease of handling. Is this the same proud Darcy? However, the attitude of Elizabeth herself towards him also changed, and where previously she was ready to see only flaws, now she is quite inclined to find many advantages. But then an event occurs: from a letter received from Jane, Elizabeth learns that their younger sister, the unlucky and frivolous Lydia, ran away with a young officer - none other than Wickham. Such - in tears, in confusion, in despair - finds her Darcy in the house, alone. Beside herself with grief, Elizabeth talks about the misfortune that has befallen their family (dishonor is worse than death!), And only then, when, having bowed dryly, he suddenly abruptly leaves, she realizes what happened. Not with Lydia, with herself. After all, now she can never become the wife of Darcy - she, whose own sister has forever disgraced herself, thereby imposing an indelible stigma on the whole family. In particular - on their unmarried sisters. She hurriedly returns home, where she finds everyone in despair and confusion. Uncle Gardiner hastily leaves for London in search of the fugitives, where he unexpectedly quickly finds them. Then, even more unexpectedly, he persuades Wickham to marry Lydia. And only later, from a casual conversation, Elizabeth learns that it was Darcy who found Wickham, it was he who forced him (with the help of a considerable amount of money) into marriage with the girl he had seduced. After this opening, the action is rapidly approaching a happy denouement. Bingley and his sisters and Darcy return to Netherfield Park. Bingley proposes to Jane. Another explanation takes place between Darcy and Elizabeth, this time the last one. Having become Darcy's wife, our heroine also becomes the full owner of Pemberley - the very one where they first understood each other. And Darcy's young sister Georgiana, with whom Elizabeth "established the intimacy that Darcy expected, learned from her experience that a woman can afford to treat her husband in a way that a younger sister cannot treat her brother."

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