p>JANE AUSTEN
Pride and Prejudice
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
‘It is a truth well known to all the world that an unmarried man in possession of a large fortune must be in need of a wife.’ And so, when such a man comes to live near the Bennet family, Mrs Bennet is delighted. At once, she sees in Mr Bingley a possible, almost a certain, husband for one of her five daughters.
‘People say he’s quite young, very handsome, and extremely charming!’ says foolish Lydia, the youngest of the Bennet sisters. ‘And even better, he loves dancing! Everybody knows that means he’s likely to fall in love!’
But with whom? Soon, Elizabeth Bennet is sure that he admires her eldest sister, Jane. Certainly, he is most attentive to her whenever they meet, but who can tell if admiration will lead to marriage, and happiness?
Mr Bingley, however, is not the only young man to show interest in the Bennet girls. There is their cousin, the boring Mr Collins. There are the officers of the regiment – the charming Mr Wickham, for example. And of course, there is Mr Bingley’s friend, Mr Darcy – tall, dark, and extremely wealthy, but then he is such a rude, proud, disagreeable man …
PEOPLE IN THIS STORY
Mr Bennet, of Longbourn House
Mrs Bennet, his wife
Charlotte Lucas, a friend of Elizabeth Bennet’s
Sir William and Lady Lucas, Charlotte’s parents
Maria Lucas, Charlotte’s sister
Mr Collins, a rector and a distant cousin of Mr Bennet’s
Mrs Philips, Mrs Bennet’s sister
Mr Philips, her husband
Mr Gardiner, Mrs Bennet’s brother
Mrs Gardiner, his wife
Mr Charles Bingley, of Netherfield Park
Miss Caroline Bingley, his younger sister
Mrs Louisa Hurst, his elder sister
Mr Hurst, husband to Mrs Hurst
Mr Darcy, a friend of Mr Bingley’s
Miss Georgiana Darcy, Mr Darcy’s young sister
Colonel Fitzwilliam, Mr Darcy’s cousin
Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr Darcy’s aunt
Miss Anne de Bourgh, Lady Catherine’s daughter
Mr George Wickham, an officer in the regiment
Colonel Forster, Commanding Officer of the regiment
Mrs Forster, his wife
The Bennets’ new neighbour
It is a truth well known to all the world that an unmarried man in possession of a large fortune must be in need of a wife. And when such a man moves into a neighbourhood, even if nothing is known about his feelings or opinions, this truth is so clear to the surrounding families, that they think of him immediately as the future husband of one or other of their daughters.
‘My dear Mr Bennet,’ said Mrs Bennet to her husband one day, ‘have you heard that someone is going to rent Netherfield Park at last?’
‘No, Mrs Bennet, I haven’t,’ said her husband.
‘Don’t you want to know who is renting it?’ cried Mrs Bennet impatiently.
‘You want to tell me, and I don’t mind listening.’
Mrs Bennet needed no further encouragement. ‘Well, my dear, I hear that he’s a very rich young man from the north of England. It seems he came to see Netherfield on Monday and was so delighted with it that he arranged to rent it at once. Of course, it is the finest house in the area, with the largest gardens. His servants will be here by the end of the week, and he will be arriving soon afterwards!’
‘What is his name?’ asked Mr Bennet.
‘Bingley.’
‘Is he married or single?’
‘Oh, single, my dear, of course! A single man of large fortune – he has an income of four or five thousand pounds a year. How wonderful for our girls!’
‘Why? How can it affect them?’ Mr Bennet asked.
‘My dear Mr Bennet,’ she replied, ‘how can you be so annoying! You must realize I’m thinking of his marrying one of our daughters.’
‘Is that his purpose in coming to the area?’
‘His purpose? No, of course not. But it’s very likely that he’ll fall in love with one of them. And I want him to see the girls as soon
