Pride and Prejudice

What is it about Elizabeth that attracts Darcy, and how does she continue to draw him in as the novel progresses? Describe how the qualities criticized by Lady Catherine—and the qualities that make Elizabeth reject Darcy’s first proposal—are the very qualities that make Darcy fall in love with her. Describe Mr. Collins’s opinions of these same qualities.

Compare and contrast the marriages in Pride and Prejudice. Consider Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Lydia and Wickham, Charlotte and Mr. Collins, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Jane and Bingley, or Elizabeth and Darcy. Which marriages are unhappy, and why? What, according, to the novel, is necessary for a happy marriage? Why does Mr. Bennet warn Elizabeth against choosing a husband she is “unable to respect” (350)?

Which characters in Pride and Prejudice are “well bred,” and which are not? What do characters think constitutes good breeding? What does the novel suggest actually constitutes good breeding?

Discuss the importance of reputation in Pride and Prejudice. How do characters harm or improve their reputations? What do people value in the reputations of others? How does gossip impact people’s reputations?

Trace the progression of Darcy’s and Elizabeth’s growth, beginning with his first proposal. How do they change, and what inspires them to do so? Why is the process, at first, painful for each? What do their abilities to change suggest about them, and how do they differ from other characters in their willingness to change?

Explore how Austen allows readers to see the truth even when her protagonist, Elizabeth, does not. What prevents Elizabeth from seeing everything the reader does?

Discuss the role of class in Pride and Prejudice. Who is at the top of the social hierarchy? How does the social hierarchy affect how people treat one another?

Pride and Prejudice is the final version of a manuscript originally called First Impressions. Explain how First Impressions is also an appropriate title for the novel in its finished form.