"Pride and Prejudice" (Jane Austen "Pride and Prejudice") about the life of the English nobility and the relationship between different sections of high society.
Summary of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice" describes the life of the English nobility in the outback about two hundred years ago. Not far from the estate of the Bennet family, a new neighbor, Mr. Bingley, settles. Bingley is young, good-looking and rich, which makes him a desirable groom for unmarried ladies in the area. Together with Mr. Bingley, his friend Mr. Darcy, also a young, well-mannered and rich man, arrives.
Mrs. Bennet longs to marry Mr. Bingley to her daughter Jane, a well-bred, honest and gentle girl. Young people very quickly become saturated with sincere sympathy for each other. But between Mr. Darcy and Jane's sister Elizabeth, a spark of mutual rejection jumps: Mr. Darcy inadvertently declares that the Bennets are not people of his circle, and Elizabeth considers him puffed up and overly important.
Mr. Bingley's sister and her friends took Jane very well, considering her the only noteworthy Bennet daughter. They began to show signs of attention to her and invite her to their place. One day Jane went to Bingley's and got caught in the rain. She fell ill and selfless Elizabeth came to Bingley and nursed her sister for several days. Elizabeth saw that only one Mr. Bingley took a sincere interest in Jane. Elizabeth became the object of close attention of Mr. Darcy, who began to find her charming, but did not show it in any way. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was increasingly convinced that Darcy was treating her badly. Lizzie's opinion of Darcy gets even worse when she meets Mr. Wickham, who grew up with Darcy. Wickham related that Darcy had violated his father's will and deprived him of the parish that had been promised to Wickham by Darcy's father.
At the same time, their relative Mr. Collins comes to the Bennets. It is he who should get the Bennet estate after the death of Mr. Bennet, since Collins is the only male relative. Mr. Collins is a decent, well-mannered, but completely stupid and narrow-minded person. He came to the Bennets in order to woo one of the Bennet daughters. His choice falls on Lizzie and he proposes to her. Lizzie flatly refuses, much to the annoyance of Mrs. Bennet. Collins, a few days later, proposes to Lizzy's best friend Charlotte Lucas. She accepts the offer, much to Lizzie's surprise. Soon the wedding is played and the newlyweds leave for Collins' house.
Bingley travels to London on business but does not return. Soon, his sister and girlfriend also leave the estate. This frustrates Mrs. Bennet's plans for Jane's marriage and deeply hurts Jane, who sincerely had an affinity for Bingley. Jane goes to visit relatives in London to unwind a little. And Lizzie goes to visit the Collins, where they are received by Catherine de Boer, Mr. Darcy's aunt. She is sure that Darcy should marry her daughter. Soon, Mr. Darcy arrives at the estate of Catherine de Boer with his cousin, Mr. Fitzwilliam. In communication with Fitzwilliam, Lizzie learns that Darcy took part in the fate of Bingley in order to protect him from an unequal marriage. Lizzie realized that it was about her sister and began to hate Darcy even more. Darcy, on the other hand, does not avoid Lizzy's company at all and one day comes to her and confesses his great love for her and arrogantly asks for her hand. A stunned Lizzie categorically rejects his marriage proposal, accusing him of meddling in her sister's affairs and dishonest act towards Wickham.
Darcy accepts Lizzie's negative answer, but relays his explanation to her in a letter. In it, he writes that he will upset Jane and Bingley's marriage due to not being convinced of Jane's sincere affection for her friend. He also draws Lizzie's attention to Mrs. Bennet's completely tactless behavior in the company of Mrs. Bennet and the three younger sisters Jane and Lizzie (Lydia, Kitty and Mary). He also explains the situation with Wickham, who, it turns out, refused the church parish in exchange for a large amount of money that he used for entertainment, revelry and an idle lifestyle. Elizabeth resented Darcy's direct and honest letter, but for the first time she was forced to agree with Darcy and for the first time looked at him without prejudice.
Elizabeth returns home, and a little later leaves for London to visit relatives in order to take part in their journey through England. They visit many places and once pay a visit to the Darcy estate. They are sure it is not there. They spend a lot of time there and get the most flattering reviews of Darcy. Soon, he himself appears unexpectedly. Young people are very surprised. Both have feelings for each other, but both do not show them. Darcy behaves in a completely different way: he is very courteous, kind, sympathetic, spends a lot of time in the company of Elizabeth's relatives, whom he previously considered people below him. Darcy introduces Elizabeth to his sister Georgiana and they quickly bond. Darcy and Elizabeth's rekindling relationship is forcibly cut short by the news that Elizabeth's sister Lydia is running away with Wickham. Elizabeth is sure that Darcy will not be able to communicate with Elizabeth after such a family shame.
Mr. Bennet is going to look for Lydia. Uncle Elizabeth also joins the search, but to no avail. Mr. Bennet returns home and soon receives word that Wickham is ready to marry Lydia in exchange for giving her a share of the inheritance. After the wedding, the young people come to the Bennets' house to say goodbye and leave for another place, where Wickham is serving. Elizabeth learns that it was Darcy who found the fugitives and forced Wickham to marry, paying him a substantial amount of money. Elizabeth understands that she is in love with Darcy, but she also understands that the preservation of his feelings for her is highly unlikely.
Unexpectedly, Bingley returns to the village and proposes to Jane, it turned out that the young people retained tender feelings for each other. Elizabeth understands that it could not have done without Darcy. She wonders how he treats her, but does not come to unequivocal conclusions. Unexpectedly, Catherine de Beur arrives at the Bennets and interrogates Elizabeth regarding Darcy. Elizabeth refuses to promise that she will not accept Darcy's offer, which infuriates Mrs. de Boer. Soon after, Darcy arrives at the Bennets and re-proposes to Lizzie. He says that Lizzie's first rejection changed him a lot. Lizzie says that she, too, has reconsidered her opinion of Darcy and gladly accepts his offer. So Lizzy's prejudice was destroyed and Darcy stepped over his pride.
Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice" ends with a description of how the further life of the main characters settled down: Jane and Bingley are happy, no less happy, and Lizzie and Darcy. The marriage of Lydia and Wickham did not lead to anything good as expected.
Meaning
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is, as the title suggests, about pride and prejudice that interfere with people's happiness. The true love of the main characters overcomes different positions in society, and the negative attitude of relatives and friends, and different financial opportunities, and many different conventions.
In addition to the main characters, I was interested in the character of Mr. Bennet, an intelligent person who understands and interprets everything correctly. His wrong choice of wife and way of life led to the fact that his potential was wasted: he did not amass wealth, did not make a career, he does not love his wife and is well aware that his younger three daughters are stupid and ignorant.
The novel also describes in sufficient detail the social foundations of that time.
Conclusion
A very pleasant book. I read it in one breath. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is one of those books where you can't stop until you've finished it, and when you finish it, you regret that it's all over. I highly recommend reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Shortlisted for the best books of 2014 by my own version.
I also recommend reading book reviews (and the books themselves, of course):
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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.
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"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 a thorough 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.
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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.
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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.
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History of creation and publication
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 a thorough revision and achieved an extraordinary combination: cheerfulness, spontaneity, epigrammaticity, maturity of thought and skill.
At the center of the story are Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, who belong to different walks of life. The plot of the novel is based on a double mistake made by them because of “pride and prejudice”, the reasons for which, ultimately, lie in class and property relations. Elizabeth is inferior to Darcy both in birth and position, and besides, she is poor and suffers from the vulgarity of her relatives. Wounded pride, combined with chance (acquaintance with Wickham), leads Elizabeth to prejudice against Darcy. Her delusion is twofold: she not only considers Darcy a villain who killed more than one innocent victim; the charming scoundrel and hypocrite Wickham seems to her to be his victim.
Darcy's letter makes Elizabeth think about the correctness of her judgments. With it begins a slow release from false conclusions. This is facilitated by the incident connected with Wickham: he seduces Lydia, the youngest and most frivolous sister of Elizabeth. Other irrefutable proofs of Wickham's guilt, on the one hand, and Darcy's nobility, on the other, appear. Elizabeth is aware of the full measure of her own pride and prejudice, and, realizing it, rises above them.
Darcy also suffers from "pride and prejudice" early in the novel. This is not only class pride, but also the pride of an intelligent, educated and strong-willed person who is aware of his superiority over the surrounding society. His pride, like that of Elizabeth, leads to prejudice: he is prejudiced against the Bennet family, since they are not equal to him either in social position and condition, or in mind, or in education, or in strength of character. However, having fallen in love against all the dictates of Elizabeth's mind, he decides to propose to her, not hiding from her his feelings about her family. Only when he sees what a serious insult he inflicts on Elizabeth with this, Darcy realizes his delusion. At the end of the novel, he frees himself from false principles and, having risen above them, gains Elizabeth.
Screen adaptations
There are several feature films and television series based on the novel, but at the moment the best film adaptation is considered to be the 1995 television series Pride and Prejudice.
There are also adaptations of the novel: this is the 2003 film Pride and Prejudice with the setting moved to modern times, and the 2004 film The Bride and Prejudice with the setting moved to India.
Translations into Russian
I. Marshak's translation is considered a classic translation into Russian. In 2008, a translation by Anastasia (Nastik) Gryzunova appeared in the press, which caused a mixed reaction: for those accustomed to Marshak's smooth translation, Nastik's translation, which actively used outdated vocabulary, turned out to be unacceptable. A. Gryzunova's translation, pretentious and archaic, resembles Shishkov's well-known parody of Karamzinists. However, it is possible that this style most adequately conveys the caustic and ironic style of Jane Austen.
Links
- Pride and Prejudice. Translation into Russian by I. Marshak
- Pride and Prejudice. Translation into Russian by Anastasia Gryzunova (two chapters from the novel)
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See what "Pride and Prejudice (novel)" is in other dictionaries:
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Books
- Pride and Prejudice. Northanger Abbey, Austen Jane. "Miss Austen had a sharp tongue and a rare sense of humor," wrote her no less famous compatriot Somerset Maugham about the famous English writer. With subtle irony, amazing ...
“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 action takes place in a typical English province. In the small town of Meryton, in the county of Hertfordshire, sensational news comes: one of the richest estates in the Netherfield Park district will no longer be empty: it was rented by a wealthy 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 sharply differs 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 that cause Elizabeth and hostility, and even indignation. For if the inherent pride of both of them immediately (internally) 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.
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, Mr. Bennet's cousin Mr. Collins appears in the house of Mr. Bennet, who, according to the English laws on majorate, after the death of Mr. Bennet, who has no male heirs, must come into 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 chose 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 get to London - to stay in the house of their uncle Mr. Gardiner and his wife, a lady to whom both nieces have sincere emotional attachment. 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 making an offer, 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 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. During the few 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 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 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."
"Pride and Prejudice" J. Austin summary
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