1. Background Information
Pride and Prejudice
Background Information

2. Literary & narrative techniques

3. Satire
Ideas, customs, behaviors, or institutions are ridiculed in order to criticize human folly and to improve society
Listen closely to Elizabeth!

4. Irony
DRAMATIC = the audience is aware of something the audience/readers are not
VERBAL = a speaker says one thing but means another (sarcasm)
SITUATIONAL = a difference between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen

5. Free Indirect Discourse
The practice of embedding a character’s speech or thoughts into an otherwise third-person narrative.
The narrative moves back and forth between the narrator telling us what the character is thinking and showing us the character’s conscious thoughts, without denoting which thought belongs to whom.
a character's thoughts or spoken words are reported without quotation marks (or some other kind of indication, like the phrase "she thought" or "he said"). 
The result is a story that reads almost like it shares two “brains”: one belonging to the narrator, the other belonging to the character.
Elizabeth

6. Literary genre

7. Comedy of Manners
Uses elements of satire to ridicule or expose the behaviors, manners, flaws, and morals of the middle or upper classes
Love affairs, witty & comical exchanges, humorous revelation of societal scandals

8. Comedy of Manners Examples
The characters’ searches for love & financial stability
Social scandals of the Meryton community
Witty banter between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy or Mr. and Mrs. Bennet

9. Themes

10. Social Class & Lack of Mobility
By the 19th century, 3 distinct groups made up the social class system: working, middle & upper classes
Mr. Darcy = hereditary aristocracy
Mr. Bingley = landed gentry
The Bennets = middle class

11. Marriage and Family
Acknowledges that marriage was a necessity for women in the 18th and 19th centuries
Also expresses Austen’s disillusionment with the fact that women were often forced into marriage out of financial necessity
Through Elizabeth, Austen advocates for marriage based on mutual respect and love

12. Pride and Prejudice
Originally planned to title the novel First Impressions
First impressions and premature preconceptions complicate the relationships between the characters
Pride and prejudice influence these perceptions

13. The characters

14. Mr. Bennet Patriarch of the family
Belongs to the minor gentry; gets a small income from the land attached to his estate (Longbourn)
Very fond of Elizabeth
No sons, so estate will pass to Mr. Collins

15. Mrs. Bennet Married to Mr. Bennet for 23 years
Her main goal in life is to find husbands for her daughters
Fond of Lydia; not as fond of Elizabeth

16. Jane Bennet Eldest daughter Close to Elizabeth
Befriended by the Bingley sisters
Known for her beauty and good nature

17. Elizabeth Bennet Second eldest daughter 20 years old
Bright and independent
Tends to speak her mind

18. Mary Bennet Third daughter The intellectual of the family
Busies herself with reading and music

19. Catherine (Kitty) Bennet
Fourth daughter
18 years old
Close to Lydia

20. Lydia Bennet Youngest daughter 15 years old Mrs. Bennet’s favorite
Very prone to flirting, especially with the officers in Meryton

21. Fitzwilliam Darcy Owner of a country estate called Pemberley
Income of 10,000 pounds per year
Reputation as a proud and ill-mannered man
Close friend of Charles Bingley

22. Charles Bingley
Inherits the fortune his father built through manufacturing and trade
Leases Netherfield Park
Falls in love with Jane Bennet

23. Caroline Bingley & Louisa Hurst
Charles Bingley’s sisters
Each command a fortune of 20,000 pounds
Join Bingley in Netherfield, but live in London
Louisa is married to Mr. Hurst; Caroline wants to marry Mr. Darcy

24. Charlotte Lucas Eldest child of Sir William and Lady Lucas
Elizabeth’s closest friend

25. Mr. Collins Mr. Bennet’s cousin The Bennet’s closest male relative
According to the laws of entail, he stands to inherit Longbourn

26. Mr. Wickham Member of militia regimen posted to Meryton
Son of the late Mr. Darcy’s steward
Known Fitzwilliam Darcy since childhood

27. Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Wealthy widow of high social standing
Lives with her daughter Anne at Rosings Park
Sister of Darcy’s late mother and intends for him to marry Anne

28. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner
Mr. Gardiner is Mrs. Bennet’s brother; he is a businessman in trade in London
Mrs. Gardiner is close to Jane and Elizabeth

29. Colonel Fitzwilliam Darcy’s cousin
Develops a friendship with Elizabeth

30. Georgiana Darcy 16 years old Darcy’s sister
Rumored that she is intended to marry Charles Bingley
Was previously involved with Wickham

31. Common questions

32. Cousins Marrying??
Yes, Mr. Collins and the Bennet girls are cousins (distant).
Remember, the priority during that time period was keeping property within the family – that was much more important than love

33. What do the “---”s mean?
Austen used "-----" a lot in her writing. Example " shire" or "lord/lady -----".
She did this to avoid insulting or annoying the aristocracy. She sometimes used real people/events and didn't want any confusion in her books.
If she used a real shire like Oxfordshire (real place) then someone could argue her book could never have taken place there be of x y or z. So she just omitted real names of people and places to keep her writing credible.