This article will discuss the famous writer and her no less famous book. For those who do not remember or do not know the plot of the imperishable novel, a summary is given. "Pride and Prejudice" is a story about the mores of English society in the 19th century. It would seem that it can arouse interest among modern readers? Nevertheless, Pride and Prejudice is a novel that has gone through countless reprints. Based on his motives, several films and series have been shot. Austen's novel has been read for two centuries not only in England, but also in other countries.

about the author

Not much is known about the personality and appearance of the writer. Only a portrait of Austin, painted by one of her relatives, has survived. According to some reports, she loved entertainment, but she was a very sensible lady who wrote the novel Pride and Prejudice.

The book, reviews of which are mostly laudatory both from contemporaries and from readers of today, that is, two hundred years after publication, was rejected several times by publishers. Austin began writing the novel at the age of twenty. The publishers did not like the manuscript. Jane did not change either the plot or the main characters. She shelved the work on the novel and only remembered it sixteen years later. By that time, Austin had gained considerable writing experience and was able to edit the work properly.

The hand of an accomplished author of realistic prose wrote the final version of the novel Pride and Prejudice. The book, which initially received negative reviews from publishers, was published after careful revision. Although it is possible, the whole point is that the publishing world has changed over an impressive period of time. What was of no interest in 1798 became relevant in the second decade of the 19th century.

Style and issues

Jane Austen created her works in the genre of the novel of manners, which is considered to be the founder of Samuel Richardson. Austin's book is filled with irony, deep psychologism. The fate of the writer is similar to the fate of the heroine of the novel Pride and Prejudice. The plot of the work directly concerns the temper and prejudices that prevailed in English society at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries.

A girl from a poor family could hardly hope for personal happiness. Jane Austen, unlike her heroine, never got married. In her youth, she had an affair with a young man whose family was also experiencing financial difficulties. They broke up. When Austin turned thirty, she defiantly put on a cap, thereby declaring herself an old maid.

Plot

What can be said in a summary? "Pride and Prejudice" is a story about girls from a decent English family who were not married for a long time, but were eventually led down the aisle. The Bennet sisters could have been old maids. After all, there are five daughters in their family, and this is a disaster for a poor English nobleman. Of course, no film, and even more so a retelling, will not replace the reading of Pride and Prejudice. The quotes from the book presented at the end of the article confirm that its author has a subtle sense of humor and keen powers of observation.

Retelling plan

Pride and Prejudice is a novel that every educated person should read in its entirety. It is not for nothing that Austin's work is included in the English educational program and the course in the history of world literature, which future philologists take in all European countries. For those who do not claim to be an educated, well-read person, a summary is provided.

Pride and Prejudice is a book in two parts. Each of them has several chapters. You should make a small plan before giving a summary. Pride and Prejudice has a plot that can be broken down and titled as follows:

1. News of the arrival of Mr. Bingley.
2. Darcy and Elizabeth.
3. Mr Collins.
4. Darcy's confession.

The news of Mr. Bingley's arrival

The life of a large, poor aristocratic family is at the center of the plot of the novel Pride and Prejudice. The main characters are the head of the family, Mr. Bennet, his nervous and not distinguished by wisdom and education of his wife, as well as their five daughters.

The Bennet sisters are marriageable girls. Each of them has a bright personality. The eldest - Jane - a kind, disinterested girl, according to generally accepted opinion, is the most beautiful of Bennett's daughters. Elizabeth is inferior to her older sister in beauty, but not in prudence and intelligence. Lizzie is the main character. The story of this girl's love for the rich and arrogant Darcy is the main storyline of the novel. Bennett's other daughters are Mary, Katherine, Lydia.

It all starts with the fact that Mrs. Bennet learns the good news: a young, and most importantly, a single Mr. Bingley arrives in a neighboring village, renting one of the richest local estates.

Believing that this man must fall in love with one of her daughters, the woman pesters her husband with a demand to visit a potential son-in-law. Mr. Bingley reacts to his wife's persuasion not without sarcasm. However, the next day he pays a visit to Bingley and receives invitations to a party, to which he should already appear with his wife and daughters.

It is worth saying that the action of the novel takes place in the province. The news of the arrival of a young aristocrat spreads with lightning speed.

Mr Darcy

To still greater excitement, and later disappointment, came Mrs. Bennet to learn that Bingley had come not alone, but in the company of her friend, Mr. Darcy. This young man is also incredibly rich, comes from an old aristocratic family. But, unlike his friend, Darcy is arrogant, pompous, narcissistic.

Bingley falls in love with Jane at first sight. Miss Bennet is also not indifferent to this young man. But only Lizzy knows about her feelings. Jane Bennet is a reserved, proud girl, which, however, does not prevent her from having an extremely kind heart. Bingley's relatives are alarmed by his attachment to a girl from a dubious family. The sisters trick him into leaving for London.

Darcy and Elizabeth

For several months, Bennett's eldest daughter will not see her lover. Later it turns out that the whole thing is in the machinations of the insidious Bingley sisters. But Darcy's act will cause particular indignation in Elizabeth. After all, it was he who made the effort to break off his friend's relationship with Jane.

Relations between Darcy and Lizzie cannot be called warm. Both are proud. But the prejudices and prejudices, which Mr. Darcy is not without, seem to repel Miss Bennet from him. Elizabeth differs significantly from other unmarried girls. She is independent, educated, has a sharp mind and powers of observation. Deep down, she feels sympathy for Darcy. But his snobbery causes a storm of indignation in her. Their dialogue is a verbal duel, each of the participants of which seeks to hurt the opponent more painfully, without violating the generally accepted norms of etiquette.

Mr. Collins

One day, their relative shows up at the Bennets' house. His name is Collins. This is a very stupid, limited person. But he knows how to flatter excellently, and therefore he achieved a lot: he received a parish in the rich estate of a lady who would later turn out to be a relative of Darcy. Collins, by virtue of his stupidity, is also self-confident. The fact is that according to English law, after the death of Bennett, he must enter into the possession of his estate. After all, he does not have a male heir.

Mr. Collins visits relatives for a reason. He decided to propose to Elizabeth. The time has come to marry, and he cannot find a better wife than Bennett's daughter. She is educated and educated. In addition, she will be grateful to him until the end of her days. The marriage of Lizzie and Collins will save the Bennet family from ruin and poverty. Imagine the surprise of this self-confident careerist when he receives a refusal! Elizabeth rejects Collins' offer, but Collins soon finds a replacement for her. Charlotte - Lizzy's friend - accepts his proposal, being a practical and reasonable girl.

Confessions of Darcy

This character appears in the story when Lizzie has nothing but dislike for Darcy. Wickham is a young, charming man. He wins over Elizabeth, and later tells a heartbreaking story in which he is a martyr and Darcy is a villain. Miss Bennet willingly believes Wickham's stories.

Later, when Darcy suddenly proposes, Elizabeth rejects him. But the reason for this refusal is not only in Wickham, who was allegedly offended by a wealthy aristocrat. It's all about pride. And in prejudice. Darcy admits that he is ready to go for a misalliance. But he drops a phrase that causes indignation in Lizzie's soul. “I am ready to relate to those who are much lower than me socially,” says Darcy and is immediately rejected.

The next day, Elizabeth receives a letter. In it, Darcy talks about Wickham, recounting the true story of their quarrel. It turns out that the person to whom Elizabeth was so disposed is a scoundrel. And the one to whom she felt hostility is offended by her cruelly and unfairly.

A few days later, one of the younger Bennet sisters disappears along with a young officer. It turns out to be the same Wickham. The Bennet family is disgraced.

denouement

Darcy suddenly appears in the eyes of the main character as a completely different person - kind, sincere. He saves the Bennet family from disgrace by forcing Wickham to almost force him to marry the girl he dishonored. He then again proposes to Lizzie to become his wife, to which she happily agrees. Bingley, meanwhile, meets with Jane. Two weddings are scheduled on the same day. This is the finale of the novel by one of the best writers of the nineteenth century.

Movies

The first adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was made in 1940. But the most successful is the film, released much later.

In 1995, a six-part film based on the novel by Jane Austen was released. It stars Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. In 2005, the film adaptation directed by Joe Wright premiered. Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen played in this picture. Four "Oscars" collected a film based on the famous novel "Pride and Prejudice".

Quotes from the book

Austen's work has humor in a true English style. Thanks to her refined style of presentation and vivid dialogues, the works of this writer are popular all over the world. Here are some quotes from Jane Austen's novel:

• “A woman who is the mother of five adult daughters has so little beauty left that one has to not think about her at all.”
• "If a woman hides her feelings for her chosen one, she risks losing him."
• "When you try to intimidate me, I become more defiant."
• "You are too generous to play with my heart."

“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 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. 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 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 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, Elizabeth's attitude 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 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 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 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 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."

Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice describes the mores of English society at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.

In the center of the story is the poor Bennet family. Mother and father are raising five daughters: beautiful Jane, smart Elizabeth and silly Lydia, Kitty and Mary. In those days, the absence of a son in the family was a tragedy. According to the law, after the death of the father, a distant relative will become the owner of the house and lands of the Bennets, because there is no heir in the family.

A mother and her daughters may be homeless. And there is only one way out of this situation - it is vital for daughters to marry a wealthy man. And this is also quite problematic, because the girls have neither a worthy inheritance nor connections in society. Fortunately, Mr. Bennet is in good health.

The mother of the family is day and night concerned about the search for suitors for her daughters. Fate smiled on the family: a rich single man, Mr. Bingley, is moving to a neighboring estate. To get to know him, Mr. Bennet visits a new neighbor. Then Mr. Bingley arrives at the party with his sisters and a friend, Mr. Darcy.

Provincial society is amazed at how different friends are from each other: Bingley is trusting and ingenuous, and Darcy is proud, arrogant and sometimes reserved. From the first meeting between Bingley and Jane Bennet there is sympathy. The feelings of young people are growing stronger every day. But Mr. Bingley's two relatives, who want to see their brother in a marriage relationship with a completely different young lady, do everything possible to separate the lovers. The sisters work with Darcy to convince Bingley to leave the estate.

Elizabeth Bennet already aroused the interest of Mr. Darcy at the first acquaintance. But his vanity and impartial remarks about provincial society push the girl away from him. Soon, Elizabeth meets Wickham, who evokes sympathy among all the girls in the provincial society. The man tells how cruelly Mr. Darcy treated him, which further humiliated Darcy in the eyes of the young girl.

There is hope in the Bennet family that Wickham and Elizabeth will soon announce their engagement. But these plans are not destined to come true. A young man directs his attention to a wealthy girl.

Unexpectedly, the Bennet family is visited by Collins - a stupid but self-confident young man who will become the owner of the house after the death of Mr. Bennet. Collins proposes to Elizabeth, but is rebuffed. To offend Elizabeth, the man asks for a hand and heart from a family friend, Charlotte Lucas, who agrees to become his wife.

In the spring, Elizabeth comes to visit the Collins' house, where she meets a wealthy lady, Lady de Beer, Darcy's own aunt. De Beer's daughter and Mr. Darcy are considered bride and groom. Soon Darcy arrives at her aunt's house. Elizabeth learns that he insisted on Bingley and Jane breaking up. When Darcy tells Elizabeth of his love and asks her to become his wife, the girl refuses him in a harsh manner. She accuses Darcy of being a swaggering and arrogant man who ruined Jane's happiness and treated Wickham unfairly. Mr. Darcy partially justifies himself to the girl by writing her a letter.

During the summer, Elizabeth travels with relatives. They stop at Pemberley, an estate owned by Darcy. Suddenly, the girl meets with the owner himself. But the man behaves much better than before. He is courteous and respectful. A young girl realizes that she likes Mr. Darcy. But the relationship that has begun is interrupted by terrible news: the youngest daughter, Lydia, ran away with Mr. Wickham, without even getting married. This caused irreparable damage to the reputation of the entire family. Elizabeth comes home.

Some time later, news reaches the Bennett family that Wickham has married Lydia without asking for a huge dowry. Elizabeth learns that Mr. Darcy helped find the fugitives and arrange their wedding, paying off Wickham's numerous debts. At the same time, Mr. Bingley, with his sisters and a friend, returns to the estate and proposes marriage to Jane. To which he receives the consent of the girl and her father.

Lady de Beer pays a visit to Elisabeth and breaks the news. Her nephew has called off his engagement to her daughter and is going to ask Elizabeth to be his wife. After some time, Darcy himself arrives with the hope that Elizabeth has changed her mind about him. The girl agrees to the marriage.

The movie Pride and Prejudice was released in 2005. Perhaps this film will interest you. Read the plot summary:

The plot takes place in the village of Longbourne, in the county of Hertfordshire. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are discussing a new neighbor - a young, charming and rather rich Mr. Charles Bingley. He rented an estate nearby, in Netherfield. Mrs. Bennet really hoped that the young man would marry one of her five daughters.

She persuades her husband to pay a visit to the new neighbor, but Mr. Bennet says that he already had the honor to meet and chat with the new neighbor. A couple of days later, the whole family goes to Netherfield for a ball, where they meet Mr. Bingley, his sisters and his friend, Mr. Darcy, from Derbershire.

The Netherfield youth immediately pays special attention to the adult daughter of the Bennets, Jane. The girl also took a liking to the young gentleman, but she did not show it. And Mr. Darcy liked Elizabeth - the next daughter of the Bennets, although the man himself did not immediately understand this. However, Elizabeth immediately did not like the visitor from Derbershire, she considered him too proud and arrogant.

After some time, the girls meet Mr. Wickham, who tells Elizabeth about how ugly Mr. Darcy acted, not fulfilling the last wish of his father, who promised Wickham a church parish. This further strengthened Elizabeth's antipathy towards Darcy. Soon, the sisters learned that Bingley and his friends had left, and all the mother's hopes for Jane's early marriage collapsed like a house of cards.

A few days later, Elizabeth's friend, Charlotte Lucas, announced that she would soon marry the Bennts' cousin, Mr. Collins, and move to Rosings. In the spring, Lisey pays a visit to the Collins. They invite her to visit Lady Catherine de Boer - Mr. Darcy's aunt. While serving in the church, Elizabeth learns from Darcy's friend, Colonel Fitzwilliam, that he separated Bingley and Jane. A few hours later, Darcy confesses his love and proposes to Elizabeth. She refuses, arguing that she cannot become the wife of a man who destroyed the happiness of her beloved sister.

Lisey later learns that her younger sister, Lydia, has run off with Mr. Wickham. The Wickhams then arrive at Longbourn, where a young girl accidentally tells Elizabeth that it was Mr. Darcy who arranged their wedding. Lisey understands that he took on all the expenses and a certain feeling wakes up in her ...

On the same day, friends Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley arrive at the Bennets' house. Bingley proposes to Jane and she accepts. At night, Lady Catherine arrives and in a rather rude form reproaches Elizabeth for agreeing to marry her nephew and demands to prove that this is just stupid gossip. However, Elizabeth refuses to refute this rumor.

At dawn, Darcy comes to Elizabeth. He again declares his love to her and re-proposes. This time the girl agrees.

Film directed by English film director Joe Wright, based on the novel of the same name by Jane Austen, published in 1813. The production of the film cost about 28 million dollars. The film grossed approximately $121.1 million worldwide at the box office. Keira Knightley plays the lead role in the film.

The film is all imbued with this magical spirit of that wonderful England of the 18th century, when men took their first steps, when they danced at balls, wrote letters and waited in trepidation for answers, when gentlemen held out their hands to the ladies, when they walked in long dresses and rejoiced in the rain ...

The image of Elizabeth Bennet is a model of behavior for a girl who strives to show her independence, to become truly free from everything. She is not afraid to say what she thinks, she is almost indifferent to what others say about her. For a 21-year-old girl, this is quite strong and bold.

Darcy, who at first glance seems very proud and arrogant, after meeting Elizabeth becomes attentive to trifles, begins to express himself more accurately and becomes a very pleasant and courteous man.

“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 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. 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 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 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 hurriedly leaves in search of the fugitives in London, 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."