Pride and Prejudice

One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World'

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It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

Elizabeth Bennet, full of vivacity and wit, lives a quiet country existence with her four sisters. To the delight of their mother, determined to find her daughters suitable matches, the eligible Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley arrive in the neighbourhood, bringing with them dancing, wealth – and opportunity. Unimpressed at first by Darcy’s haughty air, Elizabeth vows to have nothing to do with him. But as she makes her own errors of judgement, the pair begin to understand each other and come to realise that first impressions are not always as they seem.

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s much-loved tale of marriage and society in Georgian England, continues to delight modern readers with its social comedy, well-drawn characters and subtle nuances.