Pride and Prejudice Key Quotations

"a fine countenance, a good figure and a very pleasing address"

Mr Wickham presents himself well but has a masked personality. He is a FOIL to Darcy

1 of 16

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

Marriage is presented here to be about money and not love. This truth is perhaps only acknowledged by Mrs Bennet and her friends?

2 of 16

"till this moment I never knew myself"

Pivotal point in the novel where Elizabeth realises that her prejudice and pride have let her mask her true feelings.

3 of 16

"he is just what a young man ought to be"

There were expectations in the Georgian period for how men should act and whether they would be a suitable husband

4 of 16

"I ask only for a comfortable home" "happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance"

Charlotte sees marriage as a separate thing to love. Austen mocking the practical ideal of marrying into a secure home.

5 of 16

"you are not serious in your rejection to me"

Mr Collins is so vain that he cannot believe anyone would turn down a marriage. Austen uses his character for humour to exaggerate the expectations.

6 of 16

"she is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me"

Darcy is prejudiced towards Elizabeth and it ruins her pride. "First Impressions"

7 of 16

"I was sure you could not be so beautiful for nothing"

Mrs Bennet objectifies her daughters and sees their main purpose in life is to get married

8 of 16

"she has no money, no connections, nothing that can tempt him to, she is lost forever"

A young lady was not expected to sleep with a man before marriage otherwise they would be spoiled, this would bring shame upon the family and ruin their reputation

9 of 16

"rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes"

Women are viewed as attractive and intelligence is not known widely for women amongst the Regency period

10 of 16

"You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you"

The first proposal. Darcy struggled to fight his feelings despite the social class"

11 of 16

"His character was decided. He was the proudest most disagreeable man in the world"

Village mentality, like to gossip and decide collectively on Darcy's character. Humorous because by the end they have changed their minds. Full stop makes it conclusive, yet it is not.

12 of 16

"captivated by youth and beauty" "ignorance and folly had contributed to his amusement"

Mr and Mrs Bennet don't get on anymore because there was nothing to her apart from looks when she was young. Austen criticising the idea that they only married for looks.

13 of 16

"Mr Collins had only to change from Jane to Elizabeth-and it was soon done-done while Mrs Bennet was stirring the fire"

Mr Collins is able to change his mind easily on such a fundamental part of marriage, in such a short time during a domestic occurrence. Trivial and ironic

14 of 16

"without any artificial appearance.Its banks were neither formal, nor falsely adorned"

This is symbolic of how Mr Darcy appears, he is real and raw like Pemberley. Paints an idyllic picture of a place to live whihc is suggestive of the 2 character being idyllic together.

15 of 16

"jumping over stiles"

Elizabeth is an unconventional woman links to her ability to reject 2 proposals

16 of 16

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Pride and Prejudice Key Quotations

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