Pride and Prejudice is a complicated love story that will win the hearts of all of it's readers. The story revolves around the Bennett family, the Bingley family and Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley's very close friend. Mr. Bingley moves to the Netherfield estate, and he and Jane Bennet fall in love at first sight. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet do not have such good luck, and are not fond of each other in the least. Circumstances soon enhance Elizabeth's dislike in Darcy; however Darcy finds himself falling for Elizabeth. Elizabeth refuses Darcy and soon discovers she may have lost her one chance for true love and happiness. Readers will learn valuable lessons and not be so quick to judge someone after reading this wonderfully written novel.

Jane Austen was born December 16, 1775 in Hampshire, England, and was Reverend George Austen and Cassandra Leigh Austen's seventh of eight children, six of which were boys. Jane was taught mainly by her father and had access to his wide library, and engaged in many discussions with her brothers, who studied for the Oxford entrance exam. For fun the children would dance, take walks, play piano, read, visit friends and neighbors and go to balls. They also wrote and performed charades at home. Jane wrote Love and Friendship, her first novel, at the age of merely fourteen. Jane's father was very supportive of her writing and provided the paper for her stories. When her father retired and moved the family to the city in 1801, Jane (25) and Cassandra (28) were considered old maids. Jane fell in love; however the man died shortly after. Jane accepted a proposal from a wealthy landowner and brother of a friend only to turn him down the following day. Jane returned to Hampshire with her mother and sister in 1809. The cause of Jane's death is unknown, yet physicians guess that Jane had Addison's Disease. Jane passed away on July 18, 1817 at 41 years old.

(The Education Department of The Shakespeare Theater of New jersey. Know the Show Support Materials for Pride and Prejudice. November, 2006).

Sense and Sensibility (1811)

Pride and Prejudice (1813)

Mansfield Park (1814)

Emma (1816)

Persuasion (1818)

Northanger Abbey (1818)

Sandition (never completed)

The Friendly Jane Austen, by Natalie Tyler, Viking/Penguin Books, 1999.

Jane Austen: A Literary Life, by Jan Fergus. St. Martin's Press, 1991.

Jane Austen: A Life, by Danvid Nokes. Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 1997.

What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew, by Daniel poole. Simon & Schuster, 1994.

Jane Austen: A life, by Claire Tomalin. Knopf, 1997.

The Republic of Pemberley website (www.pemberley.com)

Jane Austen Society of Australia website (www.jasa.net.au)

1. Why will Mr. Collins have right to the Bennett house after Mr. Bennett passes away?

2. Where do Darcy and Elizabeth first meet?

3. What does Wickham accuse Darcy of with holding from him?

4. What are the names of the Bennet sisters?

5. Why is Wickham in town?

6. What event makes Jane sick?

7. Who does Elizabeth believe, Mr. Darcy or Wickham?

8. Who does Elizabeth travel with?

9. What is Pemberley?

10. Who does Lydia run away with?

11. Who financially aids in the marriage of Lydia and Wickham?

12. What is the final outcome of Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship?

1. Why do you think the first line of the novel, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" such a well known line?

2. What important lesson do readers learn from Elizabeth?

3. What makes Mr. Darcy such a charismatic and charming character that leaves practically every girl drooling after finishing the book?

4. Which character is this quote referring to: "You never see a fault in anybody. All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes. I never heard you speak ill of a human being in my life" (11).

5. What is dangerous about never seeing the fault in anyone?

6. Pride and Prejudice's original title was First Impressions. Do you think Pride and Prejudice is more fitting?

7. How would you describe the relationship between the Bennet sisters?

8. How would you describe the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet?

9. What skills must a woman have in order to "accomplished" according to Mr. Bingley's sister? How does that differ from Elizabeth's thoughts?

10. Do you think Mrs. Bennet characterizes a mother for the time period well? Or do you think she is slightly over the top?

11. Do you agree with Elizabeth's decision to refuse Mr. Collins? Now if you were a father in that time period, do you think you would still agree or think she was foolish for turning down the man who will inherit their house?

12. Does Lydia love Wickham or is she merely young and foolish?

13. Does Wickham truly love Lydia? Do you think he has feelings for Elizabeth?

14. What do you think of Mary's shyness and quietness?

15. In what ways is the Bennet a disfunctional family? In what ways is the Bennet family a functional family?