Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen (1775-1817) was an English novelist and earned her place as one of the most wildly read authors in English literature. Austen lived her entire life as part of a close-knit family located on the lower fringes of the English landed gentry. From her teenage years into her thirties she experimented with various literary forms, including epistolary novels which she then abandoned. Austen’s works critique the novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th century realism. “Pride and Prejudice” is a novel of manners published in 1813. The story follows the main character, Elisabeth Bennet, as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of the British regency.