History Literature / PrideAndPrejudice

* {{Bookworm}}: Mr Bennet regards reading as one of his principal enjoyments, and enjoys sharing it with his daughter Elizabeth. Mary also reads voraciously.

** While Elizabeth and Jane are made aware of Wickham's true personality, they choose not to tell anyone else partly because Mr. Darcy trusted Elizabeth to keep it secret. If they'd told the rest of their family, Lydia's elopement with Wickham could have been avoided. In their defence, they do note that it is not really their place to start broadcasting the dirty laundry of the Darcy family around town without permission. This, however, leads to...

* {{Irony}}: Darcy breaks up Jane and Bingley because he (mistakenly) thought Jane didn't have any genuine feelings for his friend. He then goes to propose to Elizabeth because he (again mistakenly) thought she understood that he was courting her and was receptive to his attentions.

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: When Elizabeth and Charlotte Lucas are discussing Jane's potential relationship with Bingley, Charlotte believes she should aim to secure him as soon as possible while she still has a strong position in his affections, stating that she can build upon their affection ''after'' they get married, while Elizabeth protests that Jane still hardly knows Bingley and has only had the chance to meet him on a few occasions thus far, and needs time to get to know him better.

** Mrs Bennet might not be one (it's never entirely clear -- she married above her class when she wed Mr Bennet, but he's not very rich, so his fortune may not have been the draw), but she certainly encourages her daughters to follow the philosophy.

** While it's rather lost in the midst of Lady Catherine being an utter snob, she does have a point that the younger Bennet sisters are rather ''too'' young to be 'out' in society, and that they've suffered from not having a governess or being taught any accomplishments. Mr Bennet could easily have afforded a governess, but he and Mrs Bennet have somewhat neglected the education of their daughters; the freedom they've been given at such a young age has left them running wild and thus failing to learn restraint or decorum.

** While it's rather lost in the midst of Lady Catherine being an utter snob, she does have a point that the younger Bennet sisters are rather ''too'' young to be 'out' in society, and that they've suffered from not having a governess or being taught any accomplishments. Mr Bennet could easily have afforded a governess, but he and Mrs Bennet have somewhat neglected the education of their daughters; the freedom they've been given at such a young age has left them running wild and failing to learn restraint and decorum.

* GroundedForever: After Lydia disgraces the family, Mr Bennet tells Kitty she's GroundedForever. He doesn't really mean it, but she believes him. Kitty protests that if she were to be allowed to go to Brighton, she would behave better. Her father is not convinced:

* MutualPining: Even after the incident with Lydia is resolved, Elizabeth still isn't ''quite'' sure if Darcy has forgiven her for rejecting him and continues to assume that he's not that interested in her, leaving Darcy likewise unsure if she still hates him or not. It's not until Lady Catherine accidentally gives Darcy a sign that Elizabeth wouldn't ''not'' marry him that he finally suspects he has a chance again and gives Elizabeth the second LoveConfession.

* While it's rather lost in the midst of Lady Catherine being an utter snob, she does have a point that the younger Bennet sisters are rather ''too'' young to be 'out' in society, and that they've suffered from not having a governess or being taught any accomplishments. Mr Bennet could easily have afforded a governess, but he and Mrs Bennet have somewhat neglected the education of their daughters; the freedom they've been given at such a young age has left them running wild and failing to learn restraint and decorum.

* While it's rather lost in Lady Catherine being an utter snob, she does have a point that the younger Bennet sisters are rather ''too'' young to be 'out' in society, and that they've suffered from not having a governess or being taught any accomplishments. Mr Bennet could easily have afforded a governess, but he and Mrs Bennet have rather neglected the education of their daughters.

** Miss Bingley and Mr Darcy actively break up Jane Bennet and Mr Bingley. She's a snob who ships him with Miss Darcy. Mr Darcy thinks Miss Bennet doesn't love him.

* HaveAGayOldTime: Some of the language and dialogue used makes for amusing reading when looked at through modern eyes.

* SmallRoleBigImpact: Colonel and Harriet Forster, who invite Lydia to Brighton after Harriet strikes up a friendship with Lydia; it results in Lydia eloping with Wickham.

** Lydia did not even consider money when pursuing her goal of marriage. This proves to be unfortunate as she is accustomed to the lifestyle of a gentleman's daughter, which even then she often exceeds her spending money. Once married, she and Wickham are forever in search of a cheaper living situation and tend to stay with the Bingley's (together) or the Darcy's (Lydia alone) because they cannot afford respectable lodgings or servants. Lydia is quite open about asking Elizabeth to persuade Mr. Darcy to pay her and Wickham an allowance.

** Wickham: Is forever mired in gambling debts and has consistently rejected various lucrative livings offered to him. He blames Mr. Darcy for this, rather than himself.
** Lydia: Did not even consider money when pursuing her goal of marriage. This proves to be unfortunate as she is accustomed to the lifestyle of a gentleman's daughter, which even then she often exceeds her spending money. Once married, she and Wickham are forever in search of a cheaper living situation and tend to stay with the Bingley's (together) or the Darcy's (Lydia alone) because they cannot afford respectable lodgings or servants. Lydia is quite open about asking Elizabeth to persuade Mr. Darcy to pay her and Wickham an allowance.

** Mr. Bennet is actually very good at living within his means and lacks for debts while still living a comfortable lifestyle. Unfortunately, he has never put serious effort into saving money for his daughters' dowries, which undermines their efforts to find husbands as most men want wives with at least some money.

* NouveauRiche: The Bingley's are in fact this, despite (or as the cause of) the Bingley sisters' excessive snobbery. While their brother has a large fortune and both daughters received ample dowries, the money for this came from ''trade'' and they are ''not'' a part of the landed gentry. Under the rules of Society at the time, this in fact made them slightly ''lower'' in rank than the Bennets, who come from generations of the gentry. But the Bingley women cover for it by acting of much higher rank than they are. This is aided by Mr. Bingley's close friendship with Mr. Darcy, who was born into the upper class and is the grandson of an earl. Thus Caroline Bingley dearly wants to marry him, and the sisters would like Mr. Bingley to marry Georgiana Darcy in turn. That, and finally purchasing (rather than renting) an estate would move them firmly into the upper class that they aspire to.

-->"''You'' go to Brighton!—I would not trust you so near it as East-Bourne, not for fifty pounds! No, Kitty, I have at last learnt to be cautious, and you will feel the effects of it. No officer is ever to enter my house again, nor even to pass through the village. Balls will be absolutely prohibited, unless you stand up with one of your sisters. And you are never to stir out of doors till you can prove that you have spent ten minutes of every day in a rational manner."\\

** However, if you look closer, Mr Bennet is really just as bad as his wife. While her motives are admittedly partly out of self-interest, at least she's ''trying'' to make sure their daughters are provided for and that the man who'll be inheriting Longbourn is charitably disposed towards them, however much she dislikes him. Mr Bennet, by contrast, doesn't seem to be all that concerned about the future of his children, or inclined to take any steps to improve their prospects, such as making nice with Mr Collins' father or attempting to be sociable to his neighbours. Back in the early days of his marriage Mr Bennet arrogantly assumed he'd ''naturally'' father a son to take over the estate, and didn't bother saving in case the desired male heir didn't come along...meaning his five daughters are left with pretty pathetic dowries. Finally, while Mrs Bennet either indulges or ignores her younger daughters, their father doesn't ever seem to pay much attention to/discipline them either -- even by the standards of the time -- with disastrous consequences. When Lydia elopes with Wickham, Mr Bennet even admits how foolishly he behaved to Elizabeth, saying he wishes he could have taken better care of them all.

* FirstNameBasis: Elizabeth and Charlotte, which signifies that the two are the best of friends and have been for many years.

** On one hand, Mrs Bennet doesn't have a subtle bone in her body and suffers from a dire lack of common sense, unintentionally damages Jane's marital prospects ''at least twice'' thanks to her lack of propriety, takes to her bed when things go wrong, constantly re-imagines past events to paint herself in a better light, spoils Lydia intensely and then continues to fawn over her and Wickham ''after'' the two of them nearly plunge the family into ruin. Mr Bennet is far more calm and sensible, puncturing holes in his wife's ego, preventing Elizabeth from made to marry Mr Collins, and pointing out the flaws in Wickham's story, getting the measure of him much sooner than anyone else in Meryton.