Written in 1813, Pride and Prejudice is a classic romantic novel by revered British author, Jane Austen. Set in the southern part of England during the Regency period, the novel mainly focuses on the marriages of the daughters of the Bennet family, especially the marriage of Elizabeth, the second daughter and the favorite of Mr. Bennet. Her feelings towards Mr. Darcy experience changes from disgust at the beginning to appreciation at the end, which finally leads to their marriage. Throughout the book, not only are the traits of the main characters, but also those of the minor characters, so distinctive, that they eloquently represent the different kinds of people in the society of the time.

Mrs. Bennet is an articulate representation of snobbish and pretentious women of the Regency Age. From the beginning of the novel, as a member of the middle class, her goal is to marry all five of her daughters to rich men. When Mr. Bingley, a gentleman who possesses some wealth comes to town, she immediately says to her husband, “But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them [the daughters], and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes.” Her only two criteria for her daughters’ marriage is that the man be wealthy and single, which is very different from the opinions of Mr. Bennet, Jane, and Elizabeth. Also, she cannot restrain herself from showing off as she flaunts Bingley’s appreciation towards Jane, nor hide her dissatisfaction when offended by Mr. Collin who chooses to marry Charlotte over one of her daughters. This trait also represents the superficiality of some women during that time due to their lack of education, in contrast to educated younger women like Jane and Elizabeth.

Mr. Wickham symbolizes a hypocritical and dishonest man, who lies to other people in order to gain their favorable opinion. In his previous interactions with Elizabeth, she holds a good impression of him: “He had all the best part of beauty, a fine countenance, a good figure, and very pleasing address.” Due to his derogatory comments towards Mr. Darcy, who the entire family already dislikes, Elizabeth’s feelings towards him worsen. However, as the plot proceeds, it turns out that Mr. Wickham is the person who acts dishonestly; Mr. Darcy is so generous that he provides money for the marriage between Mr. Wickham and Lydia, the youngest daughter in the Bennet family, who has a striking resemblance to her mother. Mr. Wickham’s character exposes much hypocrisy, as he looks like a modest, decent gentleman, but in fact, when Elizabeth gets to know him more, he reveals his deceitful side.

Lady Catherine de Borough represents rich women from the upper class, and looks down on people who are not as wealthy and graceful as her. Elizabeth’s feeling towards her is that “nothing was beneath this great lady’s attention, which could furnish her with an occasion of dictating to others.” This is because when she first meets Elizabeth, she asks everything about her family but derides her, for she does not come from the same class background as Lady Catherine herself. She holds a deep-rooted opinion of a gigantic gap between the upper class and the middle class, which is the reason she opposes the marriage between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. She even threatens and forces Elizabeth to promise not to marry Mr. Darcy, for she believes only a woman like her own daughter is graceful enough to marry such a man. Thus, the character of Lady Catherine serves as a typical wealthy woman from the upper class.

The vivid characterization in Austen’s writing is one of the reasons I greatly enjoyed reading this book. What’s more, I also love the title of the book, Pride and Prejudice, as it accurately captures the essence of the book; it is Darcy’s pride and Elizabeth’s prejudice that stand as an obstacle between their relationship. Once Elizabeth does not possess a bias and Darcy overcomes his pride, their relationship gets better at once. Overall, I would recommend this book because it brilliantly captures the cast of characters and their traits as well as brings readers perspectives about the literature and way of life during the Regency period.