Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

A Novel in Three Volumes by the Author of "Sense and Sensibility"


First published in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has consistently been Jane Austen's most popular novel. It portrays life in the genteel rural society of the day, and tells of the initial misunderstandings and later mutual enlightenment between Elizabeth Bennet (whose liveliness and quick wit have often attracted readers) and the haughty Darcy. The title Pride and Prejudice refers (among other things) to the ways in which Elizabeth and Darcy first view each other. The original version of the novel was written in 1796-1797 under the title First Impressions, and was probably in the form of an exchange of letters.

Jane Austen's own tongue-in-cheek opinion of her work, in a letter to her sister Cassandra immediately after its publication, was: "Upon the whole... I am well satisfied enough. The work is rather too light, and bright, and sparkling; it wants [i.e. needs] shade; it wants to be stretched out here and there with a long chapter of sense, if it could be had; if not, of solemn specious nonsense, about something unconnected with the story: an essay on writing, a critique on Walter Scott, or the history of Buonaparté, or anything that would form a contrast and bring the reader with increased delight to the playfulness and general epigrammatism of the general style".


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This Pride and Prejudice e-text is fairly thoroughly hypertexted, but there are no cross references from one part of the main body of the text to another part. Instead, links go into or out of the main text, either to or from one of five indexes: The list of characters, the list of events in chronological order, the comments on random topics, the index to the motifs of "pride" and "prejudice", or the list of important places (with a map).

It has been pointed out that since Chapter 1 is marked up pretty much the same way as any other chapter, those who have never read Pride and Prejudice before may find a confusing plethora of links in the first few chapters -- don't feel you have to click on everything.

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Pride and Prejudice Shorter Table of Contents

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Longer Table of Contents

Roman-numeral chapter numbers are relative to each volume, while parenthesized chapter numbers are continuous throughout the whole work.

Links to passages illustrating the themes of Pride and Prejudice.

The links in this index lead to passages referring to the themes of Pride and Prejudice. The origin of the phrase "Pride and Prejudice" is the fifth volume of Fanny Burney's 1782 novel Cecilia, as discussed in an appendix to R.W. Chapman's 1923 edition of Pride and Prejudice.


*See also the list of all occurences of the words "persuade"/"persuasion" in the novel Persuasion
  1. Darcy at the Meryton assembly: discovered to be Proud; according to Mrs. Bennet, he is "high and conceited" (Pride).
  2. Caroline Bingley and Louisa Hurst Proud and conceited.
  3. Mrs. Bennet: Darcy "ate up with Pride".
  4. Charlotte Lucas and Elizabeth on Pride.
  5. Mary Bennet on Pride vs. Vanity.
  6. Young Lucas on Pride.
  7. Caroline Bingley on Elizabeth's Pride and impertinence.
  8. Bingley's Pride in his carelessness.
  9. Darcy on Pride vs. Vanity.
  10. Darcy: Elizabeth's defect is "wilfully to misunderstand everybody" (Prejudice).
  11. Mr. Collins: Lady Catherine not Proud.
  12. Mr. Collins's Pride.
  13. Elizabeth (to Wickham) on Darcy's Pride.
  14. Wickham on Darcy's Pride.
  15. Wickham: Georgiana Darcy Proud.
  16. Wickham on Darcy's Pride, re Lady Catherine.
  17. The ball at Netherfield: Elizabeth "resolved against any sort of conversation with" Darcy, because of Wickham. (Prejudice).
  18. The ball at Netherfield: Elizabeth says to Charlotte Lucas that it "would be the greatest misfortune... to find a man [Darcy] agreeable whom one is determined to hate" (Prejudice).
  19. The ball at Netherfield: Darcy hopes he never allows himself to be blinded by Prejudice
  20. Mr. Collins's Pride hurt; his angry Pride.
  21. Elizabeth on Georgiana Darcy's supposed Pride.
  22. Elizabeth thinks that Darcy despises Gracechurch Steet (in a commercial, rather than a "gentlemanly" part of London) (Pride).
  23. Mrs. Gardiner recollects Darcy as Proud.
  24. Elizabeth on Darcy's Pride and caprice as the cause of his interference.
  25. Elizabeth thinks Darcy's Pride superficial.
  26. Elizabeth acts "as if intending to exasperate herself as much as possible against Mr. Darcy" (Prejudice).
  27. Darcy avows his Pride to Elizabeth.
  28. Darcy: Elizabeth rejects him only because his honesty has hurt Elizabeth's Pride.
  29. Elizabeth: Darcy's shameless avowal of his abominable Pride.
  30. Elizabeth's strong Prejudice against any explanation of Darcy's.
  31. Elizabeth: Darcy's Pride and insolence.
  32. Elizabeth: Darcy's Pride not so bad after all.
  33. Elizabeth feels herself to have been "blind, partial, Prejudiced, absurd"; realizes her false Pride.
  34. Elizabeth says to Jane that she "meant to be uncommonly clever in taking so decided a dislike to him [Darcy] without any reason" (Prejudice).
  35. Elizabeth to Jane: The misfortunes consequent to her former Prejudices.
  36. Wickham on Darcy's Pride again.
  37. Darcy's housekeeper's Pride in him and Georgiana.
  38. Mrs. Gardiner attributes his housekeeper's praise of him to "family Prejudice".
  39. Darcy's housekeeper never saw anything of his being Proud.
  40. Darcy's Pride tested on introduction to the Gardiners.
  41. Mrs. Gardiner seconds the housekeeper's opinion (Darcy not Proud).
  42. Elizabeth observes Georgiana Darcy not Proud.
  43. Inhabitants of Lambton attribute Pride to Darcy
  44. Elizabeth uses Darcy's Pride to diagnose Love.
  45. Georgiana Darcy's manners can create the appearance of Pride and reserve.
  46. Elizabeth to Mrs. Gardiner on Wickham's false report of Georgiana Darcy being Proud, reserved, and disagreeable.
  47. Elizabeth reflects on her change in feelings since she Proudly spurned Darcy.
  48. Mrs. Bennet's Pride in Lydia's marriage.
  49. Darcy's avowal to the Gardiners of mistaken Pride.
  50. Elizabeth thinks Darcy's Pride will keep him away, on account of Wickham.
  51. Elizabeth Proud of Darcy for his actions with regard to Lydia's marriage.
  52. Mr. Bennet "Proud" of Wickham as son-in-law.
  53. Kitty Bennet: Darcy a "tall, proud man".
  54. Mrs. Bennet's idea of Darcy's Pride.
  55. Elizabeth knows that knowledge of Darcy's interference would Prejudice Jane against him.
  56. Elizabeth tells Darcy how all her former Prejudices had been gradually removed.
  57. The chastened Darcy on his former Pride and conceit.
  58. Mr. Bennet tells Elizabeth: "We all know [Darcy] to be a Proud, unpleasant sort of man".
  59. Elizabeth denies to Mr. Bennet that Darcy has any improper Pride.
  60. Mrs. Bennet's delighted Pride in the marriage of "her two most deserving daughters".

Notes About this document.

See also "How to use this document".

Caveat: These files make no claims to be profound scholarship or deep criticism, and necessarily sometimes reflect my own views.

This is a hyper-text markup of the Plain ASCII e-text of Pride and Prejudice available in compressed binary .zip format on this server <260577 bytes> [see explanation of ".zip" here]. That was corrected against the 1923 R.W. Chapman edition, with slight punctuation modernization, by H. Churchyard (some spelling inconsistencies and archaisms were retained from the first editions). The basic flat e-text of Pride and Prejudice itself is in the public domain; the added hypertext content and original additional information are copyrighted © H. Churchyard 1994, 1995, 1996 but are freely redistributable in unmodified form, unless a fee, other than a reasonable fee for the value of the digital storage medium or general computer access involved itself, is charged for a copy of or access to this work, and as long as this copyright notice is retained on all copies. Thanks to Dave Martland at Brunel and others for suggestions and advice. You can contact me by selecting the following address:

hc-ji@pemberley.com.



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