Description
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
From the first sentence of the novel, Jane Austen exercises wry irony, humor, and sharp insight into people and relationships at the dawn of England's Regency period, sometime during the Napoleonic Wars (1792 - 1815).
When Mrs. Bennet learns nearby Netherfield Park has been rented to an eligible gentleman, she is determined he shall fall in love with one of her daughters. But the affable Mr. Bingley, who does take a liking to Jane Bennet, has a dour friend in Mr. Darcy, who little likes the Bennet clan and particularly runs afoul of Elizabeth Bennet. Then tragedy strikes when Elizabeth's youngest sister runs away with a young officer.
From the sweetness of Jane, to the insensitive arrogance of Lady Catherine, to the silliness and absurdity of Mr. Collins and Mrs. Bennet, this book is not only a close look at relationships, but a shrewd look at individual pride and failings.
