Pride and Prejudice: Varieties and Dangers

Austen’s most well-known novel is enjoyable and morally sound, showing the dangers of allowing prejudice, arrogance, or deference to others’ opinions to blind us to the truth.

This is not a review. See why.

Context

Elizabeth Bennet, or Lizzy, lives in Regency-era England with her four sisters. Lizzy is close to her sweet older sister Jane, but struggles to connect with their awkward, studious middle sister Mary and their silly, giggling youngest sisters Lydia and Kitty. Their father is a gentleman, but his estate will be inherited by a distant cousin, meaning they will have little money when he dies. They live in a small town with few eligible bachelors—a major problem for young women in their situation, who have no respectable means of supporting themselves besides marrying someone wealthier than they are.

But that changes when a handsome, rich, friendly young man named Mr. Bingley rents a nearby mansion, bringing with him his sister and his even-richer friend Mr. Darcy. More eligible bachelors arrive when the militia comes into town, over whose officers the youngest Bennet sisters swoon. Throughout the rest of the novel, misunderstandings and misguided attempts to look out for loved ones combine with inaccurate first impressions and intentional lies to cause heartbreak for two Bennet sisters and reputational disaster for a third. But thanks to Jane Austen’s optimistic storytelling, two of the three misfortunes that befall them are reversed in the end, making for a mostly happy ending.

---

Key Ideas

• Prejudice can cause you to evade facts and make poor decisions

• Arrogance can lead to lost opportunities and heartbreak

• Depending on others’ interpretations or opinions leaves you with a distorted view of reality

Prejudice can cause you to evade facts and make poor decisions

Given the title of the book, it’s not at all surprising that prejudice is tied into the central theme of the novel. We see it primarily in the character of Lizzy, especially in regards to Mr. Darcy. When the two first meet at a ball, Mr. Darcy lets his arrogance and discomfort lead him to act in a very standoffish way, only dancing with Mr. Bingley’s sister and sister-in-law. He comments to Mr. Bingley that Lizzy is “tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me” (492).¹ Lizzy overhears and is offended. This comment and his general behavior set her prejudiced view of him for about half the novel.

As a result, Lizzy ignores several facts that might have changed her opinion of Mr. Darcy. She considers him disagreeable, but doesn’t take into account his correcting of others’ rudeness towards her. She brushes off the facts that he often looks at her in group settings and that he makes a point to walk on a path she enjoys walking on. And most egregiously, she believes slander about him—ignoring the fact that she doesn’t have enough evidence to know one way or the other whether the claim is true. Mr. Darcy may be less than friendly in most situations, but that is not the same thing as being malicious or immoral. Lizzy’s evasions lead to several misjudgments on her part, especially in regards to Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham (the originator of the slander). Lizzy’s disregard of the facts is motivated by the fact that she was flattered by Mr. Wickham and offended by Darcy, so she wants to believe that the former is good and the latter is bad. But since this is not true, she must set aside certain facts to continue believing it. Thankfully, Mr. Darcy sets the record straight, and she is able to recover from her errors.

Arrogance can lead to lost opportunities and heartbreak

There is an important distinction between pride and arrogance. Pride is the natural result of actual accomplishments (whether in a specific area or in our character as a whole); it’s key to maintaining healthy self-esteem and is the emotional reward for achieving things that matter. THough Austen doesn’t make this distinction explicitly, arrogance is an unearned sense of superiority and disdain for others that can lead to many errors of judgment, since one can overestimate one’s abilities and assume certain things about how others think of oneself. Though “pride” is the first word in the title of the novel, Mr. Darcy at first displays some pride but also arrogance, which leads him to sabotage opportunities and his own happiness—at least, at first.

Initially, Mr. Darcy thinks highly of his social status and his wealth, as well as the refined tastes his lifestyle affords him, and is contemptuous of those who aren’t of similar social status and manners. To be sure, there are many who would take advantage of his wealth and influence, and Mrs. Bennet is not discreet about the fact that she wants her daughters to marry wealthy men. Mr. Darcy is wise to be aware of that fact. More importantly though, he is a man of integrity, who does what he believes is right and is loyal to those he cares about. However, his arrogance causes him to needlessly offend (as with Lizzy) and leads him to propose to her in an absolutely terrible manner. Luckily, she doesn’t hold back in telling him what she thinks, and her rebuke that he behaved in an ungentlemanly manner makes him step back and rethink his actions (he prides himself on being very thoroughly a gentleman). As a result, his behavior going forward, though still proud, usually manages to avoid the pitfalls of arrogance.

Depending on others’ interpretations or opinions leaves you with a distorted view of reality

Though the situations and motivations vary, we also see a variety of characters depend on others’ opinions rather than first-handedly forming their own, which results in all kinds of errors and disaster. As we saw before, Lizzy relied on Mr. Wickham’s account of Mr. Darcy’s supposed wrongdoing. We also see Mr. Bingley led astray by his sisters and Mr. Darcy (though the latter was sincerely well-intentioned). Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennet fall in love, but Jane is quite shy and modest. As a result, Mr. Darcy believes her not to be in love with Mr. Bingley, and that, combined with his concerns over her family’s lack of wealth and often improper behavior, leads him to believe the marriage would be disastrous. Mr. Bingley, who like Jane is determined to think well of everybody and especially those nearest to him, allows Mr. Darcy to guide his opinion of Jane’s behavior, despite his desires.

These are the more serious examples, in which multiple people’s happiness is on the line in each case, and the story gives them their due gravity. However, Jane Austen is well known for her wit and satire, and second-handedness is ideal for such lampooning.² In Pride and Prejudice, the best example of this is Mr. Collins, a clergyman who is deeply obsequious toward his patroness, Lady Catherine de Burg. He takes her advice on every aspect of his life, from the furniture in his house to when he should get married. He is so enamored of Lady Catherine and her fine estate that he often fails to appreciate what is right in front of him, whether rooms or talent or people, and bends over backwards to please Her Ladyship instead. Mr. Collins is played for laughs, but his story clearly shows that making decisions based on the opinion of a haughty woman who doesn’t know you very well is not a recipe for happiness.

---

The Vibe

The Regency era (about 1795 to 1837) was a time of stifling social conventions, but Austen brings a playful spirit to the setting, taking many opportunities to poke fun at folly. Nevertheless, the novel is not primarily a comedy, and the emotional depth of the book comes from the earned love between the morally good characters. As a result, it feels at times like good clean fun; at times the emotions are set by wherever we are at in Lizzy’s and Darcy’s relationship; and at other times like you’ve been taken to tea with the nobility. It’s bright and entertaining, but sticks within certain limits.

---

Adaptations

There have been many adaptations over the years; perhaps the most well known are the 1995 TV series (starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth) and the 2005 film adaptation (starring Keira Knighley and Matthew Macfadyen). There is much debate among Janeites about these adaptations, and one could go into great depth comparing them. I’ll be brief, though: The 1995 miniseries is more true to the book in terms of including more minor characters and sticking more closely to dialogue, which makes the pacing a touch slower but ensures that nothing is missed. Some of the minor characters are also very well-cast, such as Mr. Bennet and Mr. Collins. However, I prefer Macfadyen’s portrayal of Mr. Darcy; as much as I appreciate Firth’s acting skills, I think he’s a shade too emotive for the brooding, socially uncomfortable Darcy. MacFadyen, on the other hand, brought a lovely mixture of intensity and awkwardness that becomes endearing as he struggles to express his love and to behave more like a gentleman. In terms of the portrayals of Lizzy, Knightley is more playful, whereas Ehle is more serious, but I think both are reasonably good takes on the character. The soundtrack to the 2005 film is also stunning, whereas the 1995 soundtrack is passable.

---

Conclusion

Austen’s most well-known novel is enjoyable and morally sound, showing the dangers of allowing prejudice, arrogance, or deference to others’ opinions to blind us to the truth, but in a way that’s benevolent and at times even playful.

1. Page numbers are from The Complete Works of Jane Austen: (In One Volume), Pandora's Box, Kindle Edition.

2. For a TV show that shows the folly of secondhandedness in a thoroughly entertaining way, check out “Keeping Up Appearances.”