Pride and Prejudice York Notes

From the novel’s very first sentence marriage is presented as a central concern and it may appear to be simply a matter of love or money. It turns out to be much more complex than that however. For example, Darcy is a very rich eligible bachelor but Elizabeth takes an instant dislike to ‘the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world’.

From that unpromising start, the progress of their relationship suffers setbacks, misunderstandings and prejudice. What particularly hurts Elizabeth is her belief, actually mistaken, that Darcy has ruined Jane’s chance of marrying Bingley. In the marriage stakes, Darcy would be a big catch but when he first proposes to Elizabeth, she turns him down and is prepared to sacrifice the chance of a secure future rather than abandon her support for her sister.

The fact that they overcome these difficulties, proves what is most important is that they learn to recognise their love for each other through experience, which is very different from the attitude of Lydia and Wickham who are simply infatuated.

Charlotte Lucas, however, marries the odious Mr Collins solely for a financially secure future. This is shown when she says, ‘I am not a romantic. I ask only a comfortable home.’ There is no love shown between them and Elizabeth feels sorry for Charlotte when she leaves her among, ‘her housekeeping, her parish and her poultry’, showing that even though she lives a dull existence, she feels safe and content. It’s also true that Mr Collins marries only to achieve social standing in the eyes of Lady Catherine.

Marriage was often the only way that young women could avoid a life of poverty so Charlotte had seized her only opportunity to escape such a fate.

Jane and Bingley seem an entirely nice couple and are described as having similar taste. But Jane always sees the best in people and finds it hard to express her own feelings, which leaves her vulnerable. As Charlotte warns early in the novel Jane should be more assertive towards Bingley because a happy marriage is, ‘entirely a matter of chance’ but Elizabeth disagrees

Finally, the novel presents different attitudes to love and marriage. Wickham and Lydia are simply infatuated. Charlotte marries Mr Collins for practical not romantic reasons. Elizabeth and Darcy, whose love is based on respect rather than romance or hard- self-interest, are shown as the ideal couple.