Pride and Prejudice Summary

Plot overview

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, published in 1813, is set in rural England at the turn of the nineteenth century and follows Elizabeth Bennet, the second of five sisters in a family of modest means, through the marriage market of Regency society.

When the wealthy and reserved Mr. Darcy arrives in the neighborhood, Elizabeth's first impressions of him curdle into dislike. Over a series of encounters and revelations, both she and Darcy are forced into some painful self-awareness, her prejudice against him and his pride in himself, before they can find their way to each other.

The novel is famous for its wit and its clear-eyed reading of manners and money. Austen's sense of how people misjudge one another, and of how marriage and reputation governed women's lives, still reads as sharp two centuries later.

Chapter summaries

1. Chapter 1: Arrival of Mr. BingleyNews that a wealthy single man, Mr. Bingley, has leased Netherfield Park sparks Mrs. Bennet's scheme to marry one of her daughters.
2. Chapter 2: Mr. Bennet's Visit RevealedMr. Bennet quietly reveals he has already visited Mr. Bingley, provoking his family's excitement and lively domestic banter.
3. Chapter 3: The Meryton AssemblyThe Bennet family learns more about Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy at a local assembly, where Bingley charms and Darcy offends.
4. Chapter 4: Jane praises Mr. BingleyJane admires Mr. Bingley; Elizabeth judges his sisters and Darcy's character is described.
5. Chapter 5: The Lucas VisitThe Lucas family visit Longbourn to discuss the ball, praising Bingley and criticizing Darcy while family opinions and small talk reveal social values.
6. Chapter 6: Visits, Dancing, and Growing InterestLongbourn ladies visit Netherfield; Jane and Bingley's growing attachment is discussed while Darcy notices Elizabeth amid dances and conversation.
7. Chapter 7: A Note and a Wet VisitJane is invited to dine at Netherfield, gets caught in the rain, falls ill, and Elizabeth walks to attend her and ends up staying.
8. Chapter 8: Covering a screenAt dinner and afterwards at Netherfield, conversation reveals manners, social snobbery, and Elizabeth’s spirited distance as Jane’s illness keeps her in bed.
9. Chapter 9: Visit to NetherfieldMrs. Bennet and her two youngest daughters visit Netherfield to see Jane, press for a ball, and reveal family manners.
10. Chapter 10: Music, Conversation, WalkAt Netherfield the party pass the day in card-playing, letter-writing, music and teasing conversation, ending with a sharp little walk among the shrubbery.
11. Chapter 11: Piling up the FireAfter dinner at Netherfield, the ladies converse and watch Mr. Darcy while Miss Bingley courts his attention and Elizabeth parries his sharp remarks.
12. Chapter 12: Leaving Netherfield; Return HomeJane and Elizabeth plan to leave Netherfield sooner than Mrs. Bennet wishes; Darcy withdraws attention as they depart and the family reunites at Longbourn.
13. Chapter 13: Mr. Collins's VisitMr. Bennet's cousin, Mr. Collins, writes and then arrives to Longbourn, praising the family and Lady Catherine.
14. Chapter 14: Collins's Praise and a ReadingMr. Collins flatters Lady Catherine and her daughter; he reads Fordyce's Sermons aloud until Lydia interrupts and he retires to play backgammon with Mr. Bennet.
15. Chapter 15: Mr. Collins and New AcquaintancesMr. Collins courts the Bennet daughters while the party meets the charming Mr. Wickham and notices a tense exchange with Mr. Darcy.
16. Chapter 16: Wickham's Account and InterestAt a Meryton gathering Wickham charms the Bennet girls and tells Elizabeth a grievance against Mr. Darcy, deepening her dislike of Darcy.
17. Chapter 17: Visit and the Netherfield BallElizabeth tells Jane about Wickham; Bingley invites the Bennets to a Netherfield ball and Collins claims Elizabeth for dances.
18. Chapter 18: Ball at NetherfieldAt the Netherfield ball Elizabeth confronts tensions over Wickham, endures family embarrassments, and experiences awkward exchanges with Darcy and Collins.
19. Chapter 19: Mr. Collins's ProposalMr. Collins formally proposes to Elizabeth at Longbourn and she firmly refuses him despite his confident persistence.
20. Chapter 20: Refusal and Family FussElizabeth refuses Mr. Collins; her mother demands compliance while her father remains amusedly detached.
21. Chapter 21: News from NetherfieldCaroline Bingley's letter announces the Netherfield party's sudden removal to London, Jane frets and Elizabeth interprets motives.
22. Chapter 22: Charlotte's EngagementCharlotte accepts Mr. Collins’s proposal, surprising and upsetting Elizabeth and delighting both Lucas and Bennet households.
23. Chapter 23: Charlotte's Engagement NewsSir William Lucas announces Charlotte Lucas's engagement to Mr. Collins, provoking a mixture of disbelief, pride, and anxiety at Longbourn.
24. Chapter 24: Bingley's Letter and ReactionsA letter from Caroline Bingley confirms the Bingleys' move to London, devastating Jane and setting off heated reflections between the Bennet sisters.
25. Chapter 25: Visits, Visitors, and OpinionsThe Gardiners arrive; Mrs. Bennet complains about failed matches while Elizabeth, Jane, and Mrs. Gardiner discuss Bingley, Wickham, and Pemberley.
26. Chapter 26: Advice, Visits, and LettersElizabeth receives cautious advice from Mrs. Gardiner, Charlotte marries and invites her, and letters reveal growing distance between Jane and the Bingleys.
27. Chapter 27: On the StairsElizabeth leaves Longbourn to visit Charlotte at Hunsford, stays with the Gardiners in London, and accepts their summer tour invitation.
28. Chapter 28: Arrival at the ParsonageElizabeth and Jane arrive at Hunsford, visit Mr. Collins and Charlotte, meet Lady Catherine’s daughter briefly, and learn they are invited to Rosings.
29. Chapter 29: Visit to Rosings ParkThe Lucases and Collins visit Lady Catherine at Rosings, endure her officious questions, and witness her domineering manners at dinner and tea.
30. Chapter 30: Visitors at RosingsMr. Darcy and his friend Colonel Fitzwilliam visit Rosings; Elizabeth enjoys walks and observes Lady Catherine's interference.
31. Chapter 31: Visit to Rosings; music and remarksThe Bennet party visits Rosings for evening company; Colonel Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth converse agreeably at the pianoforte while Lady Catherine criticizes Elizabeth’s playing.
32. Chapter 32: Darcy's Unexpected VisitMr. Darcy unexpectedly calls on Elizabeth at the Collinses', they converse awkwardly, and his frequent visits to the Parsonage begin to puzzle the women.
33. Chapter 33: Unexpected Park EncountersElizabeth repeatedly meets Mr. Darcy and then talks with Colonel Fitzwilliam, who reveals Darcy's role in separating Bingley and Jane.
34. Chapter 34: Darcy's Proposal and RejectionMr. Darcy unexpectedly proposes to Elizabeth, and she angrily refuses after confronting him about Jane and Wickham.
35. Chapter 35: Darcy's Letter ExplainedElizabeth meets Darcy and reads a long letter in which he explains his interference with Bingley and his history with Wickham.
36. Chapter 36: Elizabeth Reads Darcy's LetterElizabeth reads Mr. Darcy's letter, confronts conflicting accounts of Wickham and Darcy, and undergoes a crisis of conscience about her judgments.
37. Chapter 37: His parting obeisanceThe party leaves Rosings; Lady Catherine fusses over the Bennet girls' return and Elizabeth reflects on Darcy's letter and her family's faults.
38. Chapter 38: The elevation of his feelingsElizabeth leaves Hunsford after farewells to Charlotte and Mr. Collins, returns to the Gardiners, and wrestles with whether to tell Jane about Darcy.
39. Chapter 39: Home, news, and officersThe Bennet sisters return to Longbourn, Lydia recounts her morning and Wickham news, and plans and anxieties about the regiment and Brighton follow.
40. Chapter 40: After the LetterElizabeth tells Jane about Darcy’s letter and Wickham’s conduct, they debate publicizing it, and Jane struggles with her disappointment about Bingley.
41. Chapter 41: Lydia's Invitation to BrightonLydia receives an invitation to Brighton with Mrs. Forster; Elizabeth argues against it but Mr. Bennet consents, and Wickham appears one last time.
42. Chapter 42: The arrival of the GardinersThe Gardiners arrive, Elizabeth's northern tour is reduced to Derbyshire, and she reluctantly agrees to visit Pemberley.
43. Chapter 43: Visit to PemberleyElizabeth tours Pemberley with the Gardiners, meets the civil housekeeper and unexpectedly encounters Mr. Darcy, whose manners surprise her.
44. Chapter 44: Unexpected Visitors at LambtonMr. Darcy and his sister unexpectedly visit Elizabeth at Lambton, joined soon after by Mr. Bingley, creating delicate tensions and hopeful signs.
45. Chapter 44: Reflections after Pemberley VisitAfter the Pemberley visit, Elizabeth re-evaluates Darcy, accepts an invitation for her family, and plans to visit Miss Darcy at Pemberley.
46. Chapter 45: Engaged by the riverElizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner visit Pemberley, meet Georgiana and Miss Bingley, and endure Caroline's thinly veiled attacks while Darcy's feelings quietly show.
47. Chapter 46: Lydia's Elopement RevealedElizabeth receives Jane's urgent letters revealing that Lydia has eloped with Wickham and races home with the Gardiners to Longbourn.
48. Chapter 47: Homecoming and Anxious NewsThe Gardiners return, the family reunites at Longbourn, and the Bennets confront Lydia’s elopement and its likely consequences.
49. Chapter 48: The PostLetters arrive with bad news and gossip; searches for Wickham fail, Mr. Bennet returns home, and Mr. Collins writes an insensitive condolence.
50. Chapter 49: News from Mr. GardinerMr. Gardiner writes that Lydia and Wickham are found and a settlement is offered to secure Lydia's marriage.
51. Chapter 50: The spiteful old ladiesMr. Bennet thanks his brother for paying Wickham's debts and reluctantly allows Lydia and Wickham to visit Longbourn after their marriage; the family copes with consequences.
52. Chapter 51: With an affectionate smile.Lydia returns married to Mr. Wickham, the Bennets react, and Elizabeth learns (and puzzles over) that Mr. Darcy attended the secret wedding.
53. Chapter 52: Gardiner's Account and ConsequencesMrs. Gardiner's long letter reveals Mr. Darcy's secret role in finding Lydia and Wickham and securing their marriage, and Elizabeth confronts mixed feelings.
54. Chapter 53: Mr. Darcy with him.Mr. Bingley returns to Netherfield with Mr. Darcy; the Bennets react and Elizabeth struggles with renewed, conflicted feelings.
55. Chapter 54: Anxious Evening at LongbournElizabeth frets over Mr. Darcy's coldness while Jane's easy civility and Bingley's attentions revive hopes at a Longbourn gathering.
56. Chapter 55: A Happy EngagementJane and Mr. Bingley become engaged after a series of visits and Mrs. Bennet's scheming bears fruit.
57. Chapter 56: Lady Catherine's VisitLady Catherine unexpectedly visits Longbourn to confront Elizabeth about rumours that she and Mr. Darcy are engaged.
58. Chapter 57: Lady Catherine's Visit AftermathElizabeth worries over Lady Catherine's interference and then learns Mr. Collins has written about a supposed attachment to Mr. Darcy.
59. Chapter 58: The efforts of his auntDarcy and Elizabeth walk together after Bingley's visit; Darcy explains his actions, confesses changed feelings, and proposes again, which Elizabeth now accepts.
60. Chapter 59: Engagement and ReactionsElizabeth tells Jane she and Darcy are engaged; the family reacts, Mr. Bennet consents, and Mrs. Bennet is astonished and ecstatic.
61. Chapter 60: The obsequious civilityElizabeth and Darcy calmly settle their engagement, write letters, and endure polite but obsequious visitors at Lucas Lodge.
62. Chapter 61: Marriages and ConsequencesAfter Elizabeth and Darcy marry, the families rearrange: visits, reconciliations, financial strains, and character developments follow.

Characters

• Elizabeth BennetProtagonist
• Jane BennetMajor character
• Mr. BingleyMajor character
• Mr. DarcyMajor character
• Mrs. BennetMajor character
• Mr. BennetMajor character
• Lydia BennetMinor character
• Mr. CollinsMajor character
• Mr. WickhamMajor character
• Kitty BennetMinor character
• Charlotte LucasMajor character
• Lady Catherine de BourghAntagonist

All 36 characters ›