It is a truth universally acknowledged that a New York City high school student in possession of a 19th century British novel must be in want of a study guide, so I thought I would create a reference page to help you all with your reading of Pride and Prejudice. Here you’ll find information regarding the various families and their homes, a map of England, some vocabulary clarification, etc. It will behoove you greatly to read through this before you begin reading the text.
Titles
P&P was published in 1813, a very formal time period where you would address acquaintances as “Mr.”, “Mrs.” and “Miss” until you knew each other incredibly well and were very close friends — and even then you might still address each other by your formal name. Our main family, the Bennets, is comprised of two parents and five daughters, all of them unmarried (at first). Technically, all the daughters are “Miss Bennet,” but whenever the girls are at a party you’ll notice that only Jane, the oldest daughter, is referred to as “Miss Bennet,” the others are called by name. This is because the oldest unmarried daughter is referred to as “Miss” in public gatherings. Mr. Darcy is called by that name throughout the novel, even when we learn his first name is “Fitzwilliam.” Elizabeth, even at the height of her love for him, always refers to him as Darcy.
With that in mind, here are some of the major characters and families.
The Bennets
The Bennets are the main family of the village of Longbourn in the county of Hertfordshire outside of London (today it’s considered a suburb of London, although at the time it was probably a day’s journey to the city).
photo of the market square in modern day Hertfordshire
They are a middle-class farming family, respectable, but not rich. The family is comprised of:
Mr. Bennet, sarcastic but loving
Mrs. Bennet, gossipy and exasperating
Jane Bennet (Miss Bennet), their oldest daughter
Elizabeth Bennet, second daughter (and the main character of the book)
Catherine Bennet (Kitty), young and playful
Mary Bennet, sour disposition, not the most attractive
Lydia Bennet, flighty and flirtatious
The Bingleys
The Bingleys are a wealthier family than the Bennets — a fact which greatly excites Mrs. Bennet — who move into Netherfield Park, the stately home not too far from the Bennets. The head of the family, Mr. Bingley, is around the age of Jane and Elizabeth Bennet. Once his father died, he was put in charge of his family, including his two sisters (with the exception of the one who married).
Netherfield Park (well, Basildon Park in reality, but it plays Netherfield in the movies)
Mr. Bingley, Longbourn village’s most eligible (and sought after) bachelor
Louisa Bingley (aka Mrs. Hurst), proud, prejudiced
Caroline Bingley (aka Miss Bingley), much like her sister
The Darcys
Mr. Darcy is Mr. Bingley’s good friend. He is incredibly well-bred, remarkably good-looking, and not very nice according to the local gossip. He prefers the city to the countryside largely because he prefers the conversation of intellectuals and a more worldly set of people than is typically found in the country. And yet, he is not altogether a bad guy…or even if he is, the fact that he is incredibly rich makes him worth consideration among the local girls as a potential husband. Who wouldn’t want to live in the uber-elegant Pemberley Hall?
Pemberley. *swoon!*
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, a man of inestimable wealth and good taste
Georgiana (Miss Darcy), his young sister and ward (he is responsible for her well-being after the death of their parents)
Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy’s excessively proud, unshakeable aunt
Getting Around
There were obviously no cars as we know them at the time, but don’t think for a moment that people didn’t obsess about their wheels the way we modern folk do. Your vehicle was as much of a status symbol then as now. Here are some examples of types of carriages you will encounter in the book.
Going for a ride? Why not take out the chaise and four?
Most people would have simply gotten around by foot or on horseback. The elegant lady and gentleman, however, would travel in a Chaise and Four. The ‘chaise’ is the carriage itself (‘chaise’, pronounced shez, is French for ‘chair’) and ‘four’ refers to the number of horses drawing it. The chaise could be pulled by one horse or several (chaise and one, chaise and six, etc.); the more horses pulling a carriage, the faster it can go — which is why we still refer to a car’s horsepower.
"He has a barouche, you know."
If you were quite fashionable, you might travel around in a barouche, the convertible of the carriages. In a barouche you can push back the roof and let everyone see how well-dressed you areas you enjoy the fine country air. Not only that, but you can sit facing one another, perfect for that romantic evening out. This is similar to the carriages you see today in Central Park.
You can buy this at etsy.com. You know you want to.
Dress
Men’s formal wear hasn’t changed all that much in the past 200 years — a suit today looks rather similar to a suit in 1813, although the man of that time period would wear it with a little more accessory. Women’s everyday dresses are similar to what we would call a sun-dress; light, simple, no frills — shown here:
The Bennet sisters from one of the movie versions of P&P. Note that, although the skirts are floor length, the neckline (technically referred to as the décolletage) is sweeping (and rather revealing...)..
This, however, is not what one would wear to a ball at the assemblies. Watch this video and pay close attention to the manners of dress and behavior. This is the first dance at Netherfield Park (click link):
This should be enough to get you started with Pride and Prejudice. Once you get a hang of Austen’s language, you’ll quickly understand why this is still one of the most popular books in the world, even after 200 years!
