Nick Mitchell
In what ways does Jane Austen’s depiction of character in relation to her use of setting reinforce the central ideas of Pride and Prejudice?
Throughout Jane Austen’s
Pride and Prejudice , characters and settings are closely linked, providing the reader with extra avenues for exploring the novel’s themes.
The
Bennets’ lifestyle at Longbourn contributes significantly to Darcy’s initial pride and
Lady Catherine’s subsequent prejudice against the middle-class family. The Bennets’ home is also utilised by Austen to reinforce the necessity of securing marriages for the sisters, a security exemplified when Elizabeth visits Pemberley and realises her love for Darcy. Rosings Park is another setting used by Austen to illustrate the importance of financial wealth to aristocratic privilege. Austen enhances the realism of the novel by having exciting events occur in off-stage settings. The settings and characters of
Pride and Prejudice thus create effective and important contexts for the underlying meanings of the novel.
Jane Austen characterises Meryton’s residents as constant targets of the pride and prejudice of the upper class. Early in the novel, Darcy’s pride prevents him from developing positive relationships with anyone, while later Lady Catherine’s prejudice results in her outrage against the potential marriage of Darcy and Elizabeth.
Throughout Darcy’s stay in Meryton he saw himself “to be above his company.”
(Chapter 4) He did not relinquish this attitude until he fell in love with Elizabeth, the relationship acting as a parallel for his weakening pride. Lady Catherine responds with furore, failing to understand or recognise the bond between the two protagonists by looking at the situation from an aristocratic point of view. Her opinion of the
Bennets’ status is symbolised by her criticisms of Longbourn, such as when she states that the house has “a most inconvenient sitting room,” (Chapter 56) a symbol for
Elizabeth’s problematic meddling. Lady Catherine believes that if Elizabeth marries into her family “the shades of Pemberley [will] be thus polluted.” (Chapter 56) Lady
Catherine’s arguments all relate to location, both physical and social. Her prejudiced belief that the marriage will end in disgrace for both parties is proven wrong at the conclusion of the novel, thus achieving Austen’s desire for social equality. The interwoven erroneous opinions of the upper class provide the reader with motivation for the breakdown of society’s dependence on status.

Nick Mitchell
Just as Longbourn and Meryton provide justifications for opinions against the
Bennets’ follies, the manor of Pemberley is used by Jane Austen to illustrate
Elizabeth’s newfound attraction to Darcy. Believing her love for Darcy originated from “first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley,” (Chapter 59) Elizabeth provides an ironic echo of the novel’s opening line. In the journey from the beginning up to this point, Austen has portrayed Elizabeth’s difficult path towards a sincere love for Darcy, where his wealth is merely a catalyst for their relationship. Pemberley’s splendour “where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste”
(Chapter 43) objectified Elizabeth’s new impressions of Darcy. Specifically, the handsome portraits of Darcy are used by Austen to both symbolise and exemplify the
“keenest attention [that] awakened” (Chapter 43) in Elizabeth. Austen establishes a feeling of love at first sight during the couple’s first meeting at Pemberley where
“their eyes instantly met, and the cheeks of each were overspread with the deepest blush.” (Chapter 43) No longer prejudiced by his social manner, Elizabeth is provided instead with a proper opportunity to fall in love with Darcy. Austen establishes
Pemberley’s perfection as the first chance for Elizabeth to have an accurate understanding of Darcy’s true character.
Another location used by Jane Austen to help the reader understand the characteristics of the aristocratic English society, and those who adhere to it, is Lady Catherine’s home of Rosings Park. Lady Catherine “likes to have the distinction of rank preserved” (Chapter 29) through dress, manner, and the home. She takes pride in her home, while she is prejudiced against the relative simplicity of Longbourn and the
Bennet family. The grandeur of Rosings Park is intimidating for Elizabeth and others who visit, reflecting the nature of Lady Catherine’s confronting personality. The great distance between Longbourn and Rosings Park is also used by Austen as a symbol for the unequal society that separates the wealth of Lady Catherine and Darcy from
Elizabeth, who remarks “where there is fortune to make the expense of travelling unimportant, distance becomes no evil.” (Chapter 32) Darcy’s wealth provides him with mobility, both physical and social, but poorer families such as the Bennets are fixed in their position. Rosings Park is a perfect supplement to Lady Catherine and the social hierarchy to which she adheres.

Nick Mitchell
Another key stylistic feature of Pride and Prejudice is the reality Jane Austen achieves through her use of actual geography as the stage for integral plot events.
These distant places, however, also have a sense of excitement about them because of the dramatic importance of the events that happen there, borrowing from their existing connotations; London as the bustling capital and Brighton as a popular holiday destination. Lydia and Wickham’s elopement has severe consequences for the Bennet family, and causes many towns and cities across England to be investigated. Elizabeth herself, however, does not leave Meryton. Austen ensures that the reader only knows as little about the elopement as Elizabeth, causing the reader to agree with her opinions of the matter. This complements Austen’s focus in the second half of the novel on Elizabeth’s troubled psyche, contemplating the repercussions of her relationship with Darcy. Austen contrasts the extravagant travels of Lydia and
Wickham with the torturous psychological journey that Elizabeth and Darcy take to comprehend their feelings for one another. Wickham’s “vicious propensities”
(Chapter 35) and Lydia’s “natural self-consequence” (Chapter 9) are made clear during the saga, suggesting that their personalities would be appropriate for living away from Meryton. This is another contrast to Elizabeth and Darcy, who go on to live peacefully in Pemberley. The excitement of off-stage events not only adds to the novel’s realism and its dramatic plot complications, but also extends to its psychological geography.
Jane Austen constructs the settings of Pride and Prejudice as reinforcements of the novel’s messages. The characters’ attitudes towards Meryton, Pemberley and Rosings
Park provide particular insights into society’s dependence on its class structure. The distant locales also display the realistic breadth of the novel as well as providing dramatic tension for the characters to respond to. The interwoven depiction of both the characters and the settings of Pride and Prejudice warns readers of the consequences of the titular traits.