Pride & Prejudice Review Information
Chapters 24-37
Characters
A. Jane
1. In chapter 24 we learn about another letter in this novel which contains
many letters. Jane receives a second letter from Miss Bingley. What does
Miss Bingley tell Jane? How does Jane interpret this letter? How does
Elizabeth interpret it?
2. Characterize Jane by examining her responses to the Darcy-Wickham
controversies, to Bingley's absence, to Charlotte's marriage, and then Ms.
Bingley's letter.
3. After Jane goes to London with her aunt and uncle, what contact does she
have with the Bingley family? How does Jane respond to her first meeting
with Miss Bingley? How does she respond to their second meeting?
4. On the way to see Charlotte and Mr. Collins Elizabeth, Sir William Lucas, and
Maria Lucas stop briefly in London to see Jane and the Gardiner family.
Elizabeth is surprised to learn about Jane's present condition. Why? How is
Jane? What is bothering her?
B. The Gardiners
1. We meet more of Elizabeth and Jane's relatives in chapter 25: Mr. and
Mrs. Gardiner. How are they related to Elizabeth? How do Mr. and Mrs.
Gardiner differ from Elizabeth's other relatives? W hat do the Gardiners
offer to do for Jane? Does Jane accept the offer? Why? What does Jane
expect from her relationship with Miss Bingley?
Themes -- Social Status, Social Manners and Marriage
A. Wickham and Elizabeth
1. Before the Gardiners and Jane return to London, Mrs. Gardiner also has
numerous opportunities to talk with Mr. Wickham. What do Mrs. Gardiner
and Mr. Wickham have in common? What do they talk about? What does she
think of him? Mrs. Gardiner also makes it a point to talk to Elizabeth about
Mr. Wickham. What words of advice does Mrs. Gardiner offer? Why does
she offer this advice? How does Elizabeth respond to her aunt?
2. At the end of chapter 26, Elizabeth's relationship with Mr. Wickham
abruptly changes. Why does it change? To whom does Mr. Wickham redirect his attentions? What are his motives? How does Elizabeth react to
this? How would you describe the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr.
Wickham as she leaves for London and Hunsford?
When Elizabeth tells her aunt about Mr. Wickham's relationship with Miss
King, how does Mrs. Gardiner respond? Is Elizabeth being consistent when
she criticizes Charlotte for marrying Mr. Collins but accepts Mr. Wickham's
relationship with Miss King?
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Characters
A. Elizabeth and Charlotte
How does Elizabeth change her attitudes toward Charlotte during the
revelation of the latter's marriage and afterwards?
Before Charlotte Lucas marries Mr. Collins, she asks two favors of
Elizabeth. What does she ask? How does Elizabeth respond to these two
requests? How does Elizabeth respond to the first letters that she receives
from Charlotte after her marriage?
B. Lady Catherine
Before Elizabeth and the Lucas's leave for Hunsford, Mrs. Gardiner invites
Elizabeth to travel in the future with the Gardiners. Where will they go?
Which of Elizabeth's acquaintances lives there?
When Elizabeth arrives at the Collins's house, what does she learn about the
marriage between Charlotte and Mr. Collins?
What are Elizabeth's first impressions of Mrs. Jenkinson and Lady
Catherine's daughter? What does Elizabeth think of the park surrounding
Rosings? How does Elizabeth's response to Lady Catherine and the first
evening at Rosings differ from those of Sir William, Maria, and Mr. Collins?
What does Elizabeth think of Lady Catherine? How would you describe and
characterize Lady Catherine? How does Lady Catherine treat Elizabeth?
Elizabeth is surprised by the arrival of Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam at
Rosings. How is Lady Catherine related to the two men? What are
Elizabeth's initial feelings about Fitzwilliam? How would you characterize
the relationship between Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam as they get to know each
other better?
Themes -- Pride and Prejudice of Elizabeth and Darcy
1. How would you describe the first meeting of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy at
Hunsford? How does Mr. Darcy feel about Elizabeth? As they spend more
time together, does he completely understand her words and actions? How
does Elizabeth feel about him? Does Elizabeth understand his feelings,
thoughts, and actions? Can you give examples of Elizabeth and Darcy's
misunderstandings of each other? Does Charlotte understand Darcy's
attitude toward Elizabeth?
2. In this novel about pride and prejudice, which characters do you think are
proud? Which are prejudiced? Do you think it is completely accurate to say,
for example, that Darcy is proud and Elizabeth is prejudiced? Or are both
characters a combination of pride and prejudice? Which other characters
are also proud? Prejudiced?
3. As the novel develops till this point, what do you think about Darcy's pride
and coldness, esp. in Meryton assembly? How do different people, e.g.
Charlotte and Fitzwilliam, respond to his pride and stubborness (e.g. 39-40;
125)? How does Darcy himself explain it (pp. 34; 119)?
4. During one of her regular walks in the park around Rosings, Elizabeth meets
Fitzwilliam. While talking with him, Elizabeth learns more about Darcy's
involvement in Mr. Bingley's estrangement from Jane. How does she respond
to this in front of Fitzwilliam and by herself? Does she show any lack of
judgment in her defense of her own family? Will you respond the same way
as Elizabeth?
5. As Elizabeth considers the news she learned from Fitzwilliam, Darcy pays
her a visit and, to Elizabeth's surprise, makes a marriage proposal. Are you
surprised, too? (In other words, are there clues to prepare us for it?) How
would you describe his proposal? Does he present an overwhelming passion
for Elizabeth? How does Elizabeth respond to his proposal? Why does she
respond this way? What does she tell him?
6. The next morning Darcy hands Elizabeth a letter he has written to her. In
this letter he explains his involvement in the relationship between Jane and
Mr. Bingley, as well as his relationship with Wickham. What does this letter
say? How does Elizabeth initially respond to this letter? After she has had
a chance to think about the letter, how does she respond to it? Does she
have a chance to talk with Darcy about this letter? Why not? How does
Darcy's letter change Elizabeth's understanding of herself?
Themes -- Marriage and Social Status
1. So far a sequence of events --the general pursuit of Mr. Bingley,
Charlotte's marrying Mr. Collins, Wickham's pursuit of Ms. King,
Darcy's interruption of Bingley-Jane relationship, and then Darcy's
proposal -- reveal very clearly the society's major concerns in their
"marriage market": that the couple should be of the same rank, or
one can improve his/her social/economic status through marriage
while the other should avoid bad connections. Do you agree that
family background can be so important?
Pride & Prejudice Review Information
Chapters 38-46
Plot
1. When Elizabeth and Maria Lucas leave Mr. and Mrs. Collins and head toward
London and their homes, the two women have different thoughts about their
six week stay in Hunsford. What are their different reactions? Why does
Elizabeth feel that she must keep secret some of her experiences?
2. As Elizabeth, Jane, and Maria travel from London to their homes, they are
met by Lydia and Kitty. What more do you learn about Lydia in chapter 39?
Is she very prudent in her purchase of a new bonnet? Why does she buy it?
How does she welcome her sisters and Maria back? Who has to pay for this
"treat"? Is she very attentive to her sisters? What news does Lydia have
about the relationship between Mr. Wickham and Miss King? What news
does Lydia tell her sisters about the military men that have been stationed
in Meryton?
3. Elizabeth confides in Jane SOME of what happened between herself and
Darcy in chap 40. What does she tell Jane? What does she not tell her? How
does Jane respond to the news? How does Elizabeth feel about Mr. Darcy at
this point in the novel?
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Plot -- Preparation for Lydia's elopement: Unfortunate coincidences or
charcter flaws? [Chap 42]
1. Why do the two sisters decide not to make public what they know about Mr.
Wickham?
2. Why do Lydia and Mrs. Bennet want to spend the summer in Brighton? How
does Mr. Bennet feel about this? How do Mr. and Mrs. Bennet respond when
Colonel Forster and his wife ask Lydia to accompany them to Brighton?
What does Elizabeth think of this plan? What does she tell her father?
How does Mr. Bennet respond to Elizabeth? What are his reasons for
allowing Lydia to go?
3. Describe Elizabeth's relationship with Mr. Wickham before he leaves for
Brighton.
Themes -- Social Manners, Marriage and The Bennets
1. In chapter 42 we are told more about the reasons why Mr. Bennet married
his wife. What were his reasons? What is Elizabeth's opinion of her father
as a husband? How does she think the relationship between her father and
mother has influenced the children?
Plot -- Preparation for the Pemberley visit
1. Elizabeth's planned tour to the Lakes with her aunt and uncle is cancelled.
Instead of going so far North, where do the Gardiners now plan to go?
Which one of Elizabeth's acquaintances lives in Derbyshire?
Themes -- Pemberley visit and the themes of 1) social status and marriage
and 2) [corrections of] prejudices
1. Why does Elizabeth go to Pemberley? What does she think of Pemberley?
How does it compare and contrast with Rosings Park?
2. Elizabeth's views of Darcy: After the first correction of Elizabeth's
prejudice by Darcy's letter, how does she change her views of Darcy?
3. What do Elizabeth and the Gardiners learn about Darcy from Mrs. Reynolds?
Does Elizabeth's attitude toward Darcy change while at Pemberley and after
talking with Mrs. Reynolds? What does she think about him now?
4. When Elizabeth meets Darcy at the Pemberley estates, she is surprised by
his behavior. How has he changed since she saw him last? How does he treat
her? Her aunt and uncle? What does Elizabeth think has caused this change
in Darcy? And how do Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner look at Darcy?
5. How does Elizabeth feel about Darcy's intention of introducing Ms. Darcy?
Describe Elizabeth's meeting with Miss Darcy. Is Miss Darcy as proud as
Wickham had described her? When Elizabeth meets Mr. Bingley, she
detects some hints that he may still be thinking of Jane. What are those
hints? Describe Elizabeth's meeting with Miss Bingley.
6. How does Elizabeth feel about Darcy after spending more time with him (pp.
177, 179)? Can gratitude, esteem and respect be a good foundation of love?
See how Elizabeth thinks about it on p. 186