*To begin the story, Mr. Bingley, a rich, handsome and unmarried man moves to Netherfield
Park. Mrs. Bennet, his new neighbour wants him to marry one of her five daughters. Consequently,
she lets her husband Mr. Bennet visit him to get a good relationship started between the two families.
Soon after moving in, Mr. Bingley brings his sisters, Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst, and his friend,
Mr. Darcy to the ball in the village of Meryton. At first, everybody agrees that Mr. Darcy is a good
looking, rich man, but after that, he is thought to be
proud and disagreeable and they think he
considers himself superior to country people. Mr. Darcy declines Mr. Bingley’s suggestion that he
dance with Elizabeth, the second daughter of the Bennet’s because she is not attractive enough to
tempt him. On the other hand, Mr. Bingley makes himself popular with the ladies by dancing every
dance, talking with everybody and showing his admiration for Jane , the elder
sister of Bennet’s
family. While observing the relationship between Mr. Bingley and her sister, Elizabeth doesn’t notice
the increase interest that Mr. Darcy has in her. Although, at first, he didn’t like her, he now realizes the
beauty of her dark eyes, her intelligent face and he wants to know more about her.
To begin chapter one , Jane Austen introduces the characters of the story clearly. From Mr. Bennet who has a comfortable income and had made a mistake of falling in love with a pretty but foolish young woman, to Mr. Bingley, a rich polite man and to Mr. Darcy, a proud man with a selfish disdain for the feelings of others. The women of the story include the daughters of the Bennet’s family, the main characters of the story: Jane and Elizabeth. In chapter one, the author let’s us see the admiration between Jane and Mr. Bingley. However, Jane Austen doesn’t focus on Jane, she focuses on Elizabeth. In the conversation between Elizabeth and Charlotte Lucas (a friend of Elizabeth), Elizabeth wonders if admiration will lead to marriage, and happiness. It’s still a question for today’s life.
*Some weeks later, Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst invite Jane to Netherfield for dinner. Mrs. Bennet
suggests that she should ride her horse because she will have to stay if it rains. Luckily, it rains hard
and Jane stays.
The next morning, however, the family receives a note explaining that Jane is ill. Elizabeth feels
really anxious. She walks five kilometers to Netherfield to see her sister. As Jane seems so upset
without Elizabeth, Miss Bingley is obliged to invite Elizabeth to stay there. The Bingley sisters
criticize Elizabethwhen she is not around saying that she is both proud and lacking in politeness to her
superiors; has no conversation skills, no elegance and no beauty. Elizabeth realizes all of this but she is
only satisfied with Mr. Bingley. When Jane recovers, they all return home and of course, Mrs. Bennet
is quite disappointed to see them come back in such a short time.
In chapter two, we can see a pleasing affection of Elizabeth for her sister, Jane, when she walks five kilometers alone to Netherfield. It seems to me to show a dreadful sort of independence that she can walk 5 kilometers alone just to see her sister. Because of Jane’s illness and because Elizabeth comes to see her and stays in Mr. Bingley’s house, we can know more about the Bingley’s. Elizabeth always give us her think and her appraisal about the Bingley’s. For example, Elizabeth doesn’t like the Bingley’s sisters because they are too proud of themselves and always pretend to be polite with her and Jane, although they really hate her and always criticize her behind her back.
*Mr. Bennet receives a letter from a stranger, Mr. Collins, his distant cousin who will be arriving to
stay with them a few days. He is the one who will inherit Mr. Bennet ’s property after his death. In the
letter, he apologizes for inheriting their property and he explains how he became a rector and how he
gained the patronage of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Mr. Bennet finds that the letter is “a mixture of
servility and self- importance”(page 21). Mr. Collins arrives, praises the hall, the dining-room... and
considers the dinner excellent. However, it then becomes clear that he wants to marry one of Bennet’s
daughters, who consequently would lose their inheritance because of him. At first, he decides to ask
Jane to marry him, but when he tells Mrs. Bennet his choice, Mr.Bennet says that Jane is very likely to
be engaged soon so he changes his mind and chooses Elizabeth.
In the chapter 3, the story has a new character, Mr. Collins, “ a self – important, proud, silly man”(page. 25)This chapter let us see an unfair society in the 18th century when women not allowed to inherit their parent’s property and they couldn’t have an independent life even though they want to because of the society men above women. They oblige to choose a man who has fortune to marry if they don’t want to be poor. The position, the fortune, it all can caused them to lose their love.
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