Pride and Prejudice (PDF)

Early nineteenth century English society imposed many requirements for a successful life. Women, to maintain a comfortable economic condition, needed to make the conventions of class and wealth important when they came of marrying age. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett had five daughters to present before whatever eligibly prosperous men were available. This story centers on the Bennetts' daughter Elizabeth who will be most resistant to any financially stable marriage which has no room for romance. Because Elizabeth has her sights set on happiness, she employs her intelligence and quick response to keep an edge on suitors like Mr. Collins whose overdone manner combined with unassertive demands make him totally undesirable. Elizabeth is sure of her ability to accurately judge the quality of others. But Elizabeth meets Mr. Darcy who is rich and aristocratic. He becomes a rather unwelcome presence in her life even though he is a close friend of her sister's beau. Elizabeth mistakenly believes that Darcy has a disagreeable tendency to hate everyone, but the longer she knows him she is shown through event and example how generous and capable he is. The novel becomes a discovery of true love as Darcy and Elizabeth reconcile the conceits of prejudice and pride that had hidden the possibility of pleasure.
Please Note: This book is easy to read in true text, not scanned images that can sometimes be difficult to decipher. The Microsoft eBook has a contents page linked to the chapter headings for easy navigation. The Adobe eBook has bookmarks at chapter headings and is printable up to two full copies per year. Both versions are text searchable.