Pride and Prejudice has delighted generations of readers with its unforgettable cast of characters, carefully choreographed plot, and a hugely entertaining view of the world and its absurdities. With the arrival of eligible young men in their neighbourhood, the lives of Mr and Mrs Bennet and their five daughters are turned inside out and upside down.

Pride encounters prejudice, upward-mobility confronts social disdain, and quick-wittedness challenges sagacity, as misconceptions and hasty judgements lead to heartache and scandal, but eventually to true understanding, self-knowledge, and love.

In this supremely satisfying story, Jane Austen balances comedy with seriousness, and witty observation with profound insight. If Elizabeth Bennet returns again and again to her letter from Mr Darcy, readers of the novel are drawn even more irresistibly by its captivating wisdom.

To listen to Fiona Stafford of Somerville College, Oxford, introduce the novel, click on the links below.

Introducing Jane Austen

• “She grew up in a house dominated by boys, which surprises people.” Click here to find out more about Jane Austen’s early life in a house not only full of boys but also books. [0:50]
• Though many of her most revealing letters were destroyed by her sister after her death, nonetheless Jane Austen’s letters can still tell us much about her personality and preoccupations. Click here to hear more. [1:02]

Origins of the novel

• “Lopped and cropped”: the first version of the novel was turned down by the publisher Jane’s father sent it to in the 1790s. But the success of Sense and Sensibility encouraged her to get the earlier draft – then called First Impressions – out again and begin revising it. Learn more here. [0:54]
• Epistolary origins: an Austen family tradition had it that Pride and Prejudice began life as a novel in letters. Click here to discover more. [0:47]
• A novel in the eighteenth century when Jane was growing up was a different sort of thing from what it became in the following century. Find out more about what reading would have influenced her writing here. [1:26]

Reading Pride and Prejudice

• Jane Austen: wartime novelist? The suggestion may seem surprising, but as Fiona Stafford explains here, Britain was at war with France throughout Austen’s career, and this left subtle but indelible traces on her writing. [1:30]
• Pride and Prejudice is so complete and perfect in itself that it’s surprising that it has generated so many sequels and spin-offs. Here Fiona Stafford discusses why Austen’s novel leaves readers wanting more. [1:19]
• Austen invites her readers to form judgements of her characters as they read the book – and then to revise them as the story unfolds. Click here to hear why this may in part account for the book’s enduring appeal. [1:34]

Success and afterlife

• Pride and Prejudice was a success from its first publication. Click here for more on its unique critical and popular appeal. [1:28]
• What aspects of Austen are stimulating critical debate now? Click here to find out. [0:39]
• Finally, what advice would Fiona Stafford give to someone about to reread Pride and Prejudice? She suggests what to look out for here. [1:45]