Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist of Jane Austen's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice, the second of five daughters in a country gentry family whose modest fortune makes a good marriage a practical necessity. Quick-witted, well-read and fiercely independent for a woman of her time and class, she prizes her own judgment over social convention, famously misjudging the proud Mr. Darcy on first acquaintance before a series of revelations forces both characters to overcome pride and prejudice alike. Her narrative arc, tracing the growth of self-knowledge through the correction of an initial wrong impression, made her one of the most admired heroines in English fiction and a model for the novel of manners' treatment of courtship, class and moral growth. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Narrative RoleSourced to the subject's own accountProtagonist and the novel's central point-of-view character; her early misjudgment of Mr. Darcy's character, corrected only after his letter forces her to reexamine her own pride and prejudice, drives the plot to its resolution. 1 Defining TraitSourced to the subject's own accountSharp wit and independent judgment that resists social pressure to marry for anything but genuine respect and affection 1 Narrative role (class)Sourced to the subject's own account Connections
Character In
Source Elizabeth Bennet (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Sources
1. Elizabeth Bennet (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationLead section
Elizabeth Bennet is a fictional character and the protagonist of the 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Character analysis section
Austen herself described Elizabeth as "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print."
Analysis section, misjudging Darcy
misunderstanding the social pressures on her friend Charlotte to get married, being taken in completely for a time by Wickham and misjudging Darcy's character.
- Character In: Pride and Prejudice
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
What did Jane Austen herself think of Elizabeth Bennet?
Austen herself called Elizabeth "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print."
Austen was openly fond of her own creation. She described Elizabeth in her own words as "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print." Within the novel, Elizabeth is also her father Mr. Bennet's favorite of his five daughters, whom he describes as having "something more of quickness than her sisters."
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.