# data[].attributes.body
Create one or more posts by double clicking on the screen.

Copy the text you have written in group.

a) Who was Jane Austen?

b) Plot of Pride and Prejudice and setting

c) Main female characters

d) Main male characters

e) Main themes

f) How is the story told?

Add a Creative Commons picture from www.photosforclass.com

# data[].attributes.headline
"Netherfield Park has been let at last" says Mrs Bennet.

# data[].attributes.subject
"Netherfield Park has been let at last" says Mrs Bennet.

# data[].attributes.body
This is the beginning of the novel "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen.

# data[].attributes.headline
Who was Jane Austen?  - by Viola and Camilla

# data[].attributes.subject
Who was Jane Austen?  - by Viola and Camilla

# data[].attributes.body
Jane Austen was born in 1775 at Steventon, in the Hampshire, by the Anglican priest George Austen and his wife Cassandra Leigh. She was the sixth of eight children: James, George, Edward, Henry, Francis and Cassandra. The latter was Jane's closest friend and confident also because both sisters died unmarried.

# data[].attributes.headline
Jane Austen's life and works -      By Viola and Camilla

# data[].attributes.subject
Jane Austen's life and works -      By Viola and Camilla

# data[].attributes.body
Jane Austen's life was quiet and conditioned by the very closed circle of her companions. In fact this is one of the main features of her novels, which focus on the relationships in a small society.

Jane was very affectionate to her family. Often, in the evenings, she would choose a novel from the shelf and read it aloud to her family. Later she started writing her own stories.

Jane was maily homeschooled by her father. She was partly educated with her sister in Oxfors and Southtampton by Mrs.Crawley and then she attended a school to learn dancing, music and drama, until in 1786 she returned home. Here her father continued her instructions, thanks also to their large collection of books in the house library. In December 1800 the family moved to Bath.

The Austens lived there until Mr. Austen died, in 1805, leaving his wife and the daughters in precarious financial conditions. They moved to Southampton, at Frank, and later in Chawton, a small country village in the Hampshire, where Edward owned a cottage.

In 1816 Jane began to feel unwell. At first she ignored her illness and continued to write, but by the middle of that year her health deteriorated culminating in her death.

Jane Auste died of Addison's disease when she was just 41 years.

# data[].attributes.headline
Jane Austen's literary career and major novels -  By Viola and Camilla

# data[].attributes.subject
Jane Austen's literary career and major novels -  By Viola and Camilla

# data[].attributes.body
Jane began writing stories during her adolescence. Her first novel was " Love and friendship" - a parody of romantic fiction.

She continued to write some of her future major works, the first called " Elinor and Marianne", which would become the basis of " Sense and Sensibility", published in 1811 and "First Impressions " which would later be published as "Pride and Prejudice". CHANGE THIS PARAGRAPH! TOO SIMILAR TO YOUR BOOK

She wrote " Northanger Abbey" in 1798, which was published by her brother Henry. In Chawton in her 30's, Jane started to publish her works anonymously : "Mansfield Park", "Emma" and "Persuasion".

Her identity was revealed by her brother Henry only after her death. Jane could not reveal her name because the English society of the time considered the female's entrance into the public sphere as a loss of feminity. Women were not allowed to worl or study at university and were expected to lead their life within the family walls. At the time there was a government censorship of literature, so Jane published anonymously.

Jane Austen was a smart and brillant woman. Her narrative style and the nature of her works are characterised by her biting irony. Beacause of the themes and the style of her novels she has become an immortal figure of the English literature.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4126/5047538112_22b2eaf8b1.jpg

# data[].attributes.headline
First part of the Plot by Alessandro R., Veronica, Silvia and Matilde

# data[].attributes.subject
First part of the Plot by Alessandro R., Veronica, Silvia and Matilde

# data[].attributes.body
PART 1

The first scene of Pride and prejudice opens with Mrs Bennet, who communicates her husband the news about a young, single gentleman who is going to move to Netherfield Park. She immediately sees the opportunity for marrying one of their daughters.
So she asks Mr Bennett to go on visti to Netherfield and introduce himself to the new neighbour. Mr Bingley will later invite the Bennets to his home and will give a ball where he will meet and fall in love with the oldest of the Bennett sisters - Jane.
At the ball Elisabeth meets Mr Darcy who "insults" her by saying that she is not attractive enough to dance with him. This will be the beginning of a tormented love story in which pride and prejudice play an important role. In fact, Elisabeth will decline Darcy's marriage proposal because she has wrongly judge him.
A new character enters the scene. It's Mr Collins, a relative of the Bennett family who will inherit the Bennet's holdings. He has decided to get married and is looking for a wife. He first proposes to Jane and the to Elizabeth but both decline.
Jane and Elizabeth meet a soldier, Wickham, who was an "old friend" of the Darcy family but he tells only lies about Mr Darcy, which will however influence Elisabeth's opinion about Darcy and build up her resentment against him.

# data[].attributes.headline
First Chapter by Alessandro R.,Matilde, Veronica and Silvia

# data[].attributes.subject
First Chapter by Alessandro R.,Matilde, Veronica and Silvia

# data[].attributes.body
In the first chapter of "Pride and Prejudice" the narrator introduces us to a 19th-century typical family of the land gentry. From what Mrs Bennet says we understand that it was essential for a woman of that time to get married to a rich gentleman, in possession of a good fortune. Mrs Bennet looks very worried about the future of her five still unmarried daughters and believes that it is her duty to do whatever it takes to find a good husband for them. She informs her husband that a young man, named Bingley, has just let Netherfield Park, a large house with extensive grounds. Bingley is moving to Netherfield from the North of England. He is single and in possession of a large fortune. Mrs Bennet wishes that Bingley will marry one of her daughters. She therefore considers his arrival as a great opportunity for her family! This is why she urges her husband to pay a visit at Netherfield in order to introduce himself and his family. Mr Bennet does not appear very interested in his wife's words. Neither does he believe that Bingley might like one of his daughters, who he considers quite silly.

# data[].attributes.headline
Plot of Pride and Prejudice - by Veronica, Alessandro R., Silvia e Matilde

# data[].attributes.subject
Plot of Pride and Prejudice - by Veronica, Alessandro R., Silvia e Matilde

# data[].attributes.body
PART 2

Jane finds out that Bingley and Darcy have left Netherfield.

Elizabeth finds out that her best friend has married Mr. Collins. When Elizabeth goes to visit her friend, they get invited at Lady Catherine De Bourgh's house, where there is also Mr. Darcy, her nephew.
Later, Elizabeth discovers that Darcy prevented the marriage between Bingley and her sister. Because of her resentment towards Darcy, Elisabeth rejects his marriage proposal. Broken heart Darcy, sends a letter to Elizabeth explaining that Bingley, in his opinion, wasn't really in love with Jane and that Wickham is a liar and a social climber. While Elizabeth is visiting Darcy's estate in Derbyshire with her uncle, Lydia marries Wickham.
To gain Elizabeth's forgiveness, Darcy helps Bingley to marry Jane and pays all Wickham's debts, thus saving the Bennets from a big social scandal.
The novel ends with the final clarification between Elisabeth and Darcy. After an argument with Lady Catherine, Elizabeth can't sleep and goes for a walk in the moors. Here she meets Darcy, and they declare love each other.

# data[].attributes.headline
Third part of the plot by Matilde,Veronica,Silvia e Alessandro R.

# data[].attributes.subject
Third part of the plot by Matilde,Veronica,Silvia e Alessandro R.

# data[].attributes.body
PART 3

Mrs Bennet is very worried because she wants her daughters to find a husband.
Her wish seems to come true when Mr Bingley accepts an invitation to lunch at the Bennets' house. Later, Mr Bingley is forced to cancel the invitation because he goes to London to bring a large number of people to the ball.
Mr Bingley arrives at the ball with his two sisters and a young man Mr Darcy, who is at the beginning very admired by all women at the ball because of his refined shape, handsome features and noble countenance.
Later, however, it turns out that Mr Darcy is a proud man, who despises people of lower social rank.
Mr Bingley speaks with mr Darcy while Elizabeth is sitting behind them, so that she is able to overhear their conversation. Mr Darcy says that Elizabeth is tolerable not attractive enough to tempt him, also because he would lose his reputation to dance with a girl who has been neglected by other men.

# data[].attributes.headline
Setting and Characters by: Rachele, Laura, Ludovica and Giulia.

# data[].attributes.subject
Setting and Characters by: Rachele, Laura, Ludovica and Giulia.

# data[].attributes.body
"Pride and Pregiudice" is set in 18th century England, in Longbarn a pretty small village in Hertfordshire.

Jane Austen wrote her novel during the English Industrial Revolution, but throughout the story very little reference is given to the big social and ecomic changes that the British society was undergoing at that time.

In this historical age women weren't free. For most of them their main goal in life was to get married preferably to a rich man of a large income. This was considered also as a way to rise up the social ladder and improve one's social status. The female role was limited to having kids and being good housewives. Women common passtime activities at home were reading, playing the piano, socializing, having some walks with their friends, going to parties and balls, or sewing.

In the novel there are many characters who interact with each other. We often see them gathering in parks, or during balls, tea parties and visits. Austen used a very direct style when she described them both from a physical as well as a psychological point of view.

The story starts introducing the Bennet's family. The Bennets belong to the English country gentry. Mr Bennet is the patriarch and lives in a comfortable country house with his wife and their five daughters: Jane, Elizabeth, Lydia, Mary and Kitty.

The major characters are Elizabeth and Darcy, who are the two protagonists. Other important characters are Jane and Mr. BIngley. They are all round characters because they undergo a deep change in the story.

Elizabeth is the Bennets' second daughter. She is very smart but also quite judgemental. She will fall in love with Mr. Darcy, who is the nephew of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Darcy is rich and comes to visit his friend Bingley in Netherfield.

Elisabeth's sister Jane will capture Mr. Bingley's attention using her beauty.

There are several minor characters like Lydia, the youngest of the Bennets' daughters who will fall in love and will run off to Scotland with Wichham, a very goodlooking militia official. Another minor character is Mr Collins, Mr. Bennet's cousin, who is pompous and narrow-minded. He wants to marry one of Mr. Bennet's daughters just because he needs a wife, He first proposes to Elizabeth, who rejects him and then marries her sister Charlotte. Other minor characters are the Lucas family, whose members are close friends of the Bennets. In particular Charlotte Lucas, a pretty, well-mannered girl, who is Elizabeth's best friend.

# data[].attributes.headline
Male characters in Pride and Prejudice - by Francesco, Maria, Mariele & Sofia M.

# data[].attributes.subject
Male characters in Pride and Prejudice - by Francesco, Maria, Mariele & Sofia M.

# data[].attributes.body
The main male characters in this novel are: Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Bennet and Mr. Collins. There are also some secondary characters like Mr. Wickham, Mr. Gardiner, Mr. Hurst, Mr. Fitzwilliam

Mr. Bennet is a man of the English land gentry who has five daughters: Jane, Elizabeth, Lydia, Kitty and Mary. He lives with six women and has no male heir.
He is a pleasant man and often makes jokes on his wife's agitation, who wants to marry their five daughters. He doesn't take her seriously and often makes fun of her.
He is warm-hearted with his daughters, expecially Elizabeth, who is his favourite. They have a special relationship because Lizzy is very similar to him. They often think the same way about love and marriage. They also have the same sense of humour.
He supports her and wishes a good future for his daughters. However, he does not look as worried as his wife and he doesn't oblige his daughters to marry without love.

Image: "The Bennet Family" by Hugh Thomson via Wikipedia.org

Public Domain https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benethom.gif

# data[].attributes.headline
Male characters in Pride and Prejudice - by Francesco, Maria, Mariele & Sofia M.

# data[].attributes.subject
Male characters in Pride and Prejudice - by Francesco, Maria, Mariele & Sofia M.

# data[].attributes.body
Mr. Darcy is a wealthy gentleman and he is 28 years old. He belongs to the noble class and he is the owner of a large estate called Pemberley in Derbyshire.

In the novel, he appears for the first time at the ball at Netherfield palace, where all the ladies are at first quite attracted by him because he is rich and unmarried. He is in fact richer and even more attractive than his friend Bingley but also less polite.

Darcy is goodlooking and tall, a person of very fine manners, well-educated and of gentlemanly behaviour. Unfortunately, he has a contemptuous character, because he is too proud, and looks detached and self-important towards the others. He is however a good friend to Bingley and has high moral principles.
Although at the beginning he finds Elisabeth not enought attractive to tempt him, he later truly falls in love with her. At first he tries to hide his feelings but in the end he proposes to her because Lizzie is very intelligent and he admires her sincerity and wit.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Darcy_%C3%A0_Netherfield.jpg/208px-Darcy_%C3%A0_Netherfield.jpg

# data[].attributes.body
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pride and Prejudice the Film

# data[].attributes.headline
Male characters -  By Francesco, Maria, Mariele & Sofia M.

# data[].attributes.subject
Male characters -  By Francesco, Maria, Mariele & Sofia M.

# data[].attributes.body
Mr. Bingley is Darcy's the best friend. He's a member of the upper class and he rents a luxurious estate in Netherfield, near the Bennet's property.

He's good looking and is less detached than Darcy. He is friendly and behaves like a gentleman. Even if he's not as clever and rich as Darcy, he is however more admired.

He first appears in the novel at the Bennets' house, after Elizabeth's father's invitation to introduce to him his daughters.

On the night of the Ball at Netherfiel, Bingley introduces Darcy to the local neighbourhood and to us as readers. While Bingley enjoys the company of the Jane, Darcy refuses to meet and dance with the other girls, who look on him as a possible suitors for marriage. At this point Bingley falls in love with Jane, one of the three Bennet sisters.

Unlike Darcy who is obsessed with his higher social rank, Bingley is more open-minded and he doesn't care much about social differences as evidenced by his immediate attraction for Jane, who he will eventually marry out of love.

(Mr. Bingley (on the right) at the Ball with Mr. Darcy - Image By C. E. Brock (Scans from the book at Pemberley.com) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APrideandPrejudiceCH3.jpg

# data[].attributes.headline
Male characters in Pride and Prejudice - by Francesco, Maria, Mariele & Sofia M.

# data[].attributes.subject
Male characters in Pride and Prejudice - by Francesco, Maria, Mariele & Sofia M.

# data[].attributes.body
Mr. Collins is Mr Bennet's cousin and - since Mr Bennet has no sons - he will inherit Longbourn property.
Mr Collins is a member of the clergy and described by Jane Austen as a snobbish and obsequious man. He has a high consideration of himself. At the novel's beginning he makes a proposal of marriage to Mr Bennet's daughters, but every one refuses it. He is the rector of the ecclesiastical benefit of his patroness Lady Catherine De Bourgh who he admires. He is the target of Elisabeth's irony and the reader sympathizes with her when she rejects his proposal.

# data[].attributes.headline
Social Context by Alesssandro R., Veronica, Silvia and Matilde

# data[].attributes.subject
Social Context by Alesssandro R., Veronica, Silvia and Matilde

# data[].attributes.body
The story takes place in the 18th century, a time in which a woman had no right to inherit property from her father, neither to work or study at university. Women were confined at home and could only dream of a good marriage. A girl was in fact obliged to marry a rich man in order to guarantee herself a comfortable life.
Decor and manners were very important in the society of Jane Austen's time. Social conventions imposed that the head of the family had to introduce his family and himself to a new neighbour. People had to behave according to strict rules that suppressed emotions and required sobriety and self-control.
In this story love is one of the most important themes but it is hindered by mr Darcy's pride, who feels superior to the lower social classes. However, also Elisabeth Bennet is to be blamed because of her prejudice. She doesn't know Darcy very well and she has a bad opinion about him. She is too judgemental.

Image: Period-Films-period-films-9804899-800-60 by norika21,

(CC BY-SA 2.0) Via Flickr https://flic.kr/p/9h7JBT

# data[].attributes.headline
How is the story told? By Cristiana, Giada, Elena, Francesca, Giovanni

# data[].attributes.subject
How is the story told? By Cristiana, Giada, Elena, Francesca, Giovanni

# data[].attributes.body
Jane Austen narrates the story in “Pride and Prejudice” mainly through dialogues which are also a vehicle to express irony.

For example:

"I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better for as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr Bingley might like you the best of the party."

from Mr and Mrs Bennet Pride and Prejudice Chapter I) .

Instead of describing the characters, the author lets them speak. Dialogues are used also without the mediation of the narrator.

The story is narrated through Elisabeth's eyes using a third person narrator. The first person narrator is used in the reading of many letters giving the illusion of a direct dialogue between addresser and addressee.

The style is characterised by verbal and situational irony and by open interpretation on the action.

In Pride and Prejudice the time of the Story and the time of the plot don't match: in fact there are some ellipsis, which can indicate a slight pause, and flashback, which is a transition to an earlier event that interrupts the normal chronological development of the Story.

The author uses to slow the narration through detailed descriptions of the setting, emotions thoughts of the characters and them feelings. Jane Austen has used a language belonging of 19 century, in fact there are some words we don't use in daily speech. The most used tens is the simple present because there are many parts in dialogue through direct speech, contrariwise of past simple which is used only on descriptions.

The book conveys the message that a person should not be influenced by pride and prejudice, which could make us lose good things in our lives. This novel is still uptodate because it deals with themes like love, free choices and personal independence. Elizabeth represents the example of a modern woman, whose actions are revolutionary for her time. The reader can identify oneself in the heroine.