Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

A comic novel about English society near the beginning of the nineteenth century, Pride and Prejudice emphasizes the effects of pride and prejudice, the role of social classes, and the convention of courtship and marriage. The main character, Elizabeth Bennet, struggles with identity, independence, and other issues familiar to adolescents. She must travel the path that leads from a false dependence on her own first impressions to an awareness and acceptance of her faults—a path that eventually leads to her own maturation. Along the way, she encounters many characters whose sense of self-worth is based on values she finds wanting. Austen’s account of this journey sparkles with ironic wit and humorously exaggerated characters.

About the Series:

Novel/Drama curriculum units contain complete lesson plans with preliminary and follow-up work, teacher notes with plot summary, background, and rationale, ready-to-use worksheets, and suggested answers for student questions. These study guides encourage the development of thinking, reading, speaking, research, and writing skills as well as critical thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.