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Elizabeth Bennet

arts Maturity 9-11 Next article →

Elizabeth Bennet is a famous character in a book.

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Thomson-PP14

She is the main character in the novel Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen wrote this story in 1813. Elizabeth is often called Eliza or Lizzy by her family. She is the second of five daughters in the Bennet family. Many readers think she is a wonderful and lovable heroine. She is known for being very smart and witty.

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Thomson-PP14

Elizabeth has a very lively and playful personality. She enjoys finding things that are funny or ridiculous. She is also very good at judging how people act. Her father says she is quicker than her sisters. People in her neighborhood think she is a beauty. They often notice her "fine eyes."

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Thomson-PP14

A man named Mr. Darcy is drawn to her. He likes her bright mind and her easy manners. He eventually thinks she is one of the handsomest women he knows.

Life for Elizabeth is not always easy or simple. Her family lives at the Longbourn estate in England. Her father is a landowner, but he has a problem. The estate is "entailed" on the male line. This means only a male relative can inherit it. If Mr. Bennet has no son, a cousin named Mr. William Collins will take the land. Because of this, her mother wants her to marry a wealthy man. Elizabeth refuses to marry Mr. Collins because she wants to marry for love.

History tells us a lot about the world Elizabeth lived in. The story happens near a village called Meryton in Hertfordshire. Some experts believe the setting is between 1793 and 1795. This is because the story mentions a militia being called up. This happened after France declared war on Great Britain. Jane Austen was working on the book around 1796. She finished the first version, called First Impressions, in 1797.

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Thomson-PP14

Elizabeth is a very important character in British literature. People have studied her for a long time. Some thinkers admire her strong and lively spirit. Others wonder if she gives in too much to men. She is a middle-class woman, while Mr. Darcy is an aristocrat. Even so, Elizabeth is very brave with her words. She tells people what she truly thinks in her heart. She is a character who finds her own happiness.

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