50 Fun Facts About Pride and Prejudice

In what year was Pride and Prejudice first published?

It was Austen's second published novel after Sense and Sensibility (1811), though the third she wrote; she was in her early twenties when she drafted it.

What was the novel's original working title?

Austen wrote it between October 1796 and August 1797; her father offered it to bookseller Thomas Cadell, who declined by return post.

How much did Austen receive when she sold the manuscript to publisher Thomas Egerton?

About £6,800 in today's money, and a flat sale — she saw none of the profits from a book that became one of the best-sellers in English literature.

What completes Austen's line 'a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of...'?

The line frames the whole marriage-market comedy that follows, and has been parodied endlessly — including by a zombie novel.

How many daughters does Mr Bennet have?

Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia — and no son, which is the whole problem, since Longbourn is entailed to the male line.

In which English county is the Bennets' Longbourn estate?

The nearby town of Meryton hosts the militia; Kent is where Mr Collins and Lady Catherine live, and Derbyshire holds Pemberley.

Why is the Bennet family so anxious that a daughter marry well?

On Mr Bennet's death the estate goes to his cousin Mr Collins, leaving the women to live on the interest of about £9,000.

What is Mr Darcy said to be worth per year?

Roughly twice Mr Bingley's income and five times Mr Bennet's £2,000; Caroline Bingley has £20,000 outright.

What is Mr Darcy's first name?

It was his mother's maiden name; his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam shares it. Charles is Bingley, William is Collins.

What is the name of the estate Mr Bingley rents near Longbourn?

His £100,000 fortune comes from trade rather than land, which is why leasing a country house with hopes of buying it matters so much to his sisters.

Why does Mr Darcy decline to dance with Elizabeth at the first ball?

Elizabeth jokes about it but is deeply offended, and the slight sets her prejudice against him for half the novel.

Who is Mr Collins's patroness?

He is rector of Hunsford in Kent, dines regularly at her estate Rosings, and cannot keep a confidence from her — which later helps bring Elizabeth and Darcy together.

After Elizabeth turns him down, whom does Mr Collins marry?

Elizabeth's pragmatic friend accepts him within days; her spring visit to the Collinses in Kent sets up Darcy's first proposal.

How is the militia officer George Wickham connected to the family at Pemberley?

Darcy's father intended a church living for him; Wickham took cash instead, squandered it, and tried to elope with 15-year-old Georgiana Darcy for her dowry.

How old was Georgiana Darcy when Wickham tried to elope with her?

Darcy reveals it in the letter he hands Elizabeth the morning after his rejected proposal — the turning point of the novel.

Where does Darcy make his first, disastrous proposal to Elizabeth?

He declares his love 'despite her low social connections' and she refuses him, accusing him of ruining Jane's happiness and wronging Wickham.

With whom is Elizabeth touring Derbyshire when she unexpectedly meets Darcy at Pemberley?

The Gardiners, Mrs Bennet's brother and his wife, are the sensible relatives whose 'trade' connections Darcy once sneered at — and whom he charms at Pemberley.

Which Bennet sister runs off with Wickham?

The youngest and her mother's favourite, Lydia is 'her mother in miniature'; Darcy secretly pays Wickham's debts and buys him a commission to force the marriage.

How does the family first learn who really arranged the youngest sister's marriage?

Elizabeth then writes to Mrs Gardiner, who breaks Darcy's oath of secrecy and reveals he secured the match 'at great expense and trouble to himself.'

Whom has Lady Catherine long intended Darcy to marry?

She claims it was the dearest wish of both her and Darcy's late mother, and storms to Longbourn to demand Elizabeth renounce him — which backfires spectacularly.

How does Lady Catherine's angry visit to Longbourn end up helping Darcy?

Elizabeth admits she is not engaged but refuses to promise never to accept him; Lady Catherine repeats this indignantly to Darcy, who returns to Longbourn.

According to Austen family tradition, whom did Mary Bennet eventually marry?

James Edward Austen-Leigh's Memoir also says Kitty married a clergyman who lived near Pemberley.

How much did Mrs Bennet bring into her marriage as a settlement?

She later inherited a further £4,000; the family will have to live on the interest from these sums after Mr Bennet dies.

Between which years do the novel's events most likely take place, based on the militia's Brighton camp?

The Brighton camp opened in August 1793 and militia barracks were finished by 1796, which pins the story to the years Austen was first drafting it.

Under what byline did Austen's novels appear during her lifetime?

Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma were all published without her name and brought only moderate success while she lived.

In which Hampshire village was Jane Austen born in 1775?

Her father George was rector there; she later lived at Chawton and died in Winchester in 1817.

Which two Austen novels were published posthumously in 1817?

She also left Sanditon unfinished at her death; her sister Cassandra is believed to have burned most of her letters.

Who played Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy in the 1940 MGM film?

A Brave New World author co-wrote the screenplay, and the film won an Oscar for black-and-white art direction despite dressing the cast in 1830s crinolines.

Which famous novelist co-wrote the screenplay of the 1940 film?

The Brave New World author worked with Jane Murfin, adapting Helen Jerome's stage version as well as the novel.

Who wrote the screenplay for the 1995 BBC series starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle?

Davies and producer Sue Birtwistle agreed to adapt it back in 1986; he later co-wrote the Bridget Jones films with the same Darcy in them.

How many episodes did the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice run?

It was directed by Simon Langton and co-funded by America's A&E Network; Jennifer Ehle won the BAFTA for Best Actress.

What is Colin Firth's Darcy doing in 'one of the most unforgettable moments in British TV history'?

The swim is not in the novel; Darcy takes it to refresh himself after riding home unannounced, then bumps into Elizabeth.

Which Cheshire house served as the exterior of Pemberley in the 1995 series?

Management problems forced the crew to shoot Pemberley's interiors at Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire.

Which Wiltshire village stood in for Meryton in the 1995 series?

It was the first location the producers agreed on; nearby Luckington Court served as Longbourn inside and out.

Who played Elizabeth Bennet in the 2005 film Pride & Prejudice?

At 20 she became the third-youngest Best Actress Oscar nominee at the time; Rosamund Pike was Jane and Carey Mulligan Kitty.

The 2005 film was the feature directing debut of which filmmaker?

Wright had worked in television; he went on to Atonement and Anna Karenina, both also with Knightley.

How did the 2005 film's director persuade Judi Dench to take on the role of Darcy's imperious aunt?

Donald Sutherland got Mr Bennet because he reminded the director of his own father and had 'the strength to handle those six women.'

Which Derbyshire stately home played Pemberley in the 2005 film?

England's largest privately held country house is widely believed to have been Austen's own inspiration for Pemberley; Wilton House also stood in.

What scene was added to the 2005 film for North America, annoying the Jane Austen Society?

The romantic evening is not in the novel; British audiences got the ending with Mr Bennet's 'if any young men come for Mary or Kitty, send them in.'

Which Sense and Sensibility Oscar winner helped develop the 2005 script but chose to go uncredited?

Screenwriter Deborah Moggach spent over two years on the script, initially trying to keep it as faithful to Elizabeth's perspective as possible.

Which 1996 novel, later a Colin Firth film, was itself a loose modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice?

Helen Fielding named her hero Mark Darcy, and Firth, the BBC's Darcy, was cast to play him — with the BBC series' own screenwriter co-writing the film.

Bride and Prejudice (2004) relocated the story to which Indian city?

Gurinder Chadha's Bollywood-style musical stars Aishwarya Rai as Lalita Bakshi and casts Darcy as a wealthy American hotelier.

Who wrote the 2009 parody novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies?

Quirk Books published it in April 2009; a 2016 film adaptation starred Lily James and Sam Riley.

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries made history in 2013 as the first web series to win what?

Created by Hank Green and Bernie Su, it ran 100 episodes on YouTube from April 2012 to March 2013.

In P. D. James's Death Comes to Pemberley, which minor Austen character is found murdered?

Wickham stands trial for the killing on the Pemberley estate; the BBC filmed a three-part version in 2013.

Roughly how many copies has Pride and Prejudice sold?

It sits near the top of nearly every 'most-loved books' poll and has spawned sequels, retellings, films and TV series for over a century.

Which London bookseller declined Austen's father's 1797 offer of the manuscript by return post?

Austen had begun First Impressions after a 1796 stay at Goodnestone Park in Kent with her brother Edward.

Under what title was Pride and Prejudice first published in the United States in 1832?

A French translation had appeared as early as 1813, followed by German, Danish and Swedish versions.

What is Mr Bennet's annual income, far below Darcy's £10,000?

Bingley is introduced as a £4,000-a-year man, while Caroline Bingley has her own £20,000 inheritance.

Roughly how many letters are quoted or alluded to across the novel?

That density has led some to suggest the book began as an epistolary novel, like Austen's novella Lady Susan.