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Pride and Prejudice is set in England at some point in the very late 1700s-early 1800s. The exact dates are unclear, but we know the action takes place some time during the Napoleonic Wars (1797-1815) because Austen references soldiers and regiments. Since the novel was written and revised between 1796 and 1813, we can assume Austen sets the novel at about the same time she was writing. The action moves between a few different locations in England, including Brighton, London, and the counties of Hertfordshire, Derbyshire, and Kent, but there is little detailed description of the geographic settings. For women like the Bennet sisters, opportunities to experience the world around them were relatively limited, and most of their lives were confined to the residences and private parties of a small circle of family and friends. In confining the action of her novels to these settings, Austen implies that intense psychological drama can still unfold even within a small and seemingly uneventful world.

Meryton

The market village of Meryton, located within Hertfordshire, functions as the center of the Bennet sisters’ social activities. They frequent Meryton several times a week to shop, visit their aunt, gossip, and flirt with members of the militia who are stationed there. Meryton offers the sisters opportunities to communicate within their established circle and also to expand beyond it.

Longbourn

Longbourn House, located in the village of Longbourn, is the Bennet family’s modest residence. Located one mile from Meryton, the manor consists of dining and breakfast parlors, a drawing room, a library, several bedrooms, a lawn, and a park. In Chapter 13, Mr. Collins visits, and his compliments strike a nerve with the Bennets; he’s viewing the contents of Longbourn not merely as a home to be admired, but as “his own future property.”

Read more about Mr. Collins’ visit to Longbourn.

Rosings

Rosings Park is the estate of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, located in Kent. Mr. Collins holds the mansion in great esteem; when Elizabeth visits the clergy house he shares with Charlotte, Mr. Collins makes it clear his favorite thing about the garden is that it has a view of Rosings. Though it is described as a “handsome modern building,” Elizabeth also notes, after visiting Pemberley, that Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s furnishings are less tasteful and elegant than those belonging to Darcy.

Pemberley

Located in Derbyshire, Pemberley is Darcy’s handsome country estate. Elizabeth hears about Pemberley from other characters like Miss Bingley before she sees it for herself, and when she finally visits, she’s struck by its natural beauty and the lack of embellishment or ostentatious design. By this time, Elizabeth is beginning to warm to Darcy, and Pemberley reflects Darcy’s true character: unpretentious, genuine, elegant, and solid.

Read quotes about the significance of Pemberley.

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