Suggestions
Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.Please wait while we process your payment
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
Please wait while we process your payment
By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.
Don’t have an account? Subscribe now
Create Your Account
Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial
Already have an account? Log in
Your Email
Choose Your Plan
Individual
Group Discount
Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!
Purchasing SparkNotes PLUS for a group?
Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more!
Price
$24.99 $18.74 /subscription + tax
Subtotal $37.48 + tax
Save 25% on 2-49 accounts
Save 30% on 50-99 accounts
Want 100 or more? Contact us for a customized plan.
Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
SparkNotes Plus
You'll be billed after your free trial ends.
7-Day Free Trial
Not Applicable
Renews December 18, 2023 December 11, 2023
Discounts (applied to next billing)
DUE NOW
US $0.00
SNPLUSROCKS20 | 20% Discount
This is not a valid promo code.
Discount Code (one code per order)
SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan - Group Discount
Qty: 00
SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.
Choose Your Plan
For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more!
You’ve successfully purchased a group discount. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. You'll also receive an email with the link.
Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership.
Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Continue to start your free trial.
Please wait while we process your payment
Your PLUS subscription has expired
Please wait while we process your payment
Please wait while we process your payment
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
Pemberley, Darcy’s estate, sits at the center of the novel, literally and figuratively, as a geographic symbol of the man who owns it. Elizabeth visits it at a time when her feelings toward Darcy are beginning to warm; she is enchanted by its beauty and charm, and by the picturesque countryside, just as she will be charmed, increasingly, by the gifts of its owner. Austen makes the connection explicit when she describes the stream that flows beside the mansion. “In front,” she writes, “a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance.” Darcy possesses a “natural importance” that is “swelled” by his arrogance, but which coexists with a genuine honesty and lack of “artificial appearance.” Like the stream, he is neither “formal, nor falsely adorned.” Pemberley even offers a symbol-within-a-symbol for their budding romance: when Elizabeth encounters Darcy on the estate, she is crossing a small bridge, suggesting the broad gulf of misunderstanding and class prejudice that lies between them—and the bridge that their love will build across it.
Instead of simply being an expression of love or the creation of a couple, marriage for the novel’s women characters represents their prospects for the future. In Regency England, women could not hold property, and so after the passing of their father, the Bennet sisters will have to rely on either husbands or male relatives for security. Therefore, marriage for them represents long-term stability. While it may be easy to read Mrs. Bennet’s excitement over Mr. Bingley’s leasing of Netherfield as shallow, she suggests that marrying Mr. Bingley would lead to one of her daughters being “established,” a word that implies permanent comfort.
Charlotte Lucas makes a calculated marriage to Mr. Collins because it will assure her a comfortable life. In contrast, Lydia rushes into marriage with Wickham because she focuses on her strong passion for him without accounting for reputation or financial issues. Elizabeth, in considering Lydia’s fate, sees little prospect for long-term happiness, even though Lydia is in the moment overjoyed. Both Jane and Elizabeth’s marriages take into account chemistry with their spouses and financial security, assuring the readers of their future happiness.
Outdoor settings in Pride and Prejudice usually signify authenticity and clear judgment. When the characters are indoors, the demands of society, hierarchy, and reputation cloud the characters’ judgments, as with Elizabeth’s first impression of Mr. Darcy. In addition, during Darcy’s first proposal, which takes place indoors, he focuses primarily on the social challenges to their marriage, such as Elizabeth’s lower status and embarrassing family, instead of who he and Elizabeth are as people. Instead of a sincere expression of feelings, these concerns turn Darcy’s ridiculous proposal into an insult.
In contrast, the outdoors, further from societal norms, allow characters to see each other for who they really are. For example, when Elizabeth walks the three miles to Netherfield, Darcy begins to notice her beauty. Seeing the outdoor grounds of Pemberley helps Elizabeth truly understand Mr. Darcy as a person. Finally, Mr. Darcy’s second proposal takes place on a walk around Elizabeth’s home. Here, his words focus solely on their feelings toward each other, even though their social circumstances have not changed. Being outside allows for them to clearly see and express themselves to each other, unhindered by society’s biases and judgment.
Take the Themes, Symbols, and Motifs Quick Quiz
Please wait while we process your payment