“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

And so begins the story of the love between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett, one of the most famous romances in English literature.  Mr. Darcy, an educated man high on the social ladder, falls irrevocably in love with Elizabeth, the second daughter of a gentleman of modest means.  It is one of those great stories where they live happily ever after once they triumph over a few bumps in the road to perfect understanding.

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

 Jane Austen, Pride And Prejudice

Jane Austen had a clear understanding of a woman’s position in her day.  There was good reason to be genuinely concerned if marriage prospects were limited. Without doubt, Jane Austen gave us a window into the social climate of her time. Yet, it was her ability to combine romance with clever insight into being human that keeps us ever entertained.

 “For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?” 

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice