Pride and Prejudice Essay Topics, Questions, & Samples

The acuteness of conflicts raised in a literary work defines its value. Pride and Prejudice discussion questions extend from feminist criticism of women’s position in the XIX century to the analysis of the writing devices that Jane Austen employs. Every protagonist is symbolic here. They highlight such or another trait of character. The study of these allusions can be both fascinating and intellectually rewarding.

Do you need to write a research paper or an essay on Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen? Essay topics can be hard to find, but Custom-Writing.org experts are here to help you! Below you can find the top ten topics and extended Pride and Prejudice essay prompts and samples to draw more ideas.

💡 Pride and Prejudice Essay Topics

Don’t know where to start your essay on Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen? Check out the essay ideas to help you write a successful paper!

1. The role of books in Pride & Prejudice. In her novel, Austen satirizes the literary works and the readers who represent the two kinds of excess: overly moralizing and overly romanticizing. What are the reading preferences of shallow and selfish Mr. Collins? What does Elizabeth prefer to read? Are characters who like reading better at understanding the background of other people’s actions?
2. The meaning of marriage in Pride and Prejudice. The essay should draw the line between a good and a bad marriage as Austen’s contemporaries saw it. Why was a wedding the supreme purpose of life for most women? Was it only striving for love and companionship or an obligatory social construct?
3. The theme of letters in Pride and Prejudice. The novel contains about 40 letters, cited or discussed, making them a significant part of the narrative. What role do they play? How do they supplement the dialogues between the protagonists? How do letters introduce the characters’ private thoughts to the reader?

4. The role of setting in Pride & Prejudice. The novel takes place in several estates. These houses differ by their design, architecture, wealth, and atmosphere. What does Pemberley symbolize in Pride and Prejudice? Why is it placed in the center of the entire novel setting? What role does Longbourn play in the life of the Bennet family? What is the symbolism of Lady Catherine’s mansion?
5. What is the key message of Pride and Prejudice? The critical essay should examine why Jane Austen was so concerned about the status of females in the XIX century. A woman’s life depended a lot on her social class. Still, her purposes in life were relatively the same, regardless of her fortune and pedigree.
6. The meaning of the first line in Pride and Prejudice. The novel’s first line is saturated with irony: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” Why is this quote ironic in the context of the novel?
7. Characters’ descriptions in Pride and Prejudice. The book is poor in descriptions. How does Austen present her characters? How does the reader learn about their thoughts, weaknesses, appearance, and ways of conduct? Discuss the epithets describing the protagonists and analyze their meaning. How do the characters’ property and their opinion about it characterize them?
8. The motif of journey in Pride and Prejudice. The motif of journey holds a valuable place in the destiny of Austen’s characters. During a trip, they can think over their relationships with other people, analyze their mistakes, and reconsider their conclusions. Make a summary of all journeys in the novel and show how they changed the protagonists.
9. Whose views on marriage do you support: those of Charlotte Lucas or those of Elisabeth Bennet?Elizabeth is idealistic about marriage: she expects to be happy and marry for love. On the contrary, Charlotte says that “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.” She suggests that happiness is not more than a nice bonus. Whose position do you support? Can we say that Charlotte was happy in her marriage? Can we take for granted that Elizabeth will still be pleased after some years of couplehood?
10. Elizabeth or Darcy: who is more prejudiced?The book title shows the reader what to focus on. Find out the manifestations of pride and prejudice in the words and actions of Elizabeth and Darcy. How did these traits complicate their lives? Is Darcy’s prejudice stronger than Elizabeth’s pride, or do both of them have these features in different proportions?

🔍 Pride and Prejudice Research Paper Topics

11. Evaluate the influence of social class on British society according to Pride and Prejudice.
12. What is the connection between Marxism theory and Austen’s novel?
13. Review literary techniques used by Austen to critique social norms.
14. Explain the intertextuality between Pride and Prejudice by Austen and The Second Mrs. Darcy by Edmondson.
15. Review stylistic means of characterization in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
16. What is the narrator’s role in Pride and Prejudice?
17. Which factors allowed Jane Austen to achieve cult status?
18. Why was Austen a revolutionary writer during the Regency period?
19. The problem of social inequality in Pride and Prejudice.
20. The role of figurative language and its elements in Pride and Prejudice.
21. The value of feminism in Austen’s novel.
22. Foreshadowing elements and their role in Pride and Prejudice.
23. Why and how does Austen use flashbacks in her novel?
24. The role of etiquette in the Regency period England according to Jane Austen.
25. The perception of social status in modern society vs. the Regency era according to Pride and Prejudice.

❓ Pride and Prejudice Essay Questions

26. Why did Pride and Prejudice by Austen become an international bestseller?
27. What is the main difference between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley?
28. What is the role of literary portraits in Pride and Prejudice?
29. Why is the novel titled Pride and Prejudice?
30. What is the main feature of Jane Austen’s literary style in Pride and Prejudice?
31. What is the role of dialogue in Austen’s novel?
32. How are Austen’s views on society conveyed through her characters’ dialogues in Pride and Prejudice?
33. How do pride and prejudice influence the events in Austen’s novel?
34. Do you consider Mrs. Bennet’s as a negative or a positive character in Pride and Prejudice?
35. Why are all of Austen’s novels love stories?
36. Does modern society have pride and prejudice, just like in Austen’s novel?
37. What is the central message of Pride and Prejudice‘s ending?
38. What makes Pride and Prejudice so popular among modern readers?
39. Why is Pride and Prejudice a novel of manners?
40. What makes Elizabeth Bennet different from other women characters of that era?

🎓 Pride and Prejudice Thesis Ideas

41. Aquila Theater’s production of Pride and Prejudice: diversity and multiplicity.
42. Pride and Prejudice fan fiction and their value.
43. How different generations of people perceive Pride and Prejudice.
44. Pride and Prejudice: The Speenhamland System.
45. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: how monsters enrich classic fiction.
46. Speech act analysis or Pride and Prejudice.
47. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: evolutionary love and companionate marriage.
48. The Idea of Selfishness in Austen’s novel.
49. A structuralist analysis of Pride and Prejudice.
50. Pride and Prejudice characters through the lens of the cooperative principle.
51. A sociological and social psychology perspective on Pride and Prejudice.
52. The etiquette of early 19th century England and its effect on characters’ perception in Pride and Prejudice.
53. An analysis of underlying assumptions in Austen’s novel.
54. Reading Pride and Prejudice through the lens of the Deleuzian concept of learning.

✍️ Pride and Prejudice Essay Prompts

Pride and Prejudice Movie Review Essay Prompt

• Review of the visuals of the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie. Examine props, costumes, and locations from Pride and Prejudice film by Joe Wright. How do they help viewers immerse themselves in the Regency period? Provide answers in your essay.
• Pride and Prejudice miniseries vs. book. In your essay, compare and contrast the 1995 Pride and Prejudice adaptation and Austen’s book. Which one is more advanced in terms of plot and narrative? Does the miniseries have some additional value over the source material? Does the cast resemble characters from the book? Give your opinion in your essay.

Social Class in Pride and Prejudice Essay Prompt

• Social class as an obstacle in Pride and Prejudice. Review how Austen’s characters act according to their social status. What prevents Elizabeth and Darcy from showing their genuine feelings? How did they manage to surpass the obstacles? Use examples from the book to prove your point.
• The role of social class in the evolution of characters in Pride and Prejudice. Throughout the story, you can see how characters grow and challenge their traditional stance. Your essay can describe how characters like Darcy are shown at the novel’s beginning and trace their evolution throughout the narrative.

Pride and Prejudice Analysis Essay Prompt

• Analyze how Austen uses irony in Pride and Prejudice. Provide situational and verbal irony examples from dialogues and characters’ descriptions. What role does irony play in the plot?
• The role of minor characters in Pride and Prejudice. Review how Austen brings Elizabeth and Darcy closer with the help of supporting characters like Miss Bingley, Mr. Collins, and Lady Catherine De Bourgh. Use different episodes from the book to prove your point.

Marriage in Pride and Prejudice Essay Prompt

• Views on marriage in the Regency period as seen in Pride and Prejudice. Explain how Elizabeth Bennet’s marriage-related beliefs differ from those of the society of that time. Which characters in the book fall under society’s viewpoints on marriage?
• Marriage as a plan vs. true love. In Pride and Prejudice, some characters view marriage as a chance to accomplish something that has little to do with love. The case for marrying for love is made when Elizabeth turns down Darcy’s proposal. In your essay, review Austen’s nuanced depiction of several marriages and explain what constitutes an ideal marriage.

Women’s Role in Pride and Prejudice Essay Prompt

• Stereotypical gender roles in Pride and Prejudice. Austen challenges traditional gender roles that view women as objects with no rights, as well as society’s conception of marriage. Explain why Elizabeth Bennet doesn’t fall under the gender stereotype. What makes her similar to modern women? Use examples from the book to prove your point.
• Elizabeth Bennet vs. conservatism. In what ways does Elizabeth’s independence and forthrightness challenge the conservatism of characters like Lady Catherine De Bourgh? In your essay, explain why Elizabeth is shown to have a revolutionary view compared to other women characters.

✒️ Pride and Prejudice Essay Samples

Below you’ll find a collection of Pride & Prejudice essay examples. You are welcome to use them for inspiration!

55. Pride & Prejudice: literary analysis
56. Pride and Prejudice: Personal Integrity as the Driving Force
57. The Theme of Money and Marriage in “Pride and Prejudice”
58. Letters in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
59. Love in Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”
60. Analysis of “Pride and Prejudice” Main Character
61. “Pride and Prejudice” as Austen’s Book’s Title
62. Reinforcement of Sexist Stereotypes in Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”
63. Theme of Marriage in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
64. Lydia in Pride and Prejudice: Character Analysis
65. Pride and Prejudice (2005): Movie Analysis

✅ Essay On Pride and Prejudice: How to Write

Below is a handy guide explaining how to write a Pride and Prejudice literary analysis. Use it to make your essay flawless!

Pride and Prejudice Essay Introduction

Your literary analysis essay should open with a hook that would pique the reader’s curiosity. You can start with a relevant quotation from Pride and Prejudice, an intriguing question, an anecdote, an interesting statement, or a combination of these to draw attention to your topic.

Need help with a catchy hook? Our attention grabber generator will help you develop one in seconds.

To help the reader understand your point, provide some additional background, such as the historical period where the story takes place. Finally, every intro requires a thesis that will briefly and clearly describe the main idea of your analysis.

Here’s an example of a good thesis statement:

Pride and Prejudice Essay Body

The body is where you develop the main subject. Here, you present your thoughts and collected evidence that bolsters your thesis statement.

Evidence can include:

• Direct quotations,
• Summaries,
• Paraphrases,
• Specific textual details.

Each main body paragraph begins with a topic sentence that identifies what the paragraph will be about. Here’s an example of a topic sentence:

You can also use our advanced topic sentence generator to simplify the task.

Pride and Prejudice Conclusion for an Essay

The final paragraph of your literary analysis should bring the work to a satisfying end and inform readers that the analysis is complete. In your essay’s conclusion, you can reiterate the thesis using different words and summarize the key ideas from your essay’s main body.

Here’s an example of a paraphrased thesis that can be used for a conclusion: