Pride and PrejudicePride and Prejudice

The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring, Austen's artistry also shows in her delineation of the minor characters: the ill-matched Mr. and Mrs. Benner, Charles Bingley and his sisters, and particularly the famous Mr. Collins, whose proposal to Elizabeth is one of the finest comic passages in English literature. Austen's characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.