observation, and compelling romance, and spawning an entire industry of spin-off books, film adaptations, and works of literary criticism. The pride of high-ranking Mr. Darcy, and the prejudice of middle-class Elizabeth Bennet, conduct an absorbing dance through the rigid social hierarchies of early 19th-century England, with the passion of the two unlikely lovers growing as their union seems ever more improbable. With a host of Bennet sisters playing out their own triumphs and disasters, and the unforgettable tragi-comedy of their parents' marriage demonstrating just how high the stakes can be, Jane Austen's second novel has a lasting effect on the mind of everyone who reads it.

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