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

At the turn of the 18th century, the accomplishment considered highest for any English gentleman's daughter was to be well married. A good match was one that provided comfort and financial security for both the young lady and her suitor. Much of the story of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austin's famous romantic comedy of manners, revolves around this theme.

Elizabeth Bennet is the second of five daughters born to a gentleman of moderate wealth and property living near the town of Meryton, in Hertfordshire, England, at the dawn of England's Regency period, sometime during the Napoleonic Wars (1792 - 1815). Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have failed to produce a male heir for the family's estate, Longbourn, so Longbourn has been entailed upon Mr. Bennet's cousin, the ridiculous Mr. Collins. With no estate or adequate inheritance of their own, the five Bennet girls find themselves in need of suitable matches that will ensure financial security for themselves and their family.

Elizabeth and her father share a common sense of humor; they have the fortunate ability to laugh at the follies of themselves and others, most often those of Mrs. Bennet and the three youngest Bennet girls, appropriately described by their father as "very silly." Having been given a large amount of freedom throughout their formative years, Mary, Catherine (Kitty), and Lydia have very little in the way of sensible education, class, or developed talent. Lydia, the youngest, is the most spoiled, selfish, and unrestrained of them all and her shortcomings eventually prove most painful to her family. On the contrary, Elizabeth and her elder sister, Jane, are ladylike, educated, and accomplished. They are the only two women in the Bennet family with the sense of propriety and grace of manner to meet the stringent qualifications of good society.

The theme of securing a good marriage brings to the story such characters as Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, and Mr. Wickham, young men whose characters and sensibilities cause in turn both joy and despair to the Bennet family. As the story unfolds and each of the young men's characters are discovered, Elizabeth finds herself having to discern the difference between true goodness and the mere appearance of it. She begins to discern that there is much more goodness in Mr. Darcy than she had previously believed and she finds she must let go of both her unfounded prejudices and her pride if she is to ultimately choose the man who truly deserves her love.