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Elizabeth is a wonderful heroine. She is witty and observant, which makes her an appropriate focus for a social comedy. From the beginning it is clear that she understands people much better than the rest of the family, except perhaps her father. It is only when she meets Mr Darcy that she is forced to acknowledge that her judgements of people might not be as clear as she believes. She judges that he is a proud, distasteful man, which is reasonably accurate for the early stages of the novel, but as she makes this judgement before she truly knows him, she is prejudiced in this judgement. Darcy is proud of course, and it is fun to see his presence highlight the vulgarity of country society.
Society is described brilliantly, not just the details of the small mindedness of the people, but also for the reactions of the rich townsfolk, both Mr Bingley's sisters and lady Catherine de Burgh. Lady Catherine is a brilliant character, personifying the snowberries of old money, and the ever-present rift between the old and the young. Of all the people that she condescends to talk to, Elizabeth is the only one with whom she has met her match. There is also an indication that Darcy does not feel the need to toady up to her, probably because he is her social equal, but also because he is richer than her. There is of course the age-old struggle between men and women. The course of true love running ever roughly onwards.
There is the cad Mr Wickham, who is unable to catch a rich wife, and finds himself eloping and forced to marry Lydia Bennet. I find it hard to judge who I feel more sorry for out of the pair, but ultimately I have to conclude that they deserve one another, a fact that Austen makes clear for us. Then there is Mr Bingley and Jane, she too modest to attempt to secure him while she could, and then loosing him for a time to his sister's machinations. This relationship is the most innocent of the book, as both are so accommodating and refuse to see the bad in people. In contrast, Elizabeth and Mr Darcy are both perhaps too quick to see people's faults, which makes their courtship a rocky one. Overall however, the girls end up with the husbands that they deserve, and a happy ending is achieved with very little effort.
The scandals and gossip of society cause the drama of the book. The key event is of course Lydia's elopement, and the surrounding action that leads to Elizabeth having a new-found respect for Darcy. The events are still dramatic, even though the scandal is no longer an issue in today's society. Austen is able to capture the true state of village, and indeed countrywide gossip that occurs in society when someone breaks the rules.
The concept of unspoken rules is very important in this novel as well, as there are many faux pas made by Mr Collins, much to the embarrassment of Jane and Lizzy. This is all amusing to the modern reader, and would have been even more so to the readers at the time. This is a true testament to Jane Austen, that she is able to capture the human character so exactly that her comedy is still relevant centuries
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