Pride and Prejudice

Meet the voices

• Narrator · 旁白 — The calm storyteller who sets the scene.
• Elizabeth Bennet · 伊丽莎白 — The witty, quick-tongued second Bennet daughter who trusts her first impressions.
• Mr. Darcy · 达西 — A rich, proud, shy gentleman who learns to say what he feels.
• Jane Bennet · 简 — Elizabeth's gentle eldest sister who always sees the good in people.
• Mr. Bingley · 宾利 — A cheerful, easily led rich young man who rents the big house near the Bennets.
• Mr. Bennet · 贝内特先生 — The dry-humored father who prefers his books to his wife's worries.
• Mrs. Bennet · 贝内特太太 — The loud, excitable mother who wants all five daughters married.
• Lydia Bennet · 莉迪亚 — The youngest Bennet, giggly and headstrong.
• Mr. Wickham · 威克姆 — A charming militia officer with a sad story that is not what it seems.
• Mr. Collins · 柯林斯 — A pompous clergyman cousin who loves long speeches and his rich patroness.
• Charlotte Lucas · 夏洛特 — Elizabeth's sensible friend who wants a safe home of her own.
• Miss Bingley · 宾利小姐 — Mr. Bingley's snobbish sister.
• Lady Catherine de Bourgh · 凯瑟琳夫人 — Darcy's rich, bossy aunt and Mr. Collins's patroness, who has her own plans for Darcy's marriage.
• Colonel Fitzwilliam · 菲茨上校 — Darcy's friendly, talkative cousin, the younger son of an earl.
• Mrs. Gardiner · 舅妈 — Elizabeth's kind and clever aunt from London.
• Mrs. Reynolds · 雷诺兹太太 — Pemberley's proud old housekeeper who has known Darcy since he was a boy.
• Miss Darcy · 达西小姐 — Darcy's younger sister: tall, gentle and so shy she can hardly speak.
• Kitty Bennet · 凯蒂 — The fourth Bennet daughter, two years older than Lydia and always following her lead.
• Mary Bennet · 玛丽 — The bookish third Bennet daughter, who is always ready with a lecture.

25 chapters in 5 parts

Part 1: First Impressions 第一印象

Part 2: A Ball and a Proposal 舞会和求婚

Part 3: The Letter 那封信

Part 4: Pemberley 彭伯利

Part 5: Second Chances 第二次机会

Key words in Pride and Prejudice

• 结婚 jié hūn: to marry
• 婚礼 hūn lǐ: wedding
• 跳舞 tiào wǔ: to dance
• 妹妹 mèi mei: younger sister
• 姐姐 jiě jie: older sister
• 女儿 nǚ ér: daughter
• 拒绝 jù jué: to refuse
• 骄傲 jiāo ào: proud
• 印象 yìn xiàng: impression
• 误会 wù huì: to misunderstand

Behind the story

Pride and Prejudice is a novel by the English writer Jane Austen, published in London in 1813. It follows Elizabeth Bennet, the second of five sisters in a country family, and the proud, rich Mr. Darcy, from a bad first meeting at a ball to a change of heart on both sides.

This graded adaptation follows the events of Austen's novel closely over 25 chapters, from the news that a rich young man is moving into the neighborhood to the two weddings at the end. Chinese readers know the book as 《傲慢与偏见》: 傲慢 means pride, and 偏见 means prejudice.

Did you know?

• Austen's early draft was called “First Impressions”, the title Part 1 of this book borrows.
• The novel first came out without Austen's name on it: the title page said only that it was by the author of Sense and Sensibility.
• The Bennets' house and land were to pass to the nearest male relative, so none of the five sisters could inherit their father's home. That is why their mother is so keen to see them married.