Pride and Prejudice IOC Question Bank 1. What role does Lydia play in the novel? 2.

How do you respond to the character of Mr Bennet? 3. What do you think Austens intentions were in creating the character of Mr Collins and why do you think he is a clergyman? 4. Which character do you enjoy following the journey of the most throughout the novel and why? 5. How far are Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Miss Elizabeth Bennett contrasting characters? 6. How far might Mr Wickham and Mr Darcy be considered contrasting characters? 7. How might Elizabeth and Mr Darcy be compared? 8. Why might Austen have followed the relationships of Jane Bennet and Mr Bingley, and Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy so closely throughout the novel? 9. According to Austens presentation of marriage in Pride and Prejudice, ought one to marry for money or for love? 10. How do the characters of Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins challenge understandings of love and marriage? 11. Are Mr and Mrs Bennet good parents? 12. How is motherhood presented in Pride and Prejudice? 13. How are women presented in Pride and Prejudice? 14. How important is Pemberley in the novel?

15. How does Austen create a sense of place throughout the novel? 16. Is Pride and Prejudice centrally a novel about social status? 17. How does Jane Austen criticize society in Pride and Prejudice? 18. According to Austens presentation of society in Pride and Prejudice, how important are intelligence and competence in living a good life? 19. Mr Collins informs Mr Bennet that he will visit Longbourn via letter. Jane informs Lizzie of her situation in London by letter. Darcy expresses his regret after proposing to Elizabeth via letter. Letters are often used as a chief form of communication. How significant are letters in shaping events throughout Pride and Prejudice? 20. How effective is the use of dialogue in the novel? 21. How does Austen use irony to effect in the novel? 22. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. How far do you agree that this is an effective opening to the novel? 23. How significant is the title, Pride and Prejudice, to the central themes of the novel? 24. How central is the theme of gossip in Pride and Prejudice? 25. In what ways does Austen present change and transformation in the novel? 26. How far can it be argued that Pride and Prejudice is a novel that balances reason and emotion? 27. Is Pride and Prejudice a feminist novel?

28. Why might Austen have chosen to write Pride and Prejudice in three volumes? 29. Pride and Prejudice has received world acclaim as a novel inspiring many feature films, television adaptations and an array of literary sequels. Is it worthy of such status as a work of literature? 30. How relevant is Pride and Prejudice in 2014? 31. Is Pride and Prejudice a progressive novel or does it reinforce conservative thinking of the era in which it was written? 32. The final paragraph of the novel concludes: With the Gardeners, they were always on the most intimate terms. Darcy, as well of Elizabeth, really loved them; and they were both ever sensible of the warmest gratitude towards the persons who, by bringing her into Derbyshire, had been the means of uniting them. Is this a satisfactory ending to the novel?