Setting in Pride and Prejudice

Authors use literary setting to draw their readers in. By elaborating on an envionrment that surrounds each character, the reader can further understand the circumstances and actions that occur in a story. Whether the details are elaborate or vague, any information about the characters surroundings can give the reader more depth and understanding while envisioning a character and his/her life. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen gives the readers a sense of the Bennet family by describing the way they live. By comparing their house at Longborn to Netherfield and other places in England, Austen gives readers the information needed to understand the poverty of the Bennets in comparison to others. These homes also give the readers a pastoral setting, taking them back to old England and describing a contrast to our world today. By also describing the way each character uses a carriage, Austen can illuminate on the 1800's as this mode of travel was a social class distinction.