Pride and Prejudice is a delightful social comedy and a timelessly affecting love story. Elizabeth Bennet is the headstrong young woman whom no man seems capable of taming; Fitzwilliam Darcy is the arrogant landowner who disdains to think it would be worth his trying to do so. Jane Austen"s poised narrative shows how these two apparently incompatible characters learn to overcome their initial feelings of mutual dislike. A tour de force of wit and sparkling dialogue, Pride and Prejudice is also a sumptuously detailed picture of contemporary society, which, in its exploration of manners and motives, has a great deal to say about the society of today. Austen"s best-loved novel is a memorable st