Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England. Elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a country gentleman living near the fictional town of Meryton in Hertfordshire, near London. Though the story is set at the turn of the 19th century, it retains a fascination for modern readers and has been adapted to film, television and theatre numerous times. The novel explores themes such as love and marriage, class prejudice and social pride. It is one of Austen's most popular novels and was cited by J. D Salinger as an inspiration for his own work The Catcher in the Rye.
