Booth, Bradford A. Pride and Prejudice: Text, Background, Criticism.
             Harcourt, Brace and World Press: California, 1963.
             Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Airmont Publishing Co., Inc: New York,
             Jane Austen is often noted by critics for her strong satirical angle
             towards upper-middle class ways of life in the late eighteenth century.
             Pride and Prejudice is no exception to this. In this particular work Austen
             attacks the society's condoning of marriage for money and social
             standing. Austen does this by magnifying the absurdness of heir attitude
             toward marriage and the customs they practice. Austen does this best
             when she sets up the first "gathering scene" in the novel as a ball. This
             gives Austen the chance to demonstrate some of the foolishness of the
             This first scene is in chapter three when a ball is held and all the
             young eligible bachelors and young, unmarried ladies are given the
             oppurtunity to interact with one another and perhaps even find their future
             wife or husband. The first character that Austen begins to look at
             satirically is Mr. Darcy. He is brought to the ball by his friend Mr.
             Bingley and is introduced to all the principal people in the room. Mr.
             Darcy is first described as "a fine figure of a man...and was looked at
             with great admiration" and not long after as "the proudest, most
             disagreeable man in the world". When he is at the ball he does nothing
             but walk about with a disinterested look on his face. Austen makes fun of
             this character by showing the reader that Mr. Darcy takes himself far too
             seriously. Also, when Mr. Bingley approaches Mr. Darcy and asks why
             he does not go dance with any other of the woman, Elizabeth Bennet in
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