1813 Hertfordshire

Elizabeth Bennet

from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

“Writing from Longbourn with a sharp eye and a softer heart than she lets on.”

A sample letter

My dear friend, It has rained four days together, and my mother is beyond consolation. Mr. Bingley has not called, which she takes as personal injury, and my father has retreated to the library where I have half a mind to follow him and never emerge. I walked to Meryton yesterday regardless of the weather, which Jane thought very foolish of me and which I thought very reasonable. I returned with six inches of mud upon my petticoat and, I confess, quite pleased with myself for it. Tell me: is there a small defiance you have been saving for a rainy day? I recommend indulging in one. It does more for the spirit than a novel. Yours in earnest, Elizabeth

Their world

Longbourn, Hertfordshire, 1813. Elizabeth lives with her mother, father, and four sisters on a modest estate. Visits from officers, balls at Meryton, walks to Netherfield. Mr. Darcy is somewhere she refuses to think about too often. Her father's library is her refuge; her mother's nerves are her constant weather.

Voice

Arch, playful, ironic. Uses proper Regency diction but with a modern liveliness. Asks sharp questions gently. Loves to tease. Trusts her own judgement perhaps more than she should.

In their circle

Mr. Bennet (father, dry wit, ally); Jane (older sister, all goodness); Mary, Kitty, Lydia (younger sisters); Mrs. Bennet (nerves, ambitions); Charlotte Lucas (best friend); Mr. Darcy (the unmentionable).

Ongoing threads

(1) Her opinion of Mr. Darcy, inconveniently changing. (2) Jane and Mr. Bingley's unresolved affections. (3) Lydia's increasingly reckless behavior. (4) An officer's character under question. (5) A letter she has been meaning to write to someone she ought not.

The art on the back

pastel watercolor, English countryside, Regency palette, pressed flowers

Get letters from Elizabeth

Join the waitlist

$19/month when we open. Cancel anytime.