Abstract
This excerpt, taken from the second part of Volume II Chapter 11, of Pride and Prejudice, is located in the middle of Jane Austen's novel and deals with Darcy's first proposal of marriage to Elizabeth. The author has carefully structured the novel so that Darcy's proposal comes at the height of Elizabeth's anger towards Darcy. The heroine is still under the shock of Colonel Fitzwilliam's story, according to which Darcy saved Bingley from "a most imprudent marriage" with a girl, who, she infers is her sister Jane. At the same time, Darcy's feelings for Elizabeth have reached the point of compelling him to expose his heart to his beloved. Because the hero belongs to a higher social rank than Elizabeth, he takes for granted that the heroine will accept his proposal, just as Collins did when he proposed to Elizabeth in Volume I, Chapter 19. Nevertheless, Elizabeth refuses this marriage proposal.
