The Importance of Location in Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen once said in a letter, “I write of love and money, what else is there?” (Emma, introduction). More specifically, the love she wrote of typically involved marriage and money was the fortune to be gained through such a union. Each of Austen’s character’s fortunes is best denoted by their location, or estate. In stories that revolve around only one neighborhood and the families therein, a person’s residence can speak volumes.
The extent of the connection between a family and their house is most notable in that families are rarely referred to by their surnames, but rather by the title of their estate. Rather than saying that Elizabeth and Jane visited the Bingley’s, Austen states, “The ladies of Longbourn soon waited on those of Netherfield” (pp. 19). And while Jane is in London, she takes “the opportunity of calling in Grovesnor Street” (pp. 127). Of course, the ladies are not calling on the structure itself, but rather those who dwell within. But by noting the reference to a family by their estate, readers can better understand the correlation between family and residence.
For the Bennet girls, property is of significant importance in their prospects of marriage. Without fortune, their only two options are to marry well or become a governess. A marriage to a man without property dared not even be considered. Fortunately for them, “it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” (pp. 5). In the opening line of the novel, the reader is immediately aware of the role love and fortune will play in the following chapters.
Netherfield Park has been let by Mr. Bingley, “a young man of large fortune from the north of England…” Mr. Bingley is “new rich,” his father made his money through trade, and the family has just begun to rise socially. Netherfield is known to be a worthwhile residence. The fact that it is a park speaks of extensive grounds; and it is large enough to hold parties and balls, something that never occurs at Longbourn. Bingley’s recent fortune, coupled with the fact that he is only renting Netherfield, is a good indication of his character. Bingley is unsettled, and still somewhat immature. His friends easily influence him, and his actions are reasonably unreliable. He had intended to purchase an estate, and had “sometimes made choice of his country” (pp. 15), but for some reason he has yet to do so. And “those who best knew the easiness of his temper” doubted whether he would stay at Netherfield long (pp. 15). Which turns out to be very true. Within a few months he departs for London, but then returns again next summer. It is only after he marries Jane that he leaves Netherfield to finally settle down. Despite his “easy temper” and restless nature, after only twelve months of marriage he buys his own estate. We can only hope that his marriage to beautiful and sweet Jane has helped to have him solidly planted.
Like Netherfield, Pemberley is a notable estate, but unlike Bingley, Darcy’s fortune is in “old money.” Darcy is an extremely wealthy member of the old class with good connections. He not only owns Pemberley, but also a house in town. The fact that Pemberley is an old, established estate, owned by the Darcy’s before him, exemplifies the most significant difference between Darcy and Bingley. Darcy is an established, reliable, mature gentleman. Add to that his large fortune and incredible residence, and Darcy could have very well been People magazines “Most Eligible Bachelor.” The most notable aspect of Pemberley is its naturalness. There is no artificial beauty. “Elizabeth was delighted. She had never seen a place for which nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste” (pp. 203). The wonderful views of the hills and woods are often mentioned, and Elizabeth even attributes her falling in love with Darcy to when she first saw Pemberley’s beautiful grounds. Pemberley is a perfect indication of the family that is soon to dwell there- beautiful, natural, and unmaimed by modern charms or false pretences.
Unlike the extensive grounds of Netherfield, or the natural beauty of Pemberley, Longbourn house appears to offer nothing substantial. It does boast of some sort of shrubbery, where Elizabeth and Lady deBourgh take a walk, and the Bennet’s are of enough consequence to have their own household staff. Unlike the Lucas’s, the Bennet ladies do not need to learn their own way in the kitchen, since they have someone to cook for them. Longbourn may be a large house, but it is nothing like Netherfield Park. The Bennet’s never hold balls, and only occasionally hold a small dinner party. (Although this could be partly due to some members of the family preferring to get out of the house rather than suffer the embarrassment of bringing guests in.) Mr. Bennet is a gentleman by birth, and it is likely that he inherited the property of Longbourn. But not only is he unable to provide his daughters with a dowry, but having no son, his estate is entailed to his nephew, Mr. Collins, upon the death of Mr. Bennet. Which could be why Jane and Elizabeth show as much attachment to their home as they do to their family. The Bennet’s are the principal inhabitants of their village (pp. 13). Just as most of the neighborhood is built around Longbourn, Mrs. Bennet feels most of the social world revolves around her family. Also, the fact that Longbourn is only one mile from Meryton allows the girls some societal freedom in walking to town at least once a day. In fact, most important occurrences seem to take place away from Longbourn, making it clear that most of the inhabitants, especially the two eldest, prefer to be out of the house (or shut up in the library.) Jane and Elizabeth’s partiality of seeking moments away from Longbourn relates to their desire to be a little less connected with their family. And the end of the novel finds them settled comfortably distant from the home in which they grew up in.
Jane Austen wrote only of what she was familiar with. Most of her stories revolve around one small village and the few families collected there. In such close-knit communities, it is easy to recognize the correlation between one’s property and character. Just as Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do,” it can also be deduced, through a reading of Pride and Prejudice that we are where we live.