What Time Period Does Pride and Prejudice Take Place in?
Answer
The novel Pride and Prejudice written by Jane Austen is set in England in the late 18th century about the 1790s-1800s. An exact year is never specified in the novel, but there are references to some historical events and details of the time which make the general time frame apparent. For example, we often find reference to the Napoleonic Wars, which started in 1803 and ended in 1815. The classes of society and their social habits portrayed, like on marriage and the roles of women, correspond to the English Regency era between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Austen started writing the first draft of the novel around 1796-1797 and it was published in 1813, so the completion of the book also belongs to this late Georgian/Regency period . In general, the language, setting, and culture of Pride and Prejudice anchors it in the late 1700s and early 1800s century’s England.
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