--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pride and Prejudice opens with one of the…" description: "\"“Pride and Prejudice opens with one of the most famous sentences ever written: \"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/catherine-reef-87026_single-man_pride-and-prejudice-opens-with-one-of-th_1552539.jpg" --- # Pride and Prejudice opens with one of the most famous… ![“Pride and Prejudice opens with one of the most famous sentences ever written: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." With these words, Jane Austen announced to her readers that they were about to meet such a man and…” quote by Catherine Reef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/catherine-reef-87026_single-man_pride-and-prejudice-opens-with-one-of-th_1552539.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/catherine-reef-87026_single-man_pride-and-prejudice-opens-with-one-of-th_1552539.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/catherine-reef-87026_single-man_pride-and-prejudice-opens-with-one-of-th_1552539.jpg) > ““Pride and Prejudice opens with one of the most famous sentences ever written: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." With these words, Jane Austen announced to her readers that they were about to meet such a man and the people eager to marry him off. What was more, they were going to have fun. The dark cynicism of Sense and Sensibility was largely gone, blown away by a clean, fresh wind.”” [Catherine Reef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-reef/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A witty opening line sets up the social expectation that wealthy men seek wives, hinting at satire and romance. **In simple terms:** Wealthy men are expected to marry; the novel will explore this. Key Takeaway Notice how societal expectations shape personal choices. Themes social satire marriage class humor romance Mood playful ironic lighthearted Type literary satirical When to use this quote - reading the novel - discussing Victorian society - analyzing character motives Key Concepts gender roles economic pressure courtship Questions to Reflect On - How do expectations influence characters' decisions? - What does the opening reveal about 19th‑century society? A Different Perspective The humor may downplay serious gender inequities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/austen/) [Austen Announced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/austen-announced-5805946/) [Jane austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jane-austen/) [Pride And Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride-and-prejudice/) [Pride Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride-prejudice/) [Sense And Sensibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-and-sensibility/) [Sensibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensibility/) [Single man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-man/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“The celestial brightness of Pride and Prejudice is unequalled even in Jane Austen's other work; after a life of much disappointment and grief, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jenkins/the-celestial-brightness-of-pride-and-prejudice-is-unequalled-even-in/) [Elizabeth Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jenkins/) > [I haven't any right to criticize books, and I don't do it except when I hate them. I often want to criticize Jane Austen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-haven-t-any-right-to-criticize-books-and-i-don-t-do-it-except-when/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“What is your favorite book?” One of Jane’s dark eyebrows lifted. “Rather like choosing a favorite shade of blue, my lady. Each is beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisa-braden/what-is-your-favorite-book-one-of-jane-s-dark-eyebrows-lifted-rather/) [Elisa Braden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisa-braden/) > [I had not seen "Pride and Prejudice," till I read that sentence of yours, and then I got the book. And what did I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/i-had-not-seen-pride-and-prejudice-till-i-read-that-sentence-of-yours/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“She longed to know what at the moment was passing in his mind, in what manner he thought of her, and whether, in defiance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/she-longed-to-know-what-at-the-moment-was-passing-in-his-mind-in-what/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [I've never read 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,' although I certainly know what that is. And what I love about that concept is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-aguirre-sacasa/i-ve-never-read-pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies-although-i-certainly/) [Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-aguirre-sacasa/) > [“As for Elizabeth Bennet, our chief reason for accepting her point of view as a reflection of her author's is the impression that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lascelles/as-for-elizabeth-bennet-our-chief-reason-for-accepting-her-point-of/) [Mary Lascelles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lascelles/) > [How is it that, a full two centuries after Jane Austen finished her manuscript, we come to the world of Pride and Prejudice and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/how-is-it-that-a-full-two-centuries-after-jane-austen-finished-her/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [ I read "Pride and Prejudice" \[by Jane Austen\]. I was gobsmacked by it - it's so funny and so modern. Unbelievable. You don't expect… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-walters/i-read-pride-and-prejudice-by-jane-austen-i-was-gobsmacked-by-it-it-s/) [Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-walters/) > [But some characters in books are really real--Jane Austen's are; and I know those five Bennets at the opening of Pride and Prejudice, simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/but-some-characters-in-books-are-really-real-jane-austen-s-are-and-i/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [I liked the idea of giving Eligible a feminist flavor. While I do think that in Pride and Prejudice, Liz Bennet is very bold,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/i-liked-the-idea-of-giving-eligible-a-feminist-flavor-while-i-do/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [“And yet there is something defensible in these weaknesses: Elizabeth proves herself a thoughtful judge of character in most instances, while Darcy is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-yet-there-is-something-defensible-in-these-weaknesses-elizabeth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's absurd to think of 'Pride and Prejudice,' this classic, beloved book, beset with a zombie uprising. The goal is to make you suspend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/it-s-absurd-to-think-of-pride-and-prejudice-this-classic-beloved-book/) [Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/) > [ For \[Jane Austen and the readers of Pride and Prejudice\], as for Mr. Darcy, \[Elizabeth Bennett's\] solitary walks express the independence that literally takes… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/for-jane-austen-and-the-readers-of-pride-and-prejudice-as-for-mr/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [I feel that Pride and Prejudice is an incredibly well constructed novel on every level. The dialogue is great. The character development is great.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/i-feel-that-pride-and-prejudice-is-an-incredibly-well-constructed/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) ## More by Catherine Reef > [“The critic George Henry Lewes asked, 'Does it never strike these delightful creatures that their little fingers were meant to be kissed, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-reef/the-critic-george-henry-lewes-asked-does-it-never-strike-these/) [Catherine Reef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-reef/) > [“So she asked herself two questions. First, 'Do I love him as much as a woman ought to love the man she married?' And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-reef/so-she-asked-herself-two-questions-first-do-i-love-him-as-much-as-a/) [Catherine Reef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-reef/) [Explore all 3 Catherine Reef quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-reef/) ## More Austen quotes > [The difficulty with poetry is that it doesn't have the life that Shakespeare or Jane Austen have beyond the page. You can't make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/the-difficulty-with-poetry-is-that-it-doesn-t-have-the-life-that/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [Look at Jane Austen. Her characters derive in a reasonably straight line from fairy tales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/look-at-jane-austen-her-characters-derive-in-a-reasonably-straight/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) > [“The celestial brightness of Pride and Prejudice is unequalled even in Jane Austen's other work; after a life of much disappointment and grief, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jenkins/the-celestial-brightness-of-pride-and-prejudice-is-unequalled-even-in/) [Elizabeth Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jenkins/) > [It has been suggested that Tiptree is female, a theory that I find absurd, for there is to me something ineluctably masculine about Tiptree’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-female-a-theory-that-i-find/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [Had Elizabeth Bennet known how wildly Darcy's heart beat for her, 'Pride and Prejudice' would barely have made it into a short story. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariella-frostrup/had-elizabeth-bennet-known-how-wildly-darcy-s-heart-beat-for-her/) [Mariella Frostrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariella-frostrup/) > [ “\[Jane\] Austen was not a novelist for nothing: she knew that our stories are what make us human, and that listening to someone else's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/jane-austen-was-not-a-novelist-for-nothing-she-knew-that-our-stories/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [I'm kind of a mash-up of taste - Graham Greene and Jane Austen; W.G. Sebald and Alice Munro.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-m-kind-of-a-mash-up-of-taste-graham-greene-and-jane-austen-w-g/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [I'm sure I've been influenced by every fine writer I've ever read, from Dickens and Austen to Auden and Jane Hirshfield. And also, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-m-sure-i-ve-been-influenced-by-every-fine-writer-i-ve-ever-read/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [“You know, somewhere a Jane Austen angel just lost her wings over you saying that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole-van/you-know-somewhere-a-jane-austen-angel-just-lost-her-wings-over-you/) [Nichole Van](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichole-van/) > [Great books are readable anyway. Dickens is readable. Jane Austen is readable. John Updike's readable. Hawthorne's readable. It's a meaningless term. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/great-books-are-readable-anyway-dickens-is-readable-jane-austen-is/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“Gratitude, not merely for having once loved her, but for loving her still well enough, to forgive all the petulance and acrimony of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/gratitude-not-merely-for-having-once-loved-her-but-for-loving-her/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [I grew up on Jane Austen novels and was a massive literature fanatic when I was a kid - I read everything I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-king/i-grew-up-on-jane-austen-novels-and-was-a-massive-literature-fanatic/) [Georgia King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-king/) > [“I don't care a whit for Society. I think people should only marry someone who can offer them some bit of affection. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-st-george/i-don-t-care-a-whit-for-society-i-think-people-should-only-marry/) [Harper St. George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-st-george/) > [“Does everybody know everything in this town!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaishnavi-nair-k/does-everybody-know-everything-in-this-town/) [Vaishnavi Nair K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaishnavi-nair-k/) > [“People don't say what they mean very often. You have to read between the lines of their behavior, of what they say, to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-frank/people-don-t-say-what-they-mean-very-often-you-have-to-read-between/) [M.C. Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-frank/) [Browse all 292 Austen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/austen/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Pride and Prejudice opens with one of the most famous sentences ever written: \"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.\" With these words, Jane Austen announced to her readers that they were about to meet such a man and the people eager to marry him off. What was more, they were going to have fun. 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