First Sentences

As I ventured into the world of Pride and Prejudice I noticed how the first sentence of each chapter is critical to understanding the meaning of the section. Yes, this happens in almost all novels but not quite with this intensity. The first chapter begins with a generalization of the role of a rich, single man in society, something the rest of the chapter elaborates in detail. We see how the arrival of a young man, Mr. Bingley, forces the parents of young girls to bond with him, including Mr. Bennet, who states that he will not go to talk with him. The first sentence of Chapter 2 juxtaposes with the impression we have of Mr. Bennet from Chapter 1: “Mr. Bennet was among the earliest of those who waited on Mr. Bingley” (Austen, 3). The first five pages reveal a playful character in Mr. Bennet and a solemn, motherly figure in Mrs. Bennet, completely devoted to finding
wealthy husbands for her daughters.

The beginning of the third chapter “Not all that Mrs. Bennet, however, with the assistance of her five daughters, could ask on the subject was sufficient to draw form her husband any satisfactory description of Mr. Bingley” (Austen, 5). The reader rapidly discovers how the first sentence reveals the main subject of the chapter, the first interactions between the Bennets and Mr. Bingley. The early structure of the book resembles a newspaper article, a headline, or the chapter’s first sentence followed by a body which captures the story presented. This structure helps the plot be effective in conquering the reader's attention and giving him the main points of the idea the author tries to make.

The fourth chapter does much the same with the first sentence in which the narrator states that “When Jane and Elizabeth were alone, the former, who had been cautious in her praise of Mr. Bingley before, expressed to her sister how very much she admired him” (Austen, 9). The chapter deals with the relationship between the Bennet’s daughters, how varied their personalities are and how they begin to interact with Mr. Bingley. The power of each of these first sentences is as strong as the importance of the headlines of newspaper articles with the difference these sentences completely capture the readers attention to continue the Bennets/Bingley journey.