MEJE PROCESS · Pride and Prejudice Worldbuilding Data (74 chapters)
Pride and Prejudice — Complete List of Groups
Pride and Prejudice — Complete List of Groups
A comprehensive catalogue of every group, organization, social class, and profession mentioned in the novel.
A. Military Groups
| # | English | Designation | Nature | Role in the Novel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ----shire Militia regiment | ----shire Militia Regiment | A semi-regular home-defense force stationed at Meryton for the winter | Wickham, Denny, Carter, and Forster belong to it. The object of Lydia and Kitty's infatuation. Disbanded after the Brighton encampment |
| 2 | The Regulars / Regular army | Regular Army | A combat force, including units deployed overseas | Wickham transfers to it after marrying. His regiment, commanded by a general, is stationed in the north; the move amounts to exile |
| 3 | General ----'s regiment | General ----'s Regiment | Wickham's destination after his transfer | Stationed in the north. Darcy purchases Wickham an ensigncy |
| 4 | "the officers" | Officers (general) | The militia officer corps | The focus of Lydia and Kitty's attention and regular guests at the Philipses' evening parties |
B. Houses and Family Groups
| # | English | Designation | Members | Function in the Novel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | The Bennet family | The Bennet Family | Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and their five daughters | The novel's central family and victims of the entail |
| 6 | The Darcy family | The Darcy Family | Darcy and Georgiana, plus their deceased parents | The highest rank of the gentry and a core family in the novel |
| 7 | The Bingley party | The Bingley Party | Bingley, Miss Bingley, Mr. and Mrs. Hurst, and Darcy | The group leasing Netherfield; wealthy people of commercial origin |
| 8 | The Lucas family | The Lucas Family | Sir William and Lady Lucas, Charlotte, Maria, and the younger sons | The Bennets' neighbours at Longbourn; a knighted family |
| 9 | The de Bourgh family | The de Bourgh Family | Lady Catherine, Anne de Bourgh, and the late Sir Lewis | The landowning family of Rosings and Darcy's maternal relations |
| 10 | The Gardiner family | The Gardiner Family | Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and four children—two daughters and two sons | A London merchant family; Mr. Gardiner is Mrs. Bennet's younger brother |
| 11 | The Philips family | The Philips Family | Mr. and Mrs. Philips | Residents of Meryton; Mrs. Philips is Mrs. Bennet's younger sister |
| 12 | The Fitzwilliam family | The Fitzwilliam Family (an earl's family) | Colonel Fitzwilliam's father, an earl, and his elder brother, the heir | Never appears directly, but explains the colonel's position as a “younger son” |
C. Social Ranks and Classes
| # | English | Designation | Definition | Significance in the Novel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Gentry | Gentry | Landowners below the peerage | Darcy, Bennet, and Bingley all belong to it, but its internal hierarchy is extremely steep |
| 14 | Nobility / Peers | Nobility / Titled Peerage | Hereditary aristocrats of the rank of earl and above | Colonel Fitzwilliam's family. Darcy is not a peer, but a member of the highest gentry |
| 15 | Trade (people in trade) | Mercantile Class | People who have accumulated wealth through commerce | The Bingleys' origins and Uncle Gardiner's occupation; a source of insecurity for the Bingley sisters |
| 16 | Clergy | Clergy | Parish priests and other ordained people | Collins belongs to it; Wickham gives up the prospect of ordination |
| 17 | The professions | Professions (law and medicine) | Solicitors, apothecaries, and similar practitioners | Mr. Philips is a solicitor and Mr. Jones an apothecary |
| 18 | Servants | Servant Class | Everyone employed in domestic service | Hill, Sarah, Nicholls, Mrs. Reynolds, gardeners, butlers, and others |
| 19 | "the poor" / Cottagers | The Poor / Cottagers | Impoverished members of a parish | Those whom Lady Catherine “governs” and toward whom Darcy is “generous” |
| 20 | "people of fashion" / "first circles" | Fashionable Society | The core of the London social season | The world Darcy inhabits and that Sir William glimpses through his visits to court |
D. Institutional Groups
| # | English | Designation | Nature | Role in the Novel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | The Church (of England) | Church of England | The established church | Collins's institution and the foundation of the patronage system for clerical livings |
| 22 | The Court (St. James's) | The Court | Royal society | The setting in which Sir William receives his knighthood |
| 23 | "the neighbourhood" | The Neighbourhood / Neighbours | The gentry and middle classes around Longbourn and Meryton | The body of public opinion that judges Darcy “the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world” |
| 24 | "four-and-twenty families" | Twenty-four Families | The number of neighbouring families with whom the Bennets associate | Mrs. Bennet boasts of them to Darcy in Chapter 9; by his standards, the circle is extremely limited |
| 25 | "society" / "the world" | Society / The World | The social network of the gentry and above | “How the world will regard him” is a standard governing every action |
E. Informal Groups (Factions and Alliances)
| # | Composition | Nature | Function in the Novel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Darcy + the Bingley sisters (separation alliance) | A conspiracy to separate Bingley and Jane | EVT-019. Darcy leads and Miss Bingley executes the plan |
| 27 | Elizabeth + Jane (sisterly alliance) | Shared confidences and mutual support | They share the truth about Wickham (EVT-031) and provide each other with emotional safety |
| 28 | Lydia + Kitty (youngest-sisters alliance) | Infatuation with officers and recklessness | Lydia leads and Kitty follows |
| 29 | Collins + Lady Catherine (patronage and flattery) | A relationship of absolute dependence | Lady Catherine's approval governs every action |
| 30 | Wickham + Mrs. Younge (conspiracy) | Plot to seduce Georgiana, followed by provision of a London hiding place | EVT-029 and EVT-042 |