Chapter 10 My Dearest Lizzy

My Dearest Lizzy is an extract from the much celebrated novel “Pride and Prejudice” written by Jane Austen. It is a letter written by Jane To Elizabeth (Lizzy) when she was ill. All you need to know and learn about this chapter is given below.

Meet the Author

  • Jane Austen is an 18th century English novelist.
  • Born: 1775
  • Died: 1817
  • Place of Birth: Winchester, England
  • Major Books: Pride and Prejudice (1813), Sense and Sensibility (1811), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma(1815).
  • Major themes: trials and tribulations of the middle className landed gentry in the early 19th century.

Historical background:

1. Novel is set in the Regency era.

Regency era-- It is a time period in England (1811-1820) when King George III was unfit to rule due to his illness.

2.Landed gentry- they are a privileged British social className consisting of land owners. They live with the rental money they receive. Mr. Bennet is one among them.

Landed gentry included country squires, military officers, clergy men etc.

3. Females- Marriage was the only means to existence and future for women of that time. They would not inherit the property.

A girl holding Jane Austen book in her hand
Jane Austen Famous Book Pride and Prejudice

Plot of Pride and Prejudice:

Family 1

Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet-------5 daughters------Jane, Elizabeth (Lizzy), Mary, Catherine, Lydia

They belong to the landed gentry of Hertfordshire.

As per the law during that period the family property will only be passed onto male heir. Since Mr and Mrs. Bennet did not have any male offsprings their property would fall their cousin Mr. Collins.

Hence Mrs. Bennet’s sole focus was to marry off her daughters into wealthy families.

Since they belong to the landed gentry they are allowed to mix with the landowning aristocracy. Even though they are a step behind in wealth and resources.

Family 2

Charles Bingley, wealthy man and Miss Bingley (his sister) Charles rents the manor of Netherfield Park.

Others in the family include:

      Mr. Darcy- friend of Mr. Charles Bingley.
      Mr. & Mrs. Hurt- Mr. Charles Bingley’s sister and her husband.

These people lived in Netherfield Park. Their arrival has made Mrs. Bennet excited, hoping that she could possibly marry one of her daughters to Mr. Charles Bingley.


The lesson “My Dearest Lizzy” begins from here;

  • Jane, the eldest daughter, succeeds to impress Mr. Charles Bingley. She is then invited to Netherfield. She fell ill when she was at Netherfields. She writes a letter home mentioning her situation.
  • Lizzy (Elizabeth) , her loving sister, is worried and decides to travel to meet her at Netherfield. Meanwhile, Mrs. Bennet, her mother, is excited to hear the news as this will provide Jane some more time to get close to Charles Bingley.
  • Since Elizabeth did not know how to ride a horse she decided to walk 3 miles (4.8km). Her determination and love for her sister made the task easier.
  • She had to cross over bad weather, fields, puddles and much more to reach her destination. She successfully reached Netherfield with ‘dirty stockings’, ‘weary angles’ and ‘a face glowing with the warmth of exercise’.
  • All of them in the Netherfield household were surprised and shocked to know that Elizabeth had walked all this way irrespective of the “dirty weather”.
  • Jane was extremely happy to meet her sister and was longing for the visit. Miss Bingley left the sisters to their privacy. Soon an apothecary (doctor) came to check on Jane.
  • He confirmed that Jane was down with a severe cold and prescribed some medicines and rest.
  • Elizabeth did not leave Jane’s side. She kept an eye for her all along. When it was time for her to leave, Miss Bingley asked Elizabeth to stay. Miss Bingley understood her concern for her sister.
  • Elizabeth was happy to hear this and soon they sent a servant to Longbourn to inform about her stay and to collect her clothes.

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My Dearest Lizzy Questions and Answers

Below are a few questions that you can look out for your examinations and class tests. Stand out with perfectly written answers with help of Aneetta Class.

Mrs. Bennet was extremely happy to know that her daughter had to stay overnight at Netherfield. According to her this would give her more time to know Mr. Charles Bingley. She wants her daughter to get married to a wealthy family.

Yes, she loves her sister. She gets extremely worried after knowing about Jane’s illness. She decides to walk to the Netherfield even in the bad weather to ensure her sister’s safety and health.

Lizzy was extremely tired due to her long walk. Her ankles were swollen and her stockings were dirty as she walked by puddles, fields and bad weather. She had a red face due to the long walk.