When headstrong and independent Elizabeth Bennet is required to find a wealthy husband, her encounter with the arrogant Mr. Darcy leads to one of the most entertaining and satisfying courtships ever imagined. Beyond the romance, Pride and Prejudice is a book full of humour and wit that is also a commentary on upper-class social manners at the turn of the nineteenth century. Even though it is concerned with love and marriage, the novel is a rejection of Romanticism, a popular way of imagining the world at that time. Austen preferred to highlight the rational abilities of her characters and not portray them as completely controlled by their emotions. Pride and Prejudice's characters aren't robots, though. Austen shows universal situations in a perfectly clear light-embarrassment when someone is foolish, the nervous feeling of falling in love, and the chagrin caused by making a big mistake. Austen's mastery of irony, dialogue, and realism support character development and make Pride and Prejudice a pure pleasure to read.