Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen, published in 1813. The story retains a fascination for modern readers, on the top of lists of 'most loved books'. The story follows the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England. Elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a country gentleman living near the fictional town of Meryton in Hertfordshire, near London.