Since its immediate success in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work "her own darling child" and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print." The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen's radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.Includes a new introduction from Christina Lupton focusing on the novel's rich and ever expanding reception history; on why it has been so beloved over the centuries, and on the culture of writing and book circulation in Austen's time. The introduction argues for the importance of thinking through what it means to read a book so well loved, and what the popularity of the book itself can tell us for the way its story encourages us to think about love.Includes new explanatory notes, bibliography (updated to include digital sources), and chronology.