Fiction · Level 4 · 153 words

A Truth Universally Acknowledged

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813). Public domain.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.

"My dear Mr. Bennet," said his lady to him one day, "have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?" Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.

"But it is," returned she; "for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it." Mr. Bennet made no answer. "Do you not want to know who has taken it?" cried his wife impatiently. "You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it." This was invitation enough.

Comprehension questions

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5 questions
1. The famous opening sentence is best understood as:

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B. Gentle irony about how families view wealthy bachelors
Austen's tone is ironic: the "truth" reflects the matchmaking assumptions of "surrounding families," not an actual law of nature.

2. What does the exchange reveal about Mr. Bennet?

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B. He is dryly amused and teases his wife.
His reply, "You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it," shows a dry, teasing wit.

3. What news is Mrs. Bennet eager to share?

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B. That Netherfield Park has been rented
She asks whether he has heard "that Netherfield Park is let at last."

4. The passage as a whole is best described as:

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B. An ironic portrait of a neighborhood where a rich new tenant is at once treated as a match for someone's daughter
The mock-solemn "truth universally acknowledged" sets up the joke, and Mrs. Bennet's rush to report the new tenant at Netherfield acts it out: the whole passage shows a matchmaking world, told with a straight face.

5. In "must be in want of a wife," the word "want" most nearly means:

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B. in need of
In this older usage, "want" means to lack or need. The sentence claims that a wealthy single man must be lacking, and therefore seeking, a wife.

Source: Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813). Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813). Public domain.