This Critical Insights volume on Pride and Prejudice is designed to provide students and nonspecialists in Austen studies an introduction to one of the most widely read novels of the past two centuries. New essays include a biography of Jane Austen, the critical reception of Pride and Prejudice, an examination of the novel's historical milieu, and a reading of the novel that stresses the importance Austen places on female education as a means of redefining the role of women in society. Other essays include an examination of the relationship between form and content in the novel, and several essays written from a feminist perspective.