MY FAVORITE JANE AUSTEN SCENE by Anngela Schroeder

This year, we celebrate an extraordinary literary anniversary: 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen. Two and a half centuries later, her novels still pulse with life—clever and full of emotional nuance. Her keen eye for character, her wit, and her gift for social commentary remain as relevant and irresistible as ever.

Yet Austen’s influence extends far beyond the pages. Her work has sparked countless interpretations from beloved film adaptations to contemporary reimaginings and even themed travel experiences that bring Regency England to life. Her stories don’t just endure; they expand, inviting each new generation to see themselves within her world.

So, what is it that keeps Austen so present in our imaginations?

This year, I’ve asked a few brilliant Austen lovers—writers, readers, and scholars—to reflect on the moments in her work that still dazzle them. Anngela Schroeder, a favorite in the world of Austenesque fiction, shares a scene from Pride & Prejudice that continues to resonate with her and why. —Christina Boyd

Illustration C.E. Brock, 1895 of Pride & Prejudice

By Anngela Schroeder Depending on the edition, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has about 350 pages. Those 350 pages are comprised of sixty-one chapters or three volumes of about twenty-one to twenty-three chapters each. Of those, Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet directly interact in only twenty-four chapters. Twenty-four! Twenty-four chapters to tell the greatest story ever told! How does Jane Austen do it? She makes it look so easy while many of us authors are chasing the elusive golden thread of genius!

Now, let’s get even more unrealistic and try and choose a favorite part of the novel. How can you pick just one favorite scene? With so many of our purest ideas clouded by mini-series and movies, what is fact and what is fictionalized fiction?

Having taught Pride and Prejudice to my AP students for the last thirteen years, I have read, loved, and dissected this story over and over again. I have been gifted with insight from my students, who have a different perspective on the interactions of the Bingleys, Hursts, Bennets, and Darcys, which has also caused me to see things differently.

With that in mind, when asked which scene was my favorite, I had to think for a minute. Was it when Elizabeth pulled herself up by the bootstraps after the Meryton Assembly’s insult? When Darcy proposed in Kent, and she shredded him like a hash browned potato? Or when he finally proposed in earnest and did a great job, having learned from his mistakes? Nope. Although those are some great scenes, my favorite is a little more vulnerable. It involves a moment of humility for Darcy.

It had been several months since the ill-fated meeting at Rosings Park when Elizabeth had rejected Darcy so fiercely that when they came upon each other again in Derbyshire, so much could have happened. My students are always amazed when I explain that either Darcy or Elizabeth could have been married to someone else in the span of time; that another ‘advantageous match’ could have presented itself, and the remainder of Jane Austen’s beloved story would have been no more.

But luckily for us, that was not the case! Within those months, both of their feelings had only increased. Darcy was like a shaken bottle of Perrier; his sentiments were high, he knew he had made a huge mistake in his delivery of his proposal in Kent, but he hadn’t forgotten her. All the feelings Elizabeth was sure would inspire him to forget her had dissipated, and he was more awkward than the master of Pemberley had probably ever been. The walk from the stables, when he saw the woman that he loved in his gardens... He could only imagine it was a dream, but it wasn’t. So, is this my favorite scene?

Nope.

My favorite scene is when he shows true love and humility. As Elizabeth is preparing to leave Pemberley and head back to the inn in Lambton, he asks if she would be willing to meet his sister:

“Will you allow me, or do I ask too much, to introduce my sister to your acquaintance during your stay at Lambton?” -Chapter 43

When I reach this part with my students, I try and explain the significance of the request. Yes, obviously, he is inviting her to step into his inner circle. But even more than that, he is still uncertain about Elizabeth’s feelings for him. And Elizabeth knows of Georgiana’s almost disgrace with Wickham. She could choose not to be ‘tainted by association,’ and Darcy understands that. However, that isn’t what happens at all.

“The surprise of such an application was great indeed; it was too great for her to know in what manner she acceded to it.” -Chapter 43

Darcy showed he had been humbled by Elizabeth’s words, and instead of commanding her, as he had done in Kent, he gave her the freedom to choose. This is more valuable than all the gold in Pemberley’s coffers. Not only a woman worthy of being pleased, but a man realizing she was a woman of worth in and of herself.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anngela Schroeder, author

Anngela has a degree in English with a concentration in British Literature and a Master's in Education. She loves to travel, bake, and watch college football with her husband of twenty-three years and three handsome sons. Her earliest memory is sitting on the kitchen counter, swinging her legs and regaling her mother with stories she had dreamt the night before. Her weaknesses are yellow cake with chocolate frosting, her father's Arabic food (namely, grape leaves and falafel), and frozen Girl Scout Thin Mints. She lives in California, where she dreams of Disney adventures and trips across the pond. When she is not writing, she teaches 12th-grade English and Creative Writing, plans events for her high school seniors, and perfects her chocolate chip cookie. You can connect with Anngela via Austen Variations.