Pride and Prescience
| Discussion Guide |
Pride and Prescience
(Or, a Truth Universally Acknowledged)
A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery
By Carrie Bebris
Forge Books 2004
Trade Paperback ISBN 0-765-31843-1
Book #1 in the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery series
(Or, a Truth Universally Acknowledged)
A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery
By Carrie Bebris
Forge Books 2004
Trade Paperback ISBN 0-765-31843-1
Book #1 in the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery series
Plot Synopsis
When Caroline Bingley marries a rich, charismatic American, her future should be secure. But strange
incidents soon follow: nocturnal wanderings, spooked horses, carriage accidents, an apparent suicide
attempt. Soon the whole Bingley family seems the target of a sinister plot, with only their friends the Darcys
recognizing the danger. A jilted lover, an estranged business partner, a financially desperate in-law, an
eccentric supernaturalist -- who is behind these events? Perhaps it is Caroline herself, who appears to be
slowly sinking into madness. . . .
Discussion Questions
1. The book’s subtitle comes from the opening line of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: “It is a truth
universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Bebris includes this line as an epigraph at the start of Pride and Prescience. What expectations did this quote
and subtitle set up in you as a reader? How does it reflect the characters’ expectations?
2. The word prescience means foresight, foreknowledge, or anticipation of events. Which characters in the
novel display prescience, and in what ways?
3. Discuss the theme of appearance vs. reality in the novel. Are there characters besides Parrish who --
unintentionally or deliberately, for good or bad -- are not entirely what they seem?
4. To what extent is Caroline responsible for her own misfortune?
5. Describe the dynamic between Elizabeth and Darcy, in terms of both their marriage and their sleuthing.
What strengths does each bring to the relationship? What weaknesses? How well do they complement each
other?
6. Elizabeth and Darcy clash over the issue of reason vs. intuition. Which do you rely upon most strongly
when making decisions?
7. Are the characters complicit in their own deception? To what degree does each allow him- or herself to be
deceived by Parrish and others?
8. Each chapter begins with a quote from Pride and Prejudice. Why do you think Bebris included them, and
what, if anything, did they add to your experience of the novel? Did these quotes lend insight into the
chapters? The characters?
9. Compare and contrast the marriages shown in the novel.
10. From the first chapter to the last, Elizabeth and Darcy long to reach Pemberley. Discuss this theme. What
does Pemberley represent?
11. The novel has two primary physical settings -- London and Netherfield -- within the broader context of
fashionable society during England’s Regency period. How do time and place contribute to the story?
12. How familiar were you with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice before reading Pride and Prescience, and
with what expectations did you come to this book as a result?
13. If you are familiar with Pride and Prejudice, compare Bebris’s representations of Austen’s characters
with the originals. Also, compare and contrast Mr. Parrish with Mr. Wickham.
14. Gothic novels were popular in Austen’s time, and Austen herself read and enjoyed them. Although Austen
parodied the supernatural elements of gothics in her novel Northanger Abbey, Bebris chose to make the
paranormal threat real in Pride and Prescience. Were you surprised by this aspect of the novel’s resolution?
15. In the end, did each character get what he or she deserved?
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When Caroline Bingley marries a rich, charismatic American, her future should be secure. But strange
incidents soon follow: nocturnal wanderings, spooked horses, carriage accidents, an apparent suicide
attempt. Soon the whole Bingley family seems the target of a sinister plot, with only their friends the Darcys
recognizing the danger. A jilted lover, an estranged business partner, a financially desperate in-law, an
eccentric supernaturalist -- who is behind these events? Perhaps it is Caroline herself, who appears to be
slowly sinking into madness. . . .
Discussion Questions
1. The book’s subtitle comes from the opening line of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: “It is a truth
universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Bebris includes this line as an epigraph at the start of Pride and Prescience. What expectations did this quote
and subtitle set up in you as a reader? How does it reflect the characters’ expectations?
2. The word prescience means foresight, foreknowledge, or anticipation of events. Which characters in the
novel display prescience, and in what ways?
3. Discuss the theme of appearance vs. reality in the novel. Are there characters besides Parrish who --
unintentionally or deliberately, for good or bad -- are not entirely what they seem?
4. To what extent is Caroline responsible for her own misfortune?
5. Describe the dynamic between Elizabeth and Darcy, in terms of both their marriage and their sleuthing.
What strengths does each bring to the relationship? What weaknesses? How well do they complement each
other?
6. Elizabeth and Darcy clash over the issue of reason vs. intuition. Which do you rely upon most strongly
when making decisions?
7. Are the characters complicit in their own deception? To what degree does each allow him- or herself to be
deceived by Parrish and others?
8. Each chapter begins with a quote from Pride and Prejudice. Why do you think Bebris included them, and
what, if anything, did they add to your experience of the novel? Did these quotes lend insight into the
chapters? The characters?
9. Compare and contrast the marriages shown in the novel.
10. From the first chapter to the last, Elizabeth and Darcy long to reach Pemberley. Discuss this theme. What
does Pemberley represent?
11. The novel has two primary physical settings -- London and Netherfield -- within the broader context of
fashionable society during England’s Regency period. How do time and place contribute to the story?
12. How familiar were you with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice before reading Pride and Prescience, and
with what expectations did you come to this book as a result?
13. If you are familiar with Pride and Prejudice, compare Bebris’s representations of Austen’s characters
with the originals. Also, compare and contrast Mr. Parrish with Mr. Wickham.
14. Gothic novels were popular in Austen’s time, and Austen herself read and enjoyed them. Although Austen
parodied the supernatural elements of gothics in her novel Northanger Abbey, Bebris chose to make the
paranormal threat real in Pride and Prescience. Were you surprised by this aspect of the novel’s resolution?
15. In the end, did each character get what he or she deserved?
Return to Reading Group Guides page
Return to Pride and Prescience page
Return to home page