Plot Summary
Chapter 2 of Pride and Prejudice by opens with the narrator revealing what Mrs. Bennet does not yet know: her husband has already called on Mr. Bingley, the wealthy bachelor who has just taken Netherfield Park. Despite having repeatedly told his wife he would not make the visit, Mr. Bennet went among the earliest callers and kept it secret until that evening.
The scene unfolds entirely through family dialogue. Mr. Bennet sets his trap by casually remarking to his second daughter Elizabeth, "I hope Mr. Bingley will like it, Lizzy," while she trims a hat. Mrs. Bennet, still believing the visit has not been made, responds resentfully that they have no way of knowing Mr. Bingley's preferences. Elizabeth suggests they will meet him at the assemblies through Mrs. Long's introduction, but Mrs. Bennet dismisses Mrs. Long as "a selfish, hypocritical woman" who will favor her own nieces.
Character Dynamics
Mr. Bennet prolongs the joke by subtly hinting at the visit while his wife fails to catch on. He teases her about the "forms of introduction" and asks Mary, "a young lady of deep reflection," for her opinion. Poor Mary tries to compose a sensible reply but cannot manage one before her father moves on. Meanwhile, Kitty is scolded for coughing on her mother's nerves, and the brief exchange reveals Mrs. Bennet's tendency toward hypochondria and self-centeredness.
The climax arrives when Mr. Bennet pretends sympathy that Mrs. Bennet is "sick of Mr. Bingley," adding that had he known, he "certainly would not have called on him." The family's astonishment is precisely what he hoped for. Mrs. Bennet's reaction shifts instantly from shock to delight to the claim that she always knew she would persuade him. She praises her husband effusively, declaring him "an excellent father" and pivoting immediately to planning which daughter Bingley will dance with at the next ball.
Themes and Literary Devices
The chapter masterfully establishes dramatic irony: the reader learns in the first sentence that Mr. Bennet has visited Bingley, while the family remains ignorant throughout the conversation. uses this gap to showcase Mr. Bennet's dry wit and to deepen the portrait of the Bennet marriage begun in Chapter 1. His delight in "the raptures of his wife" and his exit from the room suggest both affection and fatigue with a partner who does not share his ironic sensibility. The chapter also introduces individualized voices for the five Bennet daughters, with Elizabeth's sensible replies contrasted against Lydia's bold confidence that Bingley will dance with her because she is the tallest.