The Meryton Assembly

At the Meryton assembly, the Bennet sisters finally meet Mr. Bingley, who is charming and dances with Jane twice, sparking Mrs. Bennet's hopes. His friend, Mr. Darcy, is introduced but is quickly deemed proud and disagreeable after he refuses to dance with anyone outside his party and famously dismisses Elizabeth as 'tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.' Elizabeth overhears this slight and develops a strong prejudice against him, a feeling that will shape much of the early conflict. The evening establishes the initial impressions of the two central male characters and sets the stage for the novel's central romantic tensions.