Divide and Conquer

Divide and Conquer

Something I found interesting about Pride & Prejudice was the structure of it. The book is split into three parts which I was unaware of. I don't understand why it was divided like this because the book could be all one part. I can identify the shift of  the story line at these breaks though. At the end of the first part the story really seems to begin because during the first part it's kind of an introduction to all of the characters since there are a lot of them. The first part also ends where the first dose of drama begins. Then throughout the second part of the book there are a lot of journeys. The eldest Bennet sister, Jane leaves to London, while Elizabeth goes to visit her best friend Charlotte who has been recently married to Mr. Collins.All of the Bennets are going on their own path. So even though there are definite shifts in the plot how does it contribute to the story of  the book? What if the book had been just one full volume instead of three little ones? I don't know if it's because I've read the book the way it is as three volumes or if it being divided actually does contribute to the book but it just feels right that it's divided. If it had been just one big part then how each individual volume had ended might not have been as important. At the end of  the 2nd volume Elizabeth has returned to Longbourn, which is her family's estate in their town Meryton. Elizabeth had been with her friend Charlotte in the whole of the 2nd volume and had just returned in the last few chapters. During her stay at Hunsford, where Charlotte now resides, she spent some time with Mr. Darcy who had been visiting his aunt. Their relationship had grown from mutual contempt to something a little more complicated. So Elizabeth has grown as a person. So much so that at the end of the 2nd volume she decides to visit Pemberley estate which is an estate that Darcy owns. The last sentence in the middle volume is "To Pemberley, therefore, they would go." (236) But what if the that section had not ended and it had gone straight into the next chapter. If it had I think the significance of Elizabeth's decision would have been diminished. It shows how she has grown as a character. Even though she still has an aversion towards Darcy she is intrigued by his life and who he is. It's like a checkpoint in their relationship. 

Without the breaks the story's most important bits would lose it's significance. They might be skated over and not fully understood that they are major parts in the story.