Hertfordshire is a cozy English county. This place is the primary setting of Pride and Prejudice. It includes Longbourn village, Netherfield Park, the town of Meryton, and the Bennet estate. Jane Austen describes Meryton as “a small market town.” Longbourn village is a place where Bennets have their estate. Setting descriptions transmit typical 19th-century English countryside.
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he events of Pride and Prejudice take place in the county of Hertfordshire. There are no explicit descriptions of the locations mentioned in the novel. Characters talk about the places to indicate the distance between them. Remember when Elizabeth worried about Mr. Bingley’s declining her offer for dinner? At that point, she said she “can not imagine what business he could have in town so soon he arrives in Hertfordshire.” Hertfordshire is sure to be not far from London. Some critics believe Mr. Bingley’s house, Netherfield to be in Balls Park in Hertford.
Elizabeth claims Netherfield is “only three miles away” from her hometown. Longbourn and Netherfield are likely to be close to each other. It explains why Jane and Mr. Bingley lived in Netherfield for only a year after marriage. It comes out later that “a vicinity to her [Jane’s] mother and Meryton relations was not desirable.” We can’t be sure if the action of Pride and Prejudice takes place in Hertfordshire. This information is not explicitly mentioned in the book. Still, many references to the county’s locations point out to Hertfordshire.