Hi! Ever wondered how Jane Austen managed to write a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat story when the action revolves around people chatting in drawing rooms?

Well, the answer lies—partly—in Austen’s management of the romance beats, and this taster will show you the romance plot responsible for P&P’s emotional impact. 

Before we get started, though, you’ll need to learn my terms and definitions for the beats of the romance plot. Join me for a bit of prep work so you can see for yourself just how cool the romance plot of P&P really is.

The romance plot is sometimes called the A-plot, which is a term I really like because it drives home the fact that the number one, most important plotline in a romance is the romance itself. 

There’s the A-plot, and every other subplot should support the romance story in some way. (I go into deep detail about this fact in How to Pride and Prejudice.)

We’ll describe the sections of the A-plot as:

• Setup
• Falling in love
• Retreating from love
• Fighting for love 

As you can see, it’s similar to the classic (and very problematic) romance plot description: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. 

Inside the A-plot are the romance beats. In the following terms and definitions, I refer to the two main characters as the romance protagonists or P1 and P2. 

P1/P2 introduction — the romance protagonists are introduced to the reader.

Meet-cute/meet-disaster — P1 and P2 meet and identify one another as sexy individuals.

Nope — P1 and P2 state why a relationship with sexy individual is impossible. 

Stuck together — P1 and P2 end up hanging out [for reasons] despite the “nope.”

Nope again + negotiation — P1 and P2 restate the “nope,” then negotiate reasons within themselves why it’s okay to like the other person.

Love bubble — a series of scenes where P1 and P2 experience positive emotions and thoughts toward one another.

Nearly in love — P1 and P2 are bonding and becoming emotionally invested.

In love! — P1 and P2 throw caution to the wind: they’re either on the precipice of love or in love.

Love hangover + negotiation — P1 and P2 reflect on how being in love could end in heartbreak, then negotiate with their doubts to remain in the relationship.

Tightrope — a series of scenes where P1 and P2 experience increased doubts over their relationship.

Pre-breakup — P1 and P2 conclude their doubts are in fact correct.

Breakup — P1 and P2 choose to end the relationship.

Low moment — P1 and P2 feel justified in their decision.

Wake up! — P1 and P2 realize their doubts were wrong and why.

Grand gesture — P1 and P2 prove their new worldview in a physical manner. 

Yes + Yes = HEA — P1 and P2 communicate their new worldview verbally, resulting in a “happily ever after.”

Each beat of the A-plot is a nuanced story element with its own requirements that must be just right. (That’s something I’ll walk you through in How to Pride and Prejudice.)

The beats of the A-plot are fluid, they don’t need to appear in the same exact order. 

The emotional intensity of the beats is variable. If, for example, you’ve got an angsty rock star, her “low moment” could be a massive crisis; conversely, the low moment of a cheery nurse could be a single line of internal dialogue. 

The length of time romance protagonists linger over their beats is flexible, too—they can remain in place for chapters and chapters or fly through several beats in one single scene. 

Also, counter-intuitively to my listing of the romance beats, P1 and P2 do NOT experience each beat at the same time. The two protagonists are traveling through the A-plot separately. This means there are two sets of romance beats, altogether—one for each protagonist. 

In fact, my overview of Austen’s plotting of P&P is going to show you exactly how Lizzy and Darcy each travel separately through their very own A-plot beats. Psst, this is the exact reason I wrote How to Pride and Prejudice in the first place! To have a concrete example for hard-to-explain concepts, like how the romance beats work.

Next, I hope to cement some of these concepts for you by mapping out the A-plot of Pride and Prejudice, and giving you an overview of how Lizzy and Darcy are traveling on separate emotional journeys inside the framework of the three-act structure. 

The description of these journeys is brief because the plan is to do a deep dive of the same material during the recap. For those of you who are visual learners (me too!) you’ll find tables beneath each description summarizing Lizzy and Darcy’s travels through the beats of the A-plot. 

Act one and the setup are very closely linked because they’re both about introduction. 

The setup beats are also easy to identify because the two protagonists are both at the beginning of their journeys and are hitting the same beats within the first three-ish chapters. 

P&P is no exception, and we can easily tag where Lizzy and Darcy are in the romance plot map. 

In chapter one, Lizzy is introduced, and in chapter three Darcy is introduced through Lizzy’s point of view. She identifies him as a sexy individual but immediately hits her “nope” beat by judging him to be a big fat snob. 

Lizzy and Darcy’s meet-disaster occurs in chapter three, where Darcy also hits his own “nope” beat by being unforgivably rude within earshot of Lizzy—when he talks about her looks and the fact she’s not a desirable dance partner.

(Have you noticed how Lizzy and Darcy are each separately hitting their nope beats at different points in the story?)

In chapter seven, Lizzy reaches her stuck-together beat when she learns that her sister Jane is sick at Netherfield. Lizzy is ready to go immediately to Jane, even if it means dealing with that snobby jerk Darcy, who’s currently staying there.

Here, Darcy’s journey begins to separate from Lizzy’s. He doesn’t identify Lizzy as a sexy individual until after chapter seven, which happens during his own stuck-together beat.

The table below provides an illustration of P&P’s setup beats between chapters one to seven.

The midpoint is a big event that occurs at the middle of a story and changes everything. In a romance, that usually translates as an event that causes one or both of the protagonists to realize they’re in love.

When I first tried to map the A-plot in act two of Pride and Prejudice, I panicked. 

Was I seeing what I thought I was seeing? Because, OMG, Jane! Austen! You are even better than I realized. 

But also—how on earth was I going to show all the cool plotting she’d done? Because, let me tell you, Austen didn’t make P&P’s romance beats easy to organize into neat little tables.

One thing that made my jaw drop was the realization that Austen pauses Lizzy Bennet at the first nope beat for the first entire half of the novel. 

And that “nope” keeps escalating. 

As Lizzy travels through act two toward the midpoint of Pride and Prejudice, Austen feeds Lizzy specific and tangible reasons to dislike Darcy. 

• Chapter fifteen, nope — Lizzy’s new friend, Wickham, tells Lizzy stories about Darcy’s past that paint him as a villain.
• Chapter thirty-three, double nope — Lizzy learns Darcy’s to blame for breaking her sister Jane’s heart.

The result is that Lizzy goes from being annoyed with Darcy to loathing him.

Darcy, meanwhile—also traveling through act two, part one—is skipping along the falling-in-love beats all on his lonesome.

• Chapters eight to twelve, stuck together, nope again, love bubble – Darcy admires Lizzy for being such a loving sister to Jane. He also enjoys her lively character and wit.
• Chapter eighteen, a love-bubble scene – Darcy indulges himself by dancing with Lizzy at the Netherfield ball. Then, he flees, trying to escape any further attraction.
• Chapter thirty to thirty-four: love bubble, nearly in love, in love! – Darcy finds Lizzy Bennet at Rosings Park when he arrives for his yearly visit to his Aunt Catherine. He spends more time with Lizzy and falls in love against his will. 

Jane Austen’s careful plotting makes the tension in the Rosings Park scenes of Pride and Prejudice edge-of-your-seat, and yet all that’s physically happening with Lizzy and Darcy are things like having tea in a drawing room or taking a walk around the grounds. 

The readers are rubbing their hands in anticipation and glee because they know that: 

• Lizzy detests Darcy, she believes he dislikes her in return, and she’s oblivious to the fact Darcy loves her.
• Darcy falls in love with Lizzy, he’s fully confident she’d marry him if he proposed, and he’s oblivious to the fact that Lizzy detests him.

Has your jaw dropped yet? Jane Austen’s engineering of Lizzy and Darcy’s A-plot beats is incredible and she’s just getting started. Wait till you see what she does with the midpoint.

The table below is a snapshot of the romance beats in act two, part one, which occur, approximately, through chapters eight to thirty-four. 

Remember that the midpoint is the big event in the center of a story that changes everything. 

Fun fact: there are sixty-one total chapters in P&P, and its midpoint occurs in chapter thirty-four, which is very nearly the middle of the novel. 

As I mentioned before, the beat for the midpoint of a romance is one or both protagonists reaching in love!—Jane Austen does this, too, but she raises the emotional impact by, like, a million.

In chapter thirty-four, Lizzy has just learned about Darcy’s role in preventing her sister’s engagement and she’s fuming. Then Darcy turns up, in the throes of his in-love! beat, and proposes. Lizzy’s refusal is scathing. 

Austen sends Darcy flying through every single retreating-from-love beat: love hangover, tightrope, pre-breakup, and breakup in one scene. This means the reader experiences all the emotions created by these four powerful romance beats in just a few paragraphs. 

Then, by the end of the midpoint, Lizzy and Darcy are the furthest apart emotionally that they ever have been, or ever will be, in their romance story.

• Lizzy still hates Darcy for what he’s done to her sister and is confused and upset by his marriage proposal.
• Darcy now understands that Lizzy has disliked him all this time and is shocked and embarrassed.
• The readers are fainting from the emotional fallout of this scene, and they are absolutely dying to see what happens next.

I mean, wow! I’ve seen Michelangelo’s sculpture of David in Florence, and observing Jane Austen’s setup for the first half of P&P and the payoff at its midpoint gives me the exact same thrill of awe. 

Author, if you are attempting an enemies-to-lovers romance, take notes! 

Below is a table that maps out Lizzy and Darcy’s A-plot beats from the midpoint in chapter thirty-four. 

The climax is the event with the highest tension. In a romance, that usually means the highest emotional tension, where one or both of the protagonists break up.

Here’s another reason I panicked when trying to map out P&P. Usually in act two, part two, the A-plot begins its steady descent through the retreating-from-love beats. Except, here, Darcy’s already gone through his, and Lizzy’s been paused at the first nope since act one.

And then, I swooned with delight when I saw the next bit of really cool stuff Austen does. 

So, in chapter thirty-four, Darcy exits off-page and enters the fighting-for-love beats, where he experiences, unseen by the reader, the low moment and (a partial) wake up! and grand gesture. 

Darcy turns up in chapter thirty-five to hand-deliver a letter to Lizzy which proves Wickham’s a big fat liar. Austen uses this letter to blow up Lizzy emotionally, and Lizzy’s now open to changing her mind about Darcy. 

Then, Austen pushes Lizzy forward into her falling-in-love beats and begins a campaign to improve Lizzy’s opinion about Darcy.

• Chapter forty-three, nope again + negotiation — Lizzy goes to Pemberley, Darcy’s manor house, and she’s seduced by its beauty. Plus, her tour guide, Darcy’s housekeeper, gushes and gushes about Darcy, from his childhood to adulthood.
• Chapter forty-four to forty-five, love bubble, nearly in love, in love! — Darcy comes home early to Pemberley, and Lizzy is surprised by his change in behavior. He’s kind and talkative, and generous to her aunt and uncle. He invites them all to hang out at Pemberley, and, scene after scene, he’s gentlemanly and charming.

From chapter thirty-five, for the second half of Pride and Prejudice, Austen pauses Darcy at the grand gesture beat, and nearly every action Darcy takes in relation to Lizzy is physical proof of his continued love for her.

The table below is a snapshot of Lizzy and Darcy’s A-plot beats in act two, part two; from chapters thirty-five to forty-five, which occur just before the climax. 

The climax of romance stories (usually) includes a breakup beat for one or both of the protagonists, and Austen does this with P&P too—but, like before, she raises the emotional impact by another zillion. 

First of all, check out the powerful setup of Lizzy and Darcy’s romance beats here at the top of chapter forty-six: Lizzy has reached in love! and Darcy remains at his grand gesture. The readers are biting their nails in anticipation because Lizzy and Darcy are at the very precipice of getting everything they’ve ever wanted. All they have to do is say “yes.”

Then, Lizzy receives a letter where she learns that her unmarried youngest sister Lydia has run away with Wickham. This news emotionally destroys Lizzy, and at this very moment Darcy appears. Lizzy tells Darcy everything about this reputation-ruining scandal, utterly convinced that she’s driving him away from her. 

As she’s speaking, Lizzy flies through every single retreating-from-love beat straight to the breakup—all in one scene. Once again, the reader gets hit by the concentrated emotional impact of these four beats, in just a few paragraphs. Darcy listens in near silence and, as soon as Lizzy’s done, he rushes off, confirming to Lizzy his rejection of her. 

But she’s completely wrong about Darcy. He’s thinking about his next grand gesture—to rescue Lydia and save Lizzy’s family’s reputation. And this secret grand gesture is the thing that triggers Lizzy to despair and mentally break up with Darcy.

Well??? Are you impressed or are you impressed? My mind gets blown every single time I go through Pride and Prejudice’s A-plot. 

Below, the table visually captures the romance beats in the climax of chapter forty-six.

Act three, and the fighting-for-love beats are both about resolution. 

Because the A-plot beats are fluid, often one protagonist will reach their fighting-for-love beats in act two. However, by act three, if a romance protagonist is lagging behind, it’s time for them to catch up and also reach their resolution.

In Pride and Prejudice, Lizzy is the protagonist just entering the fighting-for-love beats in act three (because Darcy is already there.)

Lizzy lingers in her low moment from chapters forty-six to fifty, feeling sad that Darcy doesn’t want her, but she’s in agreement with—what she believes—are his reasons.

Then, in chapter fifty-one Lizzy learns about Darcy’s grand gesture (he rescued Lydia’s reputation) and she begins to hope, which triggers a slow-burn wake up! beat for Lizzy.

In chapter fifty-six, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy’s aunt, turns up at Lizzy’s house, demanding that Lizzy promises she’ll never marry Darcy. Lady Catherine makes Lizzy so mad that Lizzy completes her wake up! beat and hits her grand gesture in the same scene.

In chapter fifty-eight, Lizzy and Darcy each hit yes + yes = HEA: they take a walk through the English countryside and finally talk things through, saying yes to a romantic relationship, which for them means marriage.

In chapter sixty-one, the optional HEA beat is shown, revealing what their new day-to-day “happily ever after” life is like in relation to all their friends and family. 

This final table maps out the A-plot beats in P&P’s act three, from chapters forty-six to sixty-one.

Jane Austen was awesome at plotting, and surely now you empathize with my panic and difficulty in mapping out the romance beats of Pride and Prejudice. It’s a little unusual!

• Lizzy is paused at her nope beat for the first half of the novel.
• Darcy is paused at his grand gesture beat for the second half.
• Darcy experiences all his retreating-from-love beats in act two, part one
• Lizzy experiences all her falling-in-love beats AND retreating-from-love beats in act two, part two.

The best thing about seeing Jane Austen in action is proving to you beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are two protagonists, P1 and P2, traveling through their very own romance beats. And now that you’re completely aware of this fact, you may understand how important it is for you, the author, to keep track of exactly which beats your own romance protagonists are experiencing. 

Knowing the “when” and “where” of their romance beats gives you the ability to tweak the A-plot intentionally. And with Jane Austen as evidence, you’ve seen how powerful managing the story structure and the A-plot can be.

Did you also notice how nuanced the romance beats are? In particular, Lizzy and Darcy’s breakup scenes? Lizzy and Darcy have a breakup beat each, and yet, they’ve never been in a relationship together. Rather, Darcy and Lizzy have been entertaining the idea of a relationship with the other and [for reasons] each silently ends it within their own minds.

Think of how you can adjust breakup scenes—depending on the style of your romance story. Will it be a giant knock-down drag-out fight? Or will it be a silent acceptance, based on a misunderstanding? 

My hope for this plotting overview is that you, romance author, now feel down to your bones just how fluid the A-plot beats actually are, and how the emotional journeys of the romance protagonists occur separately and at different speeds. 

And whether you someday follow Austen’s plotting strategy beat by beat, or just get inspired by it, I feel confident that this knowledge will help you to level up in your future writing projects.

The book How to Pride and Prejudice will provide you with the complete explanation of how Jane Austen’s plotting of Pride and Prejudice works.

You’ll also be guided through the entire recap of her classic novel, scene-by-scene, analyzing Lizzy and Darcy’s romance story from the perspective of today’s romance writer.

Moreover, with specific examples from Austen’s work, difficult-to-understand concepts like character arc, core internal conflict, emotional growth and setbacks will suddenly become clear. 

So, if you enjoyed this taster and purchase the book, I promise you’ll get to see more of Austen’s genius and learn how you can use her strategies for your own romance story. 

How to Pride and Prejudice will become available in spring 2022.

Want to learn more? Check out The Editorial Podcast where Sarah Calfee talks about the book with Louise Harnby and Denise Cowle. 

Escaping from a deep, dark troubled past—i.e., overdose of Disney World and the tourist industry—editorial heroine, Sarah, moves from Orlando to Chicago with cat and boyfriend. Dumps boyfriend, keeps cat. Finds studio apartment, learns to assemble flatpack furniture. Discovers intense love for Chicago and city life: lives beside Lake Michigan, cycles everywhere, teaches as adjunct English professor. Intends to remain single and childless forever.

Scene set up: Chicago, summer, Sarah attends a rooftop party. Goal: Locate the Irish sailing instructors from the Chicago Sailing Club and charm one into taking her sailing on Lake Michigan—for free. Meet-cute: After targeting sailing instructor/victim, Sarah gets more than she bargains for when confronted by a pair of big blue eyes and cute Irish accent. Conflict: Four-year long-distance relationship. (Yuck!!) HEA: Daire and Sarah get married, move to London, have two children, and Sarah becomes a brilliant/genius romance editor.
(P.S. Daire took me out sailing lots that summer!)