Summary — The female bildungsroman, also known as bildungsromane, is known as a subgenre of the novel where the main focus of the novel is the education of the protagonist. Literary critic MH Abrams defines the bildungsroman as "the development of the protagonist's mind and character, as he moves from childhood through varied experiences...to maturity and recognition of [his] identity and its role in the world. The character of Elizabeth Bennet from Jane Austen's famous novel Pride and Prejudice is one of these romantic heroines. The reader gets a glimpse of her psychological development as she matures over the course of the novel. She begins the novel as an intelligent, but somewhat immature character. While she initially delights in her powers of discernment, she later learns that she has allowed prejudice and her own pride to blind herself to reality. His education and maturity are the main focuses of the novel as well as the main focuses of the film adaptations of the novel. To illustrate this continued emphasis on development, this article examines relevant passages from Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. The article also analyzes how three modern film adaptations deal with the maturation of Elizabeth Bennet – focusing on how they recognize the power of Austen's coming-of-age narrative and its importance to the plot, regardless of Darcy and Elizabeth's courtship. The three modern adaptations analyzed here are: Pride & Prejudice (2005) directed by Joe Wright, Bride & Prejudice (2004) directed by Gurinder Chadha and Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) directed by Sharon Maguire. Elizabeth Bennet overcomes many obstacles on her journey to adulthood. The deepest obstacle...... middle of paper ...... "The absent heroine: or Elizabeth Bennet has a thought." Eighteenth Century Studies 39.3 (2006): 337-50. Muse Project. Internet. April 10, 2011.Labovitz, Esther Kleinbord. The myth of the heroine: the female Bildungsroman in the 20th century. 2nd ed. New York: Lang, 1988. Print.Leitch, Thomas M. Film adaptation and its discontents: from Gone with the Wind to The Passion of the Christ. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins UP, 2009. Print. Leitch, Thomas M. “Twelve Errors in Contemporary Adaptation Theory.” MUSE project. Johns Hopkins UP, Spring 2003. Web. February 2, 2011. Pride and prejudice. Real. Joe Wright. Perf. Keira Knightly, Matthew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone. Studio Canal, 2005. DVD. Zacharek, Stéphanie. “Pride and Prejudice.” Reverend from Pride and Prejudice (2005). Living room. Salon Media Group, November 11, 2005. Web. April 13. 2011. .