The Meryton ball
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)
It’s difficult to choose a favourite ball from the array featured in Austen’s novels, but the ball in Meryton, where Mr Darcy first snubs Elizabeth Bennet, is a frontrunner. When Mr Bingley chastises Darcy for not dancing, suggesting Lizzy as a potential partner, Darcy utters the immortal line: ‘She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.’ Thankfully for both Darcy and Lizzie, there are plenty of other parties to form - let's say - a more rounded opinion of each other.
