In Pride and Prejudice, what is meant by the phrase 'at York'? In Chapter 20 of _Pride and Prejudice_ , after Lizzy refuses to marry Mr Collins, Mrs Bennet says of her: > There she comes... looking as unconcerned as may be, and caring no more for us than if we were **at York** , provided she can have her own way. I know that York is a place in England, but it just seems to be a very strange thing for her to say. **What is meant, in the context of the times, by being at York?**

'At York' as you have rightly remarked is far away from the scene of action. But York is figuratively used to mean a distant place; It metonymically describes any place far off, particular for the general.

Lizzy doesn't care whosoever is around, she's oblivious of the surroundings and given to follow her own sweet will, all are removed from her reckoning to places as distant as York. Jane Austen chose York, she might as well choose any other place to suggest the character's detachment from the persons around her.