Published in 1813, Pride and Prejudice is one of Jane Austen’s best known works. It is the book that everyone thinks of when the author is mentioned. But is it as good as everyone says it is? Absolutely, and it is a book everyone needs to read once in their lifetime.
The Plot
The Bennet family has been blessed with five daughters. But now that they have grown, they each need to find a husband. So, it is seen as a sign of good luck when Netherfield Park is finally let by a young man with a large fortune and no wife. Of course, everyone in the area thinks they have a shot with the newest member of the community. It is only when he appears at the local assembly hall with his sisters and sullen friend that we discover he only has eyes for the eldest Bennet girl. And his friend, Mr Darcy? He might just have a thing for her younger sister, the second born daughter called Elizabeth. Over the course of the next year, we see scandal, heartbreak, and people discovering more about themselves than they bargained for. Elizabeth and Darcy spend the next year in a tangled web of family history, secrets and lies are exposed, before the walls around each of them crumble and they finally allow their pride and prejudice to fall away as they fall in love.
Thoughts on the book
I can’t remember the first time I read Pride and Prejudice. I remember when I first read Northanger Abbey, but not Pride and Prejudice. It might be safe to assume I didn’t understand it the first time I read it. Reading a book from 1813 can be tough if you know nothing about the time. But thanks to the internet and modern re-tellings of classic stories, we have the ability to deepen our understanding of a story like this. Even if you don’t know much about the late 19th century, you will probably understand that Elizabeth is a smart cookie who has no issue with standing up for herself and the snobbery that was common at the time. Combining this with Jane Austen’s wit and ability to poke fun at the fact that women felt they had to marry for survival, the story is filled with humour and sass. Of course, there is a down side to the novel, mainly that it only focuses on a small section of society. And while some people argue that the ending didn’t matter because she married Darcy in the end and that was what society expected of her, I would say different. Yes, Elizabeth does marry the rich guy in the end, but she didn’t do it for money. If that was the case she would have 1) married Collins when he asked her for her family, and 2) she turned Darcy down the first time he asked because she thought he was an ass. If she was going to marry Darcy for security, she would have said “yes” before she told his aunt to bugger off.
Thoughts on the author
Jane Austen is considered one of the most celebrated authors of all time. It is kind of hard to squeeze all of the thoughts I have about her into one tiny paragraph. I will say this, I don’t think the criticisms of her are completely justified. One criticism of her work is that the scope was too small. While it is true that she does not discuss any of the historical events which took place during the time of which Pride and Prejudice is set, it begs the question, did she need too? The Napoleonic Wars would have been happening around the time of the events in Pride and Prejudice and this is shown by the army being in the village. Yes, they were happening and it did shape some of the events in the book, but the interest may not have been great. For example, if I was to write a book and set it within the last twenty years, would I need to reference The War on Terror? Do I need to talk about Iraq when I’m writing a story about me falling off the toilet? No. So, it goes to show that major world events don’t impact our day to day life unless we are involved with them in some way. And Jane Austen knew this.
Overall
I love this book. If I’m honest, I try to read it once a year. There is something beautiful about the language, the drama, and how the everyday events within the lives of the characters are considered noteworthy. If there is one reason to read it, it is to remind us that the events in our own lives are important, no matter how small our lives may seem. From the first line, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife”, to near the end, we have the iconic line, “Obstinate, headstrong girl!” the story is packed with wit and wonder at the world the characters lived in at the time.
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