“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s witty comedy of manners—one of the most popular novels of all time—that features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century drawing-room intrigues. Pride and PrejudiceJust so that you all know, I had to learn how to spell predju...prejudice in the process of this review. If improving my spelling was all Jane Austen had accomplished, I would still be grateful, but she has also written a great literary classic that I, even in my youthfulness, can appreciate. That's ten points for Austen right there. But, of course, I still have multitudinous more reasons to recommend her book than just that. (Heh, I just wanted to use the word 'multitudinous', but you get the idea.)
First things first, I want you to know that I watched the movie before hand. On previous occasions, I have found that watching the movie first has totally ruined the literary experience, but in this instance, I think it even aided my understanding of the book. The book was still engaging and enjoyable, so everyone who was worrying about having watched the movie first, as far as I'm concerned, you should stop worrying. Another thing you guys may have hesitations about is the old language. You might say, 'StoryGirl, wasn't this book written in the 1800's? Don't you think it's a bit outdated?' Well, it's true that the language is a bit outdated. It uses words I haven't heard very often and I was a bit confused at the arranging of some of the sentences. I recommend keeping your dictionary handy if you care (there's a downloadable dictionary on Kindle that could be of some assistance if you're interested). For some, this obstacle could detract from your overall enjoyment of the book, especially readers who are of the younger variety. I wasn't troubled too much, but I've read some complaints of a similar line from other reviewers and I don't really blame you. Some books can be tricky, but I would still recommend you persisting (watching the movie could be helpful so you get the right idea about what you're reading). I found the characters to be altogether charming and amusing. There was mostly a variety in personalities and I enjoyed seeing the change in behavior between when they were in society or home for a lot of the characters. The problem I had with the characters was simply a problem of diversity. The characters were interesting and varied, but the only sensible characters in the book were Lizzy, Darcy, Georgina and the Gardiners. Mr Bennet may have seemed sensible but who's indulged-ness when it came to the ridiculousness of his family wasn't sensible at all. It added to the overall enjoyment of the story, but a better diversity of character traits would've made the story a bit more plausible. The character faults of pride and prejudice (of which the book was named), were addressed in Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, but I felt that Austen left a lot of information about the faults out. For instance, there were other characters displaying these traits and Lizzy herself displays both of them rather than just one over the course of the book. I might've had greater enjoyment of the book if Austen had explained these faults and which actions constituted as pride and which actions prejudice, I may have been more satisfied. Maybe I just need a good Book Club discussion, but I think a definition may have driven her point home harder. One feature I found very interesting was the different social norms. It was fascinating that what they might think of as scandalous, might be today's normal. I really liked the characters in the book compared to the movie though. They were better characterised and the plot line was broader; incorporating all the characters rather than just the main two. The storyline itself is engaging and I enjoyed it immensely, especially the uniqueness of the romance. I love how it's an equal relationship (within the restrictions of that time period); they both admit they did things wrong and, at times, try to make amends. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read it and is over twelve years of age. This is purely because for one, most people don't enjoy a book if they're forced to read it, their opinion of it will forever be biased by that fact. And two, because of language and themes, anyone younger than twelve may struggle. I really enjoyed this book and found that, even though it's old, it's not at all outdated in anything but the language. It's not explicit, though being a romance, and the worst that happens is elopement, gossiping, and bad manners. I would recommend it to any and all who would try it. I think 4/5 stars is good (either that or three and three quarters, but I thought that might be too harsh). I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did! StoryGirl
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About MeI'm just a girl who loves to read (and also to listen to music, watch tv, and really anything that involves a story). Archives
December 2020
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