Since its immediate success in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work "her own darling child" and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print."
The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen's radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.
Wow. I actually was expecting to give this book 3 stars, but I've now gone with a solid 4.5. Pride and Prejudice, it mildly shocks me to say, is really good.
Before reading this book, I'd watched the show at least 3 times, and the movie once or twice, so I knew the plot. Because I don't have the impressive set of vocabulary required to fully understand every word in this book, knowing the plot by heart was very helpful to me, while still not making the book feel boring. The things I knew were going to happen still shocked me when they did occur.
Though the start of the book was a little slow, the end is enticing and almost tantalizing by maintaining the same pace with which the book begins, drawing out events so you can feel the tension rising between the two main characters.
I don't really have a specific age rating for this. I will tell you that I tried to read it at age 10 or 11 and I was way too young to understand it. There isn't any inappropriate or violent content, but it is written in an old-fashioned style and is hard to understand. As long as you can understand it, you can read it. I think.
-Pigeon
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I'm not a good enough writer to give an educated-sounding review to this book, so I just summarized the two main aspects to the book. I'm sorry, I did not include the plot.
The Writing
I get secondhand embarrassment from watching movies, but rarely from reading books. It is proof of Jane Austen's writing capabilities that Pride and Prejudice makes me feel everything Lizzy feels throughout the book, which quite often is embarrassment or shame for her closest relations. I also felt joy, shock, anger, and worry while reading, as if I had suddenly been transported to the early 1800s (I certainly hope I hadn't, as I read some of this on a plane). The writing, though of course old fashioned, isn't overly descriptive when it doesn't need to be. (Because I typically read YA Fantasy, too many metaphors, similes, or overly descriptive things in general drive me insane and I'm so tired of it). The dialogue, too, is fun to read because each sentence is so carefully constructed, so different from how people talk today.
The Characters
Before reading the book, I honestly thought that the movie was over-dramatized and that Mrs. Bennet couldn't possibly be that bad. I was completely and utterly wrong. Ms. Bennet most certainly is that bad. Elizabeth's whole family, with the exception of Jane and the Gardiners, is embarrassing in some way. Unlike the rest of the Bennets, Jane and Elizabeth are perfectly functioning human beings. Jane is sweet, thoughtful, determined to see the best in everyone. She stays consistent to her character throughout the book, only changing once she realizes that she cannot continue to believe the best in people who have wronged her. Elizabeth goes through much more character development than Jane. It is often assumed that the title, Pride and Prejudice, had one word referring to Lizzy and the other to Mr. Darcy. After reading the book, the majority of readers will see that each word refers to both of them. Unlike Jane, Elizabeth finds it easy to believe the worst in everyone, causing her prejudice. She dislikes Mr. Darcy upon their first encounter, and is set stubbornly in her dislike for quite a while. She is also proud, believing herself to have the superior opinion on others, and correct one. Very little can persuade her that she is wrong. Mr. Darcy also assumes everything about Elizabeth based on first impressions (the original title of the book). This creates both their character arcs, where they must realize that their original assumptions weren't always right and they must not judge others so quickly.
Great book—I highly recommend.
I also just looked at my assignment and just realizes that is says "you must closely annotate the book you choose," so...whoops.