PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

3 stars might seem mean for what most people consider Austen's best work. However, I could not help getting royally pissed off at the main character - a fairly major problem. Lizzy Bennet is an insufferable know-it-all and half of me thought it would have served her right if she'd had to marry Mr Collins. Nonetheless, as always with Austen, it is wonderful to be drawn into such a...more

3 stars might seem mean for what most people consider Austen's best work. However, I could not help getting royally pissed off at the main character - a fairly major problem. Lizzy Bennet is an insufferable know-it-all and half of me thought it would have served her right if she'd had to marry Mr Collins. Nonetheless, as always with Austen, it is wonderful to be drawn into such a specific, neatly-drawn world whose social mores, attitudes and patterns of behaviour are so different from our own, yet whose central story (the desire to marry for love, not money - ideally both) can still be sympathised with today. Austen has a way with words that all writers must envy, as is established within the first line of this book - surely one of the best-known sentences in literature. She is funny, extremely intelligent and draws characters with concise brilliance. If only Lizzy had been that little bit more concise herself.   hide

A great British novel. Austen describes her characters wonderfully with humor. The story is centered around the Bennet family and the efforts Mrs Bennet makes to find her daughters rich husbands. The central character is Elizabeth Bennett and the main story line concerns her love-hate relationship with Fitzwilliam Darcy, a rich land owner. Both form impressions of each other when they first...more

A great British novel. Austen describes her characters wonderfully with humor. The story is centered around the Bennet family and the efforts Mrs Bennet makes to find her daughters rich husbands. The central character is Elizabeth Bennett and the main story line concerns her love-hate relationship with Fitzwilliam Darcy, a rich land owner. Both form impressions of each other when they first meet. She focuses on his proud (snobbish) behavior at a ball, and he on her lowly connected, badly behaved family. As the story develops they discover that first impressions can be misleading and they fall in love with each other despite his pride and her prejudice. There are many sub-plots dealing with his and her families, which together make a wholly entertaining book. It is really one of the first romantic comedies to be written. You can re-read this book many times and still enjoy it.   hide

It's hard to write a review for a book that's become such a part of my life. I must have read this tale at least a hundred times - and every single time, I'm still thrilled at the verbal sparring between Elizabeth and Darcy. Jane Austen's famous opening line - "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife" - sets the tone...more

It's hard to write a review for a book that's become such a part of my life. I must have read this tale at least a hundred times - and every single time, I'm still thrilled at the verbal sparring between Elizabeth and Darcy. Jane Austen's famous opening line - "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife" - sets the tone that this is a story of irony. Austen isn't so much endorsing the view that all affluent men should marry; instead she mocks the whole notion. What she does so brilliantly in this story - as she has in all her books - is demonstrate the tension between conforming with society's expectations and following individual will. In Elizabeth, Austen has created a character after my own heart - fiesty, sarcastic, witty, and ultimately, smart enough to recognize her own flaws. It's hard to imagine Austen created this character so many years ago - Elizabeth is a thoroughly modern woman who could have been written today. In Darcy - Austen has created a man all women secretly wish for - with brooding sex appeal and heroic compassion. No other author better understands the human psyche. I just love this book. It's my all-time favourite...and I'm sure I'll read it a hundred more times at least.   hide

Many writers/screenwriters attempt to add a new spin to her novel, and the intention is good. We all want teenagers to pick up a book and read classics, and there is no better way than to create a modern version and convince them that Jane Austen is all about modern life. Some of them are excellent. For instance, Bridget Jones dairy (Fielding, Helen) is everything from an amusement for Jane...more

Many writers/screenwriters attempt to add a new spin to her novel, and the intention is good. We all want teenagers to pick up a book and read classics, and there is no better way than to create a modern version and convince them that Jane Austen is all about modern life. Some of them are excellent. For instance, Bridget Jones dairy (Fielding, Helen) is everything from an amusement for Jane Austen's fan to a satire about consumer culture. However, some of the writers cannot see her novel beyond romance. They see them as love stories, and that only solidify the common perception. That, in my opinion, is a pity. I used to joke about what I know about love I know it from Jane Austen. When I was 16, I read Jane Austen and that is how I know about courtship. Yet, here I am, being older and supposedly wiser, I shall remark that I have learnt much more than that. Pride and Prejudice is not only a love story between Lizzy and Darcy. It is about a young woman, in spite of the social disadvantage, her lousy family, and the uncertainty of livelihood, still refuses to compromise. It is about the integrity of a person, who stands on her own ground and rejects marriage out of convenience and of inequality. It is about a person who accepts her social standing and yet demands respect and decency from the others. Getting the prince charming is a bonus, but more importantly is to be able to hold your head up.   hide

There is much to much to say about this book. I will say that it didn't warrant to become a favorite until the second to last chapter, when the story reminded me of another of my favorites "Bid Time Return" by Richard Matheson. For those of you who have read Matheson's book before, no I am not saying the stories are at all related in content, but in sentiment, yes. As for being a great love...more

There is much to much to say about this book. I will say that it didn't warrant to become a favorite until the second to last chapter, when the story reminded me of another of my favorites "Bid Time Return" by Richard Matheson. For those of you who have read Matheson's book before, no I am not saying the stories are at all related in content, but in sentiment, yes. As for being a great love story, maybe not. The story is less concerned with love, and more concerned with how the characters of the time act. Maybe, in the time, this would have been considered a romance novel for women, but now it is a documentation of the middle-class attitudes, or at least how Austen saw them. The love story is subdued in a way that lets the world Austen creates shine through as the leading character. If anything I would say this was a comedic book. I was set to laughing out loud from the first page, and nearly all the lines I laughed at were from Mr. Bennet. The exception being Mr. Darcy's first confession of his love. I almost lost my balance and hit the floor with the humour of it. I have yet to see any movie renditions of this book. I like to read books before I see the movies. I know I will only be disappointed, but the version with Colin Firth as well as the newest with Kira Knightly are ones I would like to see in the near future. Since we are on the topic of movies, while I was in the beginning of the book, I could not help but notice a resemblance of "Pride and Prejudice" to the first "Bridget Jones' Diary" movie. Maybe this was not purposeful, but Colin Firth's character in that movie, with his pompous attitude and seemingly easy temper greatly resembled that of Mr. Darcy, as well as his relationship with Bridget. Maybe that is why he got the part. In any case. A+ grade. Might not read again, but I did love it!   hide

“This book was wonderful!!!! The romance and drama of the times was uniquely captured in this beautifully written story by Austin! It is the story of a family with a houseful of young women who endure the pressure and challenge of finding and keeping "Mr. Right" and the joy that is experienced when he is found! This historical fiction book would be greatly beneficial during a lesson in colonial...more

“This book was wonderful!!!! The romance and drama of the times was uniquely captured in this beautifully written story by Austin! It is the story of a family with a houseful of young women who endure the pressure and challenge of finding and keeping "Mr. Right" and the joy that is experienced when he is found! This historical fiction book would be greatly beneficial during a lesson in colonial times in addition to a lesson in the vocabulary and verbiage used during this time period. This book is great to use in the classroom for students to discover the era and culture of the 19th century in rural England. I would recommend this book at the junior high level, however, with assistance it can be read at a younger level as well. I believe boys could enjoy the story as well. ”   hide

Many critics take the novel's title as a starting point when analysing the major themes of Pride and Prejudice; however, Robert Fox cautions against reading too much into the title since commercial factors may have played a role in its selection. "After the success of Sense and Sensibility, nothing would have seemed more natural than to bring out another novel of the same author using again...more

Many critics take the novel's title as a starting point when analysing the major themes of Pride and Prejudice; however, Robert Fox cautions against reading too much into the title since commercial factors may have played a role in its selection. "After the success of Sense and Sensibility, nothing would have seemed more natural than to bring out another novel of the same author using again the formula of antithesis and alliteration for the title".[7]A major theme in much of Austen's work is the importance of environment and upbringing on the development of young people's character and morality. [3] Social standing and wealth are not necessarily advantages. In Pride and Prejudice, the failure of Mr and Mrs Bennet (particularly the former) as parents is blamed for Lydia's lack of moral judgement; Darcy, on the other hand, has been taught to be principled and scrupulously honourable, but also proud and overbearing.[3] Kitty, rescued from Lydia's bad influence and spending more time with her older sisters after they marry, is said to improve greatly in their superior society.[8]   hide

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." I love the way Jane Austen uses words. Especially when Elizabeth so sweetly and politely tells off Darcy and also that snooty old bitch Lady Catherine. I'm a fan of the Bennet sisters, all the characters are great. It's so sad when this book comes to an end. ...more

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." I love the way Jane Austen uses words. Especially when Elizabeth so sweetly and politely tells off Darcy and also that snooty old bitch Lady Catherine. I'm a fan of the Bennet sisters, all the characters are great. It's so sad when this book comes to an end. But then, I can always read it again and again. I have several of the movies too. If you can't get to England today, check out the website for the Jane Austen Centre in Bath. www.janeausten.co.uk/ Nice gift shop and there's a sale right now. I'll be shopping. If you like tea like me, go to the Regency Tea Room. Austen's novels are some of my favorites, but I can't get many of my students to love her as much as I do.   hide

Needless to say there are other parts to this plot. The rivalry between Kitty and Lydia the two youngest sisters and the on going baiting of Mrs Bennett by Mr Bennett are two examples. But the above summary should show how complicated the plot really is. There are not a huge number of characters, but the short length of the novel makes each page seem full of action. There's a lot going on,...more

Needless to say there are other parts to this plot. The rivalry between Kitty and Lydia the two youngest sisters and the on going baiting of Mrs Bennett by Mr Bennett are two examples. But the above summary should show how complicated the plot really is. There are not a huge number of characters, but the short length of the novel makes each page seem full of action. There's a lot going on, and Austen uses this to create sections that pulse with energy, followed by sections made up of the characters reflections on their situations. Indeed some of the best pieces of the novel are the long conversations between characters. Darcy's proposal is a superb example, both of the novels humour, and of how good the dialogue is. Indeed the dialogue is one of the best pieces of the novel. Elizabeths tart tongue, which says almost always what she means, is guaranteed to liven up any scene. Other characters like Mrs Bennett, prattle away, while Darcy speaks with clipped self-assured tones and Bingley is always gushing. The styles of speech convey the characters personalities and give the novel atmosphere.   hide