PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, my favorite Jane Austen novel, follows the life of Elizabeth Bennet, a...more

Pride and Prejudice, my favorite Jane Austen novel, follows the life of Elizabeth Bennet, a headstrong, intelligent woman who thinks she has the arrogant Mr. Darcy's character down to a tee, and she despises him. " The book begins as the main character Elizabeth Bennet and her family have just heard of the arrival of a very rich man named Charles Bingley. The Bennet family is completely made up of girls the oldest being Jane, then Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and then Lydia. Because there are no men in the family, after the father passes away his entire estate passes on to their cousin Mr. Collins. Mrs. Bennet is very aware that if her husband was ever to pass that her and her daughters would be left homeless, so she has taken it upon herself to get her daughters not only married, but married to more wealthy men, even though they are in the lower ranks of society. So upon hearing Charles Bingley was coming Hertfordshire where they lived, Mrs. Bennet insists her daughters are introduced. Along with Mr. Bingley came his sisters Caroline and Luisa, Luisa's husband Mr. Hurst and Mr. Bingley's friend Fitzwilliam Darcy. The Bennet girls and Mr. Bingley were introduced at a dance and right away Mr. Bingley took a liking to Jane. His sister invites her to dine with her soon after the dance and Jane goes. Her mother tells her she must walk to their house and on her way there is begins to rain. Jane gets very sick and Elizabeth goes to stay with her until she gets better. While she is there Mr. Darcy begins to like Elizabeth although Elizabeth detests him. When Jane regains her health they return home only to find that Mr Collins has come for a visit hoping to find one of the daughters to marry so that the estate could stay in the family. At first he pursues Jane until Mrs. Bennet informs him she is soon to be engaged to Mr. Bingley. He then swtiches his interests to Elizabeth, Elizabeth however has absolutely no interest in Mr. Collins. He asks her to marry him and she rejects him, which results in a big fuss coming from her mother as well as his proposing to her good friend Charlotte Lucas who accepts. Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennet fall in love, but Mr. Darcy who is thought by many to be a very proud man decides he must tear them apart, because he does not believe that Jane is really in love with him and that she only wants his money. So the whole company leaves Hertfordshire and Jane is heartbroken. Jane goes to her aunt and uncle who live in London where Mr. Bingley has gone hoping that he will come to see her, but Mr. Darcy kept her presence there a secret. While Jane is in London Elizabeth has been invited by Charlotte to visit her and Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins is always talking about his patron Lady Catherine De Bourgh and Elizabeth finally gets to meat her. During her visit, Mr. Darcy also shows up at Lady de Bourgh's, he is the her nephew and she wishes Darcy to marry her daughter, however that is not in Darcy's plan, for he proposes to Elizabeth. She is disgusted by the proposal because he is proud, separated her sister and Mr. Bingley and had ruined the happiness of her friend Mr. Wickam back home who claims that Mr. Darcy had cheated him out of a fortune left to him by Mr. Darcy's father. Mr. Darcy leaves dejected and sad, but returns later with a letter explaining his reasons for all he has done, his suspicions of Jane only using Mr. Bingley for money, as well as explaining that all that Mr. Wickham has told her was a lie that he had given him his inheritance and he had swindled it away. Elizabeth feels a little bad about how harsh she was to Mr. Darcy, but still does not want to marry him. Elizabeth returns home and leaves on trip to tour the lakes with her aunt and uncle. On the trip they decide to go tour Pemberley which is where Mr. Darcy lives. At first she says no, but upon being reassured that he is not at home she agrees. They go on the tour and Mr. Darcy returns unexpectedly. This brings about many other meetings between the two during their trip. Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle receive a letter from Elizabeth's family saying that her sister Lydia has run off with Mr. Wickham whom the family had trusted, but after the letter Elizabeth received from Mr. Darcy she now knows otherwise and fears that Mr. Wickham does not plan to marry Lydia at all, but only wants to take advantage of her. Elizabeth informs Mr. Darcy of the circumstances and immediately returns home. Her father and uncle leave in search of Lydia, and return with the news that Lydia is married. Although Mr. Darcy had sworn Wickham and Lydia to secrecy that he was the one who had paid Wickham's debts so that he would marry Lydia the secret was spilled to Elizabeth and her feelings towards him begin to change drastically. News comes that Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy are again in town, and they pay the Bennets a visit. Mr. Bingley proposes to Jane and she accepts. Elizabeth realizes that she loves Mr. Darcy and while they are on a walk one evening the subject comes up again and they decide to get married. Mr. Darcy speaks with Mr. Bennet and he agrees to the marriage. So the story ends happily with Lydia marrying Mr. Wickham, Jane marrying Mr. Bingley and Elizabeth Marrying Mr. Darcy. "    hide

I've done the unthinkable. I just finished a Jane Austen book after reading an article, albeit from...more

I've done the unthinkable. I just finished a Jane Austen book after reading an article, albeit from a feminist, who wrote rather kindly about the author on salon.com. This cocked my eyebrow since I didn't care for Austen's subtle irony on gender politics in the novels I read by her before. I resigned myself to accepting that not only did I not understand her but I didn't WANT to understand her either! She was too complacent, too light-hearted and not passionate enough for me (as opposed to Emily Bronte who violently questioned the patriarchal structure of her times and openly condemned it's oppression). However after reading that one of my favorite authors (J.D. Salinger) liked Jane Austen, my interest was peaked. And then there was the Salon article. After all but detesting her other books, I found myself liking this one - her signature piece. Of course it was well-written but this one actually infused a certain level of human compassion and liveliness (something I found lacking in her other novels). What I'm trying to say is I finally understand the comical, light-hearted style of Jane Austen and I've learnt to accept it for what it is. There is not one character in that novel that does not fit the very definition of some people I know today. I decided that, considering that she was not formally educated or exposed, this was an extraordinary feat. Jane Austen is what she is. Or I should say was what she was. Not every book is meant to be a profound rebellion against the society the author once lived in. Sometimes a biting satire blended with a form of resigned sensibility is profound in it's own way.   hide

I just recently completed reading Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" for the first time. I say the...more

I just recently completed reading Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" for the first time. I say the first time, because to be perfectly honest, this is a novel that I've attempted a couple of times now. But I've finally done it. It's so hard to get beyond the first line. You have to scrape together every word to grasp the archaic language and flowing prose that those eighteenth century types are so fond of. But once you start - once youKamloops Renaissance Retirement Residence get through the first few pages - the result is pure pleasure. I'm quite serious. Elizabeth Bennett is a heroine of epic proportions. You wince with her when her mother spews a ridiculous comment. You feel the injustice of Lady Catherine's barbs, and your heart soars with joy when she and Mr. Darcy finally, finally end up together. Sorry, I just gave away the ending, but I think we all know how it ends, anyway. Love never fails. But the beauty of "Pride and Prejudice" is that it is so much more than a love story. Sure, the plot is primarily centered around the needs and desires of the Bennett girls to find suitable husbands, but that's not all Miss. Austen's tale is about. This novel is about a young woman who stands up for herself, who does not allow herself to be a doormat, who fights for the people she loves the most. And yet Elizabeth does so in such a way that she is utterly captivating, a vision of womanhood that I think young girls can still look up to. True, Elizabeth is a strong woman and speaks her mind, but she does so in such a way that she is respectful, lovely, and continues to see the best in others. Her open mouth does not in any way deter from her tremendous depth of spirit. You'll fall in love with the silly Mrs. Bennett, wonderfully obnoxious Mr. Collins, angelic Jane Bennett, and the suprisingly chivalrous Mr. Darcy. There is a reason that "Pride and Predjudice" is so timeless. It's because it is a story that we can relate with. We know what it's like to feel very much alone in the world. We want to be swept up in love's mystery, no matter in which way that love manifests itself. Sometimes, like Mr. Darcy, it catches us completely off guard. And to be caught off guard by love is a wonderful thing indeed!   hide

This is arguably my favorite book ever. It is clever and funny and has some of literature's most...more

This is arguably my favorite book ever. It is clever and funny and has some of literature's most amazing characters. This is Jane Austin's best and if you are looking for a good movie version, the BBC mini series is by far the best.   hide

***SPOILER ALERT***Often I arrive at books - particularly classics - with a preconceived idea of...more

***SPOILER ALERT***Often I arrive at books - particularly classics - with a preconceived idea of what a novel will be like. For new fiction I am much more open to almost any subject of point of view but with someone like Jane Austen my impression has been so clouded by movies and other references. This novel is much funnier and readable that I had expected. The story revolves around the courtship of primarily the two oldest daughters in the Bennet family which has 5 daughters. Their utmost wish is to marry well. The oldest, Jane, sets her sights on a young Mr. Bingley who is renting an estate near her family's home. Elizabeth, her sister, tries to assist with this endeavour and herself becomes the interest of an even richer but seemingly unfriendly, Mr. Darcy. It appears that things between Bingley and Jane are falling though and Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth but is soundly rejected for what turn out to be misunderstandings. He has interfered with Bingley courtship of Jane because he thought Jane was not interested in Bingley. As it turns out Darcy is not really unpleasant just shy and it becomes clear to Elizabeth after she has rejected him that he really is desirable. In the meantime her younger sister runs away with a man of ill repute but fortunately Mr. Darcy steps in and saves face for the family. All ends well with both couples getting together. The novel is entirely focused on the life, riches and personality of its various characters and their entourage. We are introduced to a variety of "Characters" from the Darcy's aunt the Duchess, to the nephew who will inherit the Bennet's estate, to the conniving Mrs. Bennet, and the relaxed a hilarious Mr. Bennet. The plot seems trivial but the manner of the telling is what makes this a great read.   hide