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A reader posted a review at 2009-10-19 01:43:32.
(Language: English)
It is one of the most famous novels in the literature world, having at least three adaptations in movies. It's author is known to be one of the best writers in the 1780's, especially being a woman. It's name is Pride and Prejudice, and it's author is none other than Jane Austen herself. It's the classic everyone has either read or heard about. It has been a bestseller for a long time, and it's not hard to see why.
Pride and Prejudice takes place in Longburn, England during a time when a woman's main goal in life was to be married to a man of money. It is excessively hinted at throughout the book, when Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist, is without a husband. Her mother is constantly trying to get her, as well as the other Bennet daughters, to marry a man that will financially take care of them. Elizabeth ends up meeting Mr. Darcy, a man she finds to be proud and sometimes cruel. The two are locked in a never-ending battle of wits until Mr. Darcy's true nature is revealed, changing Elizabeth's opinion of him.
What I enjoyed the most about Pride and Prejudice was the irony with Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Here are two people, Elizabeth being prejudice against those she deems inferior and Mr. Darcy being too proud for his own good. Throughout the majority of the book, they can hardly stand each other, or so it seems. Mr. Darcy even has the audacity to call Elizabeth "tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me" while she was in clear earshot of him (Chapter 3, pg. 11). Although Elizabeth pretends like she doesn't hear this initially, she still makes it well known that she doesn't find him agreeable either. Before you know it, however, true feelings are revealed and guess who can't keep their eyes off each other?
Elizabeth is a very strong-willed, headstrong female role. She demonstrates that constantly throughout the entire book, and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. When her sister Jane was sick at Netherfield Park, she was the only one out of everyone in her family to walk those three miles separating their homes to make sure her sister was alright. The Netherfield Park residents, especially Mr. Darcy, recognize that and show surprise at just how far she would go for her sister. "To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is, above her ankles in dirt, and alone, quite alone," is the reaction we see from Mr. Darcy himself (Chapter 8, pg. 27). Elizabeth is the type of woman who would do anything for her family, and it shows in just that one selfless act.
The wit Austen provides throughout the novel intrigues me. Even the way she begins her novel makes me enjoy everything she has to say. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife" gives me a little insight into the minds of Englishmen and women during the 1780s (Chapter 1, pg. 1). Was that the most important job of a young woman during that time? Was there anyone who would challenge society's expectations and not be shunned by the community? This novel raised questions that made me wonder why it was the way it was back then, and who the courageous people were who changed it. I highly recommend this book to all who want a taste of women who don't always follow the norm and what happens to them when they do.
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