Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Published by Enhanced Media Publishing on December 28, 2016 (first published 1813)
Source: Purchased
Genres: Romance, Classic
Pages: 354
Format: eBook
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Mrs. Bennet has but one aim in life: to find a good match for each of her five daughters. Mr. Bennet, a mild and indolent man given to witty cynicisms, refuses to take this vulgar project seriously; he ridicules his wife instead of giving her support in her schemes. One of the daughters, Elizabeth, becomes prejudiced against her future suitor, Darcy, because of his arrogance and his uncalled-for interference with his friend Bingley’s courtship of her sister Jane. In interfering with Jane and Bingley, Darcy is influenced by Mrs. Bennet’s undisguised husband-hunt and her impropriety in general; he mistakenly believes that Jane is only seeking an advantageous match and that her feelings are not sincere. In spite of his disapproval of the Bennet family, Darcy cannot keep himself from falling in love with Elizabeth, and he proposes to her. The tone of the proposal (it is evident that his love for Elizabeth is a blow to his pride) and her own prejudice cause Elizabeth to coldly reject him...

How can I really write any comments about Pride and Prejudice that haven’t already been written? This is probably my third time reading it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The dialogue, and the story relies on its dialogue, is sparkling and fun. Elizabeth and Darcy are a wonderful couple and complement each other well.

This time around I actually chose to read it because my daughter is reading it for her English class and it’s nice to be able to discuss the books she’s reading at dinner or on car rides. I didn’t read A Tale of Two Cities with her, and I only partly remembered Dracula, but I’m glad I joined her in this one.

Amber and I have talked about the story some. It’s interesting, since she’s looking at it from a different perspective. She’s 17 and it’s the first time she’s read it. Neither of those things can be said of me. I think the thing that struck me most is how she sees Elizabeth Bennet as an early version of the typical YA heroine. She’s strong, well-read, says what she thinks. She doesn’t allow society to dictate her choices and behaviors. At the same time though, she’s fun and more than willing to laugh at herself and others. And she still gets the perfect guy in the end. She is delightful, but even her flaws are positives.

Jane, as Amber sees it, is a little too perfect. Pretty, kind, always seeing the nice in everyone. Once again, her flaw is a positive too, always believing the best in everyone.

The other characters don’t really rate much notice from Amber. Wickham’s the bad guy, and Mr. Collins is rather stupid. She does have to write five essays, so I’m sure she actually does have to think more about the other characters, but we haven’t really discussed them much.

They’ve been watching the 2005 movie with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. I haven’t seen it, have you? Is it worth watching? All I’ve gotten out of her is that it’s pretty true to the book and Bingley does not look like she thought he should.

Next up for Amber is The Great Gatsby. I haven’t read it; should I?