Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
♥♥♥♥♥
Pride and Prejudice has a well thought-out title, which sums up the essence of this classic novel. The story is of one Elizabeth Bennet, or Lizzy. Her story takes place in 18th century E
ngland, a time of balls, gowns, and gossip. Elizabeth has 4 other sisters: Jane, the eldest, Mary, the 3rd eldest, Lydia, the second youngest, and Katharine (or Kitty, as she is most often referred to), the youngest. Mr. Bennet is a man who enjoys his own wit, and takes pleasure in teasing Mrs. Bennet about her ever-fluttering nerves. Mrs. Bennet's life ambition is to marry her daughters well. So, when Mr. Bingley lets Netherfield ("Netherfield is let at last!"), she is in raptures over the prospective match for one of her daughters. To make a long review short, Mr. Bingley falls in love with Jane, but is pulled away from the "unwise" match by his two sisters and his friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy. The irony is that Darcy originally dubbed Elizabeth as "not handsome enough to tempt me", but she seemed to grow on him. Of course, his comment made her loathe him, and assume that he felt that same as he had at their first meeting. Another reason Lizzy has to hate Darcy is one Mr. Wickham. Wickham, who has supposedly been wronged by Darcy by having "the living that I should have had" taken aaway, inveigles his way into Lizzy's good graces. Anyways, Bingley leaves, along with Darcy, and one ammumes that we will see neither hide not hair of them again, although there is a powerful "feeling in Darcy's breast towards her." Lizzy decided to visit Charlotte Collins, her odious cousin's wife. (Said cousin originally proposed to Lizzy, and switched to Charlotte when rejected.) Lizzy travels to Huntsford, where she encounters the formidable Lady Catharine, and *gasp* Darcy, as well as his cousin, Col. Fitzwilliam. Darcy, after attempting to keep his rising passion at bay, proposes to Elizabeth, who is floored by the unexpected question. While he is proposing, he mentions how mortifying it may have been to have "questionable connextions" such as the Bennets, were it not for his love. Lizzy, indignant and understandably furious, delivers a scathing rejection, partially based on the grounds of his arrogance, pride, and the detestable way he treated Wickham. Angered and motified, Darcy storms out, but later delivers a letter, explaining his "dealings with Mr. Wickham." The letter explains that they were childhood friends, and Wickham requested the sum of £7,000 instead of Kympton, the living set aside for him. Later, he attemps to convince Darcy's younger sister, Georgiana, to elope with him, aiming for her £35,000 inheritance. Darcy finds out in time, and dismisses Wickham. When Elizabeth reads the letter and comes to grips with it, she sees how blind and prejudiced she has been. Over time, her esteem for Darcy rises. Later that year, she goes touring the counties with her aunt and uncle, and happens upon Pemberly, the Darcy home. After being told Mr. Darcy is away for the summer, she agrees to go and see the beautiful home. When exploring, and viewing Mr. Darcy's portrait, she idly thinks to herself, "Of all this I could have been mistress." She comes across Mr. Darcy unexpectedly. His demeanor is much different than when last she saw him, and her feelings are rather different. Unfortunately, she is pulled away from her newly discovered feelings by horrible news: her yougest sister, Lydia, has eloped from Brighton with the darstardly Wickham! As she rushes home, Lizzy agonizes over the fact that she did not expose Wickham. "I, who knew what he was!" Unbeknownst to her, Darcy has set off for London, where the
unmarried couple are hiding out. He forces them to marry, and then returns, with Bingley, to Netherfield. Bingley proposes to Jane after a few short days, and Darcy renews his appeal to Elizabeth for her hand in marriage. Realizing how good Darcy really is, and in love with him herself, she happily accepts. The story closes with Mrs. Bennet in joyful tears over 3 of her daughters happily married. "Oh, Mr. Bennet, God has been good to us!"
I highly recommend this book! Go read it! One of the sad things is, I wrote this review without even going to look at the book. Quotes included. -_-
Oh, by the way, if anyone is insane enough to watch the 6-hour, word-for-word, wonderfully scripted A&E Pride and Prejudice... I have it.
The book is written in first person, alternating point of view between the two main characters. It's written well, in a literary style, with the characters making many literary references, and probably artistic and musical ones too; they often went over my head. However, certain um... encounters between the two main characters were written in such an indelicate, boring way that they didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the narrative very well at all. It's almost as if the author handed her manuscript to an uncouth high school boy to write those scenes. Would the characters really describe these things in that way?
