Pride and Prejudice (Penguin Classics)
by Jane Austen
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Book Reviews of Pride and Prejudice (Penguin Classics)
Book Review: Harlequin Books Ain't Got Nothing on This
Summary: 5 Stars
From time to time I read a critical opinion on Pride and Prejudice that, while acknowledging its excellence, wonders why Jane Austen could not in her genius provide some more gravitas. It's rather more observant and intelligent than your run-of-the-mill romance, to be sure, but a romance it is at bottom. No political savvy, no real attempt to face the role of women in Regency England, just a cute love story with an enjoyably satirical bent. Miss Jane herself seemed to agree with that assessment - she once called it "a little bit, two inches wide, of ivory". Decorative, but hardly important.
Would someone please tell me what these people were reading? It certainly isn't the same book that I read. Or the one that thousands of people have fallen in love with and has produced at least four separate movie and television versions (which is a detail that allows me to give away certain plot points below, confident that most people already know them).
It is indeed a very romantic love story, if by romance we mean the attempt of people to open themselves up and accept each other with their good and bad qualities - not only accept each other, but admire each other and want to be together just as they are. That process is difficult enough in this day and age, with the whole lot of us positively encouraged to be as frank as possible. Back in Miss Jane's day it seems to have been a good deal harder, what with the restrictions placed on people in the way of acceptable behavior and the disastrous consequences for breaking the social rules.
If, however, we understand "romance" to mean the story of a woman who doesn't know her own mind, who has been so hurt that she can't stand the thought of love, who is too headstrong to allow anyone to tame her, and/or who eventually finds her way into the arms of a muscular hero type and melts on the spot (which is, after all, exactly what happens in plenty of perfectly good romance novels), that's not precisely what we have here. To be sure, the heroine of Pride and Prejudice does indeed begin the story entirely too headstrong to submit to marriage for its own sake, and she certainly finds her way into the arms of a man she previously despised (offstage, of course), but she doesn't exactly melt. It would be more accurate to say that she learns to think for herself. Whereas before she rejected her society's more foolish standards by reflex, she gradually comes to accept or reject what she's told by thinking it over first. And people think that Jane Austen didn't consider the place of women in her world? That there's no understanding of the big picture in Pride and Prejudice? Baloney.
Now, Pride and Prejudice doesn't mention the big picture very often, although it's always present. The Bennett sisters get into trouble largely because a company of militia moves into a nearby village, and you and I both know that they're there to drill and train because at some point they will probably have to go fight against Napoleon Bonaparte, even though no one ever mentions his name. The sisters also have problems because they have no brothers, and know that a distant male relative will therefore inherit their house when their father dies. Rather than complain about these various disasters, though, the author shows us what their effects are upon the family in its daily life - the temptation to a group of young woman of handsome men in uniform hanging around, the scramble for advantageous marriages, and of course the question of whether one ought to seek a man one loves or a man with money if one can't have both. Great authors know, especially when it comes to two-inch pieces of ivory, that it's much more powerful to show the impact of great historical events than to talk about them. Jane Austen was a very great author.
If she simply showed the workings of her society, though, she would have been simply a very good essayist, not a great author. Fortunately for us, she was also an extraordinary stylist, and she had an enormous gift for irony, very much on display in Pride and Prejudice right from the famous first sentence. That same twinkle remains in Miss Jane's eye right through the first sentence of the last chapter - "Happy for all her maternal feelings was the day on which Mrs. Bennett got rid of her two most deserving daughters." Few authors would dare spend hundreds of pages setting up two weddings and then dismiss them both like that. It's positively delicious. With that kind of language, that sly inclusion of social criticism and such intriguing characters as Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, you can call Pride and Prejudice a cute little romance if you want, but I'm warning you - it has hidden depths.
Don't let that scare you, though. I told you, it's delicious. Dive in and enjoy.
Benshlomo says, Grown-up readers deserve grown-up books about grown-ups sometimes.
Book Review: First Impressions
Summary: 5 Stars
"Pride and Prejudice" is one of those novels which most people know the plot and the characters even if they haven't read the book. For myself, I had not read it in a long time, and I had also not seen any of the movies made using its plot, with the exception of the musical "Bride and Prejudice" a few years ago. I finally made time for it, and it was better than I had remembered. This was the second of Austen's novels to be published (published on January 28th, 1813), though the original novel (titled "First Impressions") was written between 1796 and 1797. There is no way to determine how much of the original novel remains and how much was rewritten, but clearly the two dealt on a larger scale with the some of the same themes.
The main character of the story is Elizabeth Bennet who lives with her parents and her four sisters in the fictional town of Meryton. Elizabeth is the second eldest of the sisters after Jane. Outside of the Bennets, there is a large cast of characters including the three Bingley's, brother and two sisters, Mr. Collins, The Darcy's, Lady Catherine and her daughter, Colonel Fitzwilliam, the Lucases, Mr. Wickham, and the Gardiner's who are Elizabeth's aunt and uncle. The novel is told in three volumes, the first covers the period at Meryton where most of the key characters meet for the first time, the second covers the period after Bingley leaves Meryton unexpectedly along with those who came with him, and covers the period up to Elizabeth's visit to Mr. Darcy's home know as Pemberley, and the last covers the visit to Pemberley right through to the marriages and beyond.
There are several plots running through the volumes. There is the relationship between Bingley and Jane, which Mr. Darcy tries to put an end to, along with the help of Mr. Bingley's sisters. There is Mr. Collins attempts to marry either Jane or Elizabeth, but ending up with Charlotte Lucas. There is the relationship between Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy as well as between their families. There is Lydia's scandalous running off in volume three. But by far the mail story line is the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.
In volume one, Mr. Darcy arrives as the guest of Mr. Bingley. Mr. Darcy's prideful manner results in a negative first impression with Elizabeth whose pride is hurt by his attitude and she develops her own prejudice against Mr. Darcy as a result. Mr. Darcy becomes intrigued with Elizabeth, but her own negative impression of him is reinforced by stories told by Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy's silent attitude towards her which she takes as his looking down on her. Thus, first impressions play a big role in the story, though to be sure other first impressions, such as the first impression of Mr. Collins which is shared by nearly everyone are fairly accurate.
In volume two, their relationship develops. Mr. Darcy cannot ignore the feelings he has developed for Elizabeth and this results in three key events in this volume. One is Mr. Darcy's declaration of feelings to Elizabeth. The second is Elizabeth's stern rebuke of Mr. Darcy's feelings followed by an attack on his behavior towards the relationship between Jane and Mr. Bingley as well as Mr. Darcy's treatment of Mr. Wickham. This leads to the third key event, which is Mr. Darcy's letter to Elizabeth where he sets the matter straight about his actions. The second event results in Mr. Darcy writing the letter and changing his behavior, though we don't witness the latter until volume three. The third event is important as the reader is privy to Elizabeth's change in attitude resulting from what Mr. Darcy has told her.
In volume three, their relationship completes its change, as Elizabeth gets to know Mr. Darcy from where he lives, and by those who work for him, and she also learns about his character from actions he takes on behalf of her family, which he never means her to learn about. We also witness the change in Mr. Darcy's behavior, not only towards Jane, but towards her entire family. Of course, it is obvious that the two will end up together, but knowing the end does not spoil the journey.
There is good reason why this book is a classic and why it is still read and enjoyed today. The characters are believable and well rounded for the most part. There is humor, societal and family challenges, and moral lessons weaved together throughout the book. I can also recommend the Penguin Classics edition of this book, as it contains an introduction and notes by Vivien Jones, as well as an introduction written by Tony Tanner for an earlier edition of the book. The introductions are both interesting reading, and the notes are useful as well.
Book Review: It is a truth universally acknowledged...
Summary: 5 Stars
"Pride and Prejudice" is undoubtedly one of the most beloved classic novels in history -- it's had countless adaptations, sequels and homages lavished on it over the years.
And Jane Austen's grand opus is still beloved for a good reason. While it's rather stuffily written much of the time, it has a vibrant core of witty dialogue and strong characters that shine like lanterns in the night -- and the best part of it is the interplay between the two strong-willed main characters, whose initial dislike of one another blossoms into love once they learn how to overcome his pride and her prejudice.
The Bennett family is in an uproar when wealthy Mr. Bingley moves into the neighborhood, and Mrs. Bennett is especially happy when he takes a liking to the eldest Bennett daughter Jane -- since their estate is entailed and there is no Mr. Bennett Jr., a good marriage is considered essential for at least one of the girls. But her forthright, independent sister Lizzie immediately butts heads with wealthy, aloof Mr. Darcy, who scorns the rural village and seems haughty about everything.
A flurry of proposals, road trips and friendships happen over the course of the following months, with Lizzie fending off her slimy cousin Mr. Collins, and befriending the flirty, hunky Wickham, who claims to have been wronged by Darcy. Lizzie believes Wickham's account -- and she's in for a shock when Darcy unexpectedly proposes, and reveals what Wickham won't tell her about both of their past lives, and what Wickham did to offend Darcy.
And finally things take a scandalous turn when Lizzie's idiotic younger sister Lydia elopes with Wickham, while staying with a friend in Brighton. The family is plunged into disgrace, which also wrecks any chances of a halfway decent marriage for the other daughters. The only one who can set things right is Darcy, who will do whatever he must to make amends to Lizzie -- and unwittingly establish himself as the man she loves as well...
Reading "Pride and Prejudice" is a bit like watching someone embroider a piece of cloth with subtle, intricate designs. Lots of balls, dances, visits and drawing room banter between Lizzie and virtually everyone else, and interwoven with some rather opinions from Jane Austen about haughty aristocrats, marriages of security, entailment, and the whole idea of what an ideal woman has (intellect and strength).
The only real problem: Jane Austen writes very much in the style of her literary era -- it's rather formal and stuffy much of the time, and the narrative is kept distant from the characters. So, not for casual readers.
But despite that formality, Austen's brilliance as a writer is evident -- she slowly unfolds the plot one act at a time, with several intricate subplots that tie together and play off each other. She also wrote some unbelievably sharp-edged dialogue with plenty of witty banter between Lizzie and Darcy ("I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine"). But Austen also weaves in startlingly romantic moments between them ("No one admitted to the privilege of hearing you, can think anything wanting").
It's hard to imagine a better fictional couple than Lizzie and Darcy, despite their rocky start (a major-league snub at a dance). Both are witty, smart, and a bit snotty in their own ways, with quick minds and even quicker tongues. Darcy is a selfish, rather haughty man man who gradually becomes warm and kind, while Lizzie is strong, independent, and Darcy's equal in every way. And neither will marry for anything but true love.
It also has a solid supporting cast: the painfully practical Charlotte Lucas, slimy clerics, virtuous-looking rakes, sisters ranging from saintly to snobby, and the lovable Mr. Bingley and perpetually optimistic Jane. Lizzie's family also adds plenty of color to the story, including the screechy and hilariously mercurial Mrs. Bennett and the barb-tongued Mr. Bennett ("Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do").
Despite its mildly stuffy style, "Pride and Prejudice" is the ultimate Jane Austen novel -- a powerful and romantic story about two people who grow and change because of love. An absolute must-read.
Book Review: Why is this a classic again?
Summary: 2 Stars
I purchased and read Pride and Prejudice so that I would be able to understand Pride and Prejudice and Zombies before reading it. In other words, I wanted to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but in order to prepare I first purchased and read Pride and Prejudice.
Pride and Prejudice sucks. Basically, it is extremely boring, even for a character-driven story. I consider myself an open minded person and I have read and enjoyed some character driven stories such as Jane Eyre, Crime and Punishment, and The Great Gatsby. With all of those books I could tell why the books were classsic; they had well developed characters who interacted in a way that was either entertaining enough, or had sufficient underlying philosophical or social subtext, that a person could read these books with a sense of interest.
The problem with Pride and Prejudice is that it essentially seems to amount to a story about a fictionalized idealized version of herself as an intelligent somewhat socially unacceptable woman in the context of English upper class society who is able to tell people off in socially acceptable ways, be smarter than her sisters, and meet a grumpy, intelligent socially unacceptable man to marry. It is boring because it basically doesn't have any social commentary or philosophical suspect besides for "smart chix roxxorz" or perhaps "nerds for t3h win" and it is basically a self-referential story which continues ad nauseum. I cannot understand for a moment why Pride and Prejudice is considered a classic and not the literary equivalent of trashy internet fan fiction with a Mary Sue lead character. Actually, I recall reading somewhere that Charlotte Bronte basically panned Pride and Prejudice in a review as being boring as hell.
I would recommend reading Jane Eyre over Pride and Prejudice because even though Jane Eyre is essentially another self referential fantasy about being a slightly socially awkward smart woman in the context of English society there are actual physical events that happen in the story that can somewhat hold your interest and actual entertaining fleshed out characters besides for the main character, whereas I get the feeling that Pride and Prejudice is basically a gripe about how everyone else is so shallow. If you're going to do that at least be entertaining about it like in The Great Gatsby. Trying to finish off Pride and Prejudice just caused me a lot of stress and pain and I had to force myself to keep reading. And I've read a lot of things in my lifetime that would bore most people into depression and somnolence.
Actually my real recommendation for if you want a good piece of classic literature with developed characters, but you don't want to deal with the anemic pale flabby social dissatisfaction of a book like Pride and Prejudice, you should instead read something by Alexandre Dumas like The Count of Monte Cristo or The Three Musketeers. Those books are written in a convoluted classical style (read it in French for extra points!), they have real characters, they have character interaction, but they're also event-driven rather than exclusively character-driven; actual physical events, rather than conversations at dinner parties, drive the story lines. The lead characters actually do things like engage in hand to hand combat, pilfer fine wines, and manipulate international politics, whereas the people in Pride and Prejudice just bad mouth each other at a dinner table. (Jane Austen doesn't even tell us what they're eating and drinking; at least Alexandre Dumas tells us how his heroes infiltrated no-man's-land and were taking fire but had brought a picnic basket with food and wine from a specific region and were having lunch and making fun of the enemy from behind cover.) And given how busy modern life is, do you really want to spend hours of your precious time reading about pale anemic English people bad mouthing each other over dinner over ridiculous inconsequential things, and not about musketeers taking fire while making snarky comments and knocking back wine? I mean, seriously.
Book Review: Which is worse - pride or prejudice? or is it stubbornness?
Summary: 4 Stars
I welcome this new edition from Penguin Classics with expanded notes.How does one demarcate pride and prejudice, or bias and stubbornness? In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen deftly exposes the folly of and further ridicules judging by first impressions.
When Elizabeth Bennet first met the fine, tall, handsome eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she immediately deemed him arrogant, conceited and utterly obnoxious. Her first impression of Darcy, who was initially looked upon with prodigious admiration, was quickly assured as his conceited manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity.
Darcy's conceit and selfish disdain of the feelings of others formed the foundation of Elizabeth's disapprobation on which succeeding events had built so inevitably a hatred. When she later found out Darcy had deliberately altered Bingley's opinion of her beloved sister Jane and determined to separate them, she was determined to exasperate herself as much as possible against Darcy.
In the comedy of manners that follows, Austen, in a superb manner and prose so elegant and lyrical, verbalizes the stubbornness, bias, and prejudices of Elizabeth toward a man whom resolved to be particularly careful that no sign of his admiration for her escaped him. Despite the fact that he struggled to maintain his composure, in his breast there existed a powerful feeling toward her, which soon procured her pardon and directed his anger elsewhere upon Elizabeth's weighty accusations of him.
Pride and Prejudice presents us a romance comedy with a modern feel and touch. The opening of the novel Fitzwilliam Darcy is blackened as the most obnoxious snob for whom "there is not another woman in the room who it would not be a punishment" to him to stand up with. To Elizabeth, almost all of Darcy's actions "maybe traced to pride" and "pride had often connected him to virtue." No sooner had Darcy's superiority of mind (pride) been fully exposed than Elizabeth's prejudice was revealed.
Unlike her sister Jane, Elizabeth was more hasty in censuring anyone (especially Fitzwilliam Darcy) and never supposed the possibility of any extenuating circumstances in the case, let alone urging the possibility of mistake and misunderstanding. In confronting Darcy of his inexcusable act of separating Bingley and Jane, Elizabeth judged from assumptions, suspicions, and the biased first impression. In a sense she sought to discredit Darcy and the relation of events that might be capable of a turn which must render Darcy blameless throughout the whole affair.
When Elizabeth finally considered how unjustly she had condemned and upbraided Darcy, her anger and indignation was turned against herself and Darcy's dejection (more or less disappointed feelings toward her) became object of her compassion. Elizabeth's folly and rashness also become object of our compassion. How awful her petulance and acrimony of her manner in rejecting Fitzwilliam Darcy.
Pride and Prejudice evokes the fact that human nature is prone to pride and very few of us do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some quality or another. Pride usually relates more to our opinions of ourselves, of which Elizabeth has epitomized. Pride is the real superiority of mind, when along with stubbornness, bias, and determination, would casue irremediable regret. The novel also evokes the friendship, the values of marriage, and snobberies of English middle-class life in the early 19th century. 4.5 stars.