The Annotated Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
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Book Reviews of The Annotated Pride and Prejudice
Book Review: Annoying and pedantic.
Summary: 1 Stars
I had hoped that this book would be "annotated" to explain aspects of social history that are lost on us modern readers. And there's a tiny, tiny bit of that. For example, the editor explains what an entail was, and what rank Lady Catherine would have been. This is interesting.
But the vast majority of the annotations, as other reviewers have noted, are explanations of words whose meanings are quite clear from context. Jane Austen was a very clean, concise writer-- so much so that 200 years on, she's still enjoyable for all ages. A recent Publisher's Weekly survey found that American teenagers identified her as their favorite dead author. *They* don't have any trouble understanding her. Her writing needs no glossing... and certainly not the tiresome, repetitive, intrusive explanations it gets in this edition.
Book Review: A most excellent, thorough and readable compendium
Summary: 5 Stars
Beyond serving as a dictionary of names, terms, and vocabulary appearing in Pride and Prejudice, the sociological observations-including each individual's 'place' within society-make for a more comprehensive understanding of what is NOT said yet understood by an indvidual of the time period. The diagrams and sketches graphically illustrate architecture, etc. which leads the reader 'inside' the household described. I prefer to utilize this most excellent, thorough, and readable compendium as a reference AFTER I have read several chapters rather than consult each note as it appears. Thus, I may read five chapters of prose at one sitting; then, read the notes for those chapters afterward. Would that such an annotated companion were available when I first read Pride and prejudice at university.Book Review: Annotated text opens up your understanding
Summary: 5 Stars
I won't bother to tell you that the text is wonderful, and Jane Austen a keen observer of human nature. You know that. I will say that the annotations in this edition are very helpful for those of us that don't know the differences between a chaise, a phaeton, and a barrouche, that didn't know that morning lasted until dinner, that tea was had between dinner and supper, or that quadrille was a card game, not a dance.
Yes, they are a bit repetitious. I don't see a justification for this, since no one is going to miss the first instance by dipping into the text randomly. And they do contain too many hints about what is about to happen. These notes could just as easily have been placed just after the scene as before it, and still be illuminating to the reader.
Book Review: Almost like visiting another universe
Summary: 5 Stars
When I read this book in college, it really dragged for me. I was more inclined to read with "narrative lust" (as I was informed by a professor) than to savor fine writing. However, rereading Pride and Prejudice in the annotated edition was really a revelation to me. Taking time to read the annotations forced me to slow down and really look at the world Austen was describing--and it was almost like visiting another universe. Previously, I had glossed over all of the humor, especially with Mr. Collins, and was clueless about the implications of one's choice of carriage. The historical context provided by the annotations really helped to appreciate the characters as well.
Book Review: Great for a first time reader.
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is the first Jane Austen novel that I have read. I found the annotations to be very helpful in understanding the cultural context of the novel, explaining antiquated customs and character motivations. Austen makes reference to other books of the era, and the editor elaborates on the background and significance of them.
Having the annotations opposite the text on the facing page is very convenient and it's easy to read every one. I did not find the annotations to be overly redundant.
I wish that the editor had more annotated Austen works, but having read this one, I'll have an easier time understanding the other novels.