Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Genre: YA Classic/Literature
Blurb (on back of book):
Spirited Elizabeth Bennet is one of five daughters, and with no male heir, the Bennet estate must someday pass to their priggish cousin, William Collins. Therefore, the girls must marry well—and thus is launched the story of Elizabeth and the arrogant bachelor, Mr. Darcy, in a novel renowned as the epitome of romance and wit. Pride and Prejudice
is Jane Austen's masterwork, an entertaining portrait of matrimonial rites and rivalries, timeless in its hilarity and its honesty.
MY OPINION: *****
Whew. What a long and gorgeous gem of a read.
This book was so descriptive, and it really surprised me that I actually finished. I have tried to read this book many times, but only this time have I actually finished and loved the whole thing. I haven't read much this month, and with today and one day left of December and 2016, I decided that I had to finish this book as soon as possible. So I was reading this whole winter break, about three hours a day, and I'm so happy I finished before the year was over. I can't believe I made it.
This is now my favorite book. I didn't skim through it, and I understood about 99% of it, contrary to what many people believe. I understand the old English despite the strange wording that is not known as much today. I'm glad I read this book. If I didn't know a word, then I figured it out using context clues or researching.
This book was very long. It had a complicated plot, and everyone had a different story and different feelings and emotions that is hard to keep up with, I must admit. First, there was Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's relationship that kept readers feeling as if Mrs. Bennet was an annoying and silly woman who didn't understand social life. I must admit, Mrs. Bennet was one of my least favorite characters. I understood how she felt about everything; she just wanted her daughters happily married to rich men, and she tried her best to make everything come true, even if her manners were not the most civil. Mr. Bennet was not disposed to follow his wife's civility, but it seemed as if he did not have much power over his wife throughout the book. He never seemed to speak up, and was contented to being alone.
Second, there was the matter of Mr. Collins. He was not introduced until a little later in the book. He was the person who was going to take Longbourn after Mr. Bennet passed on. This being said, it was most probable that Mrs. Bennet should want to have Mr. Collins take one of her daughters as a wife, so someone of the Bennet family would still have their share of the estate, but it seems as if Mr. Collins was so rejected, that he moved on to a different family, the Lucases. I can understand Elizabeth's feelings that led up to her rejection of Mr. Collins, but I always wonder how Mrs. Bennet's feelings might've changed towards Elizabeth had she taken Mr. Collins. It is a fact that is brought up repeatedly that Mrs. Bennet did not admire Elizabeth as much as her other four daughters, Jane being her utmost favorite.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
When Mr. Collins married Charlotte Lucas, I felt as if it wasn't a good match. Mr. Collins was after Elizabeth who was a lot younger than Charlotte, and then Mr. Collins moved on to an older woman. That kind of made me angry, but I guess it was to be expected after all of the civility that Charlotte showed towards him.
Third, when Mr. Darcy was introduced, he made me angry at first because he was so ill-mannered. But when he proposed to Elizabeth, which was later in the book, I felt as if she should have accepted him, despite his faults, seeing as he was so in love and had so much admiration for her. But I do understand why she rejected him at first.
Fourth, Mr. Bingley made me so angry. How could he not see Jane's feelings for him? It was so obvious! I guess that authors make everything obvious to their readers, just not to their characters. When I found out about Mr. Darcy's interference, I didn't know what to feel, because Mr. Darcy meant well, on his side, but on the other hand, he basically almost ruined TWO people's LIVES and HAPPINESS. Finally, when Mr. Bingley proposed to Jane, much later in the book, life was better again, and I was happy that Mr. Darcy had the heart to admit his "treachery" towards Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennet's relationship.
Fifth, Mr. Darcy's second proposal struck me as so sweet. But I couldn't forgive him for all of his silences. WHY WAS HE SO QUIET? Embarrassed or not, even Elizabeth was able to speak through her humiliation! Also, I liked how Mrs. Bennet reacted. It was actually quite amusing.
Lastly, when Lydia ran away with Mr. Wickham, it struck me how stupid Jane Austen made Lydia seem. Not that Jane Austen did a bad job; she was an incredible writer! But I always felt that Lydia was treated a little unfairly; maybe true love was the answer! Maybe she truly loved him and that was enough.
Elizabeth struck me as a strong female protagonist, and I have been in search of these in a long time, because lately, all the books I've been reading are either about men, or about females who end up crying a lot and feeling helpless and seeking a man's help. THAT'S A STEREOTYPE.
Elizabeth's speech was fiery and interesting to read, because it is rare to read something like that from that long ago. Weren't you only supposed to be speak when being spoken to? But then who gets to speak. To me, it seemed like it was only the elderly or the rich people.
Jane was an amazingly GOOD character. She saw the good in everything and everyone and came up with good solutions. She wasn't exactly an optimist; she just saw the good and chose to take away the bad. An optimist seeks to find some good, but Jane saw the good right away and saw no bad.
Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley struck me as gentlemen who had a feeling of being socially rich. I don't know if that makes sense, but it does in my head.
Lady Catherine De Bourgh...
I can't even talk of her.
I would talk about the rest of the characters, but it would make this post so long that nobody would read it. It's quite long now, but to be fair, it was a long book, so long books require long reviews.
LOGIC
Besides, Jane Austen didn't talk as much about the rest of the characters, so I won't either to mimic her design.
I would recommend this book to mature readers and classic lovers.
Main Character: Elizabeth Bennet
Sidekick(s): Mr. Darcy, Jane, Mr. Wickham, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Collins, Charlotte, Kitty, Lydia, Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Bennet, etc
Villain(s): Pride, prejudice, Mr. Wickham, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, misunderstandings
Classic/Literature Elements: This is a classic novel that uses Old English and is a work of literature.
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