Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Genre: Classics
Blurb (on back of book): Spirited Elizabeth Bennet is one of a family 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.
UPDATED REVIEW
MY OPINION: ******
This is one of my favorite books of all time and it always will be. I haven't read it since 2016 but I've seen the 2005 version at least once a month every year since then. I adore P&P with my entire soul and nothing will ever thrill me like this book does.
I was actually devastated to learn that the "You have bewitched me, body and soul" line is NOT in the book and is a 2005 movie line. I love that line more than anything but to learn that it wasn't an Austen original hurt my heart.
I feel like the first time I ever read this book, I remember loving it but being a little bit confused by its events. I do think that now, as a college freshman rather than a seventh grader, I understood it a bit better. I just wrote about this book's commentary on the institution of marriage and really deep-dove into the way Austen treats marriage. Is it something for the sake of money and reputation, or should it be the end goal of a relationship formed out of love?
I've read a lot of Austen. I think I only have two more books of hers to have officially finished all of her fully-completed novels. I've noticed throughout all of her books that they focus on this idea of marriage and love and status from the perspective of some variation of woman. Elizabeth is definitely my favorite of all of Austen's protagonists so far, though Emma is a close second. Elizabeth is the epitome of strong, independent woman. She is aware of her place in society more so than her own family and thus possesses a lot of pride that ultimately becomes one of her greatest flaws. I loved reading about Elizabeth's adventures and seeing her grow and realize her mistakes and weaknesses.
I LOVE Mr. Darcy. We all know how much I love this man but everything about him fascinates me. The way that he starts out full of pride and vanity but ultimately grows to realize his feelings for Elizabeth. He spends the whole book fighting for her and doing good deeds not for himself but for her sake. I loved everything about him. His witty statements and his stubborn personality were just perfection in black and white.
Mr. Collins never fails to inspire a certain kind of rage in me. His sniveling little character enrages me in a way that no other man can. I always hated how he ended up with Charlotte but now, as I look at it in the perspective of marriage, it is clear that it is an example of how some women settled for unhappy marriages for the sake of reputation and cementing of social status. He wasn't a bad man, by any means, but he was definitely not the kind of man you would want to marry. Elizabeth herself doesn't seem to understand that idea of having to marry someone "bad" just for the sake of social status, highlighting her specific form of privilege she finds herself living with.\
Absolutely adore Jane Bennet. Arguably the best Bennet sister. Mary gave me Jo March energy. Kitty and Lydia are the silly little girls you always need for the comedic relief, though Lydia certainly made a mess of things. Mrs. Bennet is insufferable in the best way. Mr. Bennet may be a little standoffish but he means well, though he definitely was one of my least favorite characters.
Mr. Wickham. How I despise that man.
Mr. Bingley is the love of my life. He's the sweetest, calmest, funniest little man and I adore him. I love every film version of him too. He seems to balance Darcy out, and he doesn't let his wealth get to his head.
Everything about this book thrills me to my soul. It's definitely in my top five books of all time and 100% made it on my list of books to die for. The writing is beautiful. While I do not necessarily think this is the best Austen novel from an objective standpoint, this is definitely my favorite of hers so far. It's literally the blueprint for all romance novels written today. It's the most famous romance book for a reason. The enemies-to-lovers trope was literally created here.
I will definitely always come back to this story. I've seen most film/series adaptations and listened to all podcasts about it. I love it so much that if I were ever to get a tattoo, it would definitely be related to this book somehow.
My
old review is quite embarrassing, though I remember being so proud of it. You can clearly tell that I did not understand the deeper meaning behind this book and its characters and its relationships but I hope I understand them a little bit better now.
I think it took me a month to read it last time but this time, I finished it in a day. How the times have changed. I read this for my English class; for the first time, I was ecstatic when I saw this one on the syllabus.
I would recommend this book to everyone. It's definitely just one of those you have to read at least once before you die.
Main Character: Elizabeth Bennet
Sidekick(s): Mr. Darcy, Jane, Mr. Bingley, Charlotte, Kitty, Lydia, Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Bennet, etc
Villain(s): Pride, prejudice, Mr. Wickham, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, Mr. Collins, misunderstandings
Classic Elements: This is the epitome of a classic novel.
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