Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Fiction/Literature

This is a story of love and misunderstanding in England in the 1800s. Mrs. Bennett is trying to marry off her five daughters as there are no male heirs and the girls will end up without a home or income when their father dies.

When a possible suitor, Mr. Bingley takes up residence nearby, Mrs. Bennett is beside herself trying to push Jane, the eldest forward. At one of the many balls where this romance seems to be progressing Elizabeth, next in line, meets Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth finds him too proud and takes an immediate dislike to him. Mr. Bingley leaves to return to London, devastating Jane and Elizabeth finds out this is due to the insufferable Mr. Darcy.

Mr. Darcy eventually proposes to Elizabeth and she turns him down telling him just what she thinks of him. Only what she thinks is not necessarily true.

I never had to read this classic for school and what a shame that is. I truly enjoyed the story. The humour that Jane Austen writes with is wonderful. I did find it a little hard to get used to the formal language used and more than once had to figure out which character was being spoken about. Miss Bennet is used for the oldest not for all five daughters. I also wonder why in 1800s England there seem to be a lot of very wimpish women and only a few with backbone.

First Line: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Classic

It took me a while to get around to reading this one but I'm glad I finally picked it up. This is the story of the Bennet family and the five girls in that family. Mrs. Bennet is trying to find suitors for her girls in early 19th-century England because there are no male heirs to the Bennet estate, if Mr. Bennet dies the girls will be left without a house or income.

During one of the many balls that the girls go to, Elizabeth meets Mr. Darcy and takes an immediate disliking to him. However as the story unfolds she realizes she may have unnecessary prejudice against him.

The name of the book describes the story incredibly well. Each character suffers from either too much pride or too much prejudice. For being written in the early 1800s, the story reads quite well. However it got to a point where I felt like it was too high school "I like him, I don't like him". I just wanted the girls to make up their minds and get on with it. Still, this is a very well written book and understandable why it's a classic.

First Line: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

Rating:
(4/5)