I have heard about the movie with the title but have recently read the novel by renowned writer Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice is all about relationships and feelings between man and woman. The author narrates stories of young women striving to get married and get settled in life. Jane Austen is a master of writing and in this novel she describes the pride we see in self and others and the prejudice we form because of it.
Jane Austen
Jane Austen is an English writer who lived from 1775 to 1817. Jane had a passion for writing though she had not much formal education. She was part of a large middle class family in England. Her writings were hidden for most of her life, but are now well known worldwide.
The quotes from her works, the stories, the letters, and the novels are popular in literary world. Her work has been a topic of interest for most literary students. The Jane Austen Society of North America organizes an essay contest for literary students every year and rewards their work.
Jane Austen is the author of six novels, on which many movies and television episodes have been made:
- Sense and Sensibility
- Pride and Prejudice
- Emma
- Persuasion
- Mansfield Park
- Northanger Abbey
Pride and Prejudice is the story of young women in a middle class family of England. The main character Elizabeth is the second of five sisters Jane, Elizabeth, Kitty, Mary, and Lydia. Elizabeth is close to her her eldest sister and her father Mr. Bennet. During that period, the primary goal of every house was to find suitable matches for their young daughters and marry them off. Unlike her younger sisters, Elizabeth was in no hurry for attracting capable young men in her community and getting married.
Jane, Lizzy’s elder sister and Mr. Bingley, the new visitor of Netherfield meet at a ball and hope to see each other more often. Elizabeth eventually meets Mr. Darcy who is a friend of Mr. Bingley. Mr. Darcy is perceived as unsocial and a proud man with no minimum courtesies towards women. He owns rich estates and business though. While misunderstandings seperate the two couples, the rest of the story is how the couples end up in marriage.
Review
The story progresses slowly and nothing much happens. But, the reader gets trapped in the narration and may want to complete the novel at once. How Mr. Darcy is perceived in the beginning and how Lizzy’s hatred turns in to love is so gradual and natural. The pride of a person and the prejudices people form entirely can be changed at any time. The sweet smiling faces which we see daily may not be the real nice ones. In contrast, the uncivilized ones may turn up as great humanitarians.
The incidents and consequences narrated back in 1800s are common even now and happening in modern world. The feelings are true in current sitations and can be applied in our lives as well. The social, moral, and economic conditions are similar to the modern world and gives us a feeling that things have not changed much during the last two hundred years. 🙂
Further, the love stories of the novel again suggest that lovers do not mind the social statuses in choosing their partners. The emotions of a father in giving away a daugther in marriage and the anxiety of a mother in finding a suitable match for her daughter is so relevant.
The female characters in the novel were not much educated but acquire knowledge and gain wisdom through reading, observation, and social interaction. The beautiful description of the country side, the elegance of the houses, and the never ending thought processes of the characters capture the readers.
Pride and Prejudice is a must read and if possible to be cherished and passed on to the future generations. 🙂