that a single man in possession of a good
fortune must be in want of a wife.”
(Opening sentence of the book)
Pride and Prejudice is one of those stories most everyone has heard about, but hardly anyone gets tired of. Its colorful characters and intriguing story line has delighted many a reader for nearly two centuries. Here is the introduction to my focus on Pride and Prejudice, which I wrote a little while ago. If you are reading this you probably know all about P.&P., but it was fun to write, and perhaps it will amuse you as well.
Jane Austen began the book in 1796 at the age of twenty and finished it in 1797, calling it First Impressions. In 1811, after her first success (Sense and Sensibility), she set to work revising First Impressions. Because another book had been since published with that title, she re-named it Pride and Prejudice. It was published in 1813 and became an immediate success.
The delightful heroine, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, lives in a vivacious family of seven. Her four sisters - Catherine (often called Kitty) and Lydia, the youngest, whose lives revolve around going to parties and flirting with soldiers; the studious, often boring Mary; and the eldest, "her most beloved sister", sweet and pretty Jane. Then there are her contrasting parents - sarcastic, phlegmatic Mr. Bennet, who likes to find the humor in everything, and her overbearing (if not dreadfully silly) mother, who wants to marry them all off as soon as may be.
To talk of the story further would be to take away some of its pleasure, if you have not already read the book or watched a movie of it. If you have seen any or all of the movies, there are still more delights in store for you when you read the book. You can know exactly what the characters are thinking and feeling, enjoy more of the story than the movies display, and read the hilarious ways Jane Austen expresses things for our amusement. Among these things, I myself find satisfaction in knowing all of a story, and being certain of what is accurate.
Pride and Prejudice has everything that makes a story exciting and enjoyable - humor, drama, heartbreak, scandal, handsome beaus, evil villains, and has at least one character for every type of person to like.
Your comments are exceedingly welcome.
I LOVE this book! In fact, I read it aloud to myself, which I only do with my absolute favorite books. :) And the 1995 movie is great too. :) And the rest of that opening sentence is pretty great too: "However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighborhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of someone or other of their daughters." :)
ReplyDeleteI love Pride and Prejudice! I love that it's a story that relates so much to today; I could easily imagine the same events in Pride and Prejudice going on today. It's such a great book!
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, I love that book, too! ;-) Sometimes I pick it up to check a quote or something, and I then I just keep reading it...;-)
ReplyDeleteI like that next sentence, too, Charity. :-) And I love the 1995 movie...but, I'll wait to talk about that on my next post.