Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice

Synopsis

In an era where marriage was the main objective for women, Elizabeth Bennet, one of 5 sisters remains defiant of these societal expectations by putting her values, virtues and personal beliefs above all. Despite the pressures she faces by her mother to marry quickly to secure her wealth, Lizzy remains steadfast in her claimed ability to see people as they truly are, preventing her from succumbing to her mother’s demands. That is, until she realises that this better judgement is nothing more than her own pride and prejudice

Likes

Great character development is what I love in books and Lizzy’s development was just that. I initially thought that the pride and prejudice was solely that of other characters, such as Mr Darcy, but I liked that Elizabeth was humbled as she realised that she wasn’t as righteous as she presented herself. I appreciate that she was flawed and not made out to be a perfect heroine, making her more relatable as she was not above reproach. Her development made me like that I disliked her at times so that I could better acknowledge how far she had come. Once she realised her downfall, she made genuine efforts to change by correcting her misjudgements which allowed her to develop a relationship with Mr Darcy (which I fully supported!)

I’ve read a few romance novels and although great in their own way, I found some to be a bit far-fetched and improbable, making them almost comical. But with pride and prejudice, I felt that it came across as more genuine due to the characters, their concerns, and how they present themselves. Although from a very different time, their interactions made them seem like real people with real situations which allowed me to enjoy the romance. Despite the simple storyline that we’ve seen countless times before where 2 vastly different people who initially want nothing to do with each other end up falling in love, this book was far from cliché as Austen did a great job at displaying a genuine romance

Austen ended the novel very conclusively so that I wasn’t wondering “what happened next?”. I knew what everyone was up to after the major events and how they were getting on in their lives. The ending definitely satisfied my nosey self

Dislikes

Much of the book was Elizabeth going from strongly disliking Mr Darcy to realising her affection for him. I was glad they got together in the end, but I would have liked to know more of their dynamics as husband and wife. I know that they were happy as Lizzy wrote to her aunt that she is ‘the happiest creature in the world’ after marrying Mr Darcy but I would have also liked to see it as divorce was rare and difficult to obtain during that time so Lizzy wouldn’t have had much of a choice but to stay with Mr Darcy. However, Lizzy has always been a candid character so I do like to imagine that they were both truly happy and got their happily ever after, but it would have been nice to see how this unlikely pairing functioned as a married couple

General Thoughts

Wickham is just the scum of the earth. I could not stand him and I’m glad he got found out as I would have been so frustrated if he hadn’t been! I thought he couldn’t get any worse but then he runs off with Lydia. He just sucks. And Lydia is an airheaded buffoon. I’m glad the two of them got together as nobody should have the misfortunate of being married to them. But I will say that I like Lydia’s confidence. She wasn’t shy and always went after what she wanted – even if they were bad decisions. I didn’t think she was much other than a boy-obsessed loudmouth, but I like how she was used to add some excitement and controversy to the story

Speaking of Wickham and Lydia, I was pleased to read that Elizabeth immediately shut down their attempt at asking for money (the cheek of them!) but I wish she didn’t pay off the debts they left behind. I wanted them to face the consequences of their actions but I understand that Lydia is still Lizzy’s younger sister so she wants to look out for her. I know that I certainly wouldn’t after all her foolishness and lack of remorse but perhaps I just lack empathy

I felt bad for Mary as she was the middle child who didn’t fit in with any of her siblings. On top of that, she wasn’t naturally talented or beautiful like them either. I’m glad that Austen touched on this towards the end by expressing how Mary felt she no longer had to compare herself nor be compared to her sisters anymore once they moved away. Although she wasn’t a significant character, I would have liked to know more about her

Rating

Although romance isn’t my favourite genre, Austen made it easy for me to enjoy through this book. The storyline, the characters, and their respective developments were all well delivered which allowed me to remain engaged throughout. Additionally, Lizzy was a great protagonist as she was not infallible and strived to be better which encouraged me to follow her progression and support her. This story wasn’t a cliché love story but one that felt genuine which made me want to keep on reading in hopes of finding out if Lizzy and Mr Darcy got the happy ending I was rooting for (they did!)

Based on this, I would give this book a 3.5/5

Would I recommend?

Despite this book being written in the Regency period and pertaining to the social issues of that time, I find this book to be timeless due to the relatable characters, societal expectations and exploration of love. As a result, it is something that can be read today, tomorrow and in another few centuries with the same level of enjoyment. So yes, I would recommend this book, especially if you like romance

Favourite Quotes

‘”Keep your breath to cool your porridge, - and I shall keep mine to swell my song.”’

‘”An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. – Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.”’

‘”He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman’s daughter; so far we are equal”’

‘”I am only resolved to act in that manner, which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness, without reference to you, or to any person so wholly unconnected with me”’

‘I am the happiest creature in the world. Perhaps other people have said so before, but not one with such justice. I am happier even that Jane; she only smiles, I laugh. Mr Darcy sends you all the love in the world, that he can spare from me’