En VO
Pride and Prejudice : A literary phenomenon
This BBC production is divided into six episodes which
reproduce with fidelity the novel. Darcy is incarned by
Colin Firth, who made is entrance in the cinema at that
moment. Thanks to this series, he became famous
worldwide because everyone loved his character, seen
as an anti-hero but with charm, sensibility and passion
for Elizabeth
(Jennifer Ehle).
What’s more, this novel deals with equality (gender
equality, equality in rank) when Elizabeth rises up
against Lady Catherine, Darcy’s aunt, who doesn’t
even conceive their union : ‘He is a gentleman and I
am a gentleman’s daughter. So far we are equal.’
The historical context (the Regency) is also mentioned
with the arrival of the militia in Longbourn because of
Darcy, a flagship character in the
novel, portrayed by Colin Firth
Ms Benett « and her nerves »
— BBC, 1995.
Elizabeth Benett (Jennifer Ehle), smiling
observing her sisters’ behavior — 1995,
A novel witness of its time
Not only this novel is a love story but it also allows us
to dive into Jane Austen’s lifetime and its particularities
about social behavior, especially for the higher classes.
Ms Bennet is the illustration of this mentality : ‘A single
man of large fortune ; four or five thousand a year.
What a fine thing for our girls !’
Women’s place in society is tackled several times,
Austen talking of ‘accomplished’ women. A woman of
her time was expected to be able to embroider, play
the piano, sing, know how to fit in society. Elizabeth -
Jane Austen’s character- knows it and respects it but
sometimes she is determined to make the choices she
finds better for her. The woman usually gets her the
approval of her father, who never misses a chance for
sarcasm, like in this famous quote :
‘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.’
In fact, a large number of women were married off as
soon as possible, with or without love. It was surely the
case of Mrs Bennet who didn’t know any other
« option » and then imposed it to her girls.
The army during Austen’s
lifetime
the war such as soldier Beckam, who plays an
important role in the novel.
To finish, we learnt more about the language used
during Jane Austen’s lifetime, it is very formal, with a
profusion of ‘indeed’ !
All mad about Pride and Prejudice
Since the beginning of cinema, lots of Pride and
Prejudice adaptations have been made from films to
series, not to mention other books.
The recent one is Pride and prejudice and the zombies,
an adaptation a little derived from the original’s spirit…
The most famous adaptation is the BBC mini series’
adaptation which topped nine million people watching
the series on television on September 5 th , 1995 !
According to me, it is the best adaptation regarding the
actors, the storyline, the costumes, the settings...
A movie was also made in 2005, starring