Pride and Prejudice is the latest book by the author of Sense and Sensibility.
Pride and Prejudice is the latest book by the author of Sense and Sensibility.
The author has a lot to say about women and society here in Modern England. Pride and Prejudice is a comical book which paints a clear picture of how women who lack their own fortune oftentimes have to forsake love to marry for economic security and social status.
This book is really funny and to read it is to love it. The first two sentences are great and laugh-out-loud funny. They are probably two of my favourite opening lines from any book, and they set the stage for all of the ridiculousness that is about to happen throughout the rest of the story:
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of someone or other of their daughters.
The chapter goes on to become a conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet( Elizabeth Bennet’ s parents), and Mr. Bennet is hilarious. He is wonderfully cynical and blunt, while Mrs. Bennet is just plain crazy.
It is a satisfying love story, if that’ s what you’ re after, but it’ s also much more than that. The characters are great— even the ones whose personalities I can’ t stand— and the book really has a lot to say about people’ s pride, vanity and prejudices in general.
I love this book because I love the characters. A few of them really work my nerves, but I still love how well-written they are. Elizabeth is my favorite because she is so independent, headstrong and outspoken. She refuses to marry for any reason other than love, even if that means she doesn’ t end up marrying someone who can give her a better economic and social status. She has her faults, but she is not afraid to admit to them when she knows she’ s wrong. Her mother and two of her younger sisters annoy her as much as they annoy me, and she can’ t stand the snotty sisters of Mr. Bingley, whom I despise every time I read the book. It is apparent from the first chapter that Elizabeth takes after her father, who is also headstrong and outspoken. He loves to put his annoying wife in her place, but he does it in very humorous ways without being too nasty. I got a lot of laughs out of Pride and Prejudice, and most of those laughs are courtesy of Mr. Bennet. Mrs. Bennet annoys the heck out of me and I find myself audibly telling her to shut up throughout the book. Seriously, if she would only just shut up. I avoid people like the snotty Bingley sisters like the plague in real life because if anyone deserves a good slap across the face, they do. People who think they’ re better than everyone else because of money or social status, like the Bingley sisters and Lady Catherine( Mr. Darcy’ s aunt), just disgust me. Mr. Collins could use a nice piece of duct tape over his mouth, as well, since he really makes himself look like a fool every time he speaks. Finally, Mr. Darcy is infuriating and endearing at the same time.
I think what makes this book so well-loved and timeless is the author’ s ability to tell it like it is. It is written without a lot of fluff. The book is timeless because it’ s about subjects that will always be a natural part of being human, no matter how many years go by, and her characters are always so realistic and full of life.
If you like good classic literature, a good love story, and humorous characters, you’ ll enjoy reading Pride and Prejudice. It’ s a nice, satisfying, fun read.