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 .