Pride and Prejudice

Author - Jane Austen ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Paperback Book item from Penguin (Non-Classics) was reviewed on 7-Oct-2008.

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1) Paperback Book Pride and Prejudice by Penguin (Non-Classics). "Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity, to what we would have others think of us." Jane Austen

I let my own foolish pride, my own ignorant prejudices; deter me from ever picking up a Jane Austen achievement until about a month ago when I finally decided to give her a shot. This classic novel was definitely not on my `must read´ list, but somehow, someway, it landed on my lap one afternoon and I decided to at least take a quick peek at it while no one else was looking. After all, a man´s man like myself (whatever that means nowadays) has no time to read early 19th century Chick Brit Lit., let alone a sweet, love story like this one. Especially during football season! I could almost hear Bukowski´s ghost laughing at me when I opened up the first page and read those unforgettable first lines regarding man and marriage. However, I forged on, just Jane and I, and when it was all said and done - I can´t believe what a fool I´ve been all these years! Yes, this classic is a thing of beauty. And like Jane´s main protagonist and narrative voice in the novel - Elizabeth Bennet - I too learned a valuable lesson about not judging a book by its cover. Isn´t evolution great?

Don´t make the same mistake I did. I love classic literature, but for too long now I avoided such greats as the Bronte´s, Wharton, Cather, et al... because of my foolish male ego, my ridiculous machismo pride. My biggest regret though, was avoiding Austen all these years. Now, I may not go out and rent the movie anytime soon, but I will definitely be purchasing some more of Jane´s classics (Emma, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, etc...) and if they are anything like this pleasant surprise, I am going to be one happy camper.

Never a dull moment, never a page not worth perusing, simply put - Austen is awesome!
¤

2) Paperback Book Pride and Prejudice by Penguin (Non-Classics). I love Jane Austen all around, but most especially Pride & Prejudice. If I can´t find anything else to read, I pick up P & P. Austen is so very clever, and the multifaceted storyline never gets old.¤

3) Paperback Book Pride and Prejudice by Penguin (Non-Classics). I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, with the exception of two things.

First, the version that I read has a nauseating, fan-boy introduction. I don´t particularly care which version of this book you purchase; you should skip the introduction. Just in case. This is not the fault of the author, but of the editor, and I will not ding the author because of its presentation - especially hundreds of years after her death. It would be dirty pool.

Second, there is a single passage in the novel which details Elizabeth´s growth as a character, where she, introspectively, weighs in on how she feels she has developed. This was out of character for her. She spends much of the novel in angst about various things (such as Mr. Bingley´s interactions with her sister Jane, Mr. Darcy´s feelings for her, and vacillating between like and dislike for Mr. Darcy himself). The loss of this paragraph would have, in no way, mutilated the perception of Elizabeth as a cogent and erudite character with a mind of her own that was well-working. Nor would its absence have colored an intelligent reader´s perception of her growth.

Mr. Bennet, however, was hilarious. His steadfast perception of all of the women around him (excepting Elizabeth) as being irredeemably foolish was, I think, a major highlight of the book. Not because it was accurate (although it certainly was in the case of the youngest daughter, Lydia), but because it highlights and gently satirizes the perception of ladies at this time in England. This is made particularly clear in the case of his wife, who is the most grasping fictional woman since Becky Sharp. The juxtaposition of Mr. Bennet´s foolish perceptions of women (as themselves being foolish), and the intelligence of two of his daughters (Jane and Elizabeth) faithfully, I believe, points out one of the main purposes of Ms. Austen´s writing: To throw into stark contrast the difference between the commonly, culturally accepted perceptions of women (e.g., Mr. Bennet) and the reality of their perceptions and their intelligence (e.g., the two eldest Bennet sisters). This was, in my perception, one of the most important purposes of Ms. Austen´s writing, and she performed it well.

The interactions between Elizabeth and several of the other characters, especially Lady Catherine De Bourgh, are often times hilarious. Other times, such as her frequent misperceptions of Mr. Darcy and her excercise of her sometimes rapier wit at his expense, are less amusing than they are painful; not because of their inaccuracy or their sharpness, but more because an astute reader will realize the reality of Mr. Darcy´s character much earlier than Elizabeth does. And once that point is reached, and even before, it is hard to take her chidings with equanimity. Even if he is a jerk, he is still a human being, and it seems malicious of Elizabeth to treat him this way. Unlike some, I will not excuse her behavior as common for the times, because Elizabeth seems...transcendent of her times in some ways, much like the author herself.

This was, by and large, a very entertaining book. It is well worth reading, whether you are curious about the foundations of romantic comedy (which got their first big push in the public here), in the time period of the Napoleonic War (which doesn´t figure in the novel, but the social interactions of the time are well detailed), a fan of novels of manners (such as this one, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma, by the same author, Thackeray´s Vanity Fair, or Evelyn Waugh´s A Handful of Dust), or just in the mood for a fun book. If I could, I would give it 4.5 stars.

A

Harkius¤

4) Paperback Book Pride and Prejudice by Penguin (Non-Classics). There isn´t much else to say about this book that hasn´t been said.

One of the best novels ever written, for its humor, plot, and excellent insight into the quirky-but-real relationships of everyday people.

Truly a classic.¤

5) Paperback Book Pride and Prejudice by Penguin (Non-Classics). This novel begins with one of the most recognizable lines in literary history: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." With that begins, perhaps, the most copied plot-line in human history. Sisters Elizabeth and Jane Bennett are of a marrying age. When a handsome and wealthy young man comes to stay in their neighborhood, the Bennetts waste little time making his acquaintance. It turns out the handsome newcomer, Charles Bingley, is a fine and friendly gentleman and he has a liking for Jane.

Mr. Bingley´s cohort, Fitzwilliam Darcy, is, however, not nearly so friendly. Cold and formal, he quickly incurs the dislike of Elizabeth. Mr. Darcy, though, appears somewhat taken by Elizabeth and makes some half-hearted advances. Despite his great wealth, Elizabeth distaste grows the more she learns of Mr. Darcy´s past.

Just as the relationship between Jane and Mr. Bingley appears set for matrimony, Mr. Bingley suddenly leaves the neighborhood. Certainly, it seems, this is the doing of Mr. Darcy. Jane´s hopes dashed and Elizabeth finding only comically unsuitable suitors, the Bennett sisters are headed for old-maidom. That is, unless the terrible events are due to improper pride and/or prejudice.

Though I am not a great Jane Austen admirer and find much of her writing overly ornamental and preoccupied with unimportant subject matter, there is no disputing the greatness of this novel. The language usage is clearly Austenesque, but this book is nevertheless genuinely a page turner. Moreover, the tone is pitch perfect - touching the emotions, but maintaining an appealing comic feel. I found myself delighted to be in the company of Jane Austen who, though her writing is over two centuries old and her experiences obviously much different from ours, has a surprisingly modern voice.

Even more importantly, this book is an invaluable cultural gift. Though perhaps not in the same league as the Bible or some of Shakespeare´s works, the influence of Pride and Prejudice on our culture is simply vast. Familiarizing yourself with Pride and Prejudice will make literally hundreds of cultural products more comprehensible (or reveal them to be unoriginal). The plot-line alone has spawned countless imitations, slight modifications and commentaries. The characters, especially Elizabeth and Darcy, have become veritable archetypes. This is one of those stories that you are already familiar with through its imitators. None, however, has done the material so well and so thoughtfully as Ms. Austen.

Even if you don´t have the stomach for Ms. Austen´s other material, this novel is worth reading. It´s both good for you and an enjoyable read - often a tough mix to find.¤

6) Paperback Book Pride and Prejudice by Penguin (Non-Classics).

It´s time to rediscover the wonderful books we all cherish.

Originally published anonymously in 1813, Jane Austen´s Pride and Prejudice is one of the most widely read and most popular novels in the English language. The courtship between the independent Elisabeth Bennett and the handsome yet arrogant Mr. Darcy illuminates the page in this wonderful novel of comedy and manners.

7) Paperback Book Pride and Prejudice by Penguin (Non-Classics). "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

Next to the exhortation at the beginning of Moby-Dick, "Call me Ishmael," the first sentence of Jane Austen´s Pride and Prejudice must be among the most quoted in literature. And certainly what Melville did for whaling Austen does for marriage--tracing the intricacies (not to mention the economics) of 19th-century British mating rituals with a sure hand and an unblinking eye. As usual, Austen trains her sights on a country village and a few families--in this case, the Bennets, the Philips, and the Lucases. Into their midst comes Mr. Bingley, a single man of good fortune, and his friend, Mr. Darcy, who is even richer. Mrs. Bennet, who married above her station, sees their arrival as an opportunity to marry off at least one of her five daughters. Bingley is complaisant and easily charmed by the eldest Bennet girl, Jane; Darcy, however, is harder to please. Put off by Mrs. Bennet´s vulgarity and the untoward behavior of the three younger daughters, he is unable to see the true worth of the older girls, Jane and Elizabeth. His excessive pride offends Lizzy, who is more than willing to believe the worst that other people have to say of him; when George Wickham, a soldier stationed in the village, does indeed have a discreditable tale to tell, his words fall on fertile ground.

Having set up the central misunderstanding of the novel, Austen then brings in her cast of fascinating secondary characters: Mr. Collins, the sycophantic clergyman who aspires to Lizzy´s hand but settles for her best friend, Charlotte, instead; Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy´s insufferably snobbish aunt; and the Gardiners, Jane and Elizabeth´s low-born but noble-hearted aunt and uncle. Some of Austen´s best comedy comes from mixing and matching these representatives of different classes and economic strata, demonstrating the hypocrisy at the heart of so many social interactions. And though the novel is rife with romantic misunderstandings, rejected proposals, disastrous elopements, and a requisite happy ending for those who deserve one, Austen never gets so carried away with the romance that she loses sight of the hard economic realities of 19th-century matrimonial maneuvering. Good marriages for penniless girls such as the Bennets are hard to come by, and even Lizzy, who comes to sincerely value Mr. Darcy, remarks when asked when she first began to love him: "It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley." She may be joking, but there´s more than a little truth to her sentiment, as well. Jane Austen considered Elizabeth Bennet "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print". Readers of Pride and Prejudice would be hard-pressed to disagree. --Alix Wilber¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 4-Nov-2008, 01430362389780143036234, 800-610-880-930-380-740-830-GSB-8

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