Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

missg · Post by **missg** » 01 Jun 2013, 18:50

Absolutely love Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The motion pictures follow the book most of the time but some things are done differently especially in the Keira Knightly version which is a favorite of mine. I have watched it around ten times maybe more I honestly lost count. I also read "Mansfield Park" which was another great book. I encourage everyone to read a few of her novels and decide if you are a Jane Austen fan.

bnormile · Post by **bnormile** » 17 Jul 2013, 15:44

Pride and Prejudice happens to be my favorite book. The characters are strong and timeless and each have their own purpose. Elizabeth a witty, high spirited, and complex young woman. In her encounters with the handsomely rich Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth displays her wit, charm, intelligence, and sensibility through her manner of speech. Elizabeth speaks her mind freely and is impulsive in her actions, which is highly unusual for women of this time especially towards men of higher rank. But Elizabeth never disregards propriety that is expected of women from that era. Her wit is confined and poised but humorous and sharp never loosing the balance between the two. Elizabeth's unconventional charm, intelligence, and poise not only win over Mr. Darcy, the man whom she marries, but also the hearts of many throughout time. Mr. Darcy embodies Pride from the very beginning of the book. His arrogance and sandpaper attitude is distasteful to say the least. Especially to Elizabeth who sees him as a pompous, spoiled peacock that she could never see herself acquainted with let alone marry. Until, Elizabeth sees another side to Darcy at her visit to Pemberley as well as his good nature in mending following events like her sisters scandalous elopement with the shady solider Mr. Whickham. The battles between Elizabeth's prejudice against Mr. Darcy and Mr. Darcy's pride create witty encounters that entertain the adult mind. The supporting characters such as Mr. Bingley is a contrast to Mr. Darcy in that he is a lighthearted man that at times almost seems null minded and a goof, where as Mr. Darcy is Stern and comes off with a stiff attitude. Having Mr. Bingley as his best companion creates a contrast between the two to emphasize their character. Jane is the contrast to Elizabeth in that she is proper and a shy type where Elizabeth is more outspoken in her nature.

thebookagorra · Post by **thebookagorra** » 29 Jul 2013, 07:58

I finally got around to reading Pride and Prejudice last week and now it's probably my favourite book. I absolutely adore Elizabeth, she has such spunk and is so modern considering the novel is now 200 years old. I'm yet to watch the BBC adaptation but I understand the appeal of Colin Firth as Darcy now

GKCfan · Post by **GKCfan** » 29 Aug 2013, 23:43

This is the book that made me an Austen fan.

Heather · Post by **Heather** » 06 Sep 2013, 12:28

I love Pride and Prejudice, but I have to admit that I saw the movie (The Focus Features version) first and loved it, and then read the book with the actors and actresses in my mind. As much as I love Jane Austen, I think this is the one and only instance in which I like a movie more than the book it's based on. When I read the book now, I have the movie playing in my head too!

I do happen to enjoy the characters though, and love observing how they interact with each other and how the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy evolves. And yes, Mrs. Bennett is ridiculous, but she's supposed to be.

Zannie · Post by **Zannie** » 06 Sep 2013, 19:16

I read this book after seeing the 1995 mini series. It was the first book I read on my own. I sat with a dictionary and just reread it a number of times. I agree with the first comment the mini series certainly enhanced the book for me. However I think it is important to note that at the time it wad written that female authors were not common they were an oddity. In fact Jane Austen wrote under the title of " written by a lady".

Another interesting note is that Austen was 21 at the time this book was written and at least 10 years passed between its writing and PERSUASION. And this can account for better more rounded characters.

I loved PRIDE AND PREJUDICE when I was younger but now prefer the more mature PERSUASION.

For her time and circumstances I think PRIDE AND PREJUDICE opened the door for other female authors to begin to be noted. No mean task.

sblake · Post by **sblake** » 06 Oct 2013, 22:59

I think this book is absolute perfection. The humor, the characters, the subtleties of society, the angst of romance, the handsome man and the beautiful (but stands on her own two feet) woman from opposite worlds. The epitome of the happily ever after fairy tale.

Bananacat · Post by **Bananacat** » 15 Oct 2013, 08:20

Pride and Prejudice was the first Jane Austen book that I read and I would know say that I am hooked.

TrishaAnn92 · Post by **TrishaAnn92** » 23 Oct 2013, 17:32

I enjoyed reading the Pride and Prejudice, however, like with most every classic book, I really had to force myself to concentrate and it took me a while to read it and really understand what was going on but I loved every minute of it!

gali · Post by **gali** » 24 Oct 2013, 06:47

It is one of my favorite books and I reread it several times. I have first read it when I was 14 years old. Since then, I have reread it when I am in the mood for it.

marinemat · Post by **marinemat** » 24 Oct 2013, 21:18

I thought Pride and Prejudice was an amazing book when I read it back in highschool.

Izi Munchkin · Post by **Izi Munchkin** » 01 Nov 2013, 09:54

I had to read Pride and Prejudice for college and to be honest I probably wouldn't have otherwise read it. I tend to prefer more imaginative, completely impossible plots and characters! And I must say I found P&P difficult to get into. With most books I read I tend to know whether I'm going to enjoy it after the first one or two chapters, and I was right in thinking I wouldn't enjoy Pride and Prejudice! It probably sounds incredibly negative, but I don't really understand why it's such a classic. As with many 'classic' novels, it seems to be overrated, I've read so many books that are understated and absolutely brilliant, that I couldn't put down, and Pride and Prejudice definitely wasn't one of them, unfortunately!

sromem · Post by **sromem** » 21 Dec 2013, 14:39

I like Pride and Prejudice.
And I think that maybe some of the main characters are bland because it stresses the way women were supposed to behave in that time period and highlights Lizzy's personality.
Also - people who have seen the movie about Jane's life - there is a line in the movie where she says she will write books about girls from unfortunate families who all fall in love and have happily ever after stories. I think Jane wrote books in which all the focus is on the one main female character's love story because she was trying to provide hope through her books.

The green one · Post by **The green one** » 22 Dec 2013, 18:41

Good evening. I have read all Jane Austen's works and admire them, but Pride and Prejudice is most certainly my favourite. I have read it cover to cover, more times than I can remember, and know it almost off by heart. There are certain things about the book I don't actually agree with (that should make a popular start), like the abrupt change in Darcy from a pompous, arrogant, upper-class elitist to Mr Wonderful in nine short months, but I'll happily argue that case with anyone who wishes to take up the gauntlet. I also have some strong views on the Kiera Knightley film version
if anyone is interested in discussing that. There you go.

gligoric · Post by **gligoric** » 22 Dec 2013, 23:14

For light reading Pride and Prejudice nicely fits the bill. I love the repartee, especially the wit and sarcasm of Mr. Bennet. And there’s a bit of tension and suspense too. Satisfying.