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Book Review- Pride & Prejudice
About the author
Jane Austen is one of the great masters of the English language.
Jane Austen was born in 1775. It was in the village of Steventon in Hampshire that Jane Austen spent the first 25 years of her life. It was here too that some of her early works were written.
Pride and Prejudice was begun in 1796 but did not appear in print until 1813, two years after Sense and Sensibility was published. Her later works Mansfield Park and Emma appeared shortly after this, but her two other major novels Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, were not published until 1818, one year after her death in Winchester.
For over 150 years, Pride And Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen herself called this brilliant work her "own darling child."
Jane Austen’s work brought her little personal fame but the publication in 1869 of her nephew's ‘A Memoir of Jane Austen’ introduced her to a wider public, and by the 1940s she had become widely accepted in academia as a great English writer.
Synopsis
The story is about the Bennet family which consists of Mr and Mrs Bennet and their five daughters who are all of marriageable age. Finding suitable husbands for her daughters is a great source of stress for Mrs Bennet.
The book opens with Mr Bingley, a wealthy, charming and social young bachelor, moving into Netherfield Park in the neighbourhood of the Bennet family.
Mr Bingley is soon well received; while his friend Mr Darcy makes a less favourable first impression by appearing proud and condescending at a ball that they attend. It is partly explained in that he detests dancing and is not much for light conversation. Mr Bingley singles out Elizabeth's elder sister, Jane, for particular attention, and it soon becomes apparent that they have formed an attachment to each other. By contrast, Darcy slights Elizabeth, who overhears and jokes about it despite feeling a budding resentment.
On paying a visit to Mr Bingley's sister, Jane is caught in a heavy downpour, catches cold, and is forced to stay at Netherfield for several days. Elizabeth arrives to nurse her sister and is thrown into frequent company with Mr Darcy, who begins to perceive his attachment to her, but is too proud to proceed on this feeling.
Mr Collins, a clergyman, pays a visit to the Bennets. Mr Collins had an intention of marrying one of the Bennet sisters because in 1800s, a girl was not entitled to her father’s property. The property was entailed i.e. the property went to the nearest male heir. In this case, Mr Collins.
Mr Bennet and Elizabeth are much amused by his obsessive veneration of his employer, the noble Lady Catherine de Bourgh, as well as by his self-important and pompous nature. It soon becomes apparent that Mr Collins has singled out Elizabeth.
At the same time, Elizabeth forms an acquaintance with Mr Wickham, a military officer who claims to have been very seriously mistreated by Mr Darcy, despite having been a ward of Mr Darcy's father. This tale, and Elizabeth's attraction to Mr Wickham, adds fuel to her dislike of Mr Darcy.
At a ball given by Mr Bingley at Netherfield, Mr Darcy becomes aware of a general expectation that Mr Bingley and Jane will marry, and the Bennet family, with the exception of Jane, Elizabeth and their father, make a public display of poor manners and decorum.
The following morning, Mr Collins proposes marriage to Elizabeth, who refuses him, much to her mother's distress. Mr Collins recovers and promptly becomes engaged to Elizabeth's close friend Charlotte, a simple woman, who wishes economic security in her marriage.
Mr Bingley abruptly quits Netherfield and returns to London, this causes Jane to go into depression. Elizabeth is convinced that Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley's sister have conspired to separate him from Jane. To divert Jane’s mind, her uncle and aunt Mr and Mrs Gardiner take Jane with them to Gracechurch Street, London.
In the spring, Elizabeth visits Charlotte and Mr Collins in Kent. Elizabeth and her hosts are frequently invited to Rosings Park, home of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy's aunt.
Coincidentally, Darcy also arrives to visit. Darcy again finds himself attracted to Elizabeth and proposes to her. Elizabeth, however, has just learned of Darcy's role in separating Mr Bingley from Jane from his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam. She angrily rebukes him, and a heated discussion follows; she charges him with destroying her sister's happiness, with treating Mr Wickham disgracefully, and with having conducted himself towards her in an ungentleman-like manner.
Mr Darcy, shocked, ultimately responds with a letter giving a good account of his actions: Wickham had exchanged his legacies for a cash
payment, only to return after gambling away the money to reclaim the forfeited inheritance; he then attempted to elope with Darcy's young sister, thereby to capture her fortune. Regarding Mr Bingley and Jane, Darcy claimed he had observed no reciprocal interest in Jane for Bingley. Elizabeth later came to acknowledge the truth of Darcy's assertions.
Some months later, Elizabeth and her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner visit Pemberley, Darcy's estate, believing he will be absent for the day. He returns unexpectedly, and though surprised, he is gracious and welcoming. He treats the Gardiners with great civility; he introduces Elizabeth to his sister, and Elizabeth begins to realise her attraction to him.
Their reacquaintance is cut short, however, by news that Lydia, Elizabeth's sister, has run away to elope with Mr Wickham. Elizabeth and the Gardiners return to Longbourn, where Elizabeth grieves that her renewed acquaintance with Mr Darcy will end because of her sister's disgrace.
Lydia and Wickham are soon found, then married by the clergy; they visit Longbourn, where Lydia lets slip that Mr Darcy was responsible for finding the couple and negotiating their marriage—at great expense to himself.
Elizabeth is shocked but does not dwell further on the topic due to Mr Bingley's return and subsequent proposal to Jane, who immediately accepts.
Lady Catherine de Bourgh later bursts in on Longbourn; intending to thwart local rumour, she warns Elizabeth against marrying Mr Darcy. Elizabeth refuses her demands. Disgusted, Lady Catherine leaves and drops by to inform her nephew on Elizabeth's abominable behaviour. However, this lends hope to Darcy that Elizabeth's opinion of him may have changed. He travels to Longbourn and proposes again. And now, Elizabeth is only too happy to accept.
Review
Pride And Prejudice is a sharp and witty comedy of manners played out in early 19th Century English society, a world in which men held virtually all the power. The novel is peopled with memorable characters brought vividly to life as they both succeed and fail at the game of life according to the manners of their era. The novel consists of a cast of captivating characters, which who grow over the course of the book.
Elizabeth Bennet is the perfect Austen heroine: intelligent, generous, sensible, and incapable of jealousy or any other major sin and is determined to marry for love. There’s humour, with Mrs Bennet being the most outlandish of them all.
Though her plot is fundamentally comic, it highlights the dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and economic security.
Using her writing skills, she transports us to that era and brings out vividly all her characters, be it their physical beauty or the idiosyncrasies of their nature. For example: The beauty of Jane and Elizabeth, the wit and sarcasm of Mr Bennet and the introverted nature of Mr Darcy.
Using deceptively simple language, she manages to put forth the different natures of human beings and the difference in the lifestyles of varied classes in the society.
It is one of the best-loved and most enduring classics in English literature.
Jane Austen is one of the great masters of the English language.
Jane Austen was born in 1775. It was in the village of Steventon in Hampshire that Jane Austen spent the first 25 years of her life. It was here too that some of her early works were written.
Pride and Prejudice was begun in 1796 but did not appear in print until 1813, two years after Sense and Sensibility was published. Her later works Mansfield Park and Emma appeared shortly after this, but her two other major novels Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, were not published until 1818, one year after her death in Winchester.
For over 150 years, Pride And Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen herself called this brilliant work her "own darling child."
Jane Austen’s work brought her little personal fame but the publication in 1869 of her nephew's ‘A Memoir of Jane Austen’ introduced her to a wider public, and by the 1940s she had become widely accepted in academia as a great English writer.
Synopsis
The story is about the Bennet family which consists of Mr and Mrs Bennet and their five daughters who are all of marriageable age. Finding suitable husbands for her daughters is a great source of stress for Mrs Bennet.
The book opens with Mr Bingley, a wealthy, charming and social young bachelor, moving into Netherfield Park in the neighbourhood of the Bennet family.
Mr Bingley is soon well received; while his friend Mr Darcy makes a less favourable first impression by appearing proud and condescending at a ball that they attend. It is partly explained in that he detests dancing and is not much for light conversation. Mr Bingley singles out Elizabeth's elder sister, Jane, for particular attention, and it soon becomes apparent that they have formed an attachment to each other. By contrast, Darcy slights Elizabeth, who overhears and jokes about it despite feeling a budding resentment.
On paying a visit to Mr Bingley's sister, Jane is caught in a heavy downpour, catches cold, and is forced to stay at Netherfield for several days. Elizabeth arrives to nurse her sister and is thrown into frequent company with Mr Darcy, who begins to perceive his attachment to her, but is too proud to proceed on this feeling.
Mr Collins, a clergyman, pays a visit to the Bennets. Mr Collins had an intention of marrying one of the Bennet sisters because in 1800s, a girl was not entitled to her father’s property. The property was entailed i.e. the property went to the nearest male heir. In this case, Mr Collins.
Mr Bennet and Elizabeth are much amused by his obsessive veneration of his employer, the noble Lady Catherine de Bourgh, as well as by his self-important and pompous nature. It soon becomes apparent that Mr Collins has singled out Elizabeth.
At the same time, Elizabeth forms an acquaintance with Mr Wickham, a military officer who claims to have been very seriously mistreated by Mr Darcy, despite having been a ward of Mr Darcy's father. This tale, and Elizabeth's attraction to Mr Wickham, adds fuel to her dislike of Mr Darcy.
At a ball given by Mr Bingley at Netherfield, Mr Darcy becomes aware of a general expectation that Mr Bingley and Jane will marry, and the Bennet family, with the exception of Jane, Elizabeth and their father, make a public display of poor manners and decorum.
The following morning, Mr Collins proposes marriage to Elizabeth, who refuses him, much to her mother's distress. Mr Collins recovers and promptly becomes engaged to Elizabeth's close friend Charlotte, a simple woman, who wishes economic security in her marriage.
Mr Bingley abruptly quits Netherfield and returns to London, this causes Jane to go into depression. Elizabeth is convinced that Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley's sister have conspired to separate him from Jane. To divert Jane’s mind, her uncle and aunt Mr and Mrs Gardiner take Jane with them to Gracechurch Street, London.
In the spring, Elizabeth visits Charlotte and Mr Collins in Kent. Elizabeth and her hosts are frequently invited to Rosings Park, home of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy's aunt.
Coincidentally, Darcy also arrives to visit. Darcy again finds himself attracted to Elizabeth and proposes to her. Elizabeth, however, has just learned of Darcy's role in separating Mr Bingley from Jane from his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam. She angrily rebukes him, and a heated discussion follows; she charges him with destroying her sister's happiness, with treating Mr Wickham disgracefully, and with having conducted himself towards her in an ungentleman-like manner.
Mr Darcy, shocked, ultimately responds with a letter giving a good account of his actions: Wickham had exchanged his legacies for a cash
payment, only to return after gambling away the money to reclaim the forfeited inheritance; he then attempted to elope with Darcy's young sister, thereby to capture her fortune. Regarding Mr Bingley and Jane, Darcy claimed he had observed no reciprocal interest in Jane for Bingley. Elizabeth later came to acknowledge the truth of Darcy's assertions.
Some months later, Elizabeth and her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner visit Pemberley, Darcy's estate, believing he will be absent for the day. He returns unexpectedly, and though surprised, he is gracious and welcoming. He treats the Gardiners with great civility; he introduces Elizabeth to his sister, and Elizabeth begins to realise her attraction to him.
Their reacquaintance is cut short, however, by news that Lydia, Elizabeth's sister, has run away to elope with Mr Wickham. Elizabeth and the Gardiners return to Longbourn, where Elizabeth grieves that her renewed acquaintance with Mr Darcy will end because of her sister's disgrace.
Lydia and Wickham are soon found, then married by the clergy; they visit Longbourn, where Lydia lets slip that Mr Darcy was responsible for finding the couple and negotiating their marriage—at great expense to himself.
Elizabeth is shocked but does not dwell further on the topic due to Mr Bingley's return and subsequent proposal to Jane, who immediately accepts.
Lady Catherine de Bourgh later bursts in on Longbourn; intending to thwart local rumour, she warns Elizabeth against marrying Mr Darcy. Elizabeth refuses her demands. Disgusted, Lady Catherine leaves and drops by to inform her nephew on Elizabeth's abominable behaviour. However, this lends hope to Darcy that Elizabeth's opinion of him may have changed. He travels to Longbourn and proposes again. And now, Elizabeth is only too happy to accept.
Review
Pride And Prejudice is a sharp and witty comedy of manners played out in early 19th Century English society, a world in which men held virtually all the power. The novel is peopled with memorable characters brought vividly to life as they both succeed and fail at the game of life according to the manners of their era. The novel consists of a cast of captivating characters, which who grow over the course of the book.
Elizabeth Bennet is the perfect Austen heroine: intelligent, generous, sensible, and incapable of jealousy or any other major sin and is determined to marry for love. There’s humour, with Mrs Bennet being the most outlandish of them all.
Though her plot is fundamentally comic, it highlights the dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and economic security.
Using her writing skills, she transports us to that era and brings out vividly all her characters, be it their physical beauty or the idiosyncrasies of their nature. For example: The beauty of Jane and Elizabeth, the wit and sarcasm of Mr Bennet and the introverted nature of Mr Darcy.
Using deceptively simple language, she manages to put forth the different natures of human beings and the difference in the lifestyles of varied classes in the society.
It is one of the best-loved and most enduring classics in English literature.