Monday, January 30, 2017

Let's Bust a Recap : Pride & Prejudice

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." 

Thus begins the most well-known and beloved of Jane Austen's work. Now, I know that Pride and Prejudice is not on my official book list this year, but I also seem to remember vowing that Jane Austen would show up on every book list for years to come. So even though I didn't pencil it in on the book list, I had every intention of reading it at some point this year. I guess that point came sooner rather than later. After making it through the first 200 pages or so of John Adams, I decided to take a quick break for the rather silly Bennet family, the proud Mr. Darcy, and the oh-so-lovable Bingley. 

Pride and Prejudice was the second of four novels published anonymously during Jane Austen's lifetime. It was well received and garnered favorable reviews very soon after being released as a three-volume set in 1813. 

If you're not familiar with the novel, well, that's a shame. It centers around Elizabeth Bennet who, throughout the novel, learns the error of making hasty judgments about a person and eventually comes to appreciate the difference between the superficial versus the essential qualities people possess. 

While Elizabeth Bennet herself is not someone I would want to model my life after, her always-seeking-the-best-in-people sister Jane is one of my favorite Austen ladies. And while Mr. Darcy is not a man I'd necessarily want to be married to, I'll always be a little in love with the charming and affable Mr. Bingley. Even though Jane and Bingley's love story is somewhat secondary to Elizabeth and Darcy's in Pride and Prejudice, they are probably my favorite of Austen's couples and, by far, the most perfect for and deserving of each other. 

I know I've hinted on this blog before that Pride and Prejudice may be a bit of a cliché place to start in the world of Jane Austen, but to be perfectly fair and honest, it's her most popular and beloved novel for good reason. It's absolutely wonderful, and I've only ever talked to one person (my brother Oakie) who found fault with it. I've also suggested on this blog that Sense and Sensibility is a good introduction to Austen--and I stand by that suggestion--however, Pride and Prejudice is certainly more manageable for the person who may be a bit intimidated by 200 year old British literature. 

Any way you spin it, I highly recommend reading Pride and Prejudice at least once in your life, and if you're only ever going to read one novel by Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice is the way to go. It pains me to even say that, but I do realize that not everyone out there is going to read all her work just because I said so. I guess she doesn't have to be everyone's favorite. 

Have you read Pride and Prejudice or anything else by Jane Austen? Who is your favorite author of all time? Do you have a favorite Austen novel? Because I absolutely can't decide. Every single one seems to be my favorite while I'm reading it although Sense and Sensibility and Northanger Abbey do tend to stand out from the rest in my mind. Speaking of which, I've noticed a lot of hate towards Northanger Abbey in recent internet discussions I've been a part of, and I just don't get it! What is wrong with people?? I jest, but seriously. Let's end this post before this tangent gets out of hand. Happy Monday, y'all!

17 comments:

  1. Never read any Austen books! #canwestillbebestfriends

    But if I complete my "I HAVE to read at least 5 books this year" list...I would consider Pride and Prejudice. I'll keep you updated! 😘

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    1. #ofcoursealwaysandforever

      How's the reading going? Have you finished Let Me Be A Woman?

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  2. I have read Emma and Sense & Sensibility, and enjoyed very much. However, I have not read Pride and Prejudice yet. It is definitely next on my list after I finish reading Alexander Hamilton book.

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    1. I didn't know that you've read Austen! That's awesome! I'm so proud of you! If you enjoyed Sense & Sensibility and Emma, you will LOVE Pride & Prejudice. :)

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  3. I like Bingley too. Darcy is a good guy though, just not as likable as Bingley. Jane, I feel, is the epitome of a 19th century woman and Rosamund Pike was a good pick to play her in the 2005 movie.

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    1. Btw...I have read this book...at your request. The next Jane Austen I want to read is Emma.

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    2. Agreed that Rosamund Pike was a good choice to play Jane in Wright's Pride & Prejudice adaptation as was Simon Woods to play Bingley, but that movie will never be my fav. And also agreed that Darcy is a good guy--just a bit too serious for my taste as far as potential husbands go.

      You're the best for reading Austen and appreciating good literature and discussing it all with me! <3

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  4. P&P was my first Austen. I tried to do S&S but it just didn't work for me, I needed the images in my head from Kiera knightly's rendition in order to imagine my way through the written copy. And then I quickly devoured the rest of them! Persuasion is my very favorite, Emma is my least favorite. Mansfield Park is great too!

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    1. Interesting! Have you watched the Emma Thompson/Kate Winslet film adaptation of Sense & Sensibility? I wonder if that would help get you through the novel. :)

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  5. Honestly, I can't remember which Jane Austen books I've actually read. I want to say I've read Emma and S&S, but now I'm not sure. Ugh. lol I do know that I haven't read P&P, but I would like to. Maybe I'll add that to my book list queue whilst I'm taking a break from reading Sci-Fi (even though I am reading "Peter Pan" right now, which is probably technically Fantasy, but I consider it more of a Classic).

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    1. I still differentiate Fantasy literature from Sci-Fi literature so there's that. Haha! From prior comments you've left on my Austen posts, I think you've mentioned reading Emma and Persuasion but not Sense & Sensibility. I think you would really enjoy the humor in Pride & Prejudice. You know how uninformed I am about the technology, but I think I remember someone telling me that they got Austen's novels for free on some device they had?? Maybe you could get Pride & Prejudice for free to read on your kindle or whatever you have.

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    2. I have no doubt I can get P&P on my Kindle. Maybe I'll read it after I'm done with Peter Pan. :)

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  6. Hannah, I give you sole credit for tipping the Austen scales in my life & being the catalyst for my having read P&P. AND loving it.
    I aim to read S&S this year.
    Also, I just HAVE to recommend librivox.org to anyone who would rather have a British person read them Austen aloud, because they do & it's free & I use it all the time for anything in the public domain (older than 100 or 150 years?) that I'm interested in listening to.
    <3

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    1. I've been wondering if you had read any Austen yet, and I'm SO GLAD you are a fan! I mean, we're not #kindredspirits for nothing. ;)

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  7. I think I've read all of Austen's major works, and a couple of the unfinished ones, like Love and Friendship and Lady Susan (the movie was hilarious!). Persuasion is high on my list, and I agree that Northanger Abbey is underrated. The version of NA that I read had a great introductory essay, so I made sure I bought that version. The essay gave me context and clues of what to look for, and I liked Henry so much. He might remind me of my brother Jeff. Favorite author all time is C.S. Lewis...I've read at least 11 fiction and 8 non fiction of his.

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    1. LOVE C.S. Lewis! It's a lifetime goal of mine to read all his work.

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    2. The hardest things to find and read are his academic works as a Medievalist. I think I read The Discarded Image a few years ago and didn't have a frame of reference for most of the works he was analyzing.

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