Pride and Prejudice [Blackstone Audio]

Though I have read many of the classics, I hadn’t ever read Pride and Prejudice. I had seen the movie in both the long and shorter versions and I was amazed at how clearly the movie script followed the narrative of the book. Though the language was a bit difficult at times, it was definitely worth the time and effort to read.

Pride and Prejudice is a masterpiece I fell in love with when I first read it. Mr. & Mrs. Bennet live on a modest income, and their only goal in life is to get their daughters married. This book made a big impact on me when I first read it, it deals with marriage for love vs money, class differences, self evolution of both the male and female protagonist.The characters are written in a very realistic manner, Our heroine is flawed, prejudiced but strong. Elizabeth Bennet is no doormat, she will not marry for comfort and monetary gains but for love. I will forever love to read this book.

This novel was given to me at a fairly young age, when I couldn’t find enough to read. It was an instant hit and I reread it at least once a year and often more. I absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves ‘obstinate, headstrong girl’ characters

My impression is that it is a farce written for the pleasure of young women, with just enough politics and class distinctions to make it notable to critics, but represents nothing significant in terms of historical importance. Austen took advantage of the new medium of public print houses to distribute this shallow silliness, and nothing of this base level nature would have become famous previous to this development that made literature accessible to the untested, and therefore low, standards of the general populous of Britain.Like a sitcom of modern television, the delivery of romantic drama depends entirely upon our connection to the characters: no one remembers the plot lines of individual “Friends” episodes so much as the attachments developed with the characters over time. The whole of Elizabeth, from whose viewpoint we experience the plot of “Pride and Prejudice”, is dull in comparison to the depth of characters created by Austen’s peers. Examples of superior characterization include those in early Gothic literature like Ann Radcliffe’s “The Mysteries of Udolpho” (1793) or in American literature like Hannah Webster Foster’s “The Coquette” (1797). Elizabeth’s disposition bores against those of Shakespeare's female characters - I don’t need Elizabeth to kill herself to prove her love, but Austen leaves us with nothing but a walk in a park to the same end. Uncomplex, unchanging in nature, and poorly portrayed, her character creates no real emotional attachment to the reader, leaving the reader just distant enough to never emotionally invest themselves into the novel. By extension, the plot can be labeled with an equal degree of removal and distance, leaving the critical reader with a shallow and wholly unsatisfactory sense of experience. The plot - and by extension theme - are straightforward: politics and tradition must be navigated as young people discover romance. The depth of the complexity of that romance can certainly be argued, but I do not think a girl changing her “first impression” (the original title of the work) of a man to be much to get excited about. The mistaken first impression never really presents itself as a character flaw to be overcome, but rather ends up being justified as a wholly honest, logical, and (therefore) unflawed judgement.Upon this end, Elizabeth is completely flat: she (as a character) possesses no “philosophical” complexities that imply any remarkable degree of enlightened thought outside of ideology in regards to marriage and other romantic topics. She certainly has a nature to imply that she could extend her logical personality to the world outside of romance, but Austen “condescends” only to represent Elizabeth’s logical nature in romantic situations. Elizabeth, then, becomes not a symbol of female intellectual empowerment but a symbol of the delusioned and inconsequential nature of intelligence possessed by women. A high regard for logic gives Elizabeth no real power, neither over her station in life nor over Darcy, and certainly not in the ability to attain anything more than the honour of being wife to a man whose own logical sensibilities grant him much in both real and subjective terms.Darcy persuades Elizabeth, and as a consequence attempts to persuade the reader, that Elizabeth’s initial refusal of him causes him to change his character. But in reality, it does not, though Austen does everything she can to argue the contrary. Elizabeth’s frank refusal of him only convinces him that he can have power over Elizabeth by being less hidden about the character he already possesses. He too, then, has no innate flaws he must overcome to win her and undergoes no real character shifts besides being less hidden. Don’t get me wrong, I love Darcy - an introspective character who certainly had the possibility to be complex - but instead Austen shovels this “lifting of the mask” into our mouths with no real sense of plot to explain it. He may acknowledge the fact that he has flaws, but instead of being provided with the subtleties of these flaws, we are only left with little more than an archetypical character; if a man who comes to terms with his pride and station was new to literature, throw this response away, but otherwise Darcy is about as uncreatively represented as he could be.“Pride and Prejudice” is only entertaining for its shallow drama and the resultant comedic episodes in reference to its setting in the “era of enlightenment”; the novel relates the basic ideology of enlightened thinkers questioning the arbitrary nature of social institutions. Austen never delves into these ideologies beyond the most basic and shallow interpretations of the principles of Voltaire and Kant (it would be worth pursuing how much of these men’s work she would have been familiar with). Austen does prove that she can poke fun at the illogical nature of the periods social structures, but she does it so subtly and rarely that the novel only reaches any real depth when presented with the witticisms of Mr. Bennet. Mr. Bennett, and no other character, made me laugh, made me think, or made me care. He, above all others, presents the readers with politics, familial duty, depth of philosophical discussion, witty observation, and real character complexity. He has flaws we can laugh at and identify with, attributes we can respect, and subtleties to get attached to; too bad we only get a mere glimpse, then, of his character! It’s as if intelligence pokes its way into the novel and goes back into hiding lest it offend anyone.Jane and Bingley are base archetypes with so little interesting about them that they could be omitted and nothing significant about the novel would change. They may stand to contrast Elizabeth and Darcy, but its like contrasting grey with white: an empty canvas does not so much contrast a dull painting as make us appreciate that at least the painting isn’t nothing at all. I don’t think Mrs. Bennett can be omitted, though Austen certainly didn’t have to characterize her as so obviously the opposite to her husband, losing all subtly in place of absurd stupidity. Elizabeth’s three other sisters are so well ignored, it leads the reader to believe these characters not ‘worth the time.’ My guess is that Austen herself identified with Elizabeth and therefore is entirely self absorbed and absent in her depiction of Mary, who I thought was the only other character besides Darcy with potential. Kitty and Lydia represent the idiocracy that deserves no place in annals of literary history. They are the prime time television idiots who we love to laugh at for their drama and shallowness; the reader never has to think in regard to these characters. One dimensional, ‘silly’ in the most uncreative fashions, they are the cheap candy at the gas station; Austen never raises them to the true characters of passion these sisters ought to be, never to be decadent desserts of a master confectioner. Mr. Collins is perhaps the only character who is actually funny, in the outright sense of comedy (compared to the more subtle wit of Mr. Bennett), but where Austen had potential to make him controversial, he is clearly everyone’s enemy, an impossible character who could never really be seen as a criticism of the English church.I must, then, ask myself why I rank Ang Lee’s “Sense and Sensibility” so high in terms of English film. I can only conclude, not having actually read the novel, that it is the complexities that Ang Lee and the cast bring to the characters that elevate it above the mediocrity of the novel. From this, one might conclude that the only kind of readers who could attribute any significance to “Pride and Prejudice” are those who possess the depth of romantic spirit and imagination to make Austen’s characters and plot have more complexity than the author writes into them. For instance, I love the English film “Love Actually” which requires a certain amount of life experience to truly appreciate the diverse frustrations of love expressed in a multitude of different forms; I can connect and enjoy some subplots of the film more than others, particularly the younger characters rather than older. The kind of readers who would find entertainment value (or historical value) of “Pride and Prejudice” are those who have experienced or have desired to experience that “thrill of being chased” and therefore have a connection with Elizabeth, placing upon the character their own complexities which the character herself lacks. As a man who has never experienced such emotion as to want be “chased,” “in waiting,” or (as Austen puts it) “out”, I have very little imagination to add to Elizabeth’s character. I could most definitely relate with Darcy if only Austen had taken the time to develop his character (how utterly disappointing!).All in all, I cannot say I enjoyed this novel beyond the witticisms of Mr. Bennet. I found myself bored, distant, and unsympathetic, waiting for the next punch of subtle wit with such pretension that the novel was painful to finish. There was more plot and characterization in the denouement than the whole of the novel. I can only be glad that the device of the novel advanced itself beyond Austen’s limited and childish writing, although certainly my mother (being, like many older women, always searching for the lost romance of her youth) reads these kind of novels like she eats M&Ms. I for one do not care to waste my time on such shallow, “girlish” (in the most sexist interpretation of the term) literature but prefer instead for my characters to show me something new, to give me greater insight into the complexity of the mind and world. Instead, Austen has simplified the mind and dulled the world to the point of being accessible to even the most basic level of reader. Perhaps a fourteen year old girl will enjoy it, or a person who wishes to recapture (or has never ventured beyond) that period of life, but I, for one, did not.

I love this book and I was happy to re-read through it again. I had forgotten all the details and loved being able to fall in love with the characters all over again.

Everybody has pride. Everybody has prejudice. I’m done there was a book called pride and prejudice. It needs no words every review. Every analysis has been written, but every reader needs to read pride and prejudice.

She is inarguably one of the best writers of our species, full stop. period.I have a coffee cup that says everything you would need to know about me & miss Austen: "Jane Austen is my homegirl." Anything else becomes superfluous!

Pride and Prejudice is a timeless classic. Classy, snarky, innocent, and the ultimate "slow burn" - enemies to lovers trope.

Book ReviewPride and Prejudice is an 1813 romantic novel of manners written by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book, who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and eventually comes to appreciate the difference between superficial goodness and actual goodness. A classic piece filled with comedy, its humour lies in its honest depiction of manners, education, marriage and money during the Regency era in Great Britain.Mr Bennet of Longbourn estate has five daughters, but because his property is entailed it can only be passed from male heir to male heir. Consequently, Mr Bennet's family will be destitute upon his death. Because his wife also lacks an inheritance, it is imperative that at least one of the girls marry well to support the others upon his death, which is a motivation that drives the plot. Jane Austen's opening line--"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife"—is a sentence filled with irony and sets the tone for the book. The novel revolves around the importance of marrying for love, not simply for economic gain or social prestige, despite the communal pressure to make a good (i.e., wealthy) match.Pride and Prejudice has consistently appeared near the top of lists of "most-loved books" among literary scholars and the reading public. It has become one of the most popular novels in English literature with over 20 million copies sold and has inspired many derivatives that abound in modern literature.[1][2] For more than a century, amateur and professional dramatic adaptations, reprints, unofficial sequels, films, and TV versions of Pride and Prejudice have portrayed the memorable characters and themes of the novel, reaching mass audiences.[3] The 2005 film Pride & Prejudice, starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen, is the most recent film adaptation that closely represents the book, with the 2016 action, comedy, and horror spin-off Pride and Prejudice and Zombies being the most recent Hollywood film adaptation.[4]387 people found this helpful.Review menu iconProfile imageMatthew Yim10 months agot is a truth universally acknowledged that some stories are capable of resisting the passage of time.In her most recognized work, Austen tells us the story of Elizabeth “Lizzy” Bennet, the second of five daughters of a rural family. Her father is the owner of Longbourn state, but given that he does ...More66 people found this helpful.Review menu iconProfile imageAubrey Colberta year agoElizabeth Bennet lives comfortably with her mother Mrs. Bennet, her father Mr. Bennet, her sisters, Jane, Mary, Catherine “Kitty”, and Lydia. The family lives in a pleasant home called Loungborn, however they are all concerned for the day Mr. Bennet dies and Loungborn is inherited to Mr. Collins. Their only home would be gone, and they would be under the mercy of Mr. Collins, a distant cousin they hardly even know. Mrs. Bennet's plan to save the girls and herself is simple, have all the girls marry and then they’ll have their own comfortable homes and wealth. Now the story truly begins, when a wealthy bachelor named Mr. Charles Bingley moves into the estate Netherfield near Loungborn. Accompanied with him is his close friend Fizwillam Darcy and his sister Caroline Bingley. The Bennet’s almost immediately fall in love with Mr. Bingley and believe he will be the perfect husband for their oldest daughter Jane. While Jane and Mr. Bingley are enjoying each other's company, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are despising each other’s presence. But when Jane gets sick, Mr. Bingley mysteriously leaves Netherfield, a trip to Kent, a shocking letter with terrible truth, and a terrible threat that can ruin the Bennet's family reputation arises, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth discover that they have more in common than they thought. Jane Austen’s beloved Pride and Prejudice is a gripping tale of love, marriage, and social status. It can be universally acknowledged that Pride and Prejudice is a classic beloved novel. From the very beginning this book sucks you in. When I first received this book, I thought I would only sit down and read a chapter or two and then continue to go on with my day. After the first two chapters, I was intrigued and had to read another chapter, and then another, and then another. Before I knew it, I had read about six chapters and gained questionable looks from family members who could not understand why I was captivated by a simple book I had only started reading that morning. By the end of the day my mind was shifted from regular thoughts about daily chores and things to do the next day, and was focused on what would happen in the next chapter. The entire story is beautifully written, every event that happens results in the resolution. Each event in the book is essential, there is no event that does not have a purpose in the story. Each character has a unique and different personality, which I appreciate. Elizabeth Bennet is very witty and intelligent, Mr. Bennet is sarcastic, Mrs. Bennet is excitable, and Jane Bennet is kindhearted. The character development is absolutely remarkable. The characters learn their mistakes, work hard to fix them (with time, practice, and a few mistakes here and there), and eventually fix their mistakes and flaws. Although some may say the story is “dull,” I however found the story quite gripping. Chapter 46 was so shocking to me, that I had to stop reading to comprehend the dreadful news. After reading Pride and Prejudice I find myself recommending this book to all my friends and family who are searching for a next great read. If you are interested in reading a book about romance, Drama, and England, Pride and Prejudice will be perfect for you. Fans of any classic literature, Jane Austen, and Little Women will love Pride and Prejudice.

I liked it because I got it cheaper than what I got in stores. I used it for my BA 1st semester.

This is one of the best books I've ever read. Jane Austen's writing style is absolutely beautiful. This is the first book of hers that I've read and it has become my favourite book ever on first reading itself. A really cool thing about this story is that each character (even the worst ones) have a lot of depth in their personalities and are quite complex. Each character has their own flaws. The character development of both Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth was the best part of the books. The title of the book fits the story so well. Both Darcy and Elizabeth are one of the best characters ever written. Even Jane,Mr bingley and Mr Bennet were very good. There's not a single page in this book that I'd call uninteresting. It's the type of book that you'd wish to finish in a single reading.The product that i received was in a good condition. A few pages were printed twice. But it wasn't really an issue as no page was missing.This book is a must read for everyone.

Have yet to read ,but having watched the film, just had to get the book .picture on the back page could easily be Mathew Macfadyen,reincarnation ?? 😉 equally nice to see there are illustrations within the book ,enables you to visually see them whilst reading. Can t wait to sit down and read

On a practical side this is not the sort of book you can put in bag and take with you. It is very large (8 1/2 by 11 inches. Each page has three column of print. The print is quite small. I think I will send it back. I now have a copy of Pride and Prejudice on kindle on my phone. I am so enjoying reading it. I love the language of that time. Sense and Sensibility next :)