Book Report: Pride and Prejudice

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. England. Thomas Egerton of London: 1813.

Reason, Type and Setting: This novel was written some time between 1796-1813 and takes place in England. it is a romance novel with some comedy. The story was about a large family with five daughters all trying to be married before their father dies. I chose this book because I have always heard such great things about it, it is a classic and eloquent writing that still holds much truth even 200 years after it was written.

Plot: Throughout this story the readers’ awareness of the Bennet family girls grows, we learn about their individual taste, personality and intelligence. Jane and Elizabeth are the eldest of the daughters. They are both beautiful and intelligent women, Jane is shy and polite and has a very likable manner, Elizabeth is opinionated and sure of herself, she unintentionally wins the affection of many men as she is able to hold a strong and apathetic air about her. As Mrs. Bennet eagerly tries to wed all five of her daughters she seems to overlook the fact that all of the five will someday simply fall into the arms of a man they truly love. Though the Bennet family is not particularly rich or well connected, they have a comfortable state of living, but never-the-less, prejudice holds back the wealthier men from following their heart to the women they love, mainly Elizabeth and Jane, both who have won over two wealthy men. Elizabeth was a headstrong women who hardly took orders from her mother, she falls madly in love with the one man she initially thought to be the worst man alive. After setting a few things straight she finds herself head over heels for Mr. Darcy who has proven his love for her as well. Jane is the center of Mr. Bingley’s attention, and it is very convient that both Lizzy and Jane are best friends as well as Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. By the end of the story both the couples end up happily married and even neighbors so they can visit each other often.

Character: Mr. Darcy one of the few main characters, he was once descried in the book as the man with the ‘quizical brow’. Darcy always was judging and harsh to the public eye. But as the reader learns more about Darcy, we also learn that his character is much less severe and rough as let on at the beginning of the novel. Darcy has a kind heart and is a well rounded and thoughtful man. He is a handsome man but his seemingly rough character deterred most women from being interested in him. He had a very specific taste so he didn’t mind their lack of interest. Darcy, initially seems like he would be of no importance to the plot later proves to be well connected with many of the other characters and even ends up marrying Elizabeth the main character of the story. Mr. Darcy himself did not see that Lizzy could knock him off his feet and by the end of the story be the only woman he could imagine himself with.
I chose Mr. Darcy simply because he interested me the most out of all the characters. He was funny and witty and misunderstood. He dealt so eloquently with that misunderstanding and ignored how everyone else felt about him. Darcy’s only concern was with how the people he cared about were treated and were viewed. He proved that he would do anything for a person he loved, he was sensitive and once his true self was exposed he became the cliché man of every woman’s dreams. What really interested me about Mr. Darcy was the depth of his character. He was very likable and easy to relate to, a lot of his traits were qualities everyone posses, but is just too afraid to show.

Evaluation: I really did enjoy this book, I found it humorous and interesting. Not only did it entertain me, but it was had a lot of truths and problems that still exsist today. What I personally love to find in a book is a plot that could have been written years ago, such as this one, yet the points made and the stances taken are all timeless and still either relevant to the world or personal to myself. I was introduced to the difference in culture between now and when this book was written. It was very enjoyable to see and compare women from that time to women now, and I have come to the conclusion we are still not much different. As technology and the world around us progress, our feelings remain steadfast, our wishes, dreams and fantasies vary very little from then to now. As simple as the title states, this book wrestled with the pride of the young men and women who were intertwined by a pressure that compelled them all to settle for any one who would fit the bill, so to speak. The prejudices of money, stature, class, personality, talent, intellect all played a part in this story. Austen shows very well how pride keeps you from being foolish but prejudice will only get in the way of getting what you truly want. I certaintly would recommend this book to others. It is comical, clever, interesting, well written and captivating with twists in the plot and unpredictable conclusions.

I don’t think that this book is particularly important for others to read because it is a book that would only be enjoyed by someone with particular taste. There are not many situations in the book that relate to current worldly issues.

If I were Elizabeth I would probably be less harsh on Mr. Darcy before I even knew him. I wont deny that I probably would have believed Mr. Wickham when he talked about how Mr. Darcy mistreated him. I really loved how willng Elizabeth was to share her opinions with people even went it wasn’t socially exceptable. I liked the way the booked was concluded, I am not sure if there would have been anything I would want to change.

Author, Context and Trivia: Jane Austen also wrote Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Mansfield Park, Persuasion, Northanger Abbey. Jane Austen lived from 1775 to 1817 in England. I don’t believe I have read any other books like pride and prejudice. I would be interested in reading more books like this and being able to compare and contrast them. I really enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and would be interested in reading more of Austen’s work in the future. I really loved Austen’s style, I found it both funny and interesting. Though the story had many characters and a lot of twists, it was easy to follow and remained exciting throughout the whole story.