Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen was an English novelist who grew up in north Hampshire in England. She started writing books between 1811 and 1818 and wrote in the romance genre. Her most noticeable book was ‘Pride and Prejudice’ which made her become a popular author.

Pride and prejudice is a story about the Bennett family and their endeavors to find suitable husbands. You quickly get introduced to the central characters, (the 5 main Bennett sisters, Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy) who are all living in a small Hertfordshire village. The plot is a romance by all 5 Bennett sisters looking for love in the local area. This plot is simple and easy to understand and this is why I really enjoyed this read because you get to know each sister and the struggles they go through to find love.

My favorite character is Elizabeth because you connect most to her during the book and follow her story with Mr Darcy closely as well as learning about her relationships with her sisters and other family members. You know her story and her emotions by the end of the book, and you can see how far she has come (from when she first met Darcy to falling in love)

The story doesn’t start off great for her, because she is rejected by Mr Darcy (for not being ‘pretty’). But you then follow the story of their developing love for each other while she is away from the rest of her family. But you follow all of the sisters story’s so you get to know the whole Bennett family. Another Bennett sister (Lydia) runs off with another man (Wickham) and they do not get married until Darcy intervenes.  Her story shows how much life in the 1800s differs from modern day. Lydia’s actions are seen as influencing the ability of the other Bennett sisters to find husbands, so the family sees her in a negative way.

In addition Austen creates interest in the book by showing how formal life was back then, and how wealth mattered to everyone. You had to show wealth to be accepted into higher class. All of the themes differ from the present day and how differently our society now functions.

Overall this read is enjoyable because you witness the changes in the Bennett family, and how the relationship between the sisters and their friends/partners change and grow. But the language is harder to understand so I would say that it is a challenging read. The basic plot is easy to understand but there are many events during the plot that do add complications to the story line.

By Iona Sullivan