Pride and Prejudice

Author: Jane Austen

Publishing house: W. W Norton & Company, Inc.

First Publication date: January, 1813

Shameful as it is, I must admit that I was lured into reading this book after watching the movie, and not even the old version either, but the most recent remake, starring Keira Knightely. However this has injured my aura of pretension and elitism, I promptly fell in love with the movie and it was with equal parts curiosity and dread that I cracked the book open to see if it, too, would tickle my fancy.

The book starts with the most exciting arrival of a certain Mr. Bingley at the mansion of Netherfield Hall. Accompanying him is his sisters but also, a good personal friend, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. While Mr. Bingley soon gains the reputation of being pleasant, charming and overall friendly, his companion Mr. Darcy, is found less agreeable and far too proud and haughty to be likeable. Ms. Elizabeth Bennet takes immediate dislike to him after an overheard slight at the Netherfield Ball and it is the conflict between these two individuals our story concerns.

One of my greatest worries in reading the book was the fact that is considered one of the greatest romance novels of our time. While I greatly enjoyed the movie, I was worried of encountering a never-ending stream of fluff, sap, swooning and Damsels in Distress. Suffice to say, this was not the case.

I know for a fact that several renowned feminists have been disappointed with Austen because the book does not promote female empowerment and equality. While I can, on one hand see where they are coming from, I can on the other, not join them in their political lamentations. Pride and Prejudice is a good story. The setting and the characters are solid, built upon Austen's keen observation of her own time as they are. The story holds the right amount of realism, obstacles and dreamy wish fulfillment to keep the reader engaged, what is there to be disappointed with?

While lacking any greater political impact I find several minor details that from the afore-mentioned feministic view-point certainly is encouraging. Elizabeth's dismissal of Mr. Collins proposal does not lead to dire consequences for herself as one would perhaps expect. Refusing an offer of marriage in the early 1800's was after all a very, very grave thing to do. On the contrary, by standing her ground, holding on to her beliefs she, an intelligent head-strong young woman, “wins”

While I greatly admire the wit and the gallantry of Austen's writing, there are some things that bothered me, although I'm not quite sure if it stems from her personal way of writing, or the writing style of the time. One problem stems from the narrator, while she uses that particular voice in a smooth manner, there are several events that we are merely told about but never shown, which irks me. Another, closely related problem is what she chooses to leave to the imagination of the reader: Tone of voice.

I freely admit that seeing the movie was helpful in establishing the characters and their mannerisms in my head, as Austen often left me hanging in that department. Wether a character whispered or cried out her words we were certainly aware, but were they upset? Happy? Sarcastic? Often, too often, this was left up to the interpretation of the reader in a wholly unresponsible manner, making the characters come across as blurry around the edges. I suspect this may turn several readers off from the book, which is quite sad.

Despite this, Pride and Prejudice is a lovely read which I would recommend to anyone. It is a feel-good tale in a realistic setting with snappy dialogue, good humor and just a pinch of dreamy to spice it up.