Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

[Green_gable_annie]

I just joined this forum and was so dismayed to see that the first post I read was critical of my very favorite book Pride and Prejudice. I just loved it and have read it over and over. I love the complexity of Lizzie falling in love with Darcy and even trying to figure out exactly when she did.

P&P is definitely in my top 5 (all tied). I have a Mrs Darcy shirt. I'm a total janeite, working my way through her books. I'm on Mansfield Park.

[R_A_McClure]

Ever late to the party...I enjoyed reading some of the earlier posts on P&P, which happens to be my all-time favorite novel! I understand that her style is not for everyone... but I think P&P is THE Masterpiece of English literature. It's hard to pin it into one genre. It is more than a romance novel, although marriage is a dominant theme of the book. It is a great commentary on the foibles of all of mankind to willfully misunderstand his fellow man. I found the plot development between the mutually dynamic Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy to be suspenseful and magnetic. Her hilarious development of supporting characters like Mrs. Bennett and Mr. Collins adds so much depth and richness to the story. She creates a balanced view of mankind in a setting that embraces and elevates the ideal of propriety, while exposing man's weakness and propensity to fall short.

[Lulubelle]

I thought it was boring when I had to read it in high school and much preferred the passion of Wuthering Heights. Now that I am much older I appreciate the gentle humour and humanity of Jane Austen

[R_A_McClure]

Mansfield Park was my second favorite Jane Austen book. I didn't find the plot as intriguing as P&P, but the characters were still engaging.

[Bdr1209]

I have to agree with you about liking the characters better in Persuasion. I guess it makes sense when you consider that Persuasion was her final work. She probably grew a lot in her writing over the years. I do love how representative Pride & Prejudice seems to be of that time period though. It's like the opposite of Romeo & Juliet. The woman is born of "inferior birth" and catches the eye of a wealth man. I enjoyed the strength that Austen have to the character of Elizabeth. Even her sisters in the book were described as silly and ridiculous which seems to be a more common portrayal. I love the ability for both main characters to change throughout the course of the book. Not just as it pertains to their feelings for one another but also their feelings about themselves and their treatment of others. Darcy and Elizabeth both looked at others different after interactions with one another. This will always be one of my favorites!

[RashiG]

Pride and Prejudice is by far the most entertaining among the other Austen verse. 'It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man with large fortune must be in want of a wife.' - the very first line of the novel grips the reader in. The story kicks in almost immediately. It never comes to a halt. You can never get bored while reading it. Not to mention the characters which are so vividly described. Their conversations too have a sense of uniqueness. I personally loved the book and would recommend it to all who have't read it yet.

[TracyW]

This book just makes me melt everytime I read it! The movies are good but by reading the book I always feel like I am experiencing Elizabeth's anguish in loving someone she morally objects to. The entire story fascinayes me and makes me wish I lived in a different time period!

[Cooper05]

I am a Jane Austen fan and I have to say I love pride and prejudice. I have read this book many times and find each time I read it I enjoy it for different reasons. I think it has a great plot with strong heroine and heroes and also provides subtle comic relief. I would recommend this book to an age group as an easy and engaging read

[lmoses]

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen to this day remains one of my favorite books. I love the writing, character development, and emotions that this book has, and I can read it over and over!

[kklaudi]

I read it first when I was ten years old and now read it again, fourteen years later. And I still loved it. Now even more as now I could read it in it's original language.

I think that Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre are not comparable. And I love both of those books! As people living in 21th century who choose reading over many other forms of entertainment, we must remember that people back then did not have so many options. So not all books had to be heavy, thoughtful or with complicated storylines. Which does not mean that book cannot be beautifully written and in my opinion Pride and Prejudice is. And it makes me feel butterflies in my tummy every time!

[MsMartha]

I've enjoyed the Jane Austin movies and TV shows I've seen--but I've always had a problem reading the books. I think Mansfield Park is the only book I've actually finished. I have no idea why this is such a problem for me, since I love to read 19th century novels! I've tried Pride and Prejudice several times, without success...

[dina s]

I loved reading this book, as it was my 1st Jane Austen book

[Rhoe_Marrow]

What about Lady Catherine de Bourgh ... I just LOVE her

I stand corrected!

You are completely correct - she was interesting, and added so much levity. On that note, I actually found Caroline pretty interesting too. And Collins. Ok, I may have been hasty to judge all of the characters based on the Bennets; there were certainly entertaining bits. I guess my issue remains with the fact that the characters given the most "pagetime" just don't suit my literary tastes.

Cheers,
Alyson

I think the diversity of the female characters is what kept me reading the story. true the base line was that most women should be like the Bennets (mindless husband hunters and such) but that is what allows us to search and crave for the characteristics of the other women, Lizzy's wit, Catherine's levity and so on.

[coffeeholic33]

This is my most FAVORITE book EVER!!! I didn't read it in high school like most fans I know. I read it a few years later, and I was riveted. Elizabeth and Darcy are the perfect couple, made more so by the fact that they hated each other at first. It just goes to show that there really is a thin line between love and hate.

[raswales]

I agree, I love "Pride and Prejudice!" I am pretty sure I first read this in a high school English class. I'm so glad I did because I fell in love with it! I am not one to reread books, but this is one I've come back to read again numerous times! I love the classic love story and enjoy the bits of humor Jane Austen puts into the storyline. I also like to read the spin-offs of this book (continuations of When "Pride and Prejudice" ends, or the storyline from another character's point of view) but nothing can compare to the original story!