Book review: Pride and Prejudice

Author + introduction

The book “Pride and Prejudice” written by Jane Austen, and first published in 1813 is considered to be one of the most classic love stories ever written?, and this theme can be seen/is clearly displayed? in most of the scenarios in the book. Jane Austen, was born on 16 December 1775 at Steventon, England and died on 18 July 1817. Of the multiple different ideologies represented in the book, the most significant one is Ms. Austen’s subtle hints about equality and advocacy for feminist ideas to be taken into consideration.

Summary

The book begins with a famous quote, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” We are told that the setting is in a middle-class neighborhood, and the story will revolve around a family of 7, all five children being girls. After multiple chapters of developing each character, we gradually begin to understand the protagonist more -- Elizabeth, the second daughter of Mrs. Bennet. After that, multiple shocking events happen, including the introduction of multiple sudden affections. Coincidentally, Elizabeth develops conflicted thoughts about the male protagonist, Darcy. Darcy is a man of honor who considers himself as a gentleman, but this quality is also his greatest weakness. As we may guess from the title of the book, Darcy’s biggest mistake is his pride; this is what makes him fail multiple times, and also what ruins other people’s first impressions of him. Darcy’s pride about his character matches perfectly with Elizabeth, who is described in the book as a person with high intelligence, meaning that she analyzes everyone she meets. Once she spends time with Darcy, she learns of his pride, and this is what forms her prejudice towards him.

After a series of confusing events and plot twists, we are finally introduced to the final act of the book: The Marriage of the two lovers. Even if they didn’t realize it, their personalities were created to complement each other -- Elizabeth can make Darcy move past his pride, and Darcy has earned Elizabeth’s affection, thus making her forget her prejudicial thoughts about him.

Themes

Feminism: If love can be ignored, then this will probably be the biggest theme. Jane Austen can be considered one of the first feminists, with Pride and Prejudice explaining a lot of injustices of society in a satirical and ironic way. For example, the first sentence of the entire book tells the truth, and the words “must be in want of a wife” describes women like a possession, and how they are claimed by unmarried males. You can read multiple hidden examples like this, distributed throughout the book.

The title Pride + Prejudice carries a lot of weight. This impact is represented by the love between Elizabeth and Darcy: When they meet, both of them believe they are not fit for each other. But as time passes, and as they have more opportunities to talk and interact, they realize that things are not what they seem like, and by the end of the book, it is as if both of them have changed their personalities completely. This is what love can do :)