Review #15: "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

Favorite Quotes:

"Mary wished to say something very sensible, but knew not how." -page 7

"To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love;" -page 9

"He was the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world, and every body hoped that he would never come there again." -page 11

"Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her. He really believed that, were it not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger." -page 48

"Next to being married, a girl likes to be crossed in love a little now and then. It is something to think of, and gives her a distinction among her companions." -page 131

"What are young men to rocks and mountains?" -page 145

"In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." -page 176

"She grew absolutely ashamed of herself. Of neither Darcy nor Wickham could she think, without feeling that she had been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd." -page 191

"'Yes,' replied Darcy, who could contain himself no longer, 'but that was only when I first knew her; for it is many months since I have considered her as one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance.'" -page 246

"But how little of permanent happiness could belong to a couple who were only brought together because their passions were stronger than their virtue, she could easily conjecture." -page 283

"Her heart did whisper that he had done it for her." -page 296

"'I often think,' said she, 'that there is nothing so bad as parting with one's friends. One seems so forlorn without them.'" -page 299

"I was sure you could not be so beautiful for nothing!" -page 316

"I could not have parted with you, my Lizzy, to any one less worthy." -page 343

About the Main Character:

Elizabeth Bennet is my favorite literary heroine. She is the second eldest of five sisters. She is her father's favorite and, I would guess, her mother's least. Lizzy "gives her opinion very decidedly for a girl of her age." She's described as second in beauty to her sister, Jane, who is basically supposed to be a babe and a half. Her downfall is her strong prejudice throughout the novel. She's pretty quick to decide what she thinks about a person and sticks with it until she is very clearly proven wrong. Yet, Austen makes Lizzy endearing despite her flaws. And don't even get me started on her love story with Darcy!

Another Character to Note:

Charlotte Lucas really stuck out to me in this reading! Before I really get into her character I want to share a couple of quotes about her:

"Without thinking highly either of men or matrimony, marriage had always been her object: it was the only provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and, however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want." -page 115

"She had always felt that Charlotte's opinion of matrimony was not exactly like her own; but she could not have supposed it possible that, when called into action, she would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage." -page 118

I remember once talking with a friend in college about Pride and Prejudice and about how much I love it and she agreed. She said she especially loved the risk Austen took with Charlotte Lucas and I didn't really understand what she meant. This friend then explained that it was a widely speculated opinion that Charlotte Lucas might have, secretly, preferred women. It completely blew my mind and as much as I wanted to discuss this idea, I hadn't read the novel recently enough to bring weight to the argument. 

As I read it this time, these two quotes stuck out as what might lead a reader to this assumption, especially the "without thinking highly of men" statement. I'm definitely not convinced, but it was interesting to read her character with that perspective in mind. 

I personally think that for many women at the time the concept of marriage was convoluted by fortune and security. I think, in those circumstances, it would be easy for a woman to think of men and marriage as a responsibility rather than a novelty to gush about. Charlotte was not a great beauty and had no means to care for herself without marriage, why would she be selective or even excited about marriage? She was just happy to have fulfilled her requirement as a woman and to eliminate the worry of being a burden on her parents; not everyone was as bold as Elizabeth to wait for actual attachment to form. 

Plot Breakdown:

This will likely be the most thorough plot breakdown I ever do, but it's Austen and I'm playing favorites :)

1. Netherfield Park is let at last...and who shall be the bride of Mr. Bingley?

2. The Prideful and Disagreeable Mr. Darcy...and so begins Lizzy's dislike of him.

3. An Invitation from the Bingley's and a Most Severe Cold...Mrs. Bennet's got game.

4. Darcy's affection for Lizzy develops...4and Caroline Bingley is a brat.

5. Jane and Lizzy go back to Longbourn...and Mr. Collins comes wife hunting.

6. Dear Mr. Wickham...and his story of misfortune at the hands of Mr. Darcy.

7. A Ball at Netherfield...awkward Darcy-Lizzy dancing!

8. Mr. Collins condescends to propose to Elizabeth...Mrs. Bennet is not pleased with the outcome.

9. Bingley leaves Netherfield and Caroline leaves Jane a letter...and she's still a brat.

10. The Lucas Marriage...Mr. Collins and Charlotte shall live a happy {and boring} ever after.

11. Wickham loses interest in Lizzy when another girls relative dies and leaves her a large sum...because he's slimy like that!

12. Lizzy visits Charlotte at Rosings...she meets Lady Catherine de Bourgh and sees more of Darcy!

13. Lizzy learns that Darcy sabotaged Jane's chances with Bingley even though he obviously loved her...because the Bennets are embarrasing and Jane didn't seem that into it. {She's just shy people!}

14. A Rather Poorly Worded Proposal...seriously Darcy "you're poor and you're parents and sisters are ridiculous...marry me anyway!" Uh....no, thank you!

15. Elizabeth tears into him about Wickham and Jane...and he writes her a note letting her know his side of things.

16. Lydia goes to Brighton and Elizabeth goes with Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner {her uncle and aunt} to Pemberley...yes, Pemberley as in where Darcy lives.

17. The Most Adorable Tension Ever...Lizzy affections blossoms for Darcy as she sees his house and meets his sister. He also fishes with her Uncle {too cute!}

18. Lydia's Embarrassment...and the demise of her whole family.

19. Lizzy starts to realize that maybe, just maybe Darcy is the one to make her the most happy...but did she miss her shot?

20. A Botched Marriage and a Visit from the Wickhams...and silly Lydia lets it slip to Lizzy that the Bennet's owe their saved names to Mr. Darcy.

21. Bingley's Back, Back Again...and with a marriage proposal for the agreeable and lovely Jane. Darcy is with him for some of the trip and Elizabeth just wants his attention.

22. Lady Catherine pays Lizzy a visit...and they have an all out argument about Darcy and who is and is not appropriate to marry him. It's salty to say the least.

23. The Return of Mr. Darcy and Love at Last.

Something Interesting to Note:

Like I said before, it had been a while since I read this novel. Since I read it way back when, the Kiera Knightley version has been my favorite movie of. all. time. And let's be honest, it will probably remain as such. But, as I reread this little gem I kept thinking..."This is so different from the movie!" I have seen the 6 hour version before and didn't really love the actresses who played Elizabeth or Jane, but I'm going to have to re-watch it because 1. I think it is probably a lot more accurate and 2. Colin Firth as Darcy. As a result of these obvious differences, my something interesting to note would have to be a few of the major things I noticed from the novel that didn't quite make the cut in the Knightly adaptation.

1. People call in Elizabeth "Eliza" along with "Lizzy" in the book, but she's only ever nicknamed "Lizzy" in the movie. It was hard to even think of someone calling her that because I'm so used to thinking of her as "Lizzy."

2. Darcy flat out tells Caroline Bingley his interest in Elizabeth in the book which is a sore disappointment as she obviously favors him. In the movie it is pretty clear that Caroline likes Darcy, but he never tells her he likes Elizabeth.

3. Caroline tries to convince Jane that Mr. Bingley is interested in Georgiana rather than in her in the book. This happens in the movie, but it is far bigger deal in the book. Jane is very distressed over and Elizabeth refutes the point by telling her that it is only Caroline trying to discourage her.

4. In the book, Colonel Fitzwilliam {Mr. Darcy's friend that Lizzy meets at Rosings} has some interest in Lizzy, but in the movie this doesn't happen. It has an interesting effect in the book because Lizzy has him somewhat on her mind when Mr. Darcy proposes to her the first time.

5. Both Mr. Bingley's and Mr. Darcy's proposals to Jane and Lizzy are different in the book. They're a little more tender and sweet in the book, but I'm not entirely disappointed in the movie version either.

I guess the book being better than the movie is truer in this case than I remember!

Should you read Pride and Prejudice before you die?

My love for this novel runs deep. I love the Bennet sisters and how they aren't all the same and some have strong attachments {Jane and Lizzy/Lydia and Kitty} and others kind of do their own thing {Mary} and they embarrass each other, but at the end of they day still love each other {okay, maybe not Lydia.} I love that the love stories aren't predictable and keep you intrigued the entire time because they aren't all kisses and rainbows. I love that even in the smallest of ways, Lizzy took a stand for her right as a woman to risk being impoverished for the rest of her life because she would not marry without affection {sorry Mr. Collins.} I love that Mr. Darcy became unabashed for the sake of love. He became Wickham's brother-in-law for crying out loud! And I love Jane Austen. In closing, she's one of my favorites because in a time when many women were using male pseudonyms for their novels in hopes of achieving better sales, Jane used a pen name of a different sort.

Her books were written by "A Lady" because she was just that awesome. And they still sold.

So yes, read Pride and Prejudice again and again and again :)