Pride and Prejudice, Book Review Example

Jane Austen’s most popular novel Pride and Prejudice was first published in 1813. The novel is set in a rural society of ladies and gentleman filled with misunderstandings due to the nature of how gender behavior was dictated during the early nineteenth century. The story centers on the matters of marriage and the misunderstandings which occur between the sexes. It looks at the rituals and concepts of how relationships should be perceived and the interaction expectations among men and women. Marriage and wealth is a perception which is highly sought after. Parents try to assist in match-making and females not married by a certain age are frowned upon. The opening line of the book is the most famous line from any nineteenth century novel: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (Austen, 1813, p. 1).

The novel has a rich list of characters with Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy being the main characters. The primary objectives in life, philosophies and their strengths and weaknesses have similarities as well as differences. Elizabeth and Darcy are the epitome  of the title of the novel; Elizabeth harbors prejudice while Darcy is prideful. The interactions between the two and the gross misunderstandings parallel with stereotypical ideology of gender and social class differences. The story personifies the concept that appearances and first impressions are not always reliable.

Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist of the novel is smart and reasonable. The second eldest of five siblings she can often be hard and cynical. Her family refers to her as Lizzy and friends often call her Eliza. Her father compares to her to his other daughters “they are all silly and ignorant like other girls; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters” (Austen, 1831, P. 3). While her parents wish to marry all of the daughters, Elizabeth is more concerned with finding the right mate. She values honesty and is not tolerant of bad manners or poor behavior. She is seen as prideful by others: “a mixture of pride and impertinence” (Austen, 1813, p. 34). The novel is set in a time of social spitefulness and gossip. This character is out of the norm for the time and the author portrays wit with honesty to break out of the passivity of the gender during this era. Although the author demonstrates her hard ways and sharp tongue express her prejudicial ideas and misconceptions to her own fault.

Elizabeth and her perceptions of male suitors become tangled as she becomes ambiguous towards them. Her philosophy is to find true love but her prejudice keeps her from seeing the truth until later. She is faced with looking at herself and understanding that while she considers Darcy full of pride, it is really his own insecurity that is causing him to behave as he does. Ultimately Elizabeth rejects financial security through marriage to Mr. Collins whom she is not in love with. As she begins to see herself clearly she is able to see Darcy and his true character.

Fitzwilliam Darcy is also an intelligent character who, like Elizabeth, judges too quickly and can be harsh. Elizabeth considers him prideful and he comes from a social class status which gives him a birthright to fortune. Darcy harbors prejudice feelings towards Elizabeth and states “she is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men” (Austen, 1813, p. 10).  Overly concerned with his social status he is looking for a mate whom others would be envious of and he initially favors appearances over sustenance.

As Darcy and Elizabeth get to know each other they are mutually attracted to one another. However, the pride and prejudice feelings they both have interfere with their reaching a mutual ground for a foundation to build a true relationship upon. Darcy decides that he is enthralled with Elizabeth’s charms; but he is too prideful to speak to her with anything other than demeaning and disparaging arrogance. “He spoke well; but there were feelings besides of those of the heart to be detailed, and he was not more eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride” (Austen, 1813, p. 187). His arrogance and haughtiness in asking for her hand in marriage while defiling her family and social status was evident. To his surprise Elizabeth turns him down.

While both characters hold feelings of pride and prejudice, the realization of authenticity of character had to become evident to them both comprehending their similarities. Both characters were misrepresented to each other through narrow visions on both parts. Once Elizabeth turned Darcy’s proposal down, he was able to find respect and true admiration for the human qualities of Elizabeth and her family. Likewise Elizabeth saw a weak side to Darcy and she was better able to understand his shy nature which he had learned to cover by a prideful attitude.

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a novel about love, reputation and social class order. The lively and intense attraction between Elizabeth and Darcy has maintained public interest and there have been film, television and theatre adaptations throughout the years. The common and differing life philosophies between Elizabeth and Darcy created by Jane Austen are characteristic of real life and the common misunderstanding between men and woman.

References

Austen, J. (1813). Pride and Prejudice. Charles Scribner’s Son: New York/Chicago/Boston. Retrieved January 31, 2010 from http://books.google.com/books?id=6lgVAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=snippet&q=roused&f=false