Jane Austen- Pride and Prejudice…

If I was being honest, Pride and Prejudice was never really a book that stuck out for me to read. It reminded me simply of a tiresome Sunday, where you have nothing better to do, bar dwelling at home all day, doing zilch!

However, when I came across the book again I decided to give it a go, but firstly reading up more about the author- Jane Austen- and I was surprised by what I learnt…

I discovered that it was in fact her father that first submitted Pride and Prejudice to a publisher in 1797. This was under the ideology that men were to be authors and women simply were not. It was originally titled First Impressions, albeit it was rejected for the solitary motive that it had been written by a woman.

When Pride and Prejudice was eventually published in 1813, Austen’s name did not appear as the author of the book, and in fact, she was never given credit for being the author of any of her works while she was alive! The title page of Pride and Prejudice, when published, read “By the author of Sense and Sensibility.” Once again not naming Austen nor giving her credit for her work. Moreover, it is surprising to believe this happened to one of the most famous authors known for their classical works in literature. I actually find it sad that she never got to know how famous her books would become.

She was believed to be a shy girl, with only a few friends. There are rumors, which also suppose that Jane Austen’s cousin Eliza, Comtesse de Feuillide, provided a model for Elizabeth Bennett’s wit and humour. I found the book itself rather comic, hence these amusing characters.

I understand that you get quite a lot of the anger Austen personally feels through the book and that she does this by accurately portraying what life was like for women at the time, and, for example: her life does shed light on her fiction. Similarly this is like another book I reviewed: Little Women, where we also see these typical gender roles and how women had very little say in their lives.

I found both the plot and the characters engaging, featuring the civilised sparring between Mr. Darcy, i.e.: the pride, and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet, who each judged their characters mistakenly. Overall, I was mistaken about this book, it is a true and utter classic- a joy to read!

5 star!

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”