PRIDE
AND PREJUDICE
BY
JANE AUSTEN
THE
BLURB:-
There
wasn't one...
But
let us defer to what's on the back of other efforts (no, I don't have
a first edition- rather a 2003 hardback...)
The
below is courtesy of Amazon:-
First
published in 1813, the story follows the main character, Elizabeth
Bennet, as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality,
education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of the
British Regency. Elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a
country gentleman living near the fictional town of Meryton in
Hertfordshire, near London.
Set
in England in the early 19th century, this tells the story of Mr and
Mrs Bennet's five unmarried daughters after the rich and eligible Mr
Bingley and his status-conscious friend, Mr Darcy, have moved into
their neighbourhood. While Bingley takes an immediate liking to the
eldest Bennet daughter, Jane, Darcy has difficulty adapting to local
society and repeatedly clashes with the second-eldest Bennet
daughter, Elizabeth.
THE REALITY:-
Why am I reading this
now, and why haven't I read it before? Yes, you may wonder. Well,
the truth is that I've read most of Jane Austen's novels (usually
charity shop finds, read during my twenties) and have seen more than
one film/ TV adaption of more than one book. I am revisiting this as
the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation have announced that their annual
short fiction competition is looking for work
based around the theme “Inspired by Jane Austen,” so I took it
upon myself to refresh myself with regard to her style. This little
beauty is a permanent fixture in my bookcase, and still does not fail
to entertain as I finished it in three days.
Incidentally, I made their long list with my story, named For Glory! in last year's competition. Here is the link:-
Pride And Prejudice is a study in the style of writing known as free indirect discourse; which is thought to be like a camera seeing everything, but honing in- when it's required- to an individual character. It offers insight into individual characters whilst allowing for the narrator's voice. In this it is unlike omnipresent narration; which is all seeing and all knowing, with occasional views into others' minds. The difference is the former can roam from viewpoint to viewpoint, whereas the latter is determined by the narrator. Jane Austen was one of the first novelists to use this technique constantly, although I did see her tip into second person narration.
Enough of the lesson! One thing I did notice was overuse of the words “felicity” and “alacrity” (although I didn't count how many of each), so for my short story I'm going to be a bit sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek and name my main character Felicity. But that's really a compliment rather than an insult to Jane Austen, as that kind of cleverly observant wit and understanding is exactly what she's about; satirizing society's expectations during her time on this planet very subtly, so as to entertain rather than exclusively belittle.
The characters were all very well depicted and individual, and all played an important role in the story- there was no one superfluous to requirements and indeed, no flummery of description. This book defines relationships- and not just those of a romantic nature- but also cleverly observes familial connections, and doesn't shy away from what we all know to be true, such as favouritism. If I hadn't have known the story I would have wanted Elizabeth to end up with her Mr Darcy, as they seem perfect together, and was glad that happy endings abounded for those who deserved them, and controversy sat upon those who didn't (incidentally, I'm glad the book wasn't one-dimensional, and that some silly people and rogues popped up amongst the good and the great.)
A great study of expectations of the time, cleverly and concisely written by one of the greats of her time, and an inspiration to women as well. Not many chose a career over marriage, and her reasons for this have been mentioned before- you may want to check out this Lucy Worsley study on her life:-
I shall
keep my eyes peeled in charity shops for more Jane Austen to
re-visit...
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