Review : Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Title : Pride and Prejudice Author : Jane Austen Reading Dates : 13 Nov - 17 Nov 2010
From goodreads:
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's witty comedy of manners--one of the most popular novels of all time--that features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century drawing-room intrigues. Renowned literary critic and historian George Saintsbury in 1894 declared it the "most perfect, the most characteristic, the most eminently quintessential of its author's works," and Eudora Welty in the twentieth century described it as "irresistible and as nearly flawless as any fiction could be." "The wit of Jane Austen has for partner the perfection of her taste." --Virginia Woolf

Book Review of Pride and Prejudice.
Pride and Prejudice remains my favourite Jane Austen novel. This is the only book I’ve ever re-read 5 times in a row the first time I picked it up. And no matter how many times I’ve re-read it since, I still love it.

There are really just 2 main reasons for this. The first are the characters. I enjoy them all especially the sillier ones. I can never quite decide who is the more ridiculous and funny. The things they say and think are so absurd that it’s hard to dislike them even when they are behaving abominably. The story and characters just leave me with a warm feeling until the end.

The second is of course the main characters, Elizabeth and Darcy. It was rather lovely to read how they progressed from dislike to love. I like that Darcy isn’t attracted to Elizabeth because of her looks but because of her personality. He doesn’t see her as beautiful until after he is in love. And once in love, proofs more than once how important Elizabeth’s happiness is to him. Vice versa, I also like that Elizabeth only falls in love with him after he earns her respect and gratitude.

My conclusion : An absolute must-read.

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