Friday, September 25, 2020

Pride and Prejudice

The lovely classic that is Pride and Prejudice.

The Bennet family in regency England has five daughters and no boys to become heir of the family's estate. And what is on the mind of the ever dramatic Mrs. Bennet is to have her daughters married to wealthy young men so they aren't out on the street when "your father is dead." So when a Mr. Bingley purchases Netherfield Park not far away, obviously one of her daughters must marry him. With this entrance comes many more members of society that the Bennet's weren't aware of, such as: their cousin Mr. Collins, the magnificent Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Bingley's meddling sisters, the charismatic Mr. Wickham, and the every handsome but off-putting Mr. Darcy.  All these eligible young men must marry one of the Miss Bennet's, right?! 

This is a great story. One that I happily read and watch over and over again. The story is fantastic; the romances charming; the characters are engaging, villainous when appropriate, and very memorable. 

I think the reason I love this book so much is the characters. I think the reason why this book has stayed so popular over the 200 years it's been around is because of the characters. There are so many with different, full personalities that it seems to breathe. There is no one like Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine de Bourgh let alone their relationship. Charlotte Lucus is understandable and though she makes an unbelievable choice is still in the good graces of all her readers. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are a hoot and a holler and one of my favorite "parental couples" in almost any book. I especially love Mr. Bennet's quotes and his constant picking on his wife, as well as his commentary saying, "My dear child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life" because he most definitely cannot respect his and knows the importance of it. Jane is amazing too and reminds me a lot of myself (though probably not nearly so handsome). The best things I saw online concerning Jane Bennet is this: 


It makes my day. 

It is a classic and a good classic. It was written 200 years ago so the writing style is different and for some may be hard to understand, but persevere my friend! If you a have troubles, go find the movies. There are many to choose from and while many praise Keira Knightly's 2005 version, go for the 1995 one instead. Jennifer Ehle and Collin Firth are amazing and the movie gets so much right! Read and watch it now. Just go! 


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