A review by cpjeanz
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
5.0
Nothing I say will be much different from the millions of others who have experienced Jane Austen. But wow was this great. I've seen most of the adaptations (I'm partial to the Laurence Olivier and the 1980s adaptation) and thoroughly enjoyed them. I figured I would finally delve into the actual book and it was well worth it. I'd like to rewatch the adaptations to see if my opinion changes, but I can definitely see why the 1995 adaptation is well regarded (which I still really like).
Austen is frankly timeless. Her plotting, her characters, her world are believable no matter when you read it. I truly believe anyone can read and enjoy Austen. I think what's so special about Pride and Prejudice is just how real it feels. The growth of the characters individually and their relationship feel so realistic and natural. There's a moment later in the book where there's a slow down in pace so the characters and story can take a breath and reflect. If you do the same as a reader, you'll see how far you've already journeyed with the characters and how much time you have left. I've read plenty of romance, and a lot of times it feels very quick or the story itself takes place in such a short amount of time. But not here, everything flows perfectly. It's simply a classic.
Quick hits:
- Reading after seeing an adaptation enhances the experience since you have visual representations in your mind already.
- I appreciated Jane much more in this, including her relationship with Elizabeth. In the adaptations, she tends to be somewhat of an afterthought in making Elizabeth the focus. But her secondary story is important and pivotal to Elizabeth.
- The relationship, the growth and the pivotal scenes were all perfect.
- Mr. Bennet definitely seems much more like a poor father than in some of the adaptations.
- Timeless classic.
What else is there to say, it's a classic for a reason. I've ordered the rest of Austen's work (which I've seen many more adaptations for) and I'm excited to continue exploring her important contributions to literary history. It's sad to think about that she never truly got to see her own success and how much her work has meant to generations of people.
Austen is frankly timeless. Her plotting, her characters, her world are believable no matter when you read it. I truly believe anyone can read and enjoy Austen. I think what's so special about Pride and Prejudice is just how real it feels. The growth of the characters individually and their relationship feel so realistic and natural. There's a moment later in the book where there's a slow down in pace so the characters and story can take a breath and reflect. If you do the same as a reader, you'll see how far you've already journeyed with the characters and how much time you have left. I've read plenty of romance, and a lot of times it feels very quick or the story itself takes place in such a short amount of time. But not here, everything flows perfectly. It's simply a classic.
Quick hits:
- Reading after seeing an adaptation enhances the experience since you have visual representations in your mind already.
- I appreciated Jane much more in this, including her relationship with Elizabeth. In the adaptations, she tends to be somewhat of an afterthought in making Elizabeth the focus. But her secondary story is important and pivotal to Elizabeth.
- The relationship, the growth and the pivotal scenes were all perfect.
- Mr. Bennet definitely seems much more like a poor father than in some of the adaptations.
- Timeless classic.
What else is there to say, it's a classic for a reason. I've ordered the rest of Austen's work (which I've seen many more adaptations for) and I'm excited to continue exploring her important contributions to literary history. It's sad to think about that she never truly got to see her own success and how much her work has meant to generations of people.